Friday
Well this work day won't get over with fast enough.
I am feeling better, but not enough to say I really wanted to get out of bed this morning and rush right on down to work.
Whatever plans I may have had for this weekend are shot down unless I come back to life here. Of course, I am also starting an 8 day off vacation, so, I have plenty of recovery time available : )
I sent my mom a bouquet of flowers - an "Autumn" bunch, which were supposed to arrive 2 days ago. Yesterday morning, I called her and she said she hadn't received anything.
I called the florist - they had sent me an email saying that "your flowers have been delivered" - all bright and airy. The guy put me on hold and said he would call them to find out what happened.
Well, it turns out, my mom wasn't home so they left them at the house next door (note that I specifically put on the instructions, of which they give the option, to leave at the doorstep). I didn't give them a hard time, though, I just said thanks and called mom back: your package is at the next door neighobrs. I didn't tell her what they were, sort of a Thanksgiving type of arrangement that looked pretty sweet on the page.
The next morning, the man of the house that lives over there brought the flowers over to her. Mom was exuberant, to say the least. Orange roses. Never heard of them, I didn't see orange roses in that arrangment, which also has all kinds of other flowers in it. Do they have orange roses now? I guess so!
I didn't know my mother loves to receive packages so much. She kept going on about how much she loves that kind of thing. Have to remember that for Christmas, lol.
Umm, so work day is almost here. Some running around to do in pickups and one delivery. Gonna try to make it the entire day's worth, but no guarantees.
G'day.
ben
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Feeling QUITE Under The Weather
...........and considering the weather is absolutely beautiful, it makes it that much worse.
I left work after I finished whatever there was to be done at 10:30 am. I have PLENTY of sick hours, so no biggies there. I felt like throwing up all morning long, then my head started feeling woozy and now? I just got up from an almost 2-hour nap. Do I feel any better?
NO, is the definitive statement on that situation. Worse, my sister-in-law is coming over to give me 2 Koi in about half an hour. She is desperate to get rid of them, so I am not going to say no, but I am also not going to be very much into a lengthy social interaction, either. She wants some goldfish in exchange - I offered - but at this point, I have absolutely NO desire to try and catch fish.
Oh well. I found out today that several people at our main branch have also come down sick - they didn't show up for work. I am going to show up to work tomorrow morning unless I feel REALLY bad because, it's the last day before my 8 days off. I can usually force myself through a work day when sick, but I also don't want to spread it around to anyone.
In the latest news - like just now - the female tenant that lost her last waitering job - just lost the new job, too.
She took a nap and overslept. I dunno about any of that, but if she stays current on rent, which she has without any full-time job, instead,working for a company doing house-cleaning, it doesn't bother me. I mean, doesn't it stand to reason that if you are due to show up at work at a certain time, you are going to do whatever it takes to GET there on time? Like, set an alarm clock?
My sister-in-law finally arrived. I am not feeling well, at all. I had no desire to deal with it, I love the fish setup out there, but most things take a back seat when I am sick. Just focus on getting better and then I'll get back to the things that I like to do. Her 2 Koi are about 5 inches long, very colorful, nice looking fish. I put them in the water and they were swimming around in there like they were in heaven. I offered her some goldfish, she would only take one of them. I offered her a plecostomus - I have too many - she took one. All of them are VERY large - I thought maybe a bit too large for her tank. I asked her to let me know if it was showing signs of stress in there as I would take it back if so.
We got into a conversation anyway- I don't like being rude even if I feel like s*** - I heard a story that I had never heard about her. Her ex-husband had shot her 5 times at close range with a .45 caliber handgun in 1998. A long story, but my gosh. How do you live at close range with holes the size of baseballs in you? She was in a coma for a month and a half and said it cost her company - Boeing - 3 million dollars in the end to deal with all the expenses she incurred.
Nice company that will eat that kind of expense. My company doesn't have a limit, either. Most companies have a million dollar limit and it's over.
Anyway, that's over. I can't remember the last time I have felt this bad, hope it doesn't last too long.
ben
I left work after I finished whatever there was to be done at 10:30 am. I have PLENTY of sick hours, so no biggies there. I felt like throwing up all morning long, then my head started feeling woozy and now? I just got up from an almost 2-hour nap. Do I feel any better?
NO, is the definitive statement on that situation. Worse, my sister-in-law is coming over to give me 2 Koi in about half an hour. She is desperate to get rid of them, so I am not going to say no, but I am also not going to be very much into a lengthy social interaction, either. She wants some goldfish in exchange - I offered - but at this point, I have absolutely NO desire to try and catch fish.
Oh well. I found out today that several people at our main branch have also come down sick - they didn't show up for work. I am going to show up to work tomorrow morning unless I feel REALLY bad because, it's the last day before my 8 days off. I can usually force myself through a work day when sick, but I also don't want to spread it around to anyone.
In the latest news - like just now - the female tenant that lost her last waitering job - just lost the new job, too.
She took a nap and overslept. I dunno about any of that, but if she stays current on rent, which she has without any full-time job, instead,working for a company doing house-cleaning, it doesn't bother me. I mean, doesn't it stand to reason that if you are due to show up at work at a certain time, you are going to do whatever it takes to GET there on time? Like, set an alarm clock?
My sister-in-law finally arrived. I am not feeling well, at all. I had no desire to deal with it, I love the fish setup out there, but most things take a back seat when I am sick. Just focus on getting better and then I'll get back to the things that I like to do. Her 2 Koi are about 5 inches long, very colorful, nice looking fish. I put them in the water and they were swimming around in there like they were in heaven. I offered her some goldfish, she would only take one of them. I offered her a plecostomus - I have too many - she took one. All of them are VERY large - I thought maybe a bit too large for her tank. I asked her to let me know if it was showing signs of stress in there as I would take it back if so.
We got into a conversation anyway- I don't like being rude even if I feel like s*** - I heard a story that I had never heard about her. Her ex-husband had shot her 5 times at close range with a .45 caliber handgun in 1998. A long story, but my gosh. How do you live at close range with holes the size of baseballs in you? She was in a coma for a month and a half and said it cost her company - Boeing - 3 million dollars in the end to deal with all the expenses she incurred.
Nice company that will eat that kind of expense. My company doesn't have a limit, either. Most companies have a million dollar limit and it's over.
Anyway, that's over. I can't remember the last time I have felt this bad, hope it doesn't last too long.
ben
Thursday 11/18/2010
Thursday
Ate some shrimp yesterday afternoon. Last night, it must have come back alive, cause'
it woke me up. It was deciding whether to go through my system or back out the way it came in.
Yeah, well, about an hour of that and it finally settled back down and I slept the rest of the night.
No need to go into too much detail about what happened this morning as I walked out the door to leave for work and ........ended up running back into the house.
So, my sister-in-law is contacting me on Facebook yesterday having some kind of emergency. What's up? She has an aquarium. She has 2 Koi in it. She says the Koi food is clogging up her filtration system and the water is turning yucky, she wants to get rid of the Koi.
I'll take hers and anyone else's Koi that want to get rid of them for free!
She wanted to bring them over last night. No thanks. I want to be able to see what I'm doing out there, night time is NOT a good time to introduce fish into a TOTALLY different kind of environment. An aquarium and a pond are 2 totally different things and it takes fish a while to make the transition comfortably.
Which reminds me, get some stress reducer on the way home from work, it helps fish eash into a new environment.
Sarah Pallin. I have figured from the beginning that her departing as governor and going on campaign trails all over the place was eventually going to lead to what it looks like may just happen: a run for the presidency. The talk is growing stronger and stronger and now there is an article out. Of course, the loud mouths are already debunking her and saying there is no way she could ever get voted into the Oval Office. I would like to suggest that those people simply have the platform with the press and use it - frequently - to express their opinion, and frankly, that's all ANY of us have when it comes to politics: an opinion.
Would I vote for her? Well, if she was the only other thing going up against Obama, yes, definitely. The political landscape is going to change dramatically, however, over the next, what 12 months or so? Give it time, see who comes up to the forefront, see who is the best qualified candidate.
2 more work days, including today, until the start of vacation. I'm going to be sleeping in, I can say that much with confidence. Every day, sleep in at least an hour if not more.
Whatever the case, I am done with writing - my system is acting pretty messed up right now and I'm not really feeling all that great. I dunno what was wrong with that shrimp, I don't normally have this kind of reaction from that particular food, but, definitey, my system said no to it and is kicking it out.
G'day.
ben
Ate some shrimp yesterday afternoon. Last night, it must have come back alive, cause'
it woke me up. It was deciding whether to go through my system or back out the way it came in.
Yeah, well, about an hour of that and it finally settled back down and I slept the rest of the night.
No need to go into too much detail about what happened this morning as I walked out the door to leave for work and ........ended up running back into the house.
So, my sister-in-law is contacting me on Facebook yesterday having some kind of emergency. What's up? She has an aquarium. She has 2 Koi in it. She says the Koi food is clogging up her filtration system and the water is turning yucky, she wants to get rid of the Koi.
I'll take hers and anyone else's Koi that want to get rid of them for free!
She wanted to bring them over last night. No thanks. I want to be able to see what I'm doing out there, night time is NOT a good time to introduce fish into a TOTALLY different kind of environment. An aquarium and a pond are 2 totally different things and it takes fish a while to make the transition comfortably.
Which reminds me, get some stress reducer on the way home from work, it helps fish eash into a new environment.
Sarah Pallin. I have figured from the beginning that her departing as governor and going on campaign trails all over the place was eventually going to lead to what it looks like may just happen: a run for the presidency. The talk is growing stronger and stronger and now there is an article out. Of course, the loud mouths are already debunking her and saying there is no way she could ever get voted into the Oval Office. I would like to suggest that those people simply have the platform with the press and use it - frequently - to express their opinion, and frankly, that's all ANY of us have when it comes to politics: an opinion.
Would I vote for her? Well, if she was the only other thing going up against Obama, yes, definitely. The political landscape is going to change dramatically, however, over the next, what 12 months or so? Give it time, see who comes up to the forefront, see who is the best qualified candidate.
2 more work days, including today, until the start of vacation. I'm going to be sleeping in, I can say that much with confidence. Every day, sleep in at least an hour if not more.
Whatever the case, I am done with writing - my system is acting pretty messed up right now and I'm not really feeling all that great. I dunno what was wrong with that shrimp, I don't normally have this kind of reaction from that particular food, but, definitey, my system said no to it and is kicking it out.
G'day.
ben
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday 11/17/2010
Wednesday
2-1/2 days until 8 days off.
Yup, I'm counting the days now. I have this half-plucked idea I might spend a day or two before Thanksgiving going down to see dad - but - not sure about that. I think I can take a couple days off during the week between Christmas and New Year's even though I am also taking this much time off at Thanksgiving.
A nuclear free world? Obama and his attempt to get a new treaty ratification going with Russia and the apparent fact that it's going to be shot down for now. There is never going to be a world without nukes. It would be extremely stupid for the U.S. to agree to, eventually, disarm and dismantle all of them. We would be sitting ducks, available for roasting at any time. Nukes aren't meant to be used, really, just deterrents for other nations not to use THEIR'S against us.
I started toying with the idea of short-saling the house. 10, 15 years until the mortgage is equal to what the house is worth? Lol, I mean, that IS laughable. That's pretty much the projections I have been hearing for some time now. I dunno what to do. It's kinda tough to try and figure out what's next. So many people are just walking. Goodbye, c'ya later.
My next move, though, is to try another loan mod. If they won't reduce principle amount, maybe I can get the interest rate reduced another percentage point. That would bring the payment down another $200 (at least) per month. It's funny that a bank will allow you to short-sale a house - meaning they are going to accept an offer for the house FAR below what your current mortgage is on it, but - they refuse to reduce the principle amount on the mortgage making it more affordable and possible for the current individual or family to stay in it.
Whatever the case, I am seeking some way to get the total payment - taxes and insurance included - down below 1k per month. Another percentage point would bring it down to the $800 per month range. So, yes, I am going to write yet another letter of hardship, send it in and see what happens. It's worth a try and I would rather stay in that house than leave it. Rental housing, I am seeing in the Phoenix area, is getting much harder to find and the rates are going up.
