The Buzz on ‘A Day In My Life
Friday, January 20th, 2012 |
We had been wanting to purchase an ATV for some time now, but with finances the way they are, it seemed like it was gong to have to wait quite a long time. In having a conversation with a work associate, Mike found out that this man was looking to get rid of a 1996 Yamaha Badger, that was not running, for a mere $100. My husband, always u
p for a challenge decided to buy it.
Initially, on trying to start it, it would not start as he was told. Now the task of disassembling the whole quad to get the root of the problem. Mike’s thought was that it was a compression problem and by the end of day two was starting to think that the previous owners diagnosis of an electrical problem was the answer. It turns out the researching on YouTube.com turned out to be a big help. Determined to take a better look at the carburetor Mike finally found the issue on the third day. A small screw had broken off and was holding the flap open in the intake valve. The smile on his face as he said “look at what I found!!!” was from ear to ear. He spent a couple more hours cleaning things up and then reassembled the quad. We held our breath, he hit the starter button…..it started and off he went for his first ride on our new quad.
A few cosmetic things still needed to be fixed, he needed to improvise to replace a few parts that would have otherwise cost us over $120. It’s a good thing he had the tools needed to do the job, although he c
ould have used a tubing bender. I have since, painted our Badger camouflage color and we’re looking forward to the complete reassembly.
It turns out the best part of actually getting a quad was the fact that we did it cheaply and that with patience, ingenuity and a little bit of luck we were able to fix it up and now have it to enjoy. The satisfaction in doing something yourself is wonderful.
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Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 |
A little over a year ago, I purchased a Western Digital 1 TB External Hard Drive. In the past year I had safely, or so I thought, saved backup from both my laptop and desktop and all of my financial backups and important files.
Most critical to me saved on the 1TB or “my little black box,” were the photos and videos that I had saved. Crazy as it might seem, I had close to 20,000 pictures. Yes, you read that right! In other words, my camera has become an extension of me that I don’t do without. And, the fact is that despite my children’s pleas to stop taking pictures, they are the first to want to look at them.
In addition to my obsession, I have also been scanning photos from all my photo albums and all the loose pictures that my parents have given me dating back years and years.
Thus, almost 20,000 pictures!
As if the task of scanning pics isn’t enough, I have also been converting all of the VHS tapes to MP3’s with the converter my son surprised me with for my birthday. These videos include all videos of my two sons since birth and every special event since then. 27 years worth! On top of that, I’ve converted all of our favorite movies that I had previously taped on VHS.
Most recently, I had spent two weeks compiling photos and editing videos of my dear grandmother. I created a slide-show in memory of Grandma Wanda to be played at a picnic in the cemetery during a family gathering for her 104th birthday.
All this saved to the 1TB. ALL this…..was suddenly inaccessible.
Now, I am pretty well versed in the quirks of a computer. I have had a fair share of viruses and odd happenings that would make you swear that they have a mind of their own. I have created websites and blogs from scratch and ran into more problems than I can remember. I have resolved every issue through trial and error, research and tears….until now!
For almost a week, I tried every possible solution to retrieving the information off my TB. I must have read every issue on the Western Digital drives, read numerous forums and requested assistance. I was getting desperate because I needed grandma’s slide-show done within 10 days. And then…..I found Steve.
Through my searching an ad popped up and totally desperate, at this point I clicked on it.
The ad took me to Free Data Recovery site. Steve, who has over 20 years of computer industry experience performing both Microsoft Windows and Linux systems administration, was offering a unique service. What he does is to remotely recover data on your damaged hard drive by connecting to your computer using the Internet. Since it is a remote service, he can attempt recovery on any computer no matter where it may be located in the world. And…….it’s a free service. Steve does however accept donations!
Was I skeptical, yes! Yet, I was more desperate than skeptical!
I contacted Steve and his response was immediate and he initiated the process of remotely recovering my data. Of course, my family and friends cautioned me and questioned me as to whether Steve and his system could be trusted. However, something about his communication and speaking to him on the phone was reassuring to me.
We proceeded.
Steve patiently walked me through the set up and although I was having difficulty at my end which was solely my fault, we continued. Once the process was set up it was just a matter of waiting. Day and night my computer was running, hooked up to the 1TB and Steve would constantly give me updates of the progress. I have to say, the feeling of knowing that all of my personal data was being extracted was very unsettling and I had a tough time relaxing. It took a full week to recover my data and all along Steve gave me constant updates and information about the files recovered, the data loss and the progress he was making.
According to Steve, the combination of numerous bad sectors, a large 1TB drive, and operating at USB speeds slowed the recovery process quite a bit. After a week of holding my breath, I was amazed and thrilled at the results. Steve had actually recovered ALL of my data.
It is incredible to me that Steve ingeniously can perform these remote data recovery operations and I don’t think I could ever amply express my gratitude. My donation unfortunately could never be enough.
I urge everyone, who has an issue recovering data to go to Free Data Recovery, contact Steve and sit back and relax. You’ll be so glad you did!
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Monday, March 28th, 2011 |
My husband, Mike who once totally rejected technology is slowing giving in against his determination to remain technologically challenged. He had sworn off computers for life yet, has now become adept at using one. He still currently shows no interest in email, perhaps because it takes him so long to type. If fact, he was pleasantly pleased when I told him there was a name for what he does; “hunt and peck.” None-the-less, he has learned to research through search engines, which generally entails typing in just a few words and then he proceeds to click on link after link.
His biggest kick, however, is going to Nascar.com and watching ALL the videos. Since, we’ve relocated; we have basically rebelled against giving in to the addiction of television. We don’t have one! Mike does, however miss the races. I have, on occasion found a race through live streaming, but since one of them infected my computer, I refuse to do that anymore and he will have to rely on videos to appease his fascination with Nascar.
The other thing that Mike had always refused was GPS, insisting that he likes to use map books. Personally, I think it was part of his rebellion against technology. Something, he hadn’t considered, up until now was that maps are sometimes outdated.
