Two scams: one recent, one on-going.
The Recent Scam: Credit Protection In A Dress
I bought some clothes as a Christmas present for my wife from an on-line catalogue. Now I had trouble with the order initially, in that you got a gift if you made a purchase of over a certain amount, but yet it was impossible to find the spot on-line where you claimed the gift. That was clue 1 that I wasn't dealing with most reputable outfit going. As if that wasn't enough, today a received a check from these folks. Now I'm thinking "well maybe this is to make up for their scamming me on the gift" (as I did complain about that after placing the order), so I open it up and read the fine print. Intersting to say the least. By cashing this check, I would be automatically enrolling myself in a credit monitoring service that will be billed in the amount of $139.99 to the same credit card that I used for my purchase. I wonder how many people got this, cashed it, and then ended up wondering why they have a $139.99 charge to their card?
Needless to say I was furious. It's been a rough two days, and I really didn't need this. So what to do? Well, I packed a nice, nasty letter back to these folks, along with the voided "check". I also copied the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office on Consumer Protection. I also demanded that I be removed from all of their mailings. Now this will probably do squat in the grand scheme of things, but hell, at least it felt like I was fighting back.
The On-Going Scam: College Text Books
For the Spring Semester, my dauther's book costs will come to about $440, and that's with buying books on-line, used, etc. It's a royal scam. One class alone had about thirty books to buy. Now I don't mind that really, becasue the books in question were works of literature that they would be covering in class (like "A Clockwork Orange" for example). But I really do mind, for example, the $124 single textbook that I managed to get for the wonderful price of only $80. That's four Steven King novels at Borders...new. It's a hell of a racket. I do hope that someone is making money off of this, because it sure is painful for me.
Oh, and just to make things even more interesting, there's a blizzard outside.
Ah, the joys of life.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Road Apples, #10
In The Strange Dream Department
I had this dream last night that seems to be nothing more than a really bad zombie movie. I was with a group of folks at some kind of lab/military base and it was full of zombies (who had the 'rage' virus) that I was trying to elude. I finally did manage to escape, along with some other folks from this place, but as we were leaving (in some kind of strange Range Rover thing), the outside of the lab/military base has dozens of robots that looked like the one from "Lost In Space" moving all about. Strangely enough, this wasn't a nightmare. Oh, and for the record, I watched the movie 28 Days Later (for the second time) about three weeks ago.
Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.
Today Is Friday
It's been a very long week that seems to have lasted about three weeks actually. How long? Well I'm wearing jeans today, which I normally don't do on Fridays (even though our office allows that on most Fridays). I did have a few "big" things to do this week, which probably contributed to how I feel at the moment. Le yawn.
Gov. Palin Video
There is a video out there on YouTube where Gov. Palin discusses the media and the treatment of her family during the election. I do agree with her about some of the comments made during the campaign being way the hell out of line. In fact I've said all along that children of political candidates should always be off limits. That was true when Rush Limbaugh compared Chelsea Clinton to a dog on his 3am TV show, true when the National Enquirer insisted on reporting about the Bush daugthers and true about Gov. Palin's oldest daugther. I will, however, add one caveat though: when you preach family values and insist that yours are better than others (her "real America" comments), then you open yourself up to others calling you out on the hypocrisy of your words vs your actions. Interstingly enough, I think the video in question is for some "secret conspiracy that got Obama elected" movie thing that will end up only being available via order from various right-wing conspiracy websites. That's a shame, because again I think she made some valid comments, which will end up being burried in some nonsense about Obama stealing an election.
In The Local Politics Deparment
I try to stay away from this kind of thing, but this one begs for comment. It was reported in various local newspapers that the Mayor of Scranton hired a young man who was the sun of a former mayor for a newly created city position. The job wasn't advertised, no other candidates were ever considered, and the individual in question had really no relevent experience for the job. What do I think? Well, I think it points to several of the reasons why many people hold politicians and public servants in general in low esteem. Now the reality is that this kind of thing happens everywhere; I've worked in the private sector now for almost 25 years and I've seen it myself. That doens't make it right, but at least in the private sector it's not public money being used to fund these escapades. In this particular case, there is no doubt that it was some kind of manuvering going on between the current and former mayor, manuvering in which it was public money being used as the lubricant. Look, with economic times being so tough, it's hard to justify hiring anyone in government, let alone someone who has as their chief qualification "son of former mayor".
