New stairwell light fixture

Kate and I finally replaced the light fixture in our upstairs stairwell. We actually purchased this lamp from Kay Lighting in Conshohocken prior to settling on the house. While we had the fixture and the bulbs, we didn't have a ladder tall enough to reach the ceiling of the stairwell, so the lamp sat in its box for a couple months.

To solve the problem, a couple weeks ago we purchased a Werner 22' telescoping multi-ladder at Lowes. The rest is history.

Marriott Corporation and I have made peace

After a year of back-and-forth communication with Marriott regarding an incident at one of their hotels in the Boston area last summer, they have finally relented. It took a letter to J.W. Marriott, Jr. to get action. In my most recent correspondence I stated the facts plainly and re-stated my demands, which were very simple. My principal demand was a refund for the lodging costs during the stay that went awry. They sent me a check this week, and I now consider the matter closed. My boycott of Marriott facilities has ended.

You can see Marriott's on-target, well-worded response in the letter below.



My advice for anybody who has experienced a less-than-optimal experience with a large corporation is to attempt to speak with somebody high enough up the food chain as quickly as possible. In my case, somebody in Marriott Claims Services called me the same day I reported the problem, which was the week after the incident. He immediately took a defensive tact and refused to do anything to compensate me. My next letter was to the President of North American Lodging at Marriott. He simply deferred to Marriott Claims Services and I ended up back with the individual who originally said "no." I stewed for about a year before finally writing to that individual again and copying the CEO of the company. Ah... the machinery started working and I got what I wanted. Be persistent, but be reasonable.

Settling into the new homestead

This week marks two months that Kate and I have officially been in Allentown. We're settling into the house nicely.



In recent weeks we have purchased and installed a new dining room lamp that we found at Friedman Electric in Bethlehem. Next up on the electrical "hit list" is installing the stairwell fixture that we had purchased months ago at Kay Lighting in Plymouth Meeting. But before I can do that, I need to buy a ladder since it's the top of a two-story stairwell.



The hot tub is up and running. Kate and I have begun to actually use the hot tub instead of just looking at it and cursing our "Porsche filled with water" (the term used by the hot tub repair guy). We do enjoy using it, but it is showing its age (14 years) and will likely need more "under the hood" repairs over time.