Author: benjancewicz

Whoa!

(yes, I know I need to put up an update about the wedding; no worries! I’m waiting for the photos to develop).

I forgot entirely that I have a show this month in Harrisburg!

So, I need some help.

I’m doing all photography and drawings. If you have any personal favs you think should go up, let me know!

I’ll let you know how it goes!

Aloha!

In this journal is A) a free car, B) a wedding invitation, and C) a house warming invitation.

We got the house, safe and sound! It was amazing too. Our realtor caught a $3000 mistake in the contract, and our mortgage guy flat out handed us $1000 because he had said we wouldn’t need it.

Tamika has settled in the house, and together we’ve been slowly taking care of unpacking and setting things up room by room. We’re still trying to work up the money for many of the things we need to take care of (like furniture, painting, appliances & tools) but we’ve been very fortunate. We have the necessities provided for us, and so far we have not bought a single piece of furniture in the house. The house came with all new appliances save the washer and dryer.

Tamika is now working with me at the National Fatherhood Initiative! Heather, on of the upper managers, mentioned they were looking for temporary help, so I suggested Tamika! She’s been doing great there, and people have been impressed with how quickly she’s been getting things done. Heather mentioned to me that they may be looking to hire her permanently. Just today, we found out that they’ll be hiring her for another month after our honeymoon!

The wedding plans are going very well. The only thing we’re really waiting on is a photographer to confirm. The day before yesterday I took off and Tamika and I went up to Harrisburg to get our Marriage License (which was amazingly easy), went to see the reception hall (which is decorated with Moroccan tile), got our wedding rings, and then got my suit for the wedding with matching shoes (white). I know all this sounds extravagant, but honestly, it couldn’t be cheaper. My suit is cheaper than renting a tux, and was on sale. Our wedding bands were even 75% off, and I was able to pay for them with the cash in my wallet!

Tamika and I are getting married on September 2nd, in exactly 2 weeks!!!
If you are reading this, YOU are invited. We have plenty of room in the ceremony, and a few choice seats for the reception too. So if you’d like to come, e-mail me immediately at benjancewicz@gmail.com
We also have an online registry, at [link] in case you’d like to bring something along. But if you can, please please please come.

For our honeymoon, we’re planning on going to Isla de Mujeres in Mexico. It’s a quiet little island off the eastern coast, about 7 miles by boat from Cancun. The locals don’t like spring-breakers much, so they keep it pretty simple there (I’ve read). We’re planning on taking a week of moped riding, snorkeling, and just relaxing and enjoying each other
Does anyone know anyone from Isla de Mujeres? If anyone does, we’d love to have someone show us around.

We have been blessed with a new car, as well! We now have a 2001 Saturn L200, a beautiful deep red that looks like it’s smiling at you, My old Passat has been limping a bit. While it is still a good car, it needs help. I’m willing to GIVE IT AWAY for FREE if someone would like it.

It’s a 1996 Volkswagen Passat, V6 engine, GLX, Standard transmission, and I paid $3000 for it when I got it.

It does run, but it needs about $800 worth of help.
It needs a new rod in the steering system (I can show whoever gets it where because I have the repair manual).
This problem makes the car drink steering fluid like most of us need to drink water.

The other problems are small, but bothersome.
It’s front bumper needs to be either taken off and put back on or completely replaced. It has been in two front accidents; the first was major and had been completely professionally overhaul (bumper, front post, grill, lights). The second accident was a minor fender bender, and hit in the exact same spot (ironically enough) and popped the bumper off and slightly bent the grill. It won’t take much to fix.

The front driver door only opens from the inside, it should be about 10-20$. There is a rod that falls off routinely on these models. The same has happened on the rear passenger side door, but it only opens from the outside.

Another chronic problem is the window gears, in which they skip (and consequently wear town a few teeth) when they’re rolled and you slam the door at the same time. This happened to the front passenger side window at some point before I got the car, and now the window won’t roll up all the way (stays about an inch open). There are rain guards on the front windows though, so it doesn’t matter too much.

The cruise control doesn’t work, but that’s minor.

And that’s it! It might seem like a lot, but it is free. E-mail me if you want it.

In October, we’re planning on having a house warming. Our new address is 4211 Potter St., Baltimore, MD 21229
If you’d like to come, let me know. We’ll be using the same registry we’re using for the wedding.

Whew! That was a big catch up. Contact me if you want to come to any of this stuff!