As an AC and appliance technician who goes to multiple residences a day, it had become somewhat difficult for him to locate many of the job addresses. In fact, there were times that he would call me to Mapquest the location for him. Finally, it was time to do something drastic. I surprised him with a GPS Nuvi. I have to tell you the look of relief on his face was priceless. So, now he has gotten totally dependant on his GPS.
His biggest challenge to date remains to be how to use his cell phone. He does know how to make calls, by going through his contact list, but still hasn’t grasped the concept of texting or utilizing any other functions. Given time he’ll learn it all. In the meantime, I’m amused every time he masters a new technological endeavor that most of us now take for granted..
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Tuesday, March 8th, 2011 |
Moving up to northern Florida has been a wonderful thing. I do know that some of our family thinks we’re a bit “off the wall,” but in a sense, we wanted to be somewhat “off the grid.” We’re in an area that is pretty secluded, very quiet and peaceful.
The people here are different from the people in South Florida. We’re in “redneck country” and we stick out like a “sore thumb” especially when we speak. On Mike’s job, they call him the “Yankee,” which as of yet we can’t really figure out if they mean it in a derogatory way or not. We think they do. I guess it’ll take some time to fit in. Maybe we just need to go out and buy hats and Cowboy boots, slow down our pace and speak with a drawl. Whatever, the case my be, we this is home!
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Saturday, January 22nd, 2011 |
When we moved up to Hastings from a 4 bedroom house one of the dilemmas that we faced was that we had too much “stuff.” A lot of it we were willing to part with, but the game room including a pool table, pinball machine, and bar we were not willing to give up. A wonderful source of entertainment for us was this room. The challenge was where to put these things in our new home.
Our solution, after much research, was to buy a portable classroom that we could 
convert to a game room. I actually found one on the west coast of Florida for a mere $2,000. Of course, after shipping and permitting the total cost was closer to $5,000. The building itself is a doublewide, 24’ x 36’, includes a bathroom and was well worth the price.
Now the fun part…..
We wanted the building to serve as a storage area, guest room and game room. After some planning, I began construction. The first thing I tackled was ripping up the carpet that someone had cleverly attached to the floor with adhesive. This turned out to be a miserable, time consuming, back breaking job because not only did the carpet have to be lifted, but the floors had to be sanded to get the adhesive off.
The next thing I did was to construct the walls where the storage area and guest room were to be. I had never built a wall before, but I researched on the internet and took it from there. I’m a firm believer that if you want to do something you can
and that, for the most part, if you are unable it’s because you didn’t give yourself the confidence that you could. So, I build my walls. I then built shelves in the storage area, painted and finished the guestroom; including laying the floor and that section was done.
Finally, I started the game room which was what I was most excited about. I had so many ideas that I couldn’t wait to make materialize. I wanted a wall of bottle caps, painted light fixtures, stained floors, half paneled walls, mirrors across the top edge of the room and so much more. Of course, all of this might seem like it would cost a pretty penny, but I do all the work myself and anything I do is as cost efficient as possible. 
At this point, most of what I had envisioned has materialized and I am pleased with the results. The room is still a work in progress with areas that still need finishing. The room however is functional. I still need to build a bar and add accessories. Things I’m considering are popcorn machines, a Ms. Pacman machine and I would love a juke box. All in due time!
And, since I like to be busy, when the game room is done, I’ll have to find another project to do!
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Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 |
Being someone who likes to create something different rather than just to redecorate, I’ve found that one of my newest favorite things is glass tiles. These one inch square tiles leave open all kinds of possibilities.
In redecorating, or should I say, gutting and redoing one of the bathrooms in our new home, I used these tiles to create, what I think, is a unique look. Each section of the bathroom is a different color tile and the floor itself ties all the colors in.
I created the floor by separating the one inch tiles from t
he sheet and by laying them out in a haphazard fashion. I re-glued the backing on the tiles and laid them on the floor. If that weren’t tedious enough, I also spelled out mine and my husband’s names with different color tiles. Of course, it’s a challenge for anyone to find our names, which is half the fun for me.
My next major project for which I’ll need tile is the bar I’m going to build. Using glass tiles opens up a world of possibilities. These tiles come in such vibrant colors and the finish on them compares to nothing I’ve seen. Now, all I have to do is start thinking patterns and colors; a very exciting project for me!
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Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 |
Each year for the holiday season, I include in holiday cards, a collage of pictures from the year. The pictures are those I’ve taken which include all the special people we spent time with and all the incredible moments we shared. It is a wonderful reminder of each year and I frame them to look back on the memories of the past. It’s gotten to the point that now these collages are expected by my family and friends who take joy also in reminiscing.
Recently, I came across some unique family tree picture frames which got me thinking. I have always had a special interest in genealogy. In fact, when I had some free time, I had begun to research my father’s side of the family. I was able to find the documents from his immigration to the United States through Ellis Island as well as the ship he traveled on. I began to research his family in Sicily and Naples, but found less and less time to spend investigating. I would love to again, get involved in genealogy when I can find the time.
Never-the-less, I’m thinking that next year, I just might send a family tree to my loved ones. Something different……something unique…….something heartfelt.
I like it!
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Friday, November 5th, 2010 |
We like to have fun. We believe in living our lives. Over the years, we’ve bought our Harley, a Ninja and two dirt bikes. Each has its own advantage; each gives us a different kind of enjoyment. Where we live now, we have 20,000 acres in which we can ride the dirt bikes and everyone that comes to visit loves to ride. Unfortunately, only two people can ride at a time. Before the economy took a dive, our intentions were to buy an ATV. Our thinking was that with an ATV in which two people could ride, at least four of us could ride together. We also thought we could purchase ATV Accessories for use around our property. I had searched on the internet and found scam after scam and made the ultimate decision to purchase through a dealer. We were waiting to get settled, for our bills to stabilize, for our previous home to sell. As it turns out, we’re settled, but due to Mike’s recent unemployment our bills are mounting. The ATV will have to wait. Our life is on hold……but we’re still smiling because we have each other.