Anyway, my pre-work time is about gone.
G'day.
ben
2-1/2 days until 8 days off.
Yup, I'm counting the days now. I have this half-plucked idea I might spend a day or two before Thanksgiving going down to see dad - but - not sure about that. I think I can take a couple days off during the week between Christmas and New Year's even though I am also taking this much time off at Thanksgiving.
A nuclear free world? Obama and his attempt to get a new treaty ratification going with Russia and the apparent fact that it's going to be shot down for now. There is never going to be a world without nukes. It would be extremely stupid for the U.S. to agree to, eventually, disarm and dismantle all of them. We would be sitting ducks, available for roasting at any time. Nukes aren't meant to be used, really, just deterrents for other nations not to use THEIR'S against us.
I started toying with the idea of short-saling the house. 10, 15 years until the mortgage is equal to what the house is worth? Lol, I mean, that IS laughable. That's pretty much the projections I have been hearing for some time now. I dunno what to do. It's kinda tough to try and figure out what's next. So many people are just walking. Goodbye, c'ya later.
My next move, though, is to try another loan mod. If they won't reduce principle amount, maybe I can get the interest rate reduced another percentage point. That would bring the payment down another $200 (at least) per month. It's funny that a bank will allow you to short-sale a house - meaning they are going to accept an offer for the house FAR below what your current mortgage is on it, but - they refuse to reduce the principle amount on the mortgage making it more affordable and possible for the current individual or family to stay in it.
Whatever the case, I am seeking some way to get the total payment - taxes and insurance included - down below 1k per month. Another percentage point would bring it down to the $800 per month range. So, yes, I am going to write yet another letter of hardship, send it in and see what happens. It's worth a try and I would rather stay in that house than leave it. Rental housing, I am seeing in the Phoenix area, is getting much harder to find and the rates are going up.
Anyway, my pre-work time is about gone.
G'day.
ben
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
First Dead Fish
Lovely title, aye?
Well, that's what I found when I came home from work today.
I saw that fish and first thought that a Heron might have found my ponds and here we go, what now?
But then, I started thinking about it. This is the pond that is above ground. From what I have read, Heron need to be able to step into a pond. I don't think that includes up and over almost 2 feet in heigth.
The dead fish was about 3-1/2 feet from the pond. What Heron is going to drop a fish, as what I've read can happen, only 3 feet from a pond and not stop to pick it back up? From what I've read, it's much further away, they're taking off, drop it, for whatever reason don't come back for it. But 3 feet?
I surmise the thing accidentally jumped out of the pond. It happens. I have seen some of those fish jumping out of the water on more than one occasion. They have, however, always landed back IN the water, not outside of the pond itself. It undoubtedly flopped around until it could flop no more and that was the end of it. The fish was, obviously, long dead.
Nothing I could do about that - but - I was thankful it was a goldfish and not one of my Koi. I have too many goldfish to begin with, I am still trying to give some of them away. That's how unpopular goldfish are in ponds and how popular Koi are - people don't even want to come get them for free. No, I am not crying, there is no grief such as whenever I lose a dog, it's just a fish. Koi, I wouldn't be that way, either, but I would look at the money lost and the time spent scouring Craiglist ads to get them.
Well, anyway, I HOPE it wasn't a Heron, they are plenteous in the Phoenix area but - there aren't any ponds around here that I know of. I can say that because yes, I have looked at Google earth and other such venues for such in my area. Plenty of pools, no ponds. Heron aren't going to "naturally" be in this area looking for more victims. A pond shows up on a satellite view pretty much as easily as a pool does, not quite as much cause pools are much brighter in the exposure.
Changing the subject and just throwing this out there: We all remember 911. Terrorists using jumbo jets as giant bombs. This is the irony of the TSA forcing pilots to be subjected to these scanning and/or groping searches at the airports. What would they need with a weapon if they were so inclined? They have one of the largest flying weapons you can find: a jumbo jet, filled with fuel, a literal flying gas bomb at their disposal. It makes no sense. But, I am totally against both of these types of searches anyway. One is irradiating you and also allowing naked views, the other has a complete, perfect stranger feeling out your penis, testicles, butt, vagina, boobs, it's insanity. The protests aren't going to go away.
The argument that it's low level radiation doesn't wash with me. I don't care what level of radiation it is, I don't want ANY part of it.
The "final" tenant handed over rent today. All accounts are now even. For the first time in a long time. I have a water bill left to pay this month and that is it for recurring monthly bills excepting the mortgage - which - I get paid on Friday. That paycheck is gone already, lol. Electric use is way down; water use is down; food expenditures an eighth of what it used to be, if even that. I hear people getting into a heated argument outside, I think I'll mosy out there and see what's going on - next door neighbors that is.
G'day.
ben
Well, that's what I found when I came home from work today.
I saw that fish and first thought that a Heron might have found my ponds and here we go, what now?
But then, I started thinking about it. This is the pond that is above ground. From what I have read, Heron need to be able to step into a pond. I don't think that includes up and over almost 2 feet in heigth.
The dead fish was about 3-1/2 feet from the pond. What Heron is going to drop a fish, as what I've read can happen, only 3 feet from a pond and not stop to pick it back up? From what I've read, it's much further away, they're taking off, drop it, for whatever reason don't come back for it. But 3 feet?
I surmise the thing accidentally jumped out of the pond. It happens. I have seen some of those fish jumping out of the water on more than one occasion. They have, however, always landed back IN the water, not outside of the pond itself. It undoubtedly flopped around until it could flop no more and that was the end of it. The fish was, obviously, long dead.
Nothing I could do about that - but - I was thankful it was a goldfish and not one of my Koi. I have too many goldfish to begin with, I am still trying to give some of them away. That's how unpopular goldfish are in ponds and how popular Koi are - people don't even want to come get them for free. No, I am not crying, there is no grief such as whenever I lose a dog, it's just a fish. Koi, I wouldn't be that way, either, but I would look at the money lost and the time spent scouring Craiglist ads to get them.
Well, anyway, I HOPE it wasn't a Heron, they are plenteous in the Phoenix area but - there aren't any ponds around here that I know of. I can say that because yes, I have looked at Google earth and other such venues for such in my area. Plenty of pools, no ponds. Heron aren't going to "naturally" be in this area looking for more victims. A pond shows up on a satellite view pretty much as easily as a pool does, not quite as much cause pools are much brighter in the exposure.
Changing the subject and just throwing this out there: We all remember 911. Terrorists using jumbo jets as giant bombs. This is the irony of the TSA forcing pilots to be subjected to these scanning and/or groping searches at the airports. What would they need with a weapon if they were so inclined? They have one of the largest flying weapons you can find: a jumbo jet, filled with fuel, a literal flying gas bomb at their disposal. It makes no sense. But, I am totally against both of these types of searches anyway. One is irradiating you and also allowing naked views, the other has a complete, perfect stranger feeling out your penis, testicles, butt, vagina, boobs, it's insanity. The protests aren't going to go away.
The argument that it's low level radiation doesn't wash with me. I don't care what level of radiation it is, I don't want ANY part of it.
The "final" tenant handed over rent today. All accounts are now even. For the first time in a long time. I have a water bill left to pay this month and that is it for recurring monthly bills excepting the mortgage - which - I get paid on Friday. That paycheck is gone already, lol. Electric use is way down; water use is down; food expenditures an eighth of what it used to be, if even that. I hear people getting into a heated argument outside, I think I'll mosy out there and see what's going on - next door neighbors that is.
G'day.
ben
Tuesday 11/16/2010
Tuesday
So, the foreclosure fiasco with banks speeding through documentation and not following their own procedures closely when foreclosing on a home - could cause even further, massive financial chaos or - it could cause nothing.
What else is new. Supposedly, somewhere around mid-next-year, more ARM's are going to "adjust" and that will send yet another wave of foreclosures and financial shock through the system. I have only heard about that one, though, I haven't read it anywhere - yet.
The real news, for me anyway, is this situation going on with TSA, the full body scanners at airports and the fact that more and more people are rejecting the idea of walking through what amounts to be an x-ray machine, exposing themselves to radiation for the sake of security.
I was watching a lot of video and reading a lot of material about this situation yesterday. There was one incident where a man in San Diego refused to go through the machine, otherwise known as "opt-out". When they took him to "grope" him, he said something like: "If you touch my junk I'm going to have you arrested".
It is UNBELIEVABLE that the TSA thinks it has the right to literally touch your genitals. I wouldn't want to subject myself to EITHER. Apparently, this stuff is all random, it doesn't happen to every passenger, many just go through without anything being done to them.
How would you like to take your teenaged son or daughter through one of those and stand there, watching some freak groping him or her all over? Or a little boy or girl?
I think this issue is eventually going to come to a head. It's obvious that more people are very much against either of these methods than are for it. The National Opt-Out day will stand to be interesting if enough people participate in it. I love to fly, but I am glad I am not flying anywhere, anytime soon, because I would probably be led out of that place in handcuffs. There is NO WAY I am going to let some pervert/freak grope my penis, balls and butt in the name of "security". Okay, they may not be perverts, "just doing their job", it's a job I would not want, at all.
In the case of the man in San Diego, you can actually hear one of the TSA agents state: "You give up a lot of rights when you buy an airplane ticket". Oh REALLY? I don't remember reading that in the constitution, can anyone identify exactly where that is found?
Changing the subject, I got a reply back from the ops manager yesterday. He stated in email that he thinks that foreman was just having an off day and that he, the ops manager, is going to give me some hats to give to him. I am hoping to talk him into some shirts, as well. That ALWAYS makes foremen happy - they love that stuff for whatever reason.
So, the foreclosure fiasco with banks speeding through documentation and not following their own procedures closely when foreclosing on a home - could cause even further, massive financial chaos or - it could cause nothing.
What else is new. Supposedly, somewhere around mid-next-year, more ARM's are going to "adjust" and that will send yet another wave of foreclosures and financial shock through the system. I have only heard about that one, though, I haven't read it anywhere - yet.
The real news, for me anyway, is this situation going on with TSA, the full body scanners at airports and the fact that more and more people are rejecting the idea of walking through what amounts to be an x-ray machine, exposing themselves to radiation for the sake of security.
I was watching a lot of video and reading a lot of material about this situation yesterday. There was one incident where a man in San Diego refused to go through the machine, otherwise known as "opt-out". When they took him to "grope" him, he said something like: "If you touch my junk I'm going to have you arrested".
It is UNBELIEVABLE that the TSA thinks it has the right to literally touch your genitals. I wouldn't want to subject myself to EITHER. Apparently, this stuff is all random, it doesn't happen to every passenger, many just go through without anything being done to them.
How would you like to take your teenaged son or daughter through one of those and stand there, watching some freak groping him or her all over? Or a little boy or girl?
I think this issue is eventually going to come to a head. It's obvious that more people are very much against either of these methods than are for it. The National Opt-Out day will stand to be interesting if enough people participate in it. I love to fly, but I am glad I am not flying anywhere, anytime soon, because I would probably be led out of that place in handcuffs. There is NO WAY I am going to let some pervert/freak grope my penis, balls and butt in the name of "security". Okay, they may not be perverts, "just doing their job", it's a job I would not want, at all.
In the case of the man in San Diego, you can actually hear one of the TSA agents state: "You give up a lot of rights when you buy an airplane ticket". Oh REALLY? I don't remember reading that in the constitution, can anyone identify exactly where that is found?
Changing the subject, I got a reply back from the ops manager yesterday. He stated in email that he thinks that foreman was just having an off day and that he, the ops manager, is going to give me some hats to give to him. I am hoping to talk him into some shirts, as well. That ALWAYS makes foremen happy - they love that stuff for whatever reason.
My ponds? It hasn't been a very cold winter yet, so everything is okay, for now. The lowest low has been in the upper 40's. The Phoenix area, however, can get down into the high 20's if Momma Nature feels like blasting us with it. Then, I will probably have to put a couple more heaters in the ponds and I will have to cover most of my plants as well. The fish are looking healthy. This is new territory for me: fish and winter.
