While Cheryl is Away
I decided rather than to flood Cheryl's email, while she is away on her VWOD (vacation without dog), I would post on our blog, what I might have randomly emailed her about. Since my title as BLOG PARTNER has dwindled to Guest Writer, I thought this would also give me the opportunity to catch up a little.
I will start with Friday, July 19 and work my way to today.
I will start with Friday, July 19 and work my way to today.
We fired him then, we fired him again...
On Friday, even though Cheryl was technically still in the state, the story begins. Dave and I headed to Syracuse to look at vehicles. This is never one of my favorite shopping outings. Shopping is fun because you can look, decide what to buy based on the price and what kind of coupon you have or what kind of sale is going on. There aren't any games, it is all up front. Vehicles are not like that. There are the sticker prices, the rebates, the invoice price and then the secret dealer price, and God Forbid if you have a trade in, that adds another element of surprise and mystery. I just hate it.
We had 2 vehicles we were looking at Friday. The Mitsubishi Outlander first, then the Hyundai Santa Fe. I could basically care less. Pick one, get it, drive it and move on. But for Dave it is all about the prep, the hunt and the kill. So we get there, find them, get out and look...and wait to be approached by the dreaded sales rep. Here he comes...towards us...and it all begins. He introduces himself and shakes our hands...I am already hearing blah blah blah. He tries to make personal connection, talking about kids and family...needing a vehicle to fit everyone and friends, too. Once we decide to test drive one, Mr. Sales Rep goes to get plates and keys. While he slips away, I pull out his card and look at the name. My jaw hits the ground. Could it really be? I show Dave the name and ask him if it rings a bell. This was the man we hired in 1992 to be our wedding photographer, then fired 2 months before! Slowly, the details all come flooding back.
I chose him because, as an artist, I wanted someone GOOD. He took my brother's first communion portraits and I remember being impressed with his work. We went for our engagement pictures and I put down a $100 deposit and saved our date. When I got the pictures back, although nice, I was upset by my favorite, being off center. My head was cut off a little on the left side. As the months went on and I booked florists, ordered a cake, invitations, everyone asked who the photographer was. I distinctly remember the invitation printer saying, is there any way you can get out of that? For reasons I have since chosen to block, I secured another photographer. Ok, so he was a city cop....but I felt that due to a GUT FEELING, I had to get out of this other commitment.
2 months before the wedding, he contacted me about specifics (place, time...) and I told him that we decided to forfeit our deposit and go with someone else. Yeah. Kind of awkward.
So here he comes back with the plates...and we hop in for a test drive. I wonder now why he didn't really bite on the opportunity to share with us his OSWEGO connection when we told him where we were from and for that reason we would not buy a WHITE vehicle due to driving in white out conditions? So I come out and ask...So...didn't you used to be a photographer in Oswego? He said yes, but the tone was strange. I told him that he actually took our engagement picture 16 years ago. He asked my maiden name. I told him and he echoed back the mispronounced version of my name. He asked how to spell it (he was writing it down) It occurred to me at that moment...my Uncle was in the wedding business (flowers) along side him for YEARS (they alllll know each other) and yet he chose not to ask....if we were related. The whole thing was ever so strange. He mentioned that he probably still had our negatives. If he honestly did not remember anything about me firing him at THAT moment, on THAT test drive, I am certain that he went home and looked up our negatives and had some kind of record that we let him go.
After test driving the Outlander it didn't impress us, nor did the sales rep. So we fired him, yet again...and off to Hyundai we went for a completely opposite experience.
We had 2 vehicles we were looking at Friday. The Mitsubishi Outlander first, then the Hyundai Santa Fe. I could basically care less. Pick one, get it, drive it and move on. But for Dave it is all about the prep, the hunt and the kill. So we get there, find them, get out and look...and wait to be approached by the dreaded sales rep. Here he comes...towards us...and it all begins. He introduces himself and shakes our hands...I am already hearing blah blah blah. He tries to make personal connection, talking about kids and family...needing a vehicle to fit everyone and friends, too. Once we decide to test drive one, Mr. Sales Rep goes to get plates and keys. While he slips away, I pull out his card and look at the name. My jaw hits the ground. Could it really be? I show Dave the name and ask him if it rings a bell. This was the man we hired in 1992 to be our wedding photographer, then fired 2 months before! Slowly, the details all come flooding back.