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Saturday, September 11th, 2010 |
With our recent relocation, I’ve had to make some major adjustments. Living, “off the beaten path” is quite a difference than living within walking distance from every known convenience. Our home is located in Flagler Estates. There are three ways to get to this area and each one is no less than ten miles from any major road. Even when you reach a major road it is still anywhere from five to fifteen miles to any place that would be considered commercial such as gas stations, shopping and restaurants.
Back in the day it wouldn’t have been too bad to fill up my tank for $5 and be on my way. It’s not the distance that’s the problem because the view is beautiful. It’s the cost of leaving our home. The major adjustment I’ve made is that instead of running out almost every day to pick up items that we’ve run out of or require, I now venture out only once, maybe twice a week. Shopping for food and doing required errands now takes about 4 hours and puts approximately 40 miles on our truck.
On one particular trip, I also had an added adventure; one that I could have done without. To reach the area where I do most of my shopping I have to go over a half mile bridge. It is over the St. John’s River and the views are spectacular. This day, however, I didn’t see much of the view on the way back. Just as I approached the half way mark I heard an odd sound and then almost instantly my driver’s side front tire went flat. I could tell I was riding on the rim, but on the bridge I had no where to pull over so continued to the other side of the bridge doing my best holding tightly to the steering wheel as the truck attempted to pull to one side.
On the other side of the bridge it was another quarter of a mile before there was a place to pull over. This was one time that I was extremely thankful that I have a roadside assistance plan. As I waited for 45 minutes, low on gas, with frozen groceries in the back I learned an important lesson. From that point on I would bring a cooler with ice when I go grocery shopping. Another adjustment that I’ve made since living in the “boonies.”
The auto service company finally came, changed my tire and we both commented on the size of the hole that something made through the tire. It was about an inch round and would wind up costing us over $300 in replacement of that tire. Spare tire on, I was on my way.
Upon arriving home, I gave some thought to that day’s events.
I looked around at our home and the woods.I listened to the serenity and felt the heat of the sun on my cheeks and came to the realization that any adjustment is well worth it. This is our incredible home.
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Thursday, September 9th, 2010 |
Recently, our original plan came up in conversation. Amongst friends we were explaining “the plan” Mike and I had made for the future. Both of us had grown tired of the day to day routines in life. More than that we grew very tired of the congestion, the traffic and yes the people that had been inundating South Florida. We both felt we needed a major change.
Understanding the craziness of the real estate market three or four years ago, in eighteen years our home had gone from $175,000 to a whopping $500,000, which is still inconceivable. None-the-less, if that was what we could sell it for, we had a plan.
The plan was to buy an RV and travel the United States, from coast to coast and of course, go to as many Nascar races as we could tolerate.
In conjunction with the RV we intended to buy something small and secluded. We thought it would be best to have some sort of home base. Somewhere we could settle for a bit and work when we ran out of money.
Well, as they say, “the best laid plans…..” When the real estate market started to give out we thought it might be best to buy a property using our home for equity. We took out a credit line and bought our home in Hastings, FL. As it turns out, it was probably the best thing we ever did.
Like so many people, we had been trying to sell our house as a short-sale for months. Finally, we are in contract. Now what does that mean?! It means that it could take a month to over a year for the 1st mortgage company, Wachovia and Bank of America, who holds the credit line, to either accept or decline the offer. In case you’re wondering, the once, not so long ago, $500,000 house is now in contract for $215,000. It’s amazing that we got this much. Our first offers were for $140,000 and $120,000, so in retrospect it’s a good thing we held out.
In the meantime, “our plan” is on the back burner until we either hit the lottery or find a hidden treasure. Of course, we could look into RV loans, but looking is all we’ll be able to do. Struggling to pay bills seems to become a part of every day life for people. Worrying about what tomorrow will bring lays heavy in the minds of those we speak to.
We are lucky that we have kept our “heads above water,” treading as we approach each new venture. Hoping for the best and believing, like most, that “something’s gotta give.”
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Thursday, August 19th, 2010 |
I guess as could be expected, moving from a large home to a smaller one, it’s difficult finding space for our “stuff.” I really had thought I eliminated a lot and the garage sale we held this past weekend was a big help in doing just that. Actually, rather than put the leftover items back in the house, we brought them to Goodwill…..they take anything! Regardless, I have organized about all that I can and there are things there just isn’t any room for. We don’t have a garage at our new home and I didn’t realize how much we would miss it. Apparently, it had become a wonderful storage facility. Actually, we do have a wood shed on our property, but two dirt bikes, a Harley and our Ninja take up most of the space. Friends of ours had put up a steel building and it just might be the next thing we’ll have to buy. In the meantime, we’ll keep trying to eliminate “stuff.” The biggest problem with this is that I’m a creative person and I find a use for everything…eventually. Perhaps, if I close my eyes and take things out to the trash we’ll manage to have room for everything.
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Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 |
It’s been funny for me dealing with Mike lately. He’s a service tech and just got a new job. This new job requires the use of a laptop which provides him with all the information about the job. It also requires him to enter all pertinent information. Of course, for most people this wouldn’t be an issue, but up until now Mike had decided he was going to go through life without the use of a computer. Now imagine this man, who has never as much as turned a computer on, having to use it as a tool for his job. When I watch him “hunt and peck” and refer to the term, he was surprised that there was actually a term for what he was doing.
Amazingly, this very patient man has not gotten frustrated yet and will sit and practice over and over again, the typing program, I found for him online. On top of that, when I taught him how to search for information, he initially spent two hours going from web site to website and researching what interested him. The good thing for me is that now he actually understands how time consuming the computer can be and how invaluable it is for record keeping, data and research.
Do I dare introduce him to the iPod, http://www.apple.com/iphone/ or the addicting Xbox 360? I think not!
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Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 |
What a change, living in Hastings! Coming from a home that was on a zero lot 
line, where there are cars lined up and down the street, where there’s a constant hum of vehicles in the background the difference is incredible. In the early morning you hear the birds and the sun shines through the trees enabling you to see the intricate makings of a spider web. There is the occasion sound of a rooster in the background which is never drowned out by the traffic of people on their way to work.
