Aahz Reviews Gilroy

Every year I order copies of my credit reports from Equifax, Experion and TransUnion.  I just received my latest report and discovered some random towing bill from about five years ago has suddenly appeared.  The weird thing (and why I’m writing about this here) is that the collection agency currently holding the note is located right here in Gilroy.

I had no idea we had debt collectors operating out of our sleepy little agricultural town, but apparently they are.  Who knew?  So now I can actually walk down to their office and complain and/or negotiate with them.  Pretty cool, though unnerving at the same time.  But what we really need here in Gilroy is a locally owned Debt Counseling company. After all, my best guess would be that we have a larger than average percentage of people with serious credit and debt problems.

Until then, I highly recommend checking out TheCreditExchange.com.  They are (apparently) the only a debt consolidation referral service in existence today.  Essentially, theyreview all of the various debt counseling, debt consolidation and equity repositioning companies out there and then do their best to match you up with the service that fits you best.  Makes a lot more sense than picking one at random based on a banner ad, Google search or flipping through the phone book, doesn’t it?

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Welcome to the third edition of Thursday Themesday here at Gilroy Review!

As is evident from even a cursory examination of my blogs I’m a big fan of three column WordPress themes.  I appreciate the fact that one can share so much more data in so much less space than a two column theme.  So imagine my excitement when I discovered Quadruple Blue by WPDesigner- a four column WordPress theme!

Now, the biggest drawback with three column themes is that they frequently appear overcrowded - there are simply too many different gadgets and widgets competing for your attention.  One would imagine this problem would be even worse with a four column theme. But, somehow, Quadruple Blue avoids this problem as the screenshot to the right (from Mostly Harmless by Brian Curd) shows.  Of course, no theme is bulletproof once the actual blogger gets hold of it.  Check the other two screenshots below for examples of more crowded uses of Quadruple Blue on iPentimento|Genealogy and More and HaloClix respectively.

The only real flaw I found with this theme was that the primary text container was too narrow to fit a banner ad in.  Not only would this be useful for monetizing the blog, but also simply for using larger images in your post as well.  Fortunately, as the HaloClix blog shows this can easily be changed just by modifying the CSS and it still remains a remarkably clean theme.

What you can’t see in these screenshots (since they focus on the top part of the blog) is that the two right sidebars actually “end”, leaving a “double-wide” white column below them which could effectively be used as a fifth (non-widgeted) column.  Oh, did I fail to mention that all three sidebars are fully widget enabled?  I’m telling you this is an absolutely brilliant theme.

Personally, I also think it’s a little too blue, but that is, of course, easily changeable in the CSS since it doesn’t actually use any internal images.  All you’d need to do is change the HTML color codes and voila - you’ve got a red, green, purple or whatever theme instead.  If you’re a fan of widgets, you seriously need to check out Quadruple Blue!

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I’ve frequently ranted (although apparently not on this blog) about the fact that the government grants monopolies to cable companies in various cities.  In Gilroy, of course, we have Comcast.  The problem isn’t necessarily with Comcast, per se, butwith the fact that a monopoly means there’s no real need for the cable company to innovate since there is no competition.  Luckily, Comcast has been feeling the pressure from not only satellite services, but internet streaming video as well, and they’re strating to come out with some truly worthwhile packages and deals.

But even more importantly is what they’ve done to their website lately.  If you haven’t checked it out you should.  Now whenever my football maniac (buit computer illiterate) roommate asks me about the latest happenings within the NFL, I can just swing by Comcast’s site and get everything I need.  Whether I’m looking for scores, the schedule for upcoming games, video highlights or even the latest dirt on which coach or player is going where (and why), Comcast’s got everything I need on one clean and straightforward page.  So even for the football illiterate such as myself I can not only pull the data he wants in seconds, but also maintain meaningful conversations with him on his addiction… er… hobby of choice.

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Despite the hopes for a Gilroy strip club expressed last week, it seems Gilroyans hoping to observe topless women (and tip them for the priviledge) will continue having to leave South County in order to do so.  According to the Gilroy Dispatch-

Ante Bilic ended the controversy before it could really begin this morning by withdrawing his application to turn a Mexican restaurant into a strip club, according to the city’s planning department.Planning Division Manager Bill Faus received a phone call from the applicant this morning and said he awaited a formal written statement from Bilic to make the withdrawal official.

It seemed like a no-brainer for Bilic after lawyers for Home Depot - which leases the strip mall at 8800 San Ysidro Ave. north of the Gilroy Premium Outlets - sent city planners copies of a 1999 declaration that bars “adult entertainment facilities” on the premises. Credit Suisse filed the so-called declaration of conditions, covenants and restriction before it developed the property.

When I first read the headline I was all geared up to write another rant about how the government needs to get out of the morality business, but then I read deeper into the article.  Unfortunately, my moral code insists that I support Home Depot and Credit Suisse in this case.  It is exactly these sorts of “declaration of conditions” or “covenants” that I’d like to see used more often, though in lieu of zoning regulations rather than in addition to them.

I completely agree that a property owner has the right to determine what types of activities are undertaken on thier property and in this case they set about doing just that.  The only “guilty” party in this case seems to be the owner of the Los Amigos restaurant who agreed to the covenant when purchasing the property but didn’t disclose it to Ante Bilic.

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It’s that time of year again. If you haven’t started doing so yet it won’t be long before you start dragging out boxes of receipts and paperwork to begin preparing your taxes. Assuming that, like most people, your (so called) fair share this year is more than you expected and or thought fair yourself you’ll be looking for ways to reduce that debt without having to go to jail for noncompliance. Well, have you considered participating in the goodwill car donations program?

I know, I know, it’s too late to get the write off on the taxes you’ll be paying in April, but it’s never to early start for next year. Especially once you take into account that you won’t know the exact value of your donation until after the car is sold. That’s because the federal government prohibits non profit organizations from assigning values to material donations. However, your donation is valued at the full retail value of the car. So this is how it works…

1. Check out the site linked above for details
2. Call your local Goodwill to find out the procedure in your area
3. Turn over the car and wait for it to be sold
4. Once your vehicle is sold, you will be notified of the sale price and all the documentation that you will need to claim the deduction on your tax return will be sent to you, including a donation receipt and the IRS Form 8283.

That’s all ther eis to it! So it’s not difficult, but it can take some time. You’re thinking about taxes now anyway, right, so why not keep that forward momentum by donating to your favorite charity as well?

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Welcome to the second edition of Thursday Themesday here at Gilroy Review!

After starting out my blog dedicated to reviewing every work by (or related to) my favorite author, F. [...] Continue Reading…

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It seems the city of Gilroy is all set to find a way to reject Ante Bilic’s proposal to turn the floundering El Amigo Restaurant on San Ysidro Ave [...] Continue Reading…

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• Post LASIK Eye Surgery Care IS Available In Gilroy! (4)

Last September I wrote an article titled Thank God Gilroy’s Graffiti Is Now Safe From Bandits! It turned out the Gilroy Dispatch headline was misleading and they’d actually [...] Continue Reading…

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Gilroy may be a small town, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have celebrities here. In fact, you may be a local celebrity yourself. You don’t [...] Continue Reading…

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Earlier in the month I wrote about the Holiday Lights event at Gilroy Gardens and my frustration with the cost/benefit ratio.  Well, we decided to go in hopes [...] Continue Reading…

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