The expert's consensus is if you have a deep enough pond, you don't have to worry about it. Minimum 3 feet deep. My ponds aren't anything near that depth, hence, the heaters.
Ummm, rent. Paid yesterday by the new guy. He thought he had paid up entirely, I said no, he still owes me $15, he said let me check. He checked and said he owes me another $10 and handed it to me. I bit my lip, no point in arguing over $5. It was one week that he skipped and has been paying up on ever since. I said good, we're good, and let it go.
The other tenant that was behind now is only $10 behind. Plus, she just found a new job at a major restaurant chain. The problem? That place is like 20 miles away from my house. I dunno what her future at my house is - she moved in because the job before that was only 2 miles away.
I don't ask tenants, usually, if they are thinking about moving out, I just wait until the news comes. For now, it's good to have 3, full-paying tenants. Especially considering all the car trouble I have had. Christmas is coming, Thanksgiving as well. Though, I have already bought the expensive stuff for Thanksgiving, I'm pretty much good to go there. I don't really have that much to buy for Christmas anyway. My son? I'm pretty much letting him know that the money I spent on that car covers Christmas, his next birthday and probably a few more beyond that! No, not really, I'll get him something, it just isn't going to be anything grand. The old car is running quite well, so far.
3-1/2 days until the beginning of my 8 days of no work : )
I'm trying to decide if there's something I might actually DO during that time besides staying home and doing projects. It feels like it's time to get out and meet new people. I have been looking at several clubs - singles come together to do some activity. Whether you hit it up with someone or not - well - that's up to you, I guess.
With that, I bid you a good day.
ben
The expert's consensus is if you have a deep enough pond, you don't have to worry about it. Minimum 3 feet deep. My ponds aren't anything near that depth, hence, the heaters.
Ummm, rent. Paid yesterday by the new guy. He thought he had paid up entirely, I said no, he still owes me $15, he said let me check. He checked and said he owes me another $10 and handed it to me. I bit my lip, no point in arguing over $5. It was one week that he skipped and has been paying up on ever since. I said good, we're good, and let it go.
The other tenant that was behind now is only $10 behind. Plus, she just found a new job at a major restaurant chain. The problem? That place is like 20 miles away from my house. I dunno what her future at my house is - she moved in because the job before that was only 2 miles away.
I don't ask tenants, usually, if they are thinking about moving out, I just wait until the news comes. For now, it's good to have 3, full-paying tenants. Especially considering all the car trouble I have had. Christmas is coming, Thanksgiving as well. Though, I have already bought the expensive stuff for Thanksgiving, I'm pretty much good to go there. I don't really have that much to buy for Christmas anyway. My son? I'm pretty much letting him know that the money I spent on that car covers Christmas, his next birthday and probably a few more beyond that! No, not really, I'll get him something, it just isn't going to be anything grand. The old car is running quite well, so far.
3-1/2 days until the beginning of my 8 days of no work : )
I'm trying to decide if there's something I might actually DO during that time besides staying home and doing projects. It feels like it's time to get out and meet new people. I have been looking at several clubs - singles come together to do some activity. Whether you hit it up with someone or not - well - that's up to you, I guess.
With that, I bid you a good day.
ben
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday 11/15/2010 Trip To Sells, Arizona
A very interesting drive on a road that I don't ever remember travelling before today.
The cruise down I-10 to I-8 to Trekell road - same thing I've done too many times in the past. I know this drive well.
But, after that, I hadn't seen any of it before.
Heading south, passing 2 separate locations with Sheriffs pulling over vehicles, the road ended on the "American" side and started on the "Native American" side. Indian 15. That's what the 2 lane, 55 mph highway is called. It is a sign with an icon of a Tomahawk. 15 in the center of the tomahawk and Indian on top of it.
It was an amazing drive. On several fronts. First, I had never been on the road before, or if I had, possibly on one of the endless road trips my parents used to take, I certainly didn't remember it. Second, the vastness of the desert. You could see - if mountains weren't in the way - for miles and miles, just endless desert. Third, the crosses. This road had very little traffic on it. I am seriously saying that I saw more Border Patrol vehicles on that road than ALL other vehicles combined. I did not encounter another tractor-trailer rig on that road either, which was quite amazing to me.
Let's visit the crosses. This is what they do nowadays: someone dies, they put up a cross. I came across one cross - very well kept. Fresh paint, fresh flowers. I came across another, another. Then I came to one where about 12 of them were grouped together. That was amazing. Did that many people die in one accident, out here, in the middle of nowhere? And if so, what happened? I came across several crosses that had elaborate structures built over them. NONE of them were unkempt. The individuals that put each, respective cross or set of crosses out there were taking care of the "upkeep" of them.
The highway itself was - yes - out in the middle of nothing. There would be a house here, a grouping of houses there, there was no rhyme or reason to it. Why did someone choose to put a house THERE?, I asked myself several times over. I attempted to recreate thought processes that would go into a person's mind in determining why, exactly, a person would set a house plump out 20 miles from the nearest village. I had no answers to the question and the wildest of thoughts didn't come up with anything concrete, etiher. But, it was fun to muse.
I also came across a rock quarry. It was about 200 feet off to the side of the highway. I was scrutinizing this quarry from the point that I could clearly see it until I passed it. Machinery there, yes, but no machinery to move it from the ground to a truck. That's how quarry's work, they have all kinds of huge equipment to process it, but to get it from the ground, where the machinery eventually dumps it via conveyor belt, to the bottom of a dump truck or a belly-dump trailer, a (front-end) Loader scoops it up and dumps it in there. No loader out there. Not any equipment with a bucket there. Yet, I wondered, in this almost primordial type of setup I had been seeing for a while now, was it that they just hauled a loader in there when they needed it? I couldn't answer that question, either, there was no-one out there.
Yet, another 10 miles down the road, I saw a loader on top of a huge pile of sand. This was also out in the middle of nowhere, literally. When I got past it, I was travelling over a small bridge that gapped a wash. There, up in the wash, was a HUGE hold where that loader had been digging out the sand and making a pile on the side, out of the wash. Question answered there, at least for me.
On I went. I couldn't help the feelings I used to have when I: was doing OTR trucking. I used to go off the Interstates as much as possible and take the 2-lane highways because of the tremendous views that America has to offer - all over. I started remembering winding, 2 lane highways going through rolling hills and seeing farms, pigs, cows, giant red barns. Fall leaves on trees - those memories stand out predominately. Next to streams or rivers. I was flooded with memories of the past in trucking and when I used to love OTR - just because I was seeing America and saw more of it than most people will ever see. I haven't just BEEN in 48 states, I have seen a LOT of many of those states, and not just from the Interstates.
I remember hating Interstate Highways. After driving and driving, it all eventually looked the same to me. The only thing that made my heart leap was the highways that I could take.
On with today's trip. A coyote leisurely trots across the highway. When I get up to where he trotted, I couldn't see him even though there wasn't much brush there. His colorings blended in perfectly with the desert floor. I eventually came to a "town". The road actually didn't go through it, you could see it off to the left. I passed dozens and dozens of small, dirt roads that led seemingly to nowhere. My mind wandered to what it would be like to turn down one of those roads and explore.
This road was something I won't forget anytime soon. I couldn't believe the lack of traffic. After being on that road some 40 miles, I came upon a Border Patrol checkpoint. They have them all over southern Arizona. You are involuntarily stopped and asked if you are an American citizen. I have very strong views about that subject, but today was not a day I wanted to go into that. I slowed down - to about 15 mph. Cruised through it. Agents were sitting under a canopy on lawn chairs. Didn't try to stop me and I didn't bother to ask.
The road eventually ended. At highway 86. I got on that highway. Much narrower than Indian 15, yet it had a speed limit of 65 mph. I was on that road for a 1/4 mile before passing an "outpost" they like to call them, just a convenience store, albeit out in the middle of, literally, nowhere. There was a line of trucks I caught up with, I was cruising. Let's get there and get this truck unloaded - this highway was nothing like Indian 15. The trucks were speeding up, slowing down, I hate that kind of driving. Pick a speed and keep it.
I eventually got to Sells, AZ. I was informed to turn onto the road just before a Shell station. That road led to a building that houses - federal police, apparently. It's border agents. Not going to go into too much of the unload process, but the septic tank I was delivering was dropped. It flung upside down and a barbed-wire fence post plunged right through one of the screw-on lids on it. The foreman got mad, started cussing and blaming the water inside the tank. There was some water in it, but not hundreds of gallons as this guy attempted to ascribe.
It took a while to get out of there, he was scrutinizing the blue prints and wondering why this that and the other thing hadn't been sent. I looked at the blue prints and agreed - the salesman should have sent several Tee's, more Wye's and some other fittings.
I finally was able to leave, but not before watching a Border Patrol helipcopter land next to the building. Also not before seeing individuals with t-shirts on that said federal police get out of an SUV, shotguns in hand and head into the building. Don't know, exactly, WHAT they do in that building, but - this entire area was obviously a hot-spot for illegal alien crossing.
Back on the road. Pass a propane truck - he's going 55 mph on a 65 mph road. I sped up much more than I realized, I was cruising, enjoying the day. I come around the corner and there is a police SUV parked on the other side of the road, facing me. I look down at my speedometer: 74 mph in a 65 mph zone. Uh-ohhh. I slowed down, of course, but I was already caught.
I pass and see the turn signal of the SUV come on, I'm busted, I thought, darn. No, she got on the highway and headed the other direction. I didn't fool anyone, she let me go. She could have pulled me over and issued me a citation and there would be nothing to say about it. Thanking God that the day hadn't been ruined by my stupidity - I moved on and got beyond that. I stopped at the convenience store in the middle of nowhere. I got a sandwich - with no condiments as I didn't want any - and a bottle of cranberry juice. Hit the spot. Got back on the road, hit Indian 15 and cruised back. I had different views going the opposite direction than I had going through the first time.
I was also stopped at the Border Patrol checkpoint. "Hello,sir, how's it going today", the agent said. "Great, thank you, how're you doing?" "Good", he replied, "Have a nice day". "You do the same", I said in genuine honesty and glad that I, an American, wasn't asked on American soil IF I am an American. I drove the rest of the way - followed the entire way by a beat-up, grey, Dodge Ram pickup with the same intrigue I had coming through that area. I had no clue why the pickup wasn't passing me, there was ample opportunity. I passed a couple of cars along the way, he passed them as well, but didn't pass me. No idea what that was about.
Got back on Interstate 8, then to Interstate 10. Came to a rest area and decided that I would take my break there. I got a 15 minute nap in when an RV pulled up right next to my truck. I wish he would have opted for the NUMEROUS other parking spots that were empty - my nap was done and over with, but it did feel good. I was going to take the entire 30-minute break napping. no biggies. It was a great drive, I wish I could get more of them.
There's more to this day - it's benb's world, lol - but, who cares. There are no great negatives today. One tenant paid up, cash, and is current. That was nice as well. Very nice, really. Umm, and I'm going to go to bed early, again. Why? Cause' I tend to get a good night's sleep that way, even if I wake up in the middle of the night, which usually happens. Weather's beautiful. I'm feeling at peace right now and I have no cosmic explanations of why.
G'nite.
ben
The cruise down I-10 to I-8 to Trekell road - same thing I've done too many times in the past. I know this drive well.
But, after that, I hadn't seen any of it before.
Heading south, passing 2 separate locations with Sheriffs pulling over vehicles, the road ended on the "American" side and started on the "Native American" side. Indian 15. That's what the 2 lane, 55 mph highway is called. It is a sign with an icon of a Tomahawk. 15 in the center of the tomahawk and Indian on top of it.
It was an amazing drive. On several fronts. First, I had never been on the road before, or if I had, possibly on one of the endless road trips my parents used to take, I certainly didn't remember it. Second, the vastness of the desert. You could see - if mountains weren't in the way - for miles and miles, just endless desert. Third, the crosses. This road had very little traffic on it. I am seriously saying that I saw more Border Patrol vehicles on that road than ALL other vehicles combined. I did not encounter another tractor-trailer rig on that road either, which was quite amazing to me.