Post Script - the young man in question resigned from the position after a story detailing elements of his background were published in the local newspaper. I guess the system worked...sort of.
In The Good News Department
My brother closed on his new (for him) house yesterday. This was the former house of my uncle, who passed away about two months ago. Best of luck to him.
In The Not So Good News Department
My mother was in the hospital yesterday, as she was suffering from extreme joint pain. The underlying culpit was a fall, coupled with getting-worse arthritis. My mother is 72, and worked very hard all her life, so it's not unexpected that she might have this kind of an aliment, but it's still sad to see. She is back home now and has some more effective pain medication to take, which I hope helps. It also reinforces for me the need to take care of myself, as you only get one body to use in this life.
I had this dream last night that seems to be nothing more than a really bad zombie movie. I was with a group of folks at some kind of lab/military base and it was full of zombies (who had the 'rage' virus) that I was trying to elude. I finally did manage to escape, along with some other folks from this place, but as we were leaving (in some kind of strange Range Rover thing), the outside of the lab/military base has dozens of robots that looked like the one from "Lost In Space" moving all about. Strangely enough, this wasn't a nightmare. Oh, and for the record, I watched the movie 28 Days Later (for the second time) about three weeks ago.
Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.
Today Is Friday
It's been a very long week that seems to have lasted about three weeks actually. How long? Well I'm wearing jeans today, which I normally don't do on Fridays (even though our office allows that on most Fridays). I did have a few "big" things to do this week, which probably contributed to how I feel at the moment. Le yawn.
Gov. Palin Video
There is a video out there on YouTube where Gov. Palin discusses the media and the treatment of her family during the election. I do agree with her about some of the comments made during the campaign being way the hell out of line. In fact I've said all along that children of political candidates should always be off limits. That was true when Rush Limbaugh compared Chelsea Clinton to a dog on his 3am TV show, true when the National Enquirer insisted on reporting about the Bush daugthers and true about Gov. Palin's oldest daugther. I will, however, add one caveat though: when you preach family values and insist that yours are better than others (her "real America" comments), then you open yourself up to others calling you out on the hypocrisy of your words vs your actions. Interstingly enough, I think the video in question is for some "secret conspiracy that got Obama elected" movie thing that will end up only being available via order from various right-wing conspiracy websites. That's a shame, because again I think she made some valid comments, which will end up being burried in some nonsense about Obama stealing an election.
In The Local Politics Deparment
I try to stay away from this kind of thing, but this one begs for comment. It was reported in various local newspapers that the Mayor of Scranton hired a young man who was the sun of a former mayor for a newly created city position. The job wasn't advertised, no other candidates were ever considered, and the individual in question had really no relevent experience for the job. What do I think? Well, I think it points to several of the reasons why many people hold politicians and public servants in general in low esteem. Now the reality is that this kind of thing happens everywhere; I've worked in the private sector now for almost 25 years and I've seen it myself. That doens't make it right, but at least in the private sector it's not public money being used to fund these escapades. In this particular case, there is no doubt that it was some kind of manuvering going on between the current and former mayor, manuvering in which it was public money being used as the lubricant. Look, with economic times being so tough, it's hard to justify hiring anyone in government, let alone someone who has as their chief qualification "son of former mayor".
Post Script - the young man in question resigned from the position after a story detailing elements of his background were published in the local newspaper. I guess the system worked...sort of.
In The Good News Department
My brother closed on his new (for him) house yesterday. This was the former house of my uncle, who passed away about two months ago. Best of luck to him.
In The Not So Good News Department
My mother was in the hospital yesterday, as she was suffering from extreme joint pain. The underlying culpit was a fall, coupled with getting-worse arthritis. My mother is 72, and worked very hard all her life, so it's not unexpected that she might have this kind of an aliment, but it's still sad to see. She is back home now and has some more effective pain medication to take, which I hope helps. It also reinforces for me the need to take care of myself, as you only get one body to use in this life.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Yesterday's Bell Curve
Typical "Bell Curve" kind of day yesterday.
It started out on a bad note, with the girls having a delay from school. That translates to me having to re-arrange my morning schedule to take them to school. While I 1000% support the need of the District to ensure that buses can drive safely on roads, etc., I'd rather see a closure, as the delay just creates havoc on parent schedules, or worse yet, creates real problems for some parents who don't have the kind of job where re-arranging a work schedule is even possible.