If you seek the truth in the thoughts of
Benjamin Joseph Jancewicz,
these are where they reside.
Read no further if you wish not to know truth.Copying Jocelyn’s Journal: [link]

Shortest Job I Ever Had: I think my lemonade stand. Either that or painting the McGill SubArtic Research Station. I did that for about a week or two, I think. That was tough work.

First Job I Ever Had: I always worked for my mom, selling her crafts, or other stuff. She would run businesses for people and I would help. My first non-family job was probably working at the Schefferville Northern store. I worked with my friend Jason Whitmore loading scrap metal in the basement of the store. The owner of the store was a jerk, though, so after the scrap metal was gone, I declined an offer to be hired again.

Toughest Job, Physically: Pushing carts for Stop n’ Shop in Groton, Connecticut. It was tough, but very good for me. I pushed them in heat hotter than I had ever felt before, pushed them in the rain, pushed them in the snow… I pushed harder than any other lot guy out there; constantly seeing how many carts I can do at once. By the end of the year, I was beefy. It paid off too; I was promoted 5 times at that job.

Best Job (So Far): Probably working for myself. I love doing that.

Worst Job (So Far): Hummm…. probably working at Lottie Nelson Dining Hall at Messiah College. I had to deal with some really rotten management. But I made the best of it. Please buy my prints: [link] They’re cheap! Let me know if you buy them too, DA doesn’t tell me.

Aloha.

Never ever ever purchase anything from the Eagle Warranty Corporation (their diabolical site is here: [link]), or from their subsidiary Carhosting.com.

I don’t care what any dealer, car owner, or anyone says.

I bought my 1996 Volkswagen Passat about a year ago, and while I was at the dealership, they offered me the option to purchase an Eagle Warranty. They said Eagle Warranty helped pay for repairs. I said how much, they said 47$ a month, I said sure, and signed my name.

I’m now getting rid of the car (if anyone wants a car for FREE let me know), and of course, I decided to cancel the warranty.
Now, by my calculations, I’ve given them about $564 or so in payments.
I went to the garage a couple time, and they only gave me $230 in “repair help”. So I was already feeling pretty crummy about the whole deal.

It took me ages to get through to get it canceled. Their website is worthless, and they don’t answer their e-mails or their customer support.
Their telephone system is also terrible. Their system is annoying from the very start, if you get on, just press 0 for the operator.
When I finally got through to her, she was unable to put me through to a real person. Apparently, no one picks up their phones at Eagle Warranty, they make you talk to their answering machines and then call you back if you feel like it.
They also transfer you without telling you. You could be mid-sentence, and they’ll just switch you over.

So, I didn’t get to talk to anyone, and finally got into the voicemail (of course) of Ed at Eagle Warranty. I told him my VIN number for my car, told him I was getting rid of the car, and said I wished to discontinue the warranty.

Ed at Eagle Warranty waited 3 days to call me back. When he did, Ed at Eagle Warranty was very rude. He demanded to know why I wished to discontinue the service, and was very condescending about it. Finally, he grudgingly asked for my VIN number (again) and my first and last name (again).

I asked Ed at Eagle Warranty if there would be any other charges. He said no.

He lied.

Today, they withdrew $175 from my account, decimating my bank account and almost putting me under.

After an HOUR AND A HALF on their blasted phone system, I finally got to talk with a real person, who transferred me to another real person, who transferred me to another real person, who told me it was my fault because it was written in the fine print of the contract.
$175 termination fee. $#$%#$%!!!! 175$~! To do what??? Remove me from their list??? Ridiculous!

THEN, when I asked to file a complaint with someone, they sent me to some techie, who was exTREMEly rude and condescending, and basically told me to shove my complaint where the sun don’t shine.

So, yeah. Don’t buy anything from them. And if you already have it, I feel bad for you. Because there is no way out.

With that, I will end my post with the Meta data from their website in hopes that this post will come up before their website does on Google to prevent some other poor soul from being sucked in.