Let's visit the crosses. This is what they do nowadays: someone dies, they put up a cross. I came across one cross - very well kept. Fresh paint, fresh flowers. I came across another, another. Then I came to one where about 12 of them were grouped together. That was amazing. Did that many people die in one accident, out here, in the middle of nowhere? And if so, what happened? I came across several crosses that had elaborate structures built over them. NONE of them were unkempt. The individuals that put each, respective cross or set of crosses out there were taking care of the "upkeep" of them.
The highway itself was - yes - out in the middle of nothing. There would be a house here, a grouping of houses there, there was no rhyme or reason to it. Why did someone choose to put a house THERE?, I asked myself several times over. I attempted to recreate thought processes that would go into a person's mind in determining why, exactly, a person would set a house plump out 20 miles from the nearest village. I had no answers to the question and the wildest of thoughts didn't come up with anything concrete, etiher. But, it was fun to muse.
I also came across a rock quarry. It was about 200 feet off to the side of the highway. I was scrutinizing this quarry from the point that I could clearly see it until I passed it. Machinery there, yes, but no machinery to move it from the ground to a truck. That's how quarry's work, they have all kinds of huge equipment to process it, but to get it from the ground, where the machinery eventually dumps it via conveyor belt, to the bottom of a dump truck or a belly-dump trailer, a (front-end) Loader scoops it up and dumps it in there. No loader out there. Not any equipment with a bucket there. Yet, I wondered, in this almost primordial type of setup I had been seeing for a while now, was it that they just hauled a loader in there when they needed it? I couldn't answer that question, either, there was no-one out there.
Yet, another 10 miles down the road, I saw a loader on top of a huge pile of sand. This was also out in the middle of nowhere, literally. When I got past it, I was travelling over a small bridge that gapped a wash. There, up in the wash, was a HUGE hold where that loader had been digging out the sand and making a pile on the side, out of the wash. Question answered there, at least for me.
On I went. I couldn't help the feelings I used to have when I: was doing OTR trucking. I used to go off the Interstates as much as possible and take the 2-lane highways because of the tremendous views that America has to offer - all over. I started remembering winding, 2 lane highways going through rolling hills and seeing farms, pigs, cows, giant red barns. Fall leaves on trees - those memories stand out predominately. Next to streams or rivers. I was flooded with memories of the past in trucking and when I used to love OTR - just because I was seeing America and saw more of it than most people will ever see. I haven't just BEEN in 48 states, I have seen a LOT of many of those states, and not just from the Interstates.
I remember hating Interstate Highways. After driving and driving, it all eventually looked the same to me. The only thing that made my heart leap was the highways that I could take.
On with today's trip. A coyote leisurely trots across the highway. When I get up to where he trotted, I couldn't see him even though there wasn't much brush there. His colorings blended in perfectly with the desert floor. I eventually came to a "town". The road actually didn't go through it, you could see it off to the left. I passed dozens and dozens of small, dirt roads that led seemingly to nowhere. My mind wandered to what it would be like to turn down one of those roads and explore.
This road was something I won't forget anytime soon. I couldn't believe the lack of traffic. After being on that road some 40 miles, I came upon a Border Patrol checkpoint. They have them all over southern Arizona. You are involuntarily stopped and asked if you are an American citizen. I have very strong views about that subject, but today was not a day I wanted to go into that. I slowed down - to about 15 mph. Cruised through it. Agents were sitting under a canopy on lawn chairs. Didn't try to stop me and I didn't bother to ask.
The road eventually ended. At highway 86. I got on that highway. Much narrower than Indian 15, yet it had a speed limit of 65 mph. I was on that road for a 1/4 mile before passing an "outpost" they like to call them, just a convenience store, albeit out in the middle of, literally, nowhere. There was a line of trucks I caught up with, I was cruising. Let's get there and get this truck unloaded - this highway was nothing like Indian 15. The trucks were speeding up, slowing down, I hate that kind of driving. Pick a speed and keep it.
I eventually got to Sells, AZ. I was informed to turn onto the road just before a Shell station. That road led to a building that houses - federal police, apparently. It's border agents. Not going to go into too much of the unload process, but the septic tank I was delivering was dropped. It flung upside down and a barbed-wire fence post plunged right through one of the screw-on lids on it. The foreman got mad, started cussing and blaming the water inside the tank. There was some water in it, but not hundreds of gallons as this guy attempted to ascribe.
It took a while to get out of there, he was scrutinizing the blue prints and wondering why this that and the other thing hadn't been sent. I looked at the blue prints and agreed - the salesman should have sent several Tee's, more Wye's and some other fittings.
I finally was able to leave, but not before watching a Border Patrol helipcopter land next to the building. Also not before seeing individuals with t-shirts on that said federal police get out of an SUV, shotguns in hand and head into the building. Don't know, exactly, WHAT they do in that building, but - this entire area was obviously a hot-spot for illegal alien crossing.
Back on the road. Pass a propane truck - he's going 55 mph on a 65 mph road. I sped up much more than I realized, I was cruising, enjoying the day. I come around the corner and there is a police SUV parked on the other side of the road, facing me. I look down at my speedometer: 74 mph in a 65 mph zone. Uh-ohhh. I slowed down, of course, but I was already caught.
I pass and see the turn signal of the SUV come on, I'm busted, I thought, darn. No, she got on the highway and headed the other direction. I didn't fool anyone, she let me go. She could have pulled me over and issued me a citation and there would be nothing to say about it. Thanking God that the day hadn't been ruined by my stupidity - I moved on and got beyond that. I stopped at the convenience store in the middle of nowhere. I got a sandwich - with no condiments as I didn't want any - and a bottle of cranberry juice. Hit the spot. Got back on the road, hit Indian 15 and cruised back. I had different views going the opposite direction than I had going through the first time.
I was also stopped at the Border Patrol checkpoint. "Hello,sir, how's it going today", the agent said. "Great, thank you, how're you doing?" "Good", he replied, "Have a nice day". "You do the same", I said in genuine honesty and glad that I, an American, wasn't asked on American soil IF I am an American. I drove the rest of the way - followed the entire way by a beat-up, grey, Dodge Ram pickup with the same intrigue I had coming through that area. I had no clue why the pickup wasn't passing me, there was ample opportunity. I passed a couple of cars along the way, he passed them as well, but didn't pass me. No idea what that was about.
Got back on Interstate 8, then to Interstate 10. Came to a rest area and decided that I would take my break there. I got a 15 minute nap in when an RV pulled up right next to my truck. I wish he would have opted for the NUMEROUS other parking spots that were empty - my nap was done and over with, but it did feel good. I was going to take the entire 30-minute break napping. no biggies. It was a great drive, I wish I could get more of them.
There's more to this day - it's benb's world, lol - but, who cares. There are no great negatives today. One tenant paid up, cash, and is current. That was nice as well. Very nice, really. Umm, and I'm going to go to bed early, again. Why? Cause' I tend to get a good night's sleep that way, even if I wake up in the middle of the night, which usually happens. Weather's beautiful. I'm feeling at peace right now and I have no cosmic explanations of why.
G'nite.
ben
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Saturday 11/13/2010
I got up this morning, looked at those dogs with a pathetic look on their face and decided to take them for a walk. This time, however, instead of walking them to the mountains, I got them in the car and drove over there. It is too much of a pain to try and get 3 very large dogs to cross Baseline road with all of that traffic. I just would rather not. It was about a 25 minute hike up and down mountainsides. There were a LOT of other hikers out there, but fortunately, no other dogs.
Getting done with that, I decided to go to Home Depot. The shower faucet in the bathroom is leaking and it's leaking on the hot water side. Wasted water, wasted electricity. I have a clue about these things: not fixing them will cost you FAR more than forking out the money for a new setup or parts to repair the old. I decided to replace the whole thing because it has a bent cold water handle - I have no idea how that happened, surely one of the tenants does - and I didn't want to fool with it.
Well, I had more to write but I want to go out while it's still afternoonish time and enjoy the beautiful weather.
ben
I also decided to stop at Fresh and Easy. They have the cheapest turkeys on sale: 37 cents per pound, Jennie O frozen. I don't care if a turkey is frozen or not, in the end it all tastes the same to me. Fry's has the same exact thing - but their price is 55 cents per pound and they claimed to not have a price matching policy. I don't know about that one, I thought they did, but the lady adamently stated they did not. I will be checking into that here today sometime. But it doesn't matter, I already got a 22 pounder and at a great price. Farmer John hams also were good price at 77 cents per pound, I got one of those, too.
The trailer tenants are going to do all the work this year. I buy, they fry. Well, you know, they are doing the cooking. I'm thinking of getting another turkey - much smaller so I can keep it in the freezer and then cooking it maybe in January or something. I usually buy 2, 1 for now and then in 2 months or so when I'm not so burned out on eating endless amounts of turkey (lots of leftovers, usually) I will cook another one.
Absolutely beautiful weather out now. It's almost 2 pm and it's like 75 degrees outside. Gorgeous. The fishies are doing well with it getting cold at night - but I have been running a heater in each pond for what, a week now? It had no noticeable effect on electric usage so, they're just going to stay on, set at 75 degrees each.
Getting done with that, I decided to go to Home Depot. The shower faucet in the bathroom is leaking and it's leaking on the hot water side. Wasted water, wasted electricity. I have a clue about these things: not fixing them will cost you FAR more than forking out the money for a new setup or parts to repair the old. I decided to replace the whole thing because it has a bent cold water handle - I have no idea how that happened, surely one of the tenants does - and I didn't want to fool with it.
Well, I had more to write but I want to go out while it's still afternoonish time and enjoy the beautiful weather.
ben
I also decided to stop at Fresh and Easy. They have the cheapest turkeys on sale: 37 cents per pound, Jennie O frozen. I don't care if a turkey is frozen or not, in the end it all tastes the same to me. Fry's has the same exact thing - but their price is 55 cents per pound and they claimed to not have a price matching policy. I don't know about that one, I thought they did, but the lady adamently stated they did not. I will be checking into that here today sometime. But it doesn't matter, I already got a 22 pounder and at a great price. Farmer John hams also were good price at 77 cents per pound, I got one of those, too.
The trailer tenants are going to do all the work this year. I buy, they fry. Well, you know, they are doing the cooking. I'm thinking of getting another turkey - much smaller so I can keep it in the freezer and then cooking it maybe in January or something. I usually buy 2, 1 for now and then in 2 months or so when I'm not so burned out on eating endless amounts of turkey (lots of leftovers, usually) I will cook another one.
Absolutely beautiful weather out now. It's almost 2 pm and it's like 75 degrees outside. Gorgeous. The fishies are doing well with it getting cold at night - but I have been running a heater in each pond for what, a week now? It had no noticeable effect on electric usage so, they're just going to stay on, set at 75 degrees each.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday 11/12/2010
Friday
Work week almost over. Another week with car problems - over - hopefully for a long time. I won't be holding my breath, but one can dream.
The fact that I didn't have to shell out yet hundreds of more dollars to get it into running condition was a blessing and certainly not a disuised one. I would be facing my week off during Thanksgiving being pretty much broke if that had been the case.
Of course, I don't really plan on doing anything during that time excepting buying all the fixings for a huge turkey dinner which the trailer tenants have already indicated that they would be extremely interested in cooking. Still, broke is never a good "condition" to be in.
Meanwhile, I'm reading about Obama's rant at the Summit and wondering if anyone is even bothering to listen. His renewed interest in jobs creation is humorous. The talk about jobs was almost completely gone when Obama, Reid and Pelosi were literally forcing the health care bill through, now all of a sudden here we go again. And anyone wonders why the elections turned out the way that they did?
I would also like to argue with this idea that Social Security benefits is an "entitlement" program. That's a LOAD of BS. If you REALLY want to call it that, then yes, I'm entitled to take the money I paid into it for my entire life with the promise that I would get X amount every month when I am near the end of life. That is the end of that story: we PAID into it for THAT purpose, it's a separate deduction on your paycheck, it's not part of the general fund. If it is gone when I get to retirement, well, obviously I and a lot of other people that PAID for it are not going to be happy (and probably be broke).