Things picked up a little bit at work mid-day, as it looks like some work I did for year-end reporting was good enough. That's probably something of a mild understatement, but I am just glad that it's over with to be honest.
Things turned sour though in the afternoon, as I was disappointed in not getting a certain assignment and, worse yet, got the impression that I may end up continuing to work on the technology project that basically ruined the greater part of 2008 for me. The jury is still out on that, but let's just say an opening was created yesterday that makes it possible, and this was after some assurances that I would in fact be taken off of it.
The evening? Well the slow burn of subtle-but-crappy news in the afternoon pushed all the right stress buttons and that in turn translated into "I'm not happy so I'm going to eat too much", and it also sapped any ambition I had for getting anything done in the evening. I ended up going to bed around 10pm, which is early for me. The only saving grace was that I did spend some time reading before I actually turned the light out to sleep (I got a used book on Monday...the unauthorized biography of Frank Sinatra by Kitty Kelley).
The night? Not a particularly restful one, but no less restful that normal I suppose.
So now I'm looking at today, knowing that some of yesterday's pressures (make that all of yesterday's pressures) will still be there, plus some new ones. Oh well. I just need to pick my head up and get going with things, which includes acknowledging that which I can not change and changing that which I can. Easier said than done, I know, but still never the less true.
I'm told you "choose your attitude" every day, which I do in fact believe. The problem though is that you sometimes have to make that choice based on less-than-positive evidence, relatively speaking. Yes, "relatively" speaking, because I know that I have far more good than bad in my life, but that still doesn't dull the disappointments you find throughout the day, be they crappy decisions at work, etc. There are times when I just want to scream out "can I just get a little break here?", even when I know I've gotten plenty of breaks already. Does that make any sense at all? Hell, I'm not even sure, and I wrote that.
It started out on a bad note, with the girls having a delay from school. That translates to me having to re-arrange my morning schedule to take them to school. While I 1000% support the need of the District to ensure that buses can drive safely on roads, etc., I'd rather see a closure, as the delay just creates havoc on parent schedules, or worse yet, creates real problems for some parents who don't have the kind of job where re-arranging a work schedule is even possible.
Things picked up a little bit at work mid-day, as it looks like some work I did for year-end reporting was good enough. That's probably something of a mild understatement, but I am just glad that it's over with to be honest.
Things turned sour though in the afternoon, as I was disappointed in not getting a certain assignment and, worse yet, got the impression that I may end up continuing to work on the technology project that basically ruined the greater part of 2008 for me. The jury is still out on that, but let's just say an opening was created yesterday that makes it possible, and this was after some assurances that I would in fact be taken off of it.
The evening? Well the slow burn of subtle-but-crappy news in the afternoon pushed all the right stress buttons and that in turn translated into "I'm not happy so I'm going to eat too much", and it also sapped any ambition I had for getting anything done in the evening. I ended up going to bed around 10pm, which is early for me. The only saving grace was that I did spend some time reading before I actually turned the light out to sleep (I got a used book on Monday...the unauthorized biography of Frank Sinatra by Kitty Kelley).
The night? Not a particularly restful one, but no less restful that normal I suppose.
So now I'm looking at today, knowing that some of yesterday's pressures (make that all of yesterday's pressures) will still be there, plus some new ones. Oh well. I just need to pick my head up and get going with things, which includes acknowledging that which I can not change and changing that which I can. Easier said than done, I know, but still never the less true.
I'm told you "choose your attitude" every day, which I do in fact believe. The problem though is that you sometimes have to make that choice based on less-than-positive evidence, relatively speaking. Yes, "relatively" speaking, because I know that I have far more good than bad in my life, but that still doesn't dull the disappointments you find throughout the day, be they crappy decisions at work, etc. There are times when I just want to scream out "can I just get a little break here?", even when I know I've gotten plenty of breaks already. Does that make any sense at all? Hell, I'm not even sure, and I wrote that.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Talking Heads: Psycho Killer
I am not a really big Talking Heads fan, but this is just an outstanding clip.