In the evenings, sitting in the blackness of night on our swing or patio chairs on our deck we look up through the trees and witness more stars than we ever seen before. We wish on shooting stars and listen to the crickets and frogs and the owls that have a multitude of sounds.
Never have we enjoyed such peace. This is what life should be about.
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Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 |
Well, finally moved in to our home in the country, which is the reason I’ve been so remiss in writing. They do say moving is one of the most stressful things that you experience in your life and I agree with first hand experience.
The move itself was relatively smooth as we moved over an expanded period of time in several trips. It was the unpacking and finding room in a home that is half the size that we came from. I happen to be a relatively organized person, though, so with the help of bins and drawers and shelves, I’ve made our house a home.
With our belongings put away now it’s time, on a limited budget to address the decorating expenses. Lights, fans, window coverings and wall decorations are now on my to do list.
Being that our intention is to live here forever, I guess I have a lifetime to take care of those things. And so, now I’ll take a few minutes to relax and listen to the chirps of the birds and breathe some country air.
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 |
It’s funny that some of our possessions are just that “possessions” and that some things that we possess have an unexpected connection that makes it difficult to part with. I have been packing up our house now for about 3 months. 
Since we already have a home we are going to and this one has yet to sell, there is no rush to be in one or out of the other. The timing of our move is actually pending on two things; when either Mike obtains a job where we are moving to or when this house sells.
I had actually, when this process began, thought that it would be a somewhat easy process: packing here, unpacking there and then packing here and unpacking there, again and again. It did begin somewhat easy as there were definitely things hidden away (and not) that I haven’t used in years, but knew I wouldn’t part with. Those things went first. Of course, there was the hesitation to pack anything of value as it would be left unattended two weeks at a time. At this point, because it is a 4 hour car ride each way, we go up every other weekend. I also have spent most nights falling asleep; figuring out in my head, where to put things that I wouldn’t have to move again to make room for other things that I bring up at a later time.
The next grouping of our “stuff” to go was the things more commonly used, but that I could do without for a period of time. Any duplicate items, some pieces of furniture, photo albums and office supplies fell into this category.
As I was categorizing, I was also separating things to give to various people. During this process, I also divvied out furniture that we are no longer in need of. Parting with all of these items had no affect on me what-so-ever. In fact, I was glad to see them go.
Until……I gave up our bar.
Mind you, we have three, but this one Mike and I had bought around eight years ago. It lived in our game room, which used to be a useless living room and dining room. I can not even begin to count on how many occasions we used the bar. So many parties, so many nights spent sitting at the bar enjoying the company of anyone that joined us or just the two of us. As I watched the bar leaving, it actually brought tears to my eyes. I find it odd for me, not that I am not an emotional person, but I am in fact not a materialistic person.
A huge concern of mine, in this case was the consideration of who was taking possession of our bar. I gave it to my sister who promised to take good care of it and assured me that she would enjoy it as we had. This brought some relief.
As I continue to pack, both Mike and I feel like we are neither here nor there. 
While this house is emptying out, our destination is becoming a home, yet we are only there every other weekend. When we are there, we can’t wait to be settled for good. For the past three years we have anxiously been looking forward to beginning a new life in the country. We have grown tired of this town and the congestion and the bills. We’ve come to a place in our lives where we want to breathe fresh air, enjoy a little peace and become closer to nature.
Yet, after 18 years in this house, I wonder when we shut the door behind us for the final time, will the house have been a possession or will it be something that we’ve possessed that will be difficult to part with. Time will tell.
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Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 |
Despite that fact that there are a zillion products on the market for any given thing, I find it virtually impossible to know which ones to trust and what really works. I have to say that in keeping with my rejuvenating regimen, the Oil of Olay Pro-X Anti-Aging starter kit that my kids bought me is already making somewhat of a difference. Of course, one can imagine anything they like, but my son, Scott actually told me that my skin looks better, so maybe my imagination is not overactive.
As far as reducing acne, a product that really works is still a mystery. I have found products for facial acne, back acne treatment, acne scar treatments and www.natural-homeremedies.com/homeremedies_acne.htm.
Wouldn’t it be nice if soap and water were our solution to everything! Ah, I’m dreaming!
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Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 |
Is it still considered job hunting if you’re just searching online for a job? I almost feel that if you’re not knocking on doors and making calls then it’s only half-hearted. Actually, if anyone has read my previous post “Contemplative,” I am very ambivalent about getting a “Real” job. We’re in the process of moving. I need to pack. And, because of my last ridiculously insane boss I had, I’m in no rush to work for someone else again any time soon.
Everyday, however, I tediously go through all the ads on Craigslist and any and all work at home sites I have found. I’m looking for any kind of work really, as long as it can be done from home. Being in-particular, of course makes the time I spend surfing the web very time consuming. I look at every ad for data entry work, jobs in administration, clerical, research and anything else that catches my eye that doesn’t look like a scam. What I am finding quite frequently is the requirement of submitting a credit score. I skip over those because I have yet to figure out what that has to do with my qualifications. I am assuming it actually has nothing to do with my skills and think it is more than likely that the companies hiring are in cahoots with the companies that handle our credit scores.
Another qualification that I come across all too often is the requirement to use specific fax/phone/email software. I currently use and am happy with MyFax and have no intention of changing. I skip over those ads as well.
All in all, at the end of a lengthy search, I find that most times I did not find one viable possibility for a job and more often than not, I end my search not only unsuccessfully, but frustrated as well. The sad part is that tomorrow and the next day and the next day, I will do the same thing. I believe in perseverance and I don’t like to quit. Although…there’s always a first time! 
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Thursday, April 8th, 2010 |
This weekend was a big picture weekend for me and my family. We were celebrating my son’s graduation as a Specialist in Psychology, as well as Easter, Greek Easter and my brother and sister-in-laws anniversary.
If I tell you that a picture was being taken every few minutes that is by far, not an exaggeration. Four of us had cameras and none of us are any less snap happy than the other. It has actually taken me until this morning to sift through all the pictures and put them in some kind of order and label them.