There are 2 things I fear in growing old: being broke and being single. I let the 2% deduction out of my paycheck for 401k start back up again earlier this year - our company does that automatically, you can opt out if you like - and haven't either increased it or reduced it. It has an "amazing" $9,000.00 in it. I'm 46 years old and all I have saved for retirement is 9k? Ouch. If I could afford to up it to where it was pre-economic-disaster era, I would. I was trying to get to the point where I would be comfortable with having 10% being deducted from every paycheck.
Not anywhere near that now, obviously. Well, it's just something that I think about now and then and wonder, what, exactly, my retirement will "look" like and at what I can expect to actually be able to stop working. If the White House has it's way, the day I stop working is the day my body is being viewed in a casket......
.........with that, I bid you good day.
ben
Work week almost over. Another week with car problems - over - hopefully for a long time. I won't be holding my breath, but one can dream.
The fact that I didn't have to shell out yet hundreds of more dollars to get it into running condition was a blessing and certainly not a disuised one. I would be facing my week off during Thanksgiving being pretty much broke if that had been the case.
Of course, I don't really plan on doing anything during that time excepting buying all the fixings for a huge turkey dinner which the trailer tenants have already indicated that they would be extremely interested in cooking. Still, broke is never a good "condition" to be in.
Meanwhile, I'm reading about Obama's rant at the Summit and wondering if anyone is even bothering to listen. His renewed interest in jobs creation is humorous. The talk about jobs was almost completely gone when Obama, Reid and Pelosi were literally forcing the health care bill through, now all of a sudden here we go again. And anyone wonders why the elections turned out the way that they did?
I would also like to argue with this idea that Social Security benefits is an "entitlement" program. That's a LOAD of BS. If you REALLY want to call it that, then yes, I'm entitled to take the money I paid into it for my entire life with the promise that I would get X amount every month when I am near the end of life. That is the end of that story: we PAID into it for THAT purpose, it's a separate deduction on your paycheck, it's not part of the general fund. If it is gone when I get to retirement, well, obviously I and a lot of other people that PAID for it are not going to be happy (and probably be broke).
There are 2 things I fear in growing old: being broke and being single. I let the 2% deduction out of my paycheck for 401k start back up again earlier this year - our company does that automatically, you can opt out if you like - and haven't either increased it or reduced it. It has an "amazing" $9,000.00 in it. I'm 46 years old and all I have saved for retirement is 9k? Ouch. If I could afford to up it to where it was pre-economic-disaster era, I would. I was trying to get to the point where I would be comfortable with having 10% being deducted from every paycheck.
Not anywhere near that now, obviously. Well, it's just something that I think about now and then and wonder, what, exactly, my retirement will "look" like and at what I can expect to actually be able to stop working. If the White House has it's way, the day I stop working is the day my body is being viewed in a casket......
.........with that, I bid you good day.
ben
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Old Buick - Highland Auto Repair Shop, Chandler, AZ 85225
3 days that car has been at that shop.
I had no idea what to expect when I got there today.
I walked up and saw my old car sitting there, hood up, engine running.
I wondered how long it had been running. I asked the owner that if they did get it running, just let it sit there and idle - for hours if need be. That's what they do anyway with vehicles that have had running problems, they turn them on after fixing them and walk away from them. I watched that the other day, a car sat there idling for over 2 hours.
Well, Virgil was busy with another customer. I had no small amount of trepidation. How much is this going to cost this time? The fourth time in in a little over a month, I knew the towing bill was at least $50, the mechanic the first day I was there with it had spent a couple of hours on it.
Well, Virgil gets up and goes and moves around some vehicles. He comes back, gets out a notepad, writes down a phone number with the name of an electrical shop and hands it to me. He says: "If it has problems again, take it here". Virgil's a good guy. He is a rare breed in any realm of customer service in terms of whatever kind of business it may be. Certainly, you don't get such honesty in many auto repair shops nowadays, most of them are going to rake you under the coals and take every last cent they think they can get from you.
While standing there, I listened to his son having a conversation with a person on the phone. He was telling the person that his vehicle needed a new timing belt, but also needed new fan belts and other stuff. He told him that now would be the time to replace them since they were cracked and not looking too good, because, he said "We are already going to have to take all of that stuff off anyway to get at the timing belt, there will be no extra labor charge to replace it".
How many shops would get on the phone and say that you need a timing belt and you need this other stuff and yes, there is EXTRA labor charge for the other stuff, even though they already have to take it off the engine to get at the timing belt? You can bet your sweet @$$ that there are a plethora of shops out there that will do that.
What I am saying in all of that is that I figured whatever I was going to be charged, I was not going to be raped. I definitely also was thinking, my gosh, I have dumped no small change into this car and I have bills to pay. I would NEVER say that to them, but I was sweating this one.
Well, it turns out, the owner's son - Jeremy - had given the car over to Bill - one of the shop's mechanics - to look at it. I have also watched Bill - the man knows what he's doing. He does just about ANYTHING a car needs. I have a lot of respect for this shop, it's owners and it's employees. I asked Virgil how long the thing had been running? We walked over to where Bill was working on another vehicle, he said that this time, it has been sitting there running for about an hour. Before that, he thought he had it sitting there running for about 3 hours.
You see, I don't CARE how much gasoline was going to be wasted, I definitely wanted to know if this thing was going to work or not, if not, what do we do next, Virgil had already given me the next thing to do if it needed anything else, we're good.
Well, instead of walking back to his desk to tally up the hours spent on the thing - turns out the mechanic - Bill - had cleaned some wires that go to the computer that was replaced last week and that (hopefully) was it all it needed - Virgil starts walking to my car. I asked him how much it was going to cost. He just shook his head, no, nothing. I would have none of that, they had spent considerable time on it plus the towing fee. Nope, he said, nothing. I insisted that I at LEAST pay the towing bill. He flatly refused my money. I'm totally serious, I TRIED to give him SOMETHING for the time spent, I mean, the man's running a business and I don't want to turn into a sore spot with a person and a business that I fully intend on taking my vehicles to from here on out. He just wouldn't take it. I told him I didn't feel right about it, he couldn't help me.
WHERE, in this day and age, do you find ANYTHING like THAT? GOOD LUCK. This is old-school - the way business used to operate in a different day and age. Nothing bad about it, I'm just saying, when you find something like that you treat it like gold. Yup, I'm propping Highland Auto cause' - it's worth the prop. Not that they need it, they have plenty of business, but if you are fed up with being ripped off and live anywhere in the Phoenix Metro area, this is the place to take your vehicles. They have vehicles brought in from ALL over - Wittman; Scottsdale - everywhere. Even up north people come into town and bring their vehicles there.
As for me? I got home and the relief was palpable. I didn't have to spend more money on that old thing, though I was fully prepared to. Caleb's mom's car (we're divorced) - a new thing that is only like a year old - a tin can on wheels is what I call those little cars - isn't running. They were coming to tow it as I went over there to get Caleb to take my newer Buick back with him to her house. I am going to drive this old thing for at least a couple more weeks. He has a car to drive and they have something to get around in while her car is at the dealer's - it's under warranty (must be nice!).
I had no idea what to expect when I got there today.
I walked up and saw my old car sitting there, hood up, engine running.
I wondered how long it had been running. I asked the owner that if they did get it running, just let it sit there and idle - for hours if need be. That's what they do anyway with vehicles that have had running problems, they turn them on after fixing them and walk away from them. I watched that the other day, a car sat there idling for over 2 hours.
Well, Virgil was busy with another customer. I had no small amount of trepidation. How much is this going to cost this time? The fourth time in in a little over a month, I knew the towing bill was at least $50, the mechanic the first day I was there with it had spent a couple of hours on it.
Well, Virgil gets up and goes and moves around some vehicles. He comes back, gets out a notepad, writes down a phone number with the name of an electrical shop and hands it to me. He says: "If it has problems again, take it here". Virgil's a good guy. He is a rare breed in any realm of customer service in terms of whatever kind of business it may be. Certainly, you don't get such honesty in many auto repair shops nowadays, most of them are going to rake you under the coals and take every last cent they think they can get from you.
While standing there, I listened to his son having a conversation with a person on the phone. He was telling the person that his vehicle needed a new timing belt, but also needed new fan belts and other stuff. He told him that now would be the time to replace them since they were cracked and not looking too good, because, he said "We are already going to have to take all of that stuff off anyway to get at the timing belt, there will be no extra labor charge to replace it".
How many shops would get on the phone and say that you need a timing belt and you need this other stuff and yes, there is EXTRA labor charge for the other stuff, even though they already have to take it off the engine to get at the timing belt? You can bet your sweet @$$ that there are a plethora of shops out there that will do that.
What I am saying in all of that is that I figured whatever I was going to be charged, I was not going to be raped. I definitely also was thinking, my gosh, I have dumped no small change into this car and I have bills to pay. I would NEVER say that to them, but I was sweating this one.
Well, it turns out, the owner's son - Jeremy - had given the car over to Bill - one of the shop's mechanics - to look at it. I have also watched Bill - the man knows what he's doing. He does just about ANYTHING a car needs. I have a lot of respect for this shop, it's owners and it's employees. I asked Virgil how long the thing had been running? We walked over to where Bill was working on another vehicle, he said that this time, it has been sitting there running for about an hour. Before that, he thought he had it sitting there running for about 3 hours.
You see, I don't CARE how much gasoline was going to be wasted, I definitely wanted to know if this thing was going to work or not, if not, what do we do next, Virgil had already given me the next thing to do if it needed anything else, we're good.
Well, instead of walking back to his desk to tally up the hours spent on the thing - turns out the mechanic - Bill - had cleaned some wires that go to the computer that was replaced last week and that (hopefully) was it all it needed - Virgil starts walking to my car. I asked him how much it was going to cost. He just shook his head, no, nothing. I would have none of that, they had spent considerable time on it plus the towing fee. Nope, he said, nothing. I insisted that I at LEAST pay the towing bill. He flatly refused my money. I'm totally serious, I TRIED to give him SOMETHING for the time spent, I mean, the man's running a business and I don't want to turn into a sore spot with a person and a business that I fully intend on taking my vehicles to from here on out. He just wouldn't take it. I told him I didn't feel right about it, he couldn't help me.
WHERE, in this day and age, do you find ANYTHING like THAT? GOOD LUCK. This is old-school - the way business used to operate in a different day and age. Nothing bad about it, I'm just saying, when you find something like that you treat it like gold. Yup, I'm propping Highland Auto cause' - it's worth the prop. Not that they need it, they have plenty of business, but if you are fed up with being ripped off and live anywhere in the Phoenix Metro area, this is the place to take your vehicles. They have vehicles brought in from ALL over - Wittman; Scottsdale - everywhere. Even up north people come into town and bring their vehicles there.
As for me? I got home and the relief was palpable. I didn't have to spend more money on that old thing, though I was fully prepared to. Caleb's mom's car (we're divorced) - a new thing that is only like a year old - a tin can on wheels is what I call those little cars - isn't running. They were coming to tow it as I went over there to get Caleb to take my newer Buick back with him to her house. I am going to drive this old thing for at least a couple more weeks. He has a car to drive and they have something to get around in while her car is at the dealer's - it's under warranty (must be nice!).
Thursday 11/11/2010
Thursday
Folks coming for Cafe World information, well, this is just an entry into my blog that has nothing to do with CW.
I'm not blaming Carnival cruise lines - yet - for whatever happened. Though now, a tidbit more of info came when the ship's captain said a diesel generator's casing "split" open which caused the fire. I'm guessing the fire must have taken out the computers and electronics that make the engines run, cause to burn up those engines in a fire? I figure the whole ship would have had to burn down.
I can't wait to see the interviews, lol. You just KNOW there are going to be over-exaggerated people who thought it was the end of life.........I bet a whole world's worth of media is waiting for their arrival out there.
Meanwhile, Obama is spewing forth useless rhetoric towards North Korea in an apparent "warning" to them. That's nice. North Korea and the rest of the world also know it's a spineless statement that has no teeth to it. Nothing will be done while this president is in office. The latest report is that NK is "exporting banned nuclear and missile technology to Iran, Syria and Myanmar."