Check out Tina Weymouth playing the Fender Mustang bass...it's nearly as big as she is. As if that wasn't visually interesting enough, the bass is turned way the hell up in the mix for this song. I swear you hear it over Jerry Harrison's guitar.
By the way, the clip is from a British music show called "The Old Grey Whistle Test"...you can buy a DVD or two with these clips; in fact, the Scranton Public Library has the DVD with this clip, which is where I saw it for the first time.
Check out Tina Weymouth playing the Fender Mustang bass...it's nearly as big as she is. As if that wasn't visually interesting enough, the bass is turned way the hell up in the mix for this song. I swear you hear it over Jerry Harrison's guitar.
By the way, the clip is from a British music show called "The Old Grey Whistle Test"...you can buy a DVD or two with these clips; in fact, the Scranton Public Library has the DVD with this clip, which is where I saw it for the first time.
They Expect Me To Go To Work When It Snows
Can you believe it? The sheer, utter gall of "the man"!
Actually, to do something I try not to do here, I'm going to complain for a moment. I live with a teacher and I'm really tired of hearing how much easier I have it, because I'm not "on" all the time, or because I don't have to put up with nasty parents. Now I do have the utmost respect for teachers, and I would never claim that my job is easier than that of a teacher, but I will say this: it can be just as difficult, all be it in different ways.
...they actually expect me to go into work when the weather is really bad
...they actually expect me to work during the summer
...I don't have parents to put up with...I have the areas I support at work (I call them "customers")
...I'm not in front of a group of children teaching all day...instead I'm in front of adults, many of which act like children but have a more "creative" vocabulary
...I don't have a principal...I have a Director, his boss (a Vice-President), etc.
...My raise isn't guaranteed....I have to earn it every year, and there have been years when the company didn't give me one
Now do I earn a good living? Yes, I do. But I have absolutely no regrets about how much I earn, as I do work for penny of it, and then some. I'd like to think that I give a lot of myself at work, just like I suspect good teachers do.
Does any of this sound mean? I hope not, but it really does bother me that there is this not-so-subtle implication that I don't have to work as hard for my living as my spouse does. Now please don't mistake any of this for jealousy, as I have no desire to teach children myself, and again, I really, really do have the utmost respect for teachers. But I do ask that the same level of respect be given to me.
Ok, this is delving into areas that are probably too deep and too complex to spout off about on blogger.com, so I had better count me losses and call this one a day.
It's off to shovel snow (or whatever the hell it's doing out there).
POST SCRIPT -
Just got done shoveling out there and taking the garbage out (and changing the cat litter)...it's horrible. My car is literally encased in ice. It's going to be an interesting drive to work.
Actually, to do something I try not to do here, I'm going to complain for a moment. I live with a teacher and I'm really tired of hearing how much easier I have it, because I'm not "on" all the time, or because I don't have to put up with nasty parents. Now I do have the utmost respect for teachers, and I would never claim that my job is easier than that of a teacher, but I will say this: it can be just as difficult, all be it in different ways.
...they actually expect me to go into work when the weather is really bad
...they actually expect me to work during the summer
...I don't have parents to put up with...I have the areas I support at work (I call them "customers")
...I'm not in front of a group of children teaching all day...instead I'm in front of adults, many of which act like children but have a more "creative" vocabulary
...I don't have a principal...I have a Director, his boss (a Vice-President), etc.
...My raise isn't guaranteed....I have to earn it every year, and there have been years when the company didn't give me one
Now do I earn a good living? Yes, I do. But I have absolutely no regrets about how much I earn, as I do work for penny of it, and then some. I'd like to think that I give a lot of myself at work, just like I suspect good teachers do.
Does any of this sound mean? I hope not, but it really does bother me that there is this not-so-subtle implication that I don't have to work as hard for my living as my spouse does. Now please don't mistake any of this for jealousy, as I have no desire to teach children myself, and again, I really, really do have the utmost respect for teachers. But I do ask that the same level of respect be given to me.
Ok, this is delving into areas that are probably too deep and too complex to spout off about on blogger.com, so I had better count me losses and call this one a day.
It's off to shovel snow (or whatever the hell it's doing out there).
POST SCRIPT -
Just got done shoveling out there and taking the garbage out (and changing the cat litter)...it's horrible. My car is literally encased in ice. It's going to be an interesting drive to work.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Back...