The point of this post, however is not the quantity of pictures that were taken, but the quality or might I say the quality of one such subject, Me!
I have never liked to be photographed not because I don’t want the memories, but because I truly do not photograph well. I do know how many people say that, yet I promise you, I do not lie.
It has always been that my nose looks too big when in reality it’s kind of tiny, but has a bit of roundness on the end. This was a result of falling flat on my face on cement when I was six. Of course and apparently, the doctors hadn’t thought that two black eyes might have been an indication that I had a broken nose. Doctors!!!! (Another post)
My smile although it’s a happy one, reveals rather big teeth. Not horse teeth, not sticking out or crooked teeth, but big and they seem to magnify in pictures. Other than those two things which are definitely enough to distort a picture, I hadn’t had much else to complain about until now.
To clarify, I am, actually just turned, 51. This is not really a big deal to me considering I do now more physically than I ever did before. And, it’s not the fact that I do more, but that I still CAN do more! So, as they say age is just a number. This clarification serves to explain that when I look at pictures of myself smiling, I see wrinkles. These are new and I don’t like them. Yes, I’m a smoker which doesn’t help, but wrinkles are flipping me out a bit. What is bugging me is that now when someone goes to take a picture, I don’t want to smile and I’m making odd expressions. I made reference to this more than a few times while everyone was snapping pictures.
As a result, my son, Jason and his girlfriend, Lindsey bought me a gift, Oil of Olay Pro-X Anti-Aging Starter Kit. Although a lot of women would have been insulted, I was thrilled at the thoughtful gift. They know that I would never spend that kind of money on myself and felt bad that I’ve been less than happy about the effects of aging on me. So, now I will be on a new regimen. Hmm, and now that I’m at it I think I’ll search for the best eye cream for around my eyes. I’m more than psyched to start looking as young as I feel.
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Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 |
I just had a very long conversation with Jason, my son and his girlfriend, Lindsey. What prompted the conversation was the little jiggle under my forearm and the slight protrusion at my belly. I have always and forever been on the thin side. Even after children people used to asked me if I work out because within a month I was back to my original weight and more importantly everything was actually in the right place. I have never worked out and would respond that I’m very lucky to be blessed with an incredible metabolism and that through no help of my own I maintain a fit body. Well, umpteen years later, I just might actually have to work out, but just a little.
Over the years, we have acquired a fair amount of fitness equipment. A treadmill, Total Gym and actually an weight set including bars, pulleys and so forth. I tried to get myself to walk a little on the treadmill everyday. I gave the Total Gym a shot. I even dabbled a bit with the weight set. All of this lasted no more than a couple weeks at a time. My attempts were in an effort to be more fit. All attempts failed as I lack the motivation to commit to that type of exercise.
I did also try, at one point to follow a workout tape on a daily basis. It was a 20 minute regimen that I did each morning. I think I remember enjoying doing it, but apparently not that much, that lasted about a month. A couple years ago I decided to seriously do something to tighten things up a bit. I bought wrist and ankle weights and every morning I would do leg lifts, work my arms and do sit ups. I believe that went on for a two week stretch.
I guess what I’m getting at is that I have an adversity to working out. Now, I need to get passed that and I’m clueless how to motivate myself. Lindsey suggested committing to a set number of push-ups and sit-ups every day. Sounds good, right? It would definitely help with the jiggles and with the summer coming what better time to tighten things up so everything fits right in my bikini?! I think….I’ll start….tomorrow….I think!
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Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 |
I guess I feel the necessity to apologize for the lack of posts with any kind of substance. I’m feeling overwhelmed and a lose of time. I have been also been putting up posts in the category “Reviews to Peruse,” because being still unemployed I’m finding it necessary to bring in any and all income that I can. I apologize to all for that, posting “ads” was something I never intended to do with my blog.
For anyone that is interested, “PayU2Blog” pays $5 for each review you do post and they can be short and sweet and they pay on time. There isn’t an affiliate program that I can tell, so I’m not trying to get anyone to sign up under me. It’s just income.
With a very busy weekend coming up I don’t suppose I’ll be finding the time to post much, but I appreciate your understanding and that you visit my blog. If anyone has any suggestions how to extend each day by at least 10 more hours, I’d greatly appreciate it. Good day to all, don’t give up on me and thank you for visiting.
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Monday, March 22nd, 2010 |
I’m still trying to figure out where today went. I always wake up with the intention of writing a post and then get distracted by “life.” I’m a list person and if it’s not actually written down then it’s most definitely in my head. Although, I do have to admit that writing it down keeps me more on track. Writing it down, however, while laying in bed is a bit inconvenient and that seems to be the only time I have to plan my ventures for the following day.
So my plan for today was to shop for party supplies because my son Jason will be graduating with his Specialist Degree in Psychology and he’s coming down to Florida in two weeks. It just so happens to also be Easter and my sister just informed me Greek Easter as well (her husbands Greek and celebrates.) So, the celebration is planned. I absolutely love to entertain, but complicate things far more than I need to. In the same token, I enjoy thoroughly everything I do.
For instance, I made a huge banner for Jason to congratulate him, I’ve planned an Easter egg hunt for our kids and one also for our nieces and nephews and have also made Easter gifts for the families that are coming. To clarify, the hunts are not just “go find the eggs hunt,” for years I’ve written complicated clues and made “the hunt” a challenge for all involved and it’s extremely time consuming on my part.
Back to my day…I shopped for party supplies, food shopped and supplied shopped for the gifts I was making. I hate to shop so I was relatively quick. Unpacked, made a cup of coffee, finished the gifts and then looked at the time. Five o’clock!!!
Now it’s time to make dinner which left me just enough time to post this meaningless post. I firmly believe that sleep is over-rated yet an unnecessary evil or else I’d be up posting through the night. Hopefully tonight while laying in bed, I can come up with a plan for tomorrow that includes a more meaningful post. Til then, thanks for reading.