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appropriate department below:, Accounts Payable – Amber at EagleAP@eaglewarranty.com, Accounts Receivable – Holly at EagleAR@eaglewarranty.comCustomer Service – Diane at customerservice@eaglewarranty.com, National Sales – Sandy at sales@eaglewarranty.com, Claims Department – Sean at claims@eaglewarranty.com, Dealer Relations – Leonard at EagleDR@eaglewarranty.com, Eagle extended warranty, eagle extended warranties, Eagle warranty, extended auto warranty, auto repair warranty, auto coverage warranty, auto warranty, used auto warranty, uato warranty, auto warranty company, autowarranty, auto waranty, auto extended warranty, auto warranty services, source auto warranty, auto warranty review, aftermarket auto warranty, california auto extended warranty, florida auto warranty, online auto warranty, auto warranty, warranty auto, auto extended warranty, auto extended warranty company, auto extended warranty review, american auto warranty, auto warranty rating, auto warranty broker, auto warranty insurance, auto save warranty, auto manufacturer warranty, after market auto warranty, new car warranty, auto warrante, best extended auto warranty, auto extended warranty rating, discount auto warranty, auto extend warranty, uto warranty, auto warrranty, wrranty xtended warranties, auto warranty comparison, auto extended warranty insurance, best auto warranty, ford auto warranty auto, warranty service auto, extended warranty used, new auto warranty, auto extended car warranty, Carhosting, Inc, 110 Terrace Drive, Blakely, PA 18447, info@carhosting.com, The Eagle Warranty Corporation, 110 Terrace Drive, Blakely, PA 18447, 1-800-735-2529, or via email by emailing the appropriate department below:, Accounts Payable – Amber at EagleAP@eaglewarranty.com, Accounts Receivable – Holly at EagleAR@eaglewarranty.comCustomer Service – Diane at customerservice@eaglewarranty.com, National Sales – Sandy at sales@eaglewarranty.com, Claims Department – Sean at claims@eaglewarranty.com, Dealer Relations – Leonard at EagleDR@eaglewarranty.com, Eagle extended warranty, eagle extended warranties, Eagle warranty, extended auto warranty, auto repair warranty, auto coverage warranty, auto warranty, used auto warranty, uato warranty, auto warranty company, autowarranty, auto waranty, auto extended warranty, auto warranty services, source auto warranty, auto warranty review, aftermarket auto warranty, california auto extended warranty, florida auto warranty, online auto warranty, auto warranty, warranty auto, auto extended warranty, auto extended warranty company, auto extended warranty review, american auto warranty, auto warranty rating, auto warranty broker, auto warranty insurance, auto save warranty, auto manufacturer warranty, after market auto warranty, new car warranty, auto warrante, best extended auto warranty, auto extended warranty rating, discount auto warranty, auto extend warranty, uto warranty, auto warrranty, wrranty xtended warranties, auto warranty comparison, auto extended warranty insurance, best auto warranty, ford auto warranty auto, warranty service auto, extended warranty used, new auto warranty, auto extended car warranty, Carhosting, Inc, 110 Terrace Drive, Blakely, PA 18447, info@carhosting.com, The Eagle Warranty Corporation, 110 Terrace Drive, Blakely, PA 18447, 1-800-735-2529, or via email by emailing the appropriate department below:, Accounts Payable – Amber at EagleAP@eaglewarranty.com, Accounts Receivable – Holly at EagleAR@eaglewarranty.comCustomer Service – Diane at customerservice@eaglewarranty.com, National Sales – Sandy at sales@eaglewarranty.com, Claims Department – Sean at claims@eaglewarranty.com, Dealer Relations – Leonard at EagleDR@eaglewarranty.comPlease buy my prints: [link] They’re cheap! Let me know if you buy them too, DA doesn’t tell me.

If you seek the truth in the thoughts of
Benjamin Joseph Jancewicz,
these are where they reside.
Read no further if you wish not to know truth.Aloha…

I had a dream about Minnie Uniam last night; she was moved out her house on the reservation because she had been evicted. The Naskapi Band Counsel said she could no longer live in her house because her husband Johnny had died and because of the housing shortage they needed her house.

They moved her into a tiny but new house where John Shecanapish’s Tipi used to be.
I went to visit her.
Her eyes were bright, and she fussed over me, feeding me hot raisin bannock with butter and Labrador Tea (mixed with old Earl Grey & Orange Pekoe). She was taking care of her great grandson. I don’t know whose child he was, but he had smooth dark hair and matched his great grandmother’s dark eyes. He toddle around in a diaper and a primary coloured blue shirt with an airplane on it.
Minnie spoke about how her life was hard, but how she was happy the Lord was taking care of her. Her backyard was fenced in, which was rare, (to keep dogs out, she said) but it was still dirt. Toys littered the back yard; big plastic ones and action figures with the arms broken off.
She smiled at me and gave me a hug before I woke up.

I miss her.