Yes, today is my first day back to the normal pattern of work. Like a lot of folks, I have this "love-hate" relationship with work.
On one hand, I am paid very well, so I can't complain about that. Now the terms "well" is relative, as I am sure that there are others within the company (and outside of the company) that are paid more. Would I like to earn more? Sure, who wouldn't, but I am paid enough to cover my bills and put some aside, and while there are plenty of extras I would love, I have the essentials. What's more, I work in a generally good environment: my co-workers are professionals, I have access to cool things like a cafeteria (all the fried food you want) and a gym (very, very cool). I also get to do some traveling for work, which is both a plus and a minus. Lastly, and most importantly, what we do at work is important; when I worked for a department store, my hard work meant that someone walked away with a sweater and the owners made a profit...now, when I work hard and do a good job, somewhere down-stream maybe someone can live a decent life in retirement.
On the other hand, while the pay is good, like most of corporate America there are gross discrepancies in pay scales. For example, I earn a bonus every year, which is a good thing. The bad thing? General rule of thumb is that the bonus doubles for each level you climb. Now given what I earn in a bonus, my boss, for example, is earning a hell of a lot at double mine. What's more, my organization is incredibly political, which I think is almost to be expected given the money and egos involved. There are spots of insanity though...for example, I trained a VP last Wednesday and he was a really decent guy. We also currently have a company-wide problem with one of the senior leaders running amok like a Viking through 1200 England, and there doesn't seem to be any will on the part of the rest of the company's leaders to do anything about it.
Yes, there are problems, but one thing I have learned over the years is this: in business, it's all about cycles. The good times never last forever, but neither do the bad times either. What's more, bad leaders seem even more susceptible to gravity than others: as fast as they climb, they eventually reach a point where gravity catches up with them and they fall even faster.
On one hand, I am paid very well, so I can't complain about that. Now the terms "well" is relative, as I am sure that there are others within the company (and outside of the company) that are paid more. Would I like to earn more? Sure, who wouldn't, but I am paid enough to cover my bills and put some aside, and while there are plenty of extras I would love, I have the essentials. What's more, I work in a generally good environment: my co-workers are professionals, I have access to cool things like a cafeteria (all the fried food you want) and a gym (very, very cool). I also get to do some traveling for work, which is both a plus and a minus. Lastly, and most importantly, what we do at work is important; when I worked for a department store, my hard work meant that someone walked away with a sweater and the owners made a profit...now, when I work hard and do a good job, somewhere down-stream maybe someone can live a decent life in retirement.
On the other hand, while the pay is good, like most of corporate America there are gross discrepancies in pay scales. For example, I earn a bonus every year, which is a good thing. The bad thing? General rule of thumb is that the bonus doubles for each level you climb. Now given what I earn in a bonus, my boss, for example, is earning a hell of a lot at double mine. What's more, my organization is incredibly political, which I think is almost to be expected given the money and egos involved. There are spots of insanity though...for example, I trained a VP last Wednesday and he was a really decent guy. We also currently have a company-wide problem with one of the senior leaders running amok like a Viking through 1200 England, and there doesn't seem to be any will on the part of the rest of the company's leaders to do anything about it.
Yes, there are problems, but one thing I have learned over the years is this: in business, it's all about cycles. The good times never last forever, but neither do the bad times either. What's more, bad leaders seem even more susceptible to gravity than others: as fast as they climb, they eventually reach a point where gravity catches up with them and they fall even faster.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Road Apples, #9
Israel Invades Gaza
I'm thinking that the "Fallout Boy" crowd probably doesn't care all that much about geo-politics, let alone something as complicated as this. However, what happens there can easily impact us here. My thoughts? In a nutshell, I can't especially blame Israel for wanting to prevent the almost daily rocket attacks launched from Gaza, but on the same token, Israel's hands are not completely clean here either. You simply can't take some one else's land and then expect them to just walk away and say "ok". Like I said, complicated stuff indeed. The real interesting thing here is what isn't really talked about: it was the US that wanted free and fair elections in Gaza, and when we got that wish, what happened? The residents of Gaza elected Hamas. Goes to show you that sometimes when you get what you wish for, you aren't getting what you really need.