I chose him because, as an artist, I wanted someone GOOD. He took my brother's first communion portraits and I remember being impressed with his work. We went for our engagement pictures and I put down a $100 deposit and saved our date. When I got the pictures back, although nice, I was upset by my favorite, being off center. My head was cut off a little on the left side. As the months went on and I booked florists, ordered a cake, invitations, everyone asked who the photographer was. I distinctly remember the invitation printer saying, is there any way you can get out of that? For reasons I have since chosen to block, I secured another photographer. Ok, so he was a city cop....but I felt that due to a GUT FEELING, I had to get out of this other commitment.
2 months before the wedding, he contacted me about specifics (place, time...) and I told him that we decided to forfeit our deposit and go with someone else. Yeah. Kind of awkward.
So here he comes back with the plates...and we hop in for a test drive. I wonder now why he didn't really bite on the opportunity to share with us his OSWEGO connection when we told him where we were from and for that reason we would not buy a WHITE vehicle due to driving in white out conditions? So I come out and ask...So...didn't you used to be a photographer in Oswego? He said yes, but the tone was strange. I told him that he actually took our engagement picture 16 years ago. He asked my maiden name. I told him and he echoed back the mispronounced version of my name. He asked how to spell it (he was writing it down) It occurred to me at that moment...my Uncle was in the wedding business (flowers) along side him for YEARS (they alllll know each other) and yet he chose not to ask....if we were related. The whole thing was ever so strange. He mentioned that he probably still had our negatives. If he honestly did not remember anything about me firing him at THAT moment, on THAT test drive, I am certain that he went home and looked up our negatives and had some kind of record that we let him go.
After test driving the Outlander it didn't impress us, nor did the sales rep. So we fired him, yet again...and off to Hyundai we went for a completely opposite experience.
Do you still believe in Santa honey?
So at this point, we move on to the Santa Fe. The Hyundai dealership was WAY laid back. Our rep wasn't even legal to hold a driver's license yet. Dave knew more about the vehicle than he did. He was dressed like a high school kid doing his own laundry. On the test drive, however, we did decide that we really liked the Santa Fe. The one they had on the showroom floor of course was gorgeous. Leather interior, sun roof, power everything and gadgets we would never use in our lifetime, but Ethan would probably know how to operate.
While checking out the back end, we were impressed with the removable liner that covers the rug. It was so dog friendly. We made a private little joke about the DOG and of course the little boy picked up on it and asked what kind of dog we have. I embarrassingly admitted that we have a Beagle. Well...I guess the boy should have been working as a vet assistant, or as a breeder or trainer, because this is where all his knowledge was! He is was a total beagle lover. He told us all about his love of them and how he was working for the Save the Hound Foundation to save hounds rescued after Katrina....oh my. He went ON and ON about how beagles are just the BEST dog.
It was kind of funny...how the vehicle we hated had such negative aura tied to the rep, and here this vehicle we love came with this enthusiastic pep rally about the dog we are still so unsure of. I am sure Zoey set this all up...to help us get the vehicle that will work to her best interest in staying!
But of course they were closing at 6pm, and it was now 5:58 and the deal process was going no where. We decided to walk away...and continue the hunt.
While checking out the back end, we were impressed with the removable liner that covers the rug. It was so dog friendly. We made a private little joke about the DOG and of course the little boy picked up on it and asked what kind of dog we have. I embarrassingly admitted that we have a Beagle. Well...I guess the boy should have been working as a vet assistant, or as a breeder or trainer, because this is where all his knowledge was! He is was a total beagle lover. He told us all about his love of them and how he was working for the Save the Hound Foundation to save hounds rescued after Katrina....oh my. He went ON and ON about how beagles are just the BEST dog.
It was kind of funny...how the vehicle we hated had such negative aura tied to the rep, and here this vehicle we love came with this enthusiastic pep rally about the dog we are still so unsure of. I am sure Zoey set this all up...to help us get the vehicle that will work to her best interest in staying!
But of course they were closing at 6pm, and it was now 5:58 and the deal process was going no where. We decided to walk away...and continue the hunt.
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