Great, let's get the whole world full of nuclear weapons and see who fires first. The destruction of mankind as we know it should serve as at least SOME kind of motivator to DO something about this nation that doesn't care what anyone else says or thinks, the only thing they are going to care about is action. NK has BEEN warned over and over, sanctions up the ying-yang and what has it done? Made a nation of starving people as it's government could care less.
Well, anyway, there's plenty to do in today's, tomorrow's and even Monday's truck routing system. In fact, Monday, I am driving to a construction site near the U.S./Mexico border. In fact, it's some kind of installation being built for the Federal Government. What? Dunno yet, but it should make for some interesting photo ops if nothing else. Why do I finally get to make that kind of trip?
Because, the semi downtown has been "commandeered". There is a million dollar project that has to have pipe delivered on a daily basis. The pipe has to stay on the truck's trailers. It can't go on the ground until it's in the ground. Meaning that semi has to be used twice a day to move trailers full of pipe around and it can't be sent on trips anywhere where it won't be back in time to be able to move those trailers.
I'm guessing our company doesn't want to rent an extra semi - times are still very tough for our company, we are making money but they are counting pennies. Well, dollar bills, probably more likely, still, renting a semi is not cheap and will eat into profit margins on that job. Which, thankfully, opens up opportunities for me to take loads out that they normally would be taking out.
I don't know if they won't ever rent a semi, but apparently for right now, it is not in the workings, otherwise, I wouldn't be getting that run.
My Thanksgiving week off looms closer and closer.........
G'day.
ben
Folks coming for Cafe World information, well, this is just an entry into my blog that has nothing to do with CW.
I'm not blaming Carnival cruise lines - yet - for whatever happened. Though now, a tidbit more of info came when the ship's captain said a diesel generator's casing "split" open which caused the fire. I'm guessing the fire must have taken out the computers and electronics that make the engines run, cause to burn up those engines in a fire? I figure the whole ship would have had to burn down.
I can't wait to see the interviews, lol. You just KNOW there are going to be over-exaggerated people who thought it was the end of life.........I bet a whole world's worth of media is waiting for their arrival out there.
Meanwhile, Obama is spewing forth useless rhetoric towards North Korea in an apparent "warning" to them. That's nice. North Korea and the rest of the world also know it's a spineless statement that has no teeth to it. Nothing will be done while this president is in office. The latest report is that NK is "exporting banned nuclear and missile technology to Iran, Syria and Myanmar."
Great, let's get the whole world full of nuclear weapons and see who fires first. The destruction of mankind as we know it should serve as at least SOME kind of motivator to DO something about this nation that doesn't care what anyone else says or thinks, the only thing they are going to care about is action. NK has BEEN warned over and over, sanctions up the ying-yang and what has it done? Made a nation of starving people as it's government could care less.
Well, anyway, there's plenty to do in today's, tomorrow's and even Monday's truck routing system. In fact, Monday, I am driving to a construction site near the U.S./Mexico border. In fact, it's some kind of installation being built for the Federal Government. What? Dunno yet, but it should make for some interesting photo ops if nothing else. Why do I finally get to make that kind of trip?
Because, the semi downtown has been "commandeered". There is a million dollar project that has to have pipe delivered on a daily basis. The pipe has to stay on the truck's trailers. It can't go on the ground until it's in the ground. Meaning that semi has to be used twice a day to move trailers full of pipe around and it can't be sent on trips anywhere where it won't be back in time to be able to move those trailers.
I'm guessing our company doesn't want to rent an extra semi - times are still very tough for our company, we are making money but they are counting pennies. Well, dollar bills, probably more likely, still, renting a semi is not cheap and will eat into profit margins on that job. Which, thankfully, opens up opportunities for me to take loads out that they normally would be taking out.
I don't know if they won't ever rent a semi, but apparently for right now, it is not in the workings, otherwise, I wouldn't be getting that run.
My Thanksgiving week off looms closer and closer.........
G'day.
ben
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Cafe World Tips 21: Cafe World Is ALWAYS Slow - Answer
This posting is for Cafe World players that are looking for an answer to the slow experience they are having with Zynga's Cafe World.
I played the game for 11 months on an old computer. It had an Intel 4 Pentium processor; 165 gigabyte hard drive and 2 gigs of ram. It was the mother of slow gaming - took up to 15 minutes to connect to the game and even long to actually do anything with it.
I have read thousands of complaints (yes,I HAVE read thousands of complaints) that blame Zynga - the producer/mother/owner of Cafe World on Facebook - is to blame for this.
Yes, there are times when it is slow. But when you are talking slow all the time, I believe the answer lies within your computer.
I built a new computer. It has 8 gigs of RAM (4 usable for the OS I am using which is Windows XP that does not support 64 bit application and will only support up to 4 gigs of RAM). It has a 1 TB hard drive. Well, it has all kinds of stuff. I built it to work for now and also to work for future applications as they come out.
I didn't know for sure that more ram and a faster and MUCH better processor (know that my old computer is at least 10 years old) would help play this game faster, I was just guessing. I was SHOCKED by the game play on Cafe World after getting this new computer up and running. AMAZING. There is no comparison. It is SO much faster that I won't even consider playing it on that old computer.
I have had several discussions with people talking about how slow it is, and almost every time it comes to the reality that yes, it's an old computer, old technology and simply can't compete. The problem? Mostly this economy. Many people can't afford their house payment much less buying or building their own, new computer. Yet, it is probably the answer you need to find. It may not be the DESIRABLE answer - money to get into something better - but it is an answer that I think covers most of this.
If you have a killer machine and you are still experiencing slow run times on Cafe World, it may simply be the server that is being used to let you access the game. Cafe World is served out on many servers and people experience problems at the same time that other people are not experiencing the same problem.
Anyway, let's not just always blame Zynga for the problems that you might encounter with this game. If you have an inferior computer - that might and probably is the culprit right there. If you can upgrade the RAM, that in itself will increase the capacity and speed of the game.
I played the game for 11 months on an old computer. It had an Intel 4 Pentium processor; 165 gigabyte hard drive and 2 gigs of ram. It was the mother of slow gaming - took up to 15 minutes to connect to the game and even long to actually do anything with it.
I have read thousands of complaints (yes,I HAVE read thousands of complaints) that blame Zynga - the producer/mother/owner of Cafe World on Facebook - is to blame for this.
Yes, there are times when it is slow. But when you are talking slow all the time, I believe the answer lies within your computer.
I built a new computer. It has 8 gigs of RAM (4 usable for the OS I am using which is Windows XP that does not support 64 bit application and will only support up to 4 gigs of RAM). It has a 1 TB hard drive. Well, it has all kinds of stuff. I built it to work for now and also to work for future applications as they come out.
I didn't know for sure that more ram and a faster and MUCH better processor (know that my old computer is at least 10 years old) would help play this game faster, I was just guessing. I was SHOCKED by the game play on Cafe World after getting this new computer up and running. AMAZING. There is no comparison. It is SO much faster that I won't even consider playing it on that old computer.
I have had several discussions with people talking about how slow it is, and almost every time it comes to the reality that yes, it's an old computer, old technology and simply can't compete. The problem? Mostly this economy. Many people can't afford their house payment much less buying or building their own, new computer. Yet, it is probably the answer you need to find. It may not be the DESIRABLE answer - money to get into something better - but it is an answer that I think covers most of this.
If you have a killer machine and you are still experiencing slow run times on Cafe World, it may simply be the server that is being used to let you access the game. Cafe World is served out on many servers and people experience problems at the same time that other people are not experiencing the same problem.
Anyway, let's not just always blame Zynga for the problems that you might encounter with this game. If you have an inferior computer - that might and probably is the culprit right there. If you can upgrade the RAM, that in itself will increase the capacity and speed of the game.
Wednesday 11/10/2010
Wednesday
I'm going to write another Cafe World entry today or soon - the final word on slow running cafe or low buzz rating. It's very simply this: If you have a slow cafe, can't get in, yada yada yada, look at your computer and stop blaming Zynga. Period. I don't have any isses getting into Cafe World anymore and zinging right through everything with my new computer - and that using only half the RAM I have in it.
But let's not go there now, as I said, that would be a DIFFERENT entry and here I go sounding off on THIS entry. I think I'm still a bit peeved at that car, at least I have mine back to get back and forth to work until something is figured out with that old thing.
The most entertaining news of the day (for me anyway): 4,500 people stranded on what amounts to a dead ship. Lol. I wonder what kind of putrid smells and air must be floating around in that thing without AC and certainly no hot water gotta be fun. The only thing they have said is that there was an engine room fire - well that must have been QUITE the fire to knock out the engines completely!! And not be able to get them up and running again?!!!
Wow, this story gets sweeter by the line of type. Refrigerators went out - can you imagine? I mean, feeding that many people? There must be a lot of rotten food in there!! No internet service, no cell phones - what an unbelievably MISERABLE ordeal that would be.
Well, I feel for those people, but they are being taken care of so not the end of the world. Maybe for THEM it is, especially spoiled people - you know the kind - want everything and want it now. Poor little babies. Maybe the rich people can have a helicopter fly in and take them out of there, lol.
I'm going to write another Cafe World entry today or soon - the final word on slow running cafe or low buzz rating. It's very simply this: If you have a slow cafe, can't get in, yada yada yada, look at your computer and stop blaming Zynga. Period. I don't have any isses getting into Cafe World anymore and zinging right through everything with my new computer - and that using only half the RAM I have in it.
But let's not go there now, as I said, that would be a DIFFERENT entry and here I go sounding off on THIS entry. I think I'm still a bit peeved at that car, at least I have mine back to get back and forth to work until something is figured out with that old thing.
The most entertaining news of the day (for me anyway): 4,500 people stranded on what amounts to a dead ship. Lol. I wonder what kind of putrid smells and air must be floating around in that thing without AC and certainly no hot water gotta be fun. The only thing they have said is that there was an engine room fire - well that must have been QUITE the fire to knock out the engines completely!! And not be able to get them up and running again?!!!
Wow, this story gets sweeter by the line of type. Refrigerators went out - can you imagine? I mean, feeding that many people? There must be a lot of rotten food in there!! No internet service, no cell phones - what an unbelievably MISERABLE ordeal that would be.
Well, I feel for those people, but they are being taken care of so not the end of the world. Maybe for THEM it is, especially spoiled people - you know the kind - want everything and want it now. Poor little babies. Maybe the rich people can have a helicopter fly in and take them out of there, lol.
I was actually attempting to talk myself into getting Windows 7 - until the car broke down. Everything on hold. No idea what is wrong with it. Funny that that mechanic couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, either. He brought out 3 different computers and was walking back and forth retrieving wire harnesses for those computers over and over. I know cause' I sat there for almost 4 hours. I won't be sitting there today - I have my car and whenever they do figure the thing out, I am NOT taking a freakin' taxi. What a total ripoff. I don't take taxi's often. We had gone all of a mile and the thing was sitting at almost $9. I HAD to ask the guy about THAT. I know there is a flag drop fee then the fee is $1.99 per mile.
They freaking have "traffic delay" on those things. Meaning, when you are sitting at stop light, you are paying MORE for it. You call that a traffic delay? That's part of NORMAL TRAFFIC, not a traffic jam!!! It's rated at $28 per HOUR, on TOP of the mileage fee. That's pure insanity.
Whatever. Just another thing to get my goat I guess.
Apparently the Dems have somewhat woken up. GOP wants ALL Bush tax cuts - including those earnin over $250,000 per year - to be extended, Obama said no. Now the Dems have a new idea - too long to go into - but it does include at least a temporary extension of the tax cuts for everyone.
I do hope the people voted in under the Tea Party guise stick to their guns and aren't talked or bullied down because of people in there with "tenure". Who CARES about tenure? It hasn't gotten us anywhere good anytime recently that I can see. Let them raise heck and heterdyne and let the whole process be sent into chaos, as far as I'm concerned.
I'm feeling fiesty this morning, I have a LOT of driving to do today. East Valley; West Valley; going down south, back up to the FAR east valley and then back here (here being work). Which is okay, it makes the day go by faster and today? I do NOT intend sitting for hours at a repair shop. I'm not even going to call them, they have my number, when it's done, they can call me. My son will just have to go without a car for a couple of days (hopefully that's all it is).