Holiday Vacation Is Almost Over
I actually did go into work last night to check voice and emails, and there really wasn't much there to be honest. I am somewhat looking forward to getting back into the swing on things next week. There is a lot I need to do, and I think it screws with my head to be off so much. In fact I really haven't been off that much really, but still, I'm at my worst when I have too much free time on my hands.
Old Pictures
I have a bag of old rolls of film and disposable cameras under my desk in a bag, and I've started to get them developed. The first three came back on Friday...one from a field trip my oldest daughter (now a third year college student) took in Jr High. The other two were from a trip we as a family took to NYC to see the musical Cats. I'll have to post a few here. It's amazing how much the girls have grown.
Speaking Of College
I have my oldest daughter's tuition payment to make (I still owe about $2700) and some of her books to buy. The tuition is manageable, but the books are astounding. You have to see this stuff to believe it, but she'd had to buy textbooks that cost over $100. That is quite the racket for someone. I understand that instructors have a right to teach from whatever texts they want, but for God's sake, this stuff is out of control.
In The "I Really Hate To Pay For That" Department
My windshield is cracked. Lucky me. It happened about two weeks ago, and the crack has grown faster than the unemployment rate. I need to check the auto policy to see if I have glass coverage. Hopefully I do...probably I don't. Despite my actually having an insurance license, I don't have that much insurance...really just enough to cover the legal requirement. Assuming that my windshield will not be falling out any time soon, I'll need to get that replaced as soon as I know how much Kate's books are going to cost.
In The "Good News" Department
Korin's phone stopped charging, so I took it and the charger up to the AT&T store at the Shoppes. Luckily it was just the charger, and according to the AT&T rep, the replacement was covered under warranty. That's good news, but it's tempered by the fact that I'm paying nearly $300 a month in cellphone bills, so I should get some good coverage.
What's Really Important
The single biggest driver for me as a parent of three daughters is to do things that allow them to grow up to be independent young women. The thought of them being out of college and being dependent on anyone...be it a boyfriend, spouse or parent...is nauseating. Maybe I take this too far, but true independence, and the ability to do/go/be whatever they choose (and have the means to do it) is the most important thing a parent can do in my opinion. They may not always realize this, but I'd like to think of myself as always being more of a "long-term" kind of guy.
I'm thinking that the "Fallout Boy" crowd probably doesn't care all that much about geo-politics, let alone something as complicated as this. However, what happens there can easily impact us here. My thoughts? In a nutshell, I can't especially blame Israel for wanting to prevent the almost daily rocket attacks launched from Gaza, but on the same token, Israel's hands are not completely clean here either. You simply can't take some one else's land and then expect them to just walk away and say "ok". Like I said, complicated stuff indeed. The real interesting thing here is what isn't really talked about: it was the US that wanted free and fair elections in Gaza, and when we got that wish, what happened? The residents of Gaza elected Hamas. Goes to show you that sometimes when you get what you wish for, you aren't getting what you really need.
Holiday Vacation Is Almost Over
I actually did go into work last night to check voice and emails, and there really wasn't much there to be honest. I am somewhat looking forward to getting back into the swing on things next week. There is a lot I need to do, and I think it screws with my head to be off so much. In fact I really haven't been off that much really, but still, I'm at my worst when I have too much free time on my hands.
Old Pictures
I have a bag of old rolls of film and disposable cameras under my desk in a bag, and I've started to get them developed. The first three came back on Friday...one from a field trip my oldest daughter (now a third year college student) took in Jr High. The other two were from a trip we as a family took to NYC to see the musical Cats. I'll have to post a few here. It's amazing how much the girls have grown.
Speaking Of College
I have my oldest daughter's tuition payment to make (I still owe about $2700) and some of her books to buy. The tuition is manageable, but the books are astounding. You have to see this stuff to believe it, but she'd had to buy textbooks that cost over $100. That is quite the racket for someone. I understand that instructors have a right to teach from whatever texts they want, but for God's sake, this stuff is out of control.
In The "I Really Hate To Pay For That" Department
My windshield is cracked. Lucky me. It happened about two weeks ago, and the crack has grown faster than the unemployment rate. I need to check the auto policy to see if I have glass coverage. Hopefully I do...probably I don't. Despite my actually having an insurance license, I don't have that much insurance...really just enough to cover the legal requirement. Assuming that my windshield will not be falling out any time soon, I'll need to get that replaced as soon as I know how much Kate's books are going to cost.