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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 |
I thought I’d share my new adventure.
Our neighbor stopped by the other night before he headed out to the casino. I found myself particularly interested in the fact that he plays the penny slots and actually wins, on occasion. Still being unemployed and having no income. I started thinking maybe this was an avenue I should pursue. I actually became excited at the prospect of a new adventure and winning some money. Even if it was minimal, it’d be more than I’m taking in now.
The first time I had ever gone to a casino was in Las Vegas with my ex. The only thing I remember about that experience was that I played the “one arm bandits” and every time I won a little, he would take my winnings and go lose it somewhere. Not a good experience for me.
The second time I was with Mike and we went down to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL. By the time we parked the car, we were both aggravated. The casino was packed and I basically watched Mike play the slots for a little while and we left. No great thrills there.
For my new adventure I was slightly hesitant to 
go by myself so I try to enlist my parents and my sister-in-law. Neither of them were available. Determined to get the ball rolling, I decided to go it alone. The Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is approximately fifteen minutes from my house, so I planned to head over there bright and early Monday morning. Well, early turned out to be around 10:00 and as I approached the casino there were buses pulling in and out. I noticed the names on the buses were from a variety of senior citizen communities. I quickly made the assumption that my timing was off, but I continued on my adventure.
As I walked in the door the lights and sounds were blaring. The sounds of the machines added to my anticipation as I wandered around. Although I’m not overly superstitious I thought I would find a slot machine with a name that had some meaning to me. Now my quest was to find “that” machine which was also a penny slot. On my first round I spotted one called “Night Sky” and no one was playing it. Reminiscent of the skies at our place up north, I thought that would be the one I would play. Yet, I was still a bit apprehensive and I was aware of the fact that I had no idea how the slots worked, I decided to make the rounds. I walked throughout the casino in circles three times, never seeing another “Night Sky,” but observing (not grasping) the way the slots worked.
Finally, I ventured back to my machine and there was a woman playing although she was actually sitting half hanging off the chair as if she was going to jump off her seat any minute. I watched her as she eyed a slot machine across the way. Apparently people have their favorites and she was waiting for “hers” to be free. In a matter of minutes, it was. This was my chance. I hesitantly sat down, made myself comfortable and looked at the “Night Sky” machine in front of me hoping that all of the symbols and numbers would make some sort of sense. They didn’t. I’m big on reading instructions, yet found none. It was time to put my money in and take my chances.
I had decided before I entered the casino that I would take a $20 bill, put it into one slot machine and play until it was gone. Of course, my full thought was that I would put the twenty in and when I won I would pocket everything above $20 and keep playing the same $20.
Finally, I put my twenty in the slot and determined to get the most out of my money I continued to push the button that said “1 line,” which I did figure out, only deducted 1 cent from my money on every turn. I found that if I continued to do this I would win a few pennies. My tactics were to play one line for one penny until the dollar amount was, for instance, $19.80. At that point I would get brazen and play the “10 line” button for .10 cents. I even played the 20, 30 and 40 line buttons, a few times. Playing this way and winning and losing I hovered around $16.00 for about 45 minutes.
All the while, there was a woman sitting next to me that I made small talk with. I told her it was my first time to which she replied that she’s seen a lot of people with beginners luck. (A renewal of my faith that I would win.” During the time I was playing the women took the time to explain all the buttons to me and continually tried to stress the fact to me that I should be playing 40 lines and playing more than a penny. I probably should have listened. Although, watching her clad in diamonds and feeding her slot machine with $20′s on a regular basis, I wasn’t too anxious to follow her technique.
By the time my $20 had deteriorated to $4, I decided it was time to really gamble. I played the 10, 20, 30, 40 line buttons consecutively until my money was gone. I’d said all in all the $4 was gone in less than a minute. I was done. I guess “Night Sky” wasn’t my slot machine after all.
I turned to the women thanked her for her assistance, wished her luck and gathered my things. I took note of her expression as I said goodbye. It was as if she couldn’t believe I put in a $20 bill, lost it and didn’t feed the slot machine another one. I have a fair amount of will-power, I kept walking.
As I left the casino I made the decision to go back again, Thursday, tomorrow. I do believe I’ll play a different slot machine or maybe not. I may follow my dads advice and play more lines to begin with. Whatever the case may be, I’m hoping I’ll be carrying just a little luck on my shoulder.
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Friday, March 5th, 2010 |
As I had previously written in my post “Our Return to South Florida,” we had returned home and I had received a letter from an attorney that was offering his help in retrieve money that had been turned over to the state of Florida. I had done my own research at The National Associations of State Treasurers and found that stock that had been in mine and my ex’s name were turned over. This, by the way, I take full responsibility for.
For the first year after my divorce I was able to cash the dividend checks. I’m not sure what changed, but after a year Washington Mutual wanted my ex to endorse the check as well. Mind you the checks were a whopping $23 a quarter. What it actually came down to was that my ex and I were not on good terms and I had no way to acquire his signature that would not entail having to see him. I ultimately filed each and every check uncashed for nine years.
Now nine years later the stocks were in the state’s possession. Being that the stock was actually a wedding present from my parents, I wrote my ex explaining the situation and requesting that he sign them over to me because they were in both our names. He agreed. Nine years is a long time and taking the necessary steps to claim the stocks by having my ex sign the appropriate forms was not in itself a big deal. We did also need a gold medallion seal, which I had to meet him at the bank for, but it actually was uneventful. I submitted all the paperwork in August 2009 and knew it would be a long wait before I received a check. I did not, however realize how long.
Five months later in January, I received a check. If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that nothing in my life goes on without a hitch…the check was for half the amount. I really wasn’t sure what to think. I went back over the numbers and checked the amount. I thought for some stupid reason that maybe the other half would come separately. I was right. However, the other half was issued and sent to my ex despite the fact that we filled out all the paperwork to the contrary. Actually, he was amiable about it, probably because he has more money than he knows what to do with. He signed the check over to me. I’m not talking mega bucks, the check was for $2400 and I intended to cash it, although I anticipated some resistance at the bank.