Normally I usually post insightful and meaningful journals, but this was just too funny to pass up.

I’m sure some of you have noticed spam where they try to tell you a story so your e-mail program doesn’t label it as spam?
Well, I got such a message today… except they forgot to list the product name, or what they’re advertising!!!

It’s just a funny, little story. that doesn’t make any sense.

From: Tabitha Lester
Reply-To: Tabitha Lester
To: ben.java@gmail.com
Date: Jul 11, 2006 7:56 AM
Subject: XJC

to see that my advice wasn’t wasted on you. Why, that’s marvelous. You can
of them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s what I mean by
“It’s not impossible.”
of them, the most important thing in living was to reach out and touch

So, here’s the deal.

We settle on this house in Baltimore on Wednesday.
As in, this furious storm of papers involving credit reports, mortgage applications, homeowners insurances, utility bills, alarm system paper, letters of recommendation, job history, job salaries, past renting and any other legal document ever written about me and Tamika is culminating in this big stack on my realtor’s desk.
God has been working through this incredibly; pushing back settlement dates when we needed it to be, giving us breaks on insurance, even putting it on our seller’s hearts to give us an INTEREST FREE LOAN for the next 10 years for the difference in our mortgage.

We discovered last week that we were unable to include Tamika in the mortgage because (another blow against teachers) her job; Substitute Teaching Services, would NOT guarantee ANY salary for her next year. They wouldn’t do this because Tamika’s job is dependent on some other teacher being sick or calling off so Tamika can take her place. And her job wouldn’t even give her an average.

So that meant I had to bear the entire weight of the loan with my credit alone. Fortunately, I have pretty darn good credit (I pay my bills very promptly, or as promptly as I can), so we got through ok, but the mortgage didn’t quite meet the price of the house entirely.
And then the sellers offered to finance the difference (a substantial amount) without interest over the next 10 years. These people are really cool. This is pretty much unheard of.

So everything is coming together. We have another inspection tomorrow (Saturday) to make sure everything that the seller was doing gets finished up, and then Settlement (where we sit down and the money & contracts change hands) on Wednesday the 5th. We’ve been told that we need to bring something around $2000 to the settlement table, in case there are fees and stuff, and we still have no idea where that is going to come from, but God has being taking care of us so much so far that we have no more doubts. We just need to have faith and just do our best.

After that Tamika will be moving into the house. I’m going to stay in Gaithersburg until September when we get married. Hopefully this will give her a head start on getting a job and everything there. She’s a little nervous, but I know she’ll be ok. She’s a strong woman. I won’t be too far away either, and will get to see her much more than I do now.

The MAAFA production is now over, and the both of us can now breathe a little easier.
It was pretty crazy. Tamika was had the lead role, and was singing as well, and I had several minor roles, did the Graphic Design, sang, and played djembe. The production was a spectacular success; the best MAAFA production ever. Her parents got to come opening night, which was awesome. Despite all the stress before it, it was as smooth as syrup during the show; and everyone walked away feeling awesome about it. God really did work in this.

Marriage plans are going well; we just had our first counseling session last week with our Pastor. She’s been out of commission lately because she snapped her tendon in her heel practicing the African Dance for the MAAFA (how many can boast that of their pastor!!!). She was in good humour about the whole thing, though, and we had a nice session. I’m looking forward to meeting again with her to learn more about Tamika through the sessions.

Anyhow, that’s all for now.

Song currently playing: POD – Boom

Holy mother of Mohammad! (you use my diety’s name in vain, I use yours)

Man, I have to keep this list crackin’! Lotsa you people are adding me to your Deviant Watch list! Thank you ever so much, I never dreamed I would get this much of a positive reaction. I make art for myself; I see something beautiful and try to capture it to help my notoriously bad memory. But it makes me soo happy when I see other people enjoying this work as much as I do. Thanks so much!

I gotta make sure everyone’s on this list, now!

Got my car back from inspection, got to do all kinds of work on it. *sigh* I love the little bug anyhow, though.

My moped is running funny, I need to take a look at it and figure out why it doesn’t like full throttle.

Saw the HULK tonight, one cool movie. Very trippy at times, though, but the effects were awesome. The scene changes were truly ingenious, true to comic book form. The most artistic movie I’ve seen since Gattaca.

Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies, do I see…

We got the house.
As in, we got the house.
As in, there is a building. A real building. Four walls, a roof, a door… a real house.
And not just any house.
A spectacular house.