In The "Good News" Department
Korin's phone stopped charging, so I took it and the charger up to the AT&T store at the Shoppes. Luckily it was just the charger, and according to the AT&T rep, the replacement was covered under warranty. That's good news, but it's tempered by the fact that I'm paying nearly $300 a month in cellphone bills, so I should get some good coverage.
What's Really Important
The single biggest driver for me as a parent of three daughters is to do things that allow them to grow up to be independent young women. The thought of them being out of college and being dependent on anyone...be it a boyfriend, spouse or parent...is nauseating. Maybe I take this too far, but true independence, and the ability to do/go/be whatever they choose (and have the means to do it) is the most important thing a parent can do in my opinion. They may not always realize this, but I'd like to think of myself as always being more of a "long-term" kind of guy.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Idle Set Too High
(Note that my Duster was, I kid you not, Pea Green)Back in the 70', when I learned how to drive & had my first car (a 1974 Plymouth Duster), cars had carburetors that did some technical things to make the car work (not worth getting into...but suffice to say that modern cars have, instead, fuel injection). Anyway, these carburetors would be adjusted to make your engine run faster or slower at idle; if you had a quasi-crappy car, you often had the idle set high so that it wouldn't stall out on you.
So nice discussion about the cutting-edge of 70's fuel management, but what the hell does that have to do with anything?
Yesterday was just one of those days where I felt like my idle was set too high...it was as if things were just racing inside me. Part of it, I think, is the fact that it was a day off, but I just kept going and going and going and going, and every time I turned around someone or something needed attention. The other part is that Kate will be starting school soon, and along with that there are just a host of financial things to work out; she doesn't really get much in the way of financial aid, so more than half her costs are born my me. I'm not complaining about that, but it is very stressful, as it is a lot of money. That's one of the reasons why I financed the dental implant...I need my liquid money for Kate's college expenses. So again, it was as if my motor was revving far too fast for the rest of me. I had all the symptoms: displaced anger, edginess, restlessness, etc. The closest example I can give to something similar is when there is really something difficult going down at the office and I end up going into this "auto pilot" mode, where it's almost soldier-like.
Hmmm, I'm wondering if this makes absolutely any sense to the "outside world"?
Well what do to about such things? First, I'm not a "pill popping" kind of person, so that's out of the question, although I do have something I can take if needed. This was something my Doctor and I worked out for those instances where I find myself under so much stress at work that my heart starts pounding. The downside is that they tend to make me tired. What I did do was to take a short cat nap, which did seem to help. The other things about yesterday was that I really didn't accomplish what I set out to for the day, which made the feeling I had even worse. Today it will be different in that I've got two big things to do (take down the tree...sorry "Little Christmas") and clean out the refrigerator. It's amazing if you think about it in that one of my biggest frustrations at work is my inability to keep to my schedule...which is pretty much what yesterday was all about.
The cheap and easy thing to do here is to:
1. Blame others
2. Take a pill
I'm going to do things differently. I have my plan and I'm going to exercise my right to say "No" if there are requests to deviate from it. Hell, if someone wants help me that's fine, but my plan is my plan is my plan.
In the good news department, I FINALLY found a copy of Linda Ronstadt's "I Can't Let Go". It's one of those songs that just sticks in your head, and I've been searching for it for the longest time. Score!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Up Since 5:15am
(The picture is from work...our Halloween Decorating contest to be specific)Now I'm not working today, but that didn't stop the biological clock from getting me up at work time. Not that I'm complaining too much, as I've already gotten a few things done this morning, and it's not quite 9am yet. I actually did sleep very soundly last night, without even the benefit of any kind of augmentation. I don't normally take something to help me sleep, but once in a while when I feel like I want that "comatose" kind of sleep I will; for whatever reason that wasn't required last night.
In the dreams department, I had this strange one that involved the person to whom my boss reports, Sandy; it seems that she was now the manager of the local Big Lots (cheap-assed) store, and I was there to help her in some way. Strange days in deed, most peculiar momma.
As noted above, today is a day off...the first of 12 I need to take by March 31st. Why? Because where I work (big financial services company that rhymes with "udential") you can only carry-over unused vacation time to March 31st of the following year. Because of this massively complex project I was working on this past year, I had something like 11 vacation days that I scheduled that I could not use; ultimately this resulted in my carrying so many days over. The good news is that I've already got the time off scheduled through March, so nothing will be lost.