I have not previously mentioned this, but my ex and my current husband are both named Mike. As you can imagine, it’s been a little bit of a pain in the ass in certain situations when both or either of them come up in conversations. I didn’t ever imagine that both of them having the same name could ever be beneficial. When I went to the bank to cash the check the teller quickly looked at it, saw the name Mike, claimed he was on my account and cashed the check; no questions asked. For the first time ever the name similarity paid off and it made my day! I guess Murphy was on someone else’s shoulder that day!!
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Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 |
I’ve been unemployed since January 6th. I’m one of those creative people which generally is a good thing, but it does have it’s downside. I always have something to do. I have no less than ten projects going at one time; whether it be painting, working on transferring or formatting my pictures, looking for a job, writing articles or posts and of course the every day things like cleaning. Cleaning by the way is as written, my last priority. Essentially being unemployed and always having something to do presents a problem. I enjoy being unemployed which obviously is something that my mortgage, electric and phone companies won’t accept to kindly.
The other unfortunate thing about having so much on my plate is that I find myself extremely contemplative. It difficult at times to decide what to do first. Of course, the job search should be a priority yet I find that I do that halfheartedly. I need a job to help pay the bills. I feel extremely guilty that Mike is the sole provider and that he is working as hard as he is to make ends meet. It’s that guilt that keeps me looking for a job, yet when I find a potential position I apply without enthusiasm.
The other downside to working is that it will hinder the sale of this house that we desperately want to sell. I need to fix things up and maintain it and be available to show it. And, why get a job if we’re leaving?
I am a believer. I know somewhere online I will find my niche and draw the income that we need to survive. As I continue my search, I contemplate!
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Monday, December 7th, 2009 |
Are you wondering what Murphy is up to? The same Murphy whose law seems to affect us all at one time or another. I’m starting to think he has more siblings than we can count. I don’t remember a time when I’ve spoken to so many people that have one thing or another going wrong.
The end of September, I wrote a post, “Our Return to South Florida,” in which I recounted the less than usual events of our return. I could have sworn Murphy was just hanging around on our shoulders and that soon he’d be leaving. This was not the case.
With Christmas coming right around the corner we’ve planned to celebrate at our house and we are also preparing to put the house up for sale. Now wouldn’t it be a perfect time after 17 years for the dishwasher to decide to start leaking? A non-fixable repair, according to Mike, my serviceman husband. Thank you Murphy!
Saturday, I was looking forward to a whole day to catch up on blogging and commenting and responding to messages. I turned on my computer, went into a friend’s blog and enjoyed the delightful sound of my virus alert telling me that I had a Trojan. It was that wonderful bankerfox.a virus in conjunction with the win32/nugel.e. I did finally clear it up with a solution at Geekpolice.net , but it took me all day! Murphy struck again!
I guess I wasn’t thinking because if I was I probably would have remembered that “things happen in 3′s.” On Tuesday, I left work, came to the corner of a busy intersection where I needed to cross traffic and when I hit my brakes I heard a pssssssssssss! As my brakes were serenading me they all of a sudden became very difficult to push. Being that I’m so versed in the workings of a car, I panicked and called Mike, still sitting at the intersection and afraid to move. He offered to drive the car home for me, but I told him I’d take it slow and keep testing the brakes. I drove in the right lane anticipating jumping the curb and hitting a tree to stop if my brakes failed. I drove really slow and made it home incident free. After some inspection and a phone call to a mechanic friend, Mike found that the problem is my brake booster. It turns out that the brake booster gives more braking power with minimal pressure on the brake pedal. If the brake booster is not functioning properly, the brake pedal will be very hard to push, but you will still have brakes. Good to know! It’s also a good thing I have strong legs, but needless to say it needs to be replaced. Murphy strikes again!
It’s almost become comical waiting to see when we’ll have our next encounter with Murphy. And, I am so thankful that these problems are minimal. Our family is blessed with its health and although things are difficult we have it easy compared to others.
I’m pretty sure, though, that Murphy must have siblings that we didn’t know about. Almost everyone I speak to has one mishap or another going on. What’s funny is that people keep saying it “Murphy’s Law” that affecting us all. Another thought I wonder, is if we might be bringing negativity on ourselves because of the stress we are dealing with in regards to the state our society is in. Regardless, we trudge on with a smile getting ready to hurdle the next bump in the road.
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Thursday, November 12th, 2009 |
Go straight to survey
As I sit and contemplate my next post I wonder how many people are doing the same thing I am. I have been feverishly manning my blog for months, trying to come up with posts that will interest people, trying to find the best way to monetize my blog. Day after day I’m trying to keep up with commenting and responding and following and joining! I don’t mind any of this although it’s not all that easy to keep up when you’re working a full time job as well. I find that by the time I get home, settle in and spend some time with my husband there is little time left in the day. The answer, work into the next day!! With laptop on my lap I am generally poised on the couch until 2:00 to 3:00 in the morning, as I click away. The only break I take is when the computer apparently overloads and locks up and I have to restart it.
My point in all this is I often wonder how many people are actually making an income online that truly supports working at home. In all honesty, my goal is a measly $500 a week. In reality and in comparison to the claims online, this is very little to ask. I find myself surfing through blog after blog where there are posts on how to make money online. When visiting the users’ web pages on Twitter, I find that ninety-nine point nine percent are sales pages or pitches with everyone claiming to generate mass amounts of income.
I have been using the internet almost since its inception. I have searched and researched every online scam that is out there and I admit that I have even fallen victim to a few. The dream of having financial freedom is just so enticing that it’s worth some risks, right? I learned the hard way that you can’t always believe what you read and that there are way too many websites that are mass produced with different people promoting them. A big selling point for me was always the testimonials. Call me naive, but I thought for sure that these people were making tons of money. Then it dawned on me that very infrequently did I actually come across dollar amounts in the testimonials. In fact I even went as far, a couple of times, to search for these people by name and state. Their existence is still questionable. In conjunction with that I have become pretty adept at manipulating graphics and I’ve come to realize that any screenshot of a check or of a list of checks could be so easily fabricated that it’s gotten to the point that I pay them no mind.
All of this leads me to one conclusion. Most of the people promoting these websites and blogs are just like me; striving to find a better way to actually make an income. More than likely, I’m willing to bet that most of them have actually made such a minimal amount that they will eventually walk away and move on to another misadventure. Of course, as anything else, I can’t be sure of this. Maybe, just maybe,
I’m going down all the wrong paths.
Never-the-less, I find myself getting frustrated. Not in the fact that I spend an exorbitant amount of hours trying to generate an income, but in the fact that I don’t know if what I’m doing will actually produce one. There are so many MLM’s and then you read you can only make money with a “niche” blog, or selling an “Ebook” or selling “something.” Too much info, so little time.
My husband and I are looking to downsize, A LOT, and if knew that I could meet my eventual goal of $500 a week then I could have unsurpassed enthusiasm. For this reason, I’ve created a
survey.
Considering that I am more than likely not the only one having these thoughts, I think the
survey will benefit many if it is completed honestly. It is anonymous; no names attached, but will give US, the striving entrepreneurs something to gauge our efforts on. Hopefully, a boost of encouragement, hopefully a “light at the end of the tunnel.”
All of you money making entrepreneurs, please respond to my
survey and give us a gleam of hope!
PLEASE TAKE THE SURVEY HERE
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 |
It was Monday, which in itself is not a good thing. I got up in a pretty pissy mood because of issues over the weekend; step-parenting leaves a lot to be desired, but that would be another post altogether.
Anyway, our son, Scott called me this morning. He is a very bright, intelligent and caring person. He’s in his last semester at FSU (Florida State University) from which he’ll be graduating with a degree in Biological Science. He’s been working in a lab for the past six months and had finally come to the conclusion that he wants to go into Neuro Science. I felt that this was a wonderful thing because it seems like it would be a interesting and satisfying field to go into. More importantly than that, Scott finally felt that he had some direction. He had been in limbo for a while which had become increasingly frustrating and stressful to him. I was glad that he seemed to have found his calling.
Well, this morning he called me which he often does, usually just to say hello. To my surprise and out of the blue, he just informed me that he is very strongly considering joining the Peace Corp! After my heart skipped a beat, we conversed. He’s not really ready to commit to grad school, he’s feeling like he needs a break from the “academic” world and he really wants to dedicate at least some time to helping people that are less fortunate than him. Now as a mother I’m as proud as I can be of him and his unselfishness. Also, as a mother my worries start about his safety and missing him but I assure him that what ever his decision, I’m behind him 150%. Of course, and understandably his only real hesitation is leaving his girlfriend, Liz. Will their relationship be able to withstand a 27 month separation? I told him that if it is strong enough it will.
As soon as we hung up the phone, I did what any mother would do, I went into the Peace Corp web site to find out as much information that I could.
The Peace Corp is an amazing organization that provides assistance 139 countries. As a volunteer there are a wide variety of areas that they might contribute such as education, health and agriculture.
Volunteers are provided with a living allowance that enables them to live in a manner similar to the local people in their community. The Peace Corps also provides complete medical and dental care and covers the cost of transportation to and from your country of service.
Peace Corp volunteers are committed to 27 months. They are entitled to a two day vacation per month and can utilize this however they wish. Some choose to visit other areas that are also in need, some have their family members visit and some volunteers take those two days to visit home.
After the volunteer serves their 27 months and return home they are provided with around $6000 to use as they like. It’s something to get their feet back on the ground whether they choose to use it for education, housing or other needs.
After reading as much as I could to educate myself as to what Scott’s new endeavor might entail I felt better. It would be a wonderful and educational experience that he would proudly carry with him through his life. I anxiously await his decision.
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Monday, October 5th, 2009 |
As a continuation of the week we had upon our return to South Florida, I am writing now.
As a habit and as a form of protection against Bank of America and the low lives perpetrating identity theft, the first thing I do when my eyes are open, is to turn on my computer to check our bank balances. To my surprise, one morning I found a $289 charge for golf clubs. We don’t play golf. On numerous occasions, I had woken up to find charges to my account that were mysteriously debited between 3:00 am and 7:00 am, causing one or more overdraft fees. To clarify, yes, sometimes my balance is dangerously close to zero, which in no way justifies the early morning practices of Bank of America. I do find that if I can catch the debit while it’s still pending I stand half a chance of having it reversed with a little less aggravation.
Back to my story. My eyes opened and I turned on my computer, well I thought I turned on my computer. I pushed the button, walked away and came back to a black screen. Even though it did sound like it was running, I did exactly what you’re not supposed to do and held the button until it shut down. I figured it was a glitch which happens sometimes. Why expect a $1500 piece of equipment to work all the time? I pushed the button again totally assuming that this time the screen would light up and I’d be up and running. No such luck! When I pushed the button it would say, “no connection” and then go black for good. I called my dad who fixes other people’s computers and he informed me that without an error message there was little he could help me with, but suggested I change the power supply. Late for work, I intended to pick one up on my way home. In all honesty, my thought process was that my computer just needed time to rest and it would be fine when I got home. With this thinking in mind, I decided against buying the power supply. My intention was to go home, fire up my computer, which by the way contains all my financial records, and then pay a couple bills. I hurried home, pushed the button, nothing!!! I guessed I’d buy a power supply and assumed that would resolve my problem.
Excitedly, I purchased the power supply from Office Max and slowly went through the matrix of wires to install it. I never saw so many connectors attached to nothing, so I maticulously disconnected one of the old and connected one of the new one by one. Then, I sat back, lit a cigarette and took a breath and waited five whole minutes before hitting the button. I pushed the button, took another deep breath, and looked at the black screen. Okay, now panic started to set in. I am very thorough with my finances yet like an idiot backed up everything to my desktop. Why? Because, I didn’t want to take the time to reach to my left and get the disc that my previous save from three months ago was on. Just stupid!
At this point and in desperation, I did what any computer savvy person would