As for me, I'm outta here, time to geeeeeet to work.
G'day.
ben
They freaking have "traffic delay" on those things. Meaning, when you are sitting at stop light, you are paying MORE for it. You call that a traffic delay? That's part of NORMAL TRAFFIC, not a traffic jam!!! It's rated at $28 per HOUR, on TOP of the mileage fee. That's pure insanity.
Whatever. Just another thing to get my goat I guess.
Apparently the Dems have somewhat woken up. GOP wants ALL Bush tax cuts - including those earnin over $250,000 per year - to be extended, Obama said no. Now the Dems have a new idea - too long to go into - but it does include at least a temporary extension of the tax cuts for everyone.
I do hope the people voted in under the Tea Party guise stick to their guns and aren't talked or bullied down because of people in there with "tenure". Who CARES about tenure? It hasn't gotten us anywhere good anytime recently that I can see. Let them raise heck and heterdyne and let the whole process be sent into chaos, as far as I'm concerned.
I'm feeling fiesty this morning, I have a LOT of driving to do today. East Valley; West Valley; going down south, back up to the FAR east valley and then back here (here being work). Which is okay, it makes the day go by faster and today? I do NOT intend sitting for hours at a repair shop. I'm not even going to call them, they have my number, when it's done, they can call me. My son will just have to go without a car for a couple of days (hopefully that's all it is).
As for me, I'm outta here, time to geeeeeet to work.
G'day.
ben
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Tuesday Late 11/9/2010
Take a guess what happens on my way to work this morning.
Yup, I'm two miles from work and that blasted car dies. Again.
It's 49 degrees outside, I have no jacked with me and I am facing walking the rest of the way to work. Exactly what I did, too, except I was walking at a very brisk pace mixed with running to get the internal heat pump going so I wouldn't freeze to death getting there. Sure enough, after about 1/2 a mile I was feeling no cold.
Get to work - drive all day long in the semi - get off of work. I am there from 1:35 until 5:35. They didn't get started on it until after 3:00 - and that mechanic? Could not figure out what was wrong with it. I would not have spent the entire afternoon there if I had known I would have to go - get my other car. But I did and I didn't complain about it. I ended up calling a taxi. I had no presumption that my son would have ever been able to find that place to come get me. $21 later, I get my car, head to Fry's.
Why? M-Power was almost out and I HAD to replenish it today. A freakin' line to get to the machines. That wasn't the worst part, though, there was one lady who didn't know how to use the first machine and a lady on the other one kept inserting her card, getting information, getting the card back and reinserting it.
Well, whatever. Am I having second thoughts about that car? Oh YES. This is the 4th time in a little over a month that car has been in the shop. If I would have known the problems I was going to have with that machine in getting it running, I would have told my son it better to save his money to buy a good, used one. Now? I've got too much into it. To stop - at least at this point - would be a HUGE waste. To continue without an end to this nonsense - also ridiculous but right now, I have no choice. I do have a choice, it just isn't going to happen. They need to find out what's wrong with that thing and put this issue to rest.
For what it's worth, internally I might have had a few issues, externally I kept a good attitude. This included complaining customers at work for one of the deliveries I made (they are making this particular company pay in advance for materials ordered versus C.O.D. as they have done for years now and this is not setting well with them) and other things that occured during work today. It also included my pondering that I have had this vehicle in that shop - which is widely acclaimed as one of the best in the entire Phoenix area - 3 times before today - within 35 days of each visit and now the 4th time. My questioning to myself was: are all these problems related? Is there some deeper problem that was the source of all of this and the rest of what I had done a complete waste of money?
I answered the question to some degree that - no - not all of this is inter-related. The car needed a major tune-up to pass emissions, that was the first visit. The second visit, though, they said it was the crank sensor. That's a toss-up. That guy that put in the harmonic balancer might have damaged that sensor when he did it - or the computer was bad all along. The 3rd visit was the computer. The car was running swimmingly after that. Now? It just quits.
Here's the deal: I left at 5:05 am and got home at almost 6:30 pm. Nice, long day.
Whatever the case, I have my newer car - sorry Caleb - had to take it from him. I'm not paying the kind of price tag it would cost to get to work tomorrow in a friggin' taxi.
That's my day in a nutshell.
And now? I'm tired. What else is there to say.
Nothing.
Good evening.
ben
Yup, I'm two miles from work and that blasted car dies. Again.
It's 49 degrees outside, I have no jacked with me and I am facing walking the rest of the way to work. Exactly what I did, too, except I was walking at a very brisk pace mixed with running to get the internal heat pump going so I wouldn't freeze to death getting there. Sure enough, after about 1/2 a mile I was feeling no cold.
Get to work - drive all day long in the semi - get off of work. I am there from 1:35 until 5:35. They didn't get started on it until after 3:00 - and that mechanic? Could not figure out what was wrong with it. I would not have spent the entire afternoon there if I had known I would have to go - get my other car. But I did and I didn't complain about it. I ended up calling a taxi. I had no presumption that my son would have ever been able to find that place to come get me. $21 later, I get my car, head to Fry's.
Why? M-Power was almost out and I HAD to replenish it today. A freakin' line to get to the machines. That wasn't the worst part, though, there was one lady who didn't know how to use the first machine and a lady on the other one kept inserting her card, getting information, getting the card back and reinserting it.
Well, whatever. Am I having second thoughts about that car? Oh YES. This is the 4th time in a little over a month that car has been in the shop. If I would have known the problems I was going to have with that machine in getting it running, I would have told my son it better to save his money to buy a good, used one. Now? I've got too much into it. To stop - at least at this point - would be a HUGE waste. To continue without an end to this nonsense - also ridiculous but right now, I have no choice. I do have a choice, it just isn't going to happen. They need to find out what's wrong with that thing and put this issue to rest.
For what it's worth, internally I might have had a few issues, externally I kept a good attitude. This included complaining customers at work for one of the deliveries I made (they are making this particular company pay in advance for materials ordered versus C.O.D. as they have done for years now and this is not setting well with them) and other things that occured during work today. It also included my pondering that I have had this vehicle in that shop - which is widely acclaimed as one of the best in the entire Phoenix area - 3 times before today - within 35 days of each visit and now the 4th time. My questioning to myself was: are all these problems related? Is there some deeper problem that was the source of all of this and the rest of what I had done a complete waste of money?
I answered the question to some degree that - no - not all of this is inter-related. The car needed a major tune-up to pass emissions, that was the first visit. The second visit, though, they said it was the crank sensor. That's a toss-up. That guy that put in the harmonic balancer might have damaged that sensor when he did it - or the computer was bad all along. The 3rd visit was the computer. The car was running swimmingly after that. Now? It just quits.
Here's the deal: I left at 5:05 am and got home at almost 6:30 pm. Nice, long day.
Whatever the case, I have my newer car - sorry Caleb - had to take it from him. I'm not paying the kind of price tag it would cost to get to work tomorrow in a friggin' taxi.
That's my day in a nutshell.
And now? I'm tired. What else is there to say.
Nothing.
Good evening.
ben
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday 11/8/2010
20 Killed Over Weekend In Mexican Border City
That was the headline and the story I just got through reading. Juarez, Mexico, directly across the border from El Paso, Texas. Unbelievable. When is the Mexican government going to get off of it's ass and do something about this? I used to spend a LOT of time in Juarez: you couldn't PAY me to go over there or anywhere in Mexico right now.
That president over there condemning Arizona for the immigration bill, while at the same time they have mass murders and drug cartels wreaking havoc all over the countryside, give me a freakin' break.
"I am constantly reminded that we have been through worse times than these, and we've always come out on top," he said. That was Obama reflecting on the economy. The ONLY worse time I can think of is the Great Depression. There has BEEN nothing worse since then in terms of the economy. The guy literally has his head stuck in the sand. He continues to blame the economy for the political losses, yet clearly, at least if polls give you any clarity, it wasn't just that, it was also the health care bill.
GOP has admitted that they cannot do anything about repealing that bill with the current president. Well duhhhhhh. All of these people need to get over themselves, thinking they know everything and the rest of us are know-nothings.
I kinda woke up cranky this morning, must be the reason for all this - crankiness. I actually went to bed at 7:00 something last night and then, of course, woke up at 1:00 am, fell back asleep for another hour and then woke up again. The second time waking up? I should have just gotten out of bed even if it was 3:00 am. I already had 7 hours of sleep at that point. If it happens again, I am definitely just going to get up. There is no point laying there for an hour and a half, half awake, half asleep.
Well, at least there is something to do today. 2 fire hydrants going to the Indian reservation and a pickup at a manufacturer in west Phoenix. It isn't a lot, but it's better than nothing at all.
Oh, and I have 2 heaters going in the ponds. 1 in each. I decided to see if the circuit could take all of that and apparently it can. I have it set at 75 degrees on each one. I am also checking the power usage for such. Plus, I have a person that wants to get some of the goldfish. I don't want that many fish in a pond that small, I think it's not real healthy for them. I DO have large filtering systems, but, still, I just think it would be better to think it out by about 10 fish.
I also finally saw the Koi that I bought from Petsmart. I had put one in the big pond and he flat out disappeared for over a week. Yesterday, something got him moving because he was darting all over that pond. In the smaller pond, though not that much smaller, I also found one of the new fish I had put in there hiding. Well, you never know if those things are a live, dead, what in those ponds, they hide so well. The smaller pond is full of plants, plenty of places for smaller fish to hide.
Anyway, enough of this, work day approaches and I have a few more news items I want to read through before starting.
G'day.
ben
That was the headline and the story I just got through reading. Juarez, Mexico, directly across the border from El Paso, Texas. Unbelievable. When is the Mexican government going to get off of it's ass and do something about this? I used to spend a LOT of time in Juarez: you couldn't PAY me to go over there or anywhere in Mexico right now.
That president over there condemning Arizona for the immigration bill, while at the same time they have mass murders and drug cartels wreaking havoc all over the countryside, give me a freakin' break.
"I am constantly reminded that we have been through worse times than these, and we've always come out on top," he said. That was Obama reflecting on the economy. The ONLY worse time I can think of is the Great Depression. There has BEEN nothing worse since then in terms of the economy. The guy literally has his head stuck in the sand. He continues to blame the economy for the political losses, yet clearly, at least if polls give you any clarity, it wasn't just that, it was also the health care bill.
GOP has admitted that they cannot do anything about repealing that bill with the current president. Well duhhhhhh. All of these people need to get over themselves, thinking they know everything and the rest of us are know-nothings.
I kinda woke up cranky this morning, must be the reason for all this - crankiness. I actually went to bed at 7:00 something last night and then, of course, woke up at 1:00 am, fell back asleep for another hour and then woke up again. The second time waking up? I should have just gotten out of bed even if it was 3:00 am. I already had 7 hours of sleep at that point. If it happens again, I am definitely just going to get up. There is no point laying there for an hour and a half, half awake, half asleep.
Well, at least there is something to do today. 2 fire hydrants going to the Indian reservation and a pickup at a manufacturer in west Phoenix. It isn't a lot, but it's better than nothing at all.
Oh, and I have 2 heaters going in the ponds. 1 in each. I decided to see if the circuit could take all of that and apparently it can. I have it set at 75 degrees on each one. I am also checking the power usage for such. Plus, I have a person that wants to get some of the goldfish. I don't want that many fish in a pond that small, I think it's not real healthy for them. I DO have large filtering systems, but, still, I just think it would be better to think it out by about 10 fish.
I also finally saw the Koi that I bought from Petsmart. I had put one in the big pond and he flat out disappeared for over a week. Yesterday, something got him moving because he was darting all over that pond. In the smaller pond, though not that much smaller, I also found one of the new fish I had put in there hiding. Well, you never know if those things are a live, dead, what in those ponds, they hide so well. The smaller pond is full of plants, plenty of places for smaller fish to hide.
Anyway, enough of this, work day approaches and I have a few more news items I want to read through before starting.