Anyway, as I mentioned above, I already have gotten a few things done today, including paying all the due bills. This month marked my first bill for the dental implant. Since the dental insurance, in it's infinite wisdom, decided not to cover the implant, I had to finance the work. The interest rate I got was pretty good, so over the next five years I will be paying for the screw and tooth. I don't mind, as the implant should last forever.
Today I've got some running around to do in the morning, and then I think I'll be cleaning the refrigerator out this afternoon. It's a dirty job, but the best time to do it is in the winter, as I can just move things outside as I wipe down the shelves, etc. It's also an excuse to throw out things like yogurt that expired six months ago. Amazing in that I live with more than a few others but yet I'm the one who ends up doing this kind of thing. Just a personal quirk I guess in that there's only so much filth and disorder I can stand; the others in this household, as I've learned over the years, have a much higher threshold for this sort of thing than I do.
Well I have to get a few things filed and then it's off to the bank.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
...Another Year Over, And A New One Just Begun...
First, Happy New Year to one and all.
Second, for the record I could have posted something yesterday, but then again I thought it would be pretty pathetic to be writing a blog on New Years Eve. What would that imply? Well the truth is that I was pretty much on my own between when my oldest daughter went to her grandmothers (my wife went to bed) and when I had to pick up my middle daughter around 12:30am. So I guess that if the implication is that I have "no life" then that's basically correct. Note, however, that I'm happy and proud of my sometimes "no life" existence. A tad bit nerdy there, I know.
Third, as for the new year itself, I do have a number of "resolutions" if you will, although I like to think of them as being more plans than anything else. Here are a few hi-lites:
Personal
- Try to be a better father
- I want to file my taxes by the beginning of February, so that I can get the FAFSA filed for my daughter by the end of the month
- I want to start counting my calories again. It's the only way I can effectively lose weight
- I want to get back into a routine where I get a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 4 days a week, and supplement the other days with long walks
- I want to make a few upgrades to my office at the house, including a flat screen TV and better storage for DVDs & CDs (maybe also a Sony PS3)
- I have a few other project around the house (re-wiring the basement, for example)
Professional
- Set some meaningful personal development goals, including possibly some industry recognized designations
- Actually plan and use most of my vacation time this year (for 2008 I rolled over 12 days that need to be taken by March 31st)
- Be more aggressive with my schedule...if I'm not free, then I'm not free, and I have to stop playing the game of constantly re-arranging things
Mind you what I wrote above is the simplified version; the complete one is a bit longer, with more guts inside of it.
Well, I have to go get gas so that I can pick various sundry children up.
Here's to 2009!
Second, for the record I could have posted something yesterday, but then again I thought it would be pretty pathetic to be writing a blog on New Years Eve. What would that imply? Well the truth is that I was pretty much on my own between when my oldest daughter went to her grandmothers (my wife went to bed) and when I had to pick up my middle daughter around 12:30am. So I guess that if the implication is that I have "no life" then that's basically correct. Note, however, that I'm happy and proud of my sometimes "no life" existence. A tad bit nerdy there, I know.
Third, as for the new year itself, I do have a number of "resolutions" if you will, although I like to think of them as being more plans than anything else. Here are a few hi-lites:
Personal
- Try to be a better father
- I want to file my taxes by the beginning of February, so that I can get the FAFSA filed for my daughter by the end of the month
- I want to start counting my calories again. It's the only way I can effectively lose weight
- I want to get back into a routine where I get a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 4 days a week, and supplement the other days with long walks
- I want to make a few upgrades to my office at the house, including a flat screen TV and better storage for DVDs & CDs (maybe also a Sony PS3)
- I have a few other project around the house (re-wiring the basement, for example)
Professional
- Set some meaningful personal development goals, including possibly some industry recognized designations
- Actually plan and use most of my vacation time this year (for 2008 I rolled over 12 days that need to be taken by March 31st)
- Be more aggressive with my schedule...if I'm not free, then I'm not free, and I have to stop playing the game of constantly re-arranging things
Mind you what I wrote above is the simplified version; the complete one is a bit longer, with more guts inside of it.
Well, I have to go get gas so that I can pick various sundry children up.
Here's to 2009!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)