G'day.
ben
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday
Umm, I think there must be a post for Sunday on my Blogger dashboard, as I definitely set out to write one and got quite a bit of it done.
However, I am in a totally different mind frame and don't care to publish it. Not that it isn't accurate, true - whatever, just not where I am at right now. Do we not, as humans, have things come at us on a daily basis that give us different moods, mindsets, perspectives, all of it? Yes, I think it true. I know it's true for me.
It has been a full day. One particular tenant and her kids were the morning part of it. The little girl with the very loud mouth was the irritating portion. I'm not sorry to say that I raised my son as well as helping others raise their's while my son was whatever age their's was - I am pretty much done with youngins. Talking under - 7 or 8 anyway. Kids that need constant attention and constant supervision. I am not there, don't want to be there, went through that for years and years, done and done.
It could have been more bearable if the parent in "control" would actually HAVE control, ie: supervision. No-one has to tell me what it takes to raise kids or keep them under control, I have been there, done that, bought the farm, grown the cotton, took it to the cotton gin, bought the manufacturing plant with under-paid workers to produce the t-shirts, got the t-shirts and sold them, thank you VERY much. I have compassion, definitely, but not for a person that simply refuses to do what it takes to keep those kids - civilized.
Let's move on. They left. I cleaned up after all of it - oh yes, there is aftermath as well. I won't go into it because I will become irritated if I do. That was this morning and it's history. If this was every weekend, well, I would put a stop to it. I installed a regular electrical outlet versus a GFCI outlet for my fish ponds. I have had those things popping out - outside - too many times. They destroy themselves when they do that and I am tired of paying $15 for an electrical outlet. The replacement was $4 and that outlet has a plastic cover over it, even hard rain won't get into that thing.
BTW, I did not get out of bed until 8:00 am. I do not get up that late on any given day. I was shocked when I woke up and saw the clock showing the time. The dogs? Sitting there. I mean, it's hours past their timeto get out and relieve themselves. Fortunately, that did not include doing that in my bedroom.
Time has ended. The weekend draws to a close.
G'nite.
ben
However, I am in a totally different mind frame and don't care to publish it. Not that it isn't accurate, true - whatever, just not where I am at right now. Do we not, as humans, have things come at us on a daily basis that give us different moods, mindsets, perspectives, all of it? Yes, I think it true. I know it's true for me.
It has been a full day. One particular tenant and her kids were the morning part of it. The little girl with the very loud mouth was the irritating portion. I'm not sorry to say that I raised my son as well as helping others raise their's while my son was whatever age their's was - I am pretty much done with youngins. Talking under - 7 or 8 anyway. Kids that need constant attention and constant supervision. I am not there, don't want to be there, went through that for years and years, done and done.
It could have been more bearable if the parent in "control" would actually HAVE control, ie: supervision. No-one has to tell me what it takes to raise kids or keep them under control, I have been there, done that, bought the farm, grown the cotton, took it to the cotton gin, bought the manufacturing plant with under-paid workers to produce the t-shirts, got the t-shirts and sold them, thank you VERY much. I have compassion, definitely, but not for a person that simply refuses to do what it takes to keep those kids - civilized.
Let's move on. They left. I cleaned up after all of it - oh yes, there is aftermath as well. I won't go into it because I will become irritated if I do. That was this morning and it's history. If this was every weekend, well, I would put a stop to it. I installed a regular electrical outlet versus a GFCI outlet for my fish ponds. I have had those things popping out - outside - too many times. They destroy themselves when they do that and I am tired of paying $15 for an electrical outlet. The replacement was $4 and that outlet has a plastic cover over it, even hard rain won't get into that thing.
BTW, I did not get out of bed until 8:00 am. I do not get up that late on any given day. I was shocked when I woke up and saw the clock showing the time. The dogs? Sitting there. I mean, it's hours past their timeto get out and relieve themselves. Fortunately, that did not include doing that in my bedroom.
Time has ended. The weekend draws to a close.
G'nite.
ben
Saturday, November 6, 2010
That Was A Lot Of Work To Find Out That..............
..............this version of XP Windows doesn't allow more than 4 gigs of ram anymore than the original version.
However, I have FAR more stuff on here. All kinds of graphics software - well it's a huge list of things.
It is, however, unacceptable. I must have an operating system that works with as much RAM as I have installed on this computer. So, I will have to consider when I will buy Windows 7. It's not if, it's when. For now? Not. I can live without it. I wanted to be sure that the new RAM I put in works - and, amazingly, there is a tester with all of this stuff I got with this Last XP that makes sure it does work.
Still, rather of a letdown. I was hoping this OS would use all 8 gigs of RAM. I have 4 gigs of ram sitting in this machine, idle, useless and doing nothing.
However, I have FAR more stuff on here. All kinds of graphics software - well it's a huge list of things.
It is, however, unacceptable. I must have an operating system that works with as much RAM as I have installed on this computer. So, I will have to consider when I will buy Windows 7. It's not if, it's when. For now? Not. I can live without it. I wanted to be sure that the new RAM I put in works - and, amazingly, there is a tester with all of this stuff I got with this Last XP that makes sure it does work.
Still, rather of a letdown. I was hoping this OS would use all 8 gigs of RAM. I have 4 gigs of ram sitting in this machine, idle, useless and doing nothing.
Motivation
I'm jumping on Bobby's and Dorrie's bandwagon and adding my perspective of motivation.
For me, it comes and goes. I can be sitting around, being lazy and fully subscribed to that theorem and then bam, something clicks on inside of me and says: "You need to get started on that right NOW".
Oh yes, I usually get right up from whatever I am doing or not doing and get to work.
For an example, this morning, I have been lulling around in my mind the idea of finishing the cleaning in my bedroom. Just one of those things, it sort of floats around a while and then the next thing I know I'm doing it. Right now I'm waiting for this new computer to reformat - another hour to go judging it.
So, after this entry, I'm 90% sure that while I'm waiting, I'm going to get something done and that something would be my bedroom.
On a different scale, my motivation has totally ceased. I want to go to church but I don't go. I want to get involved in the community again as I have spent so much of my adult life doing, but, I just don't have it. The ideas are sitting on shelves in my mind. I occasionally take them off, dust them and put them back on - the shelf.
I think the problem with that, for me, is the stuff I went through to get to the point where I don't want to star something fresh up again. Shunned by a pastor, leaving a church and losing 10 year's worth of freindships and relationships. Going through being a president of a homeowner's associated and having my reputation ground through the meat grinder, being talked about by God only knows how many people in very negative ways.
It's funny, those people certainly didn't mind when I found grant for them to fix up their homes. Up to $7,500 FREE money. A lot of them used it, I never heard one single word of thanks. All I ever heard was constant, non-stop complaining and whining. People would actually complain that they had received an eviction notice because - they hadn't paid their lot rent. Well, sir or madam, what the bleep am I supposed to do about it? If you don't pay the rent, you're history, that's just life's little facts and stark, blunt reality that are thrown at you, I can't help you. The pettiness of some of the people's complaints were too much.
There WAS icing on that cake,though. I took that MH park to court and I won. I won again in appeals court. I was ready for the next appeals court, but they bought me out, I saw my opportunity and I got the bleep out of there.
I'm kinda tapped out on the motivation department to start up a new homeowner's association or, more likely, a neighborhood assocation where I am living now. This place is full of trailer trash. That's the jist of it People living in slum-like homes with unkempt properties overgrown with weeds. I ran into too much opposition in even starting a Neighborhood association - that kind of association has no legal authority over anyone, it's just volunteers trying to make a community better - it was unbelievable the "in-fighting" that went on. Little cliques all over the place. Reminded me of my experience as the president in that MH park, I really thought about it and decided that at least for now, I am not going to do anything.
Again, it comes to motivation. What am I going to do? For now, nothing. If I really ever get motivated, it's going to be to go out and find a woman and get a relationship going. I do miss certain aspects of that and no, it isn't all about sex. I hate the idea of going into old age single and alone. That really isn't a very nice thought at all. I have tried a few times in going out on dates, but nothing ever clicked.
So, I AM motivated in cleaning and home projects,I am not motivated in the arenas of life that used to be the core of my existence. I DO love my job - albeit I ain't loving only getting 35 hours per week - I have no problem on 99% of any given work day in jumping out of bed and getting to work, even if I didn't sleep well that night, I'm still all over it. I do love driving trucks, I just don't like doing that stuff in the city, which is, unfortunately, about 90% of my driving.
For me, there is no rhyme or reason to what motivates me to do any given thing. It's never the same source. Sometimes I just want to get something going. Other times I have been wanting to do something for quite a while and one day, the key goes into the ignition and it fires up and there I am, doing whatever it is I intended to do.
Whatever the case, just writing this has motivated me to get up and go to the bedroom - I have cleaning to do!
ben
For me, it comes and goes. I can be sitting around, being lazy and fully subscribed to that theorem and then bam, something clicks on inside of me and says: "You need to get started on that right NOW".
Oh yes, I usually get right up from whatever I am doing or not doing and get to work.
For an example, this morning, I have been lulling around in my mind the idea of finishing the cleaning in my bedroom. Just one of those things, it sort of floats around a while and then the next thing I know I'm doing it. Right now I'm waiting for this new computer to reformat - another hour to go judging it.
So, after this entry, I'm 90% sure that while I'm waiting, I'm going to get something done and that something would be my bedroom.
On a different scale, my motivation has totally ceased. I want to go to church but I don't go. I want to get involved in the community again as I have spent so much of my adult life doing, but, I just don't have it. The ideas are sitting on shelves in my mind. I occasionally take them off, dust them and put them back on - the shelf.
I think the problem with that, for me, is the stuff I went through to get to the point where I don't want to star something fresh up again. Shunned by a pastor, leaving a church and losing 10 year's worth of freindships and relationships. Going through being a president of a homeowner's associated and having my reputation ground through the meat grinder, being talked about by God only knows how many people in very negative ways.
It's funny, those people certainly didn't mind when I found grant for them to fix up their homes. Up to $7,500 FREE money. A lot of them used it, I never heard one single word of thanks. All I ever heard was constant, non-stop complaining and whining. People would actually complain that they had received an eviction notice because - they hadn't paid their lot rent. Well, sir or madam, what the bleep am I supposed to do about it? If you don't pay the rent, you're history, that's just life's little facts and stark, blunt reality that are thrown at you, I can't help you. The pettiness of some of the people's complaints were too much.
There WAS icing on that cake,though. I took that MH park to court and I won. I won again in appeals court. I was ready for the next appeals court, but they bought me out, I saw my opportunity and I got the bleep out of there.
I'm kinda tapped out on the motivation department to start up a new homeowner's association or, more likely, a neighborhood assocation where I am living now. This place is full of trailer trash. That's the jist of it People living in slum-like homes with unkempt properties overgrown with weeds. I ran into too much opposition in even starting a Neighborhood association - that kind of association has no legal authority over anyone, it's just volunteers trying to make a community better - it was unbelievable the "in-fighting" that went on. Little cliques all over the place. Reminded me of my experience as the president in that MH park, I really thought about it and decided that at least for now, I am not going to do anything.
Again, it comes to motivation. What am I going to do? For now, nothing. If I really ever get motivated, it's going to be to go out and find a woman and get a relationship going. I do miss certain aspects of that and no, it isn't all about sex. I hate the idea of going into old age single and alone. That really isn't a very nice thought at all. I have tried a few times in going out on dates, but nothing ever clicked.
So, I AM motivated in cleaning and home projects,I am not motivated in the arenas of life that used to be the core of my existence. I DO love my job - albeit I ain't loving only getting 35 hours per week - I have no problem on 99% of any given work day in jumping out of bed and getting to work, even if I didn't sleep well that night, I'm still all over it. I do love driving trucks, I just don't like doing that stuff in the city, which is, unfortunately, about 90% of my driving.
For me, there is no rhyme or reason to what motivates me to do any given thing. It's never the same source. Sometimes I just want to get something going. Other times I have been wanting to do something for quite a while and one day, the key goes into the ignition and it fires up and there I am, doing whatever it is I intended to do.
Whatever the case, just writing this has motivated me to get up and go to the bedroom - I have cleaning to do!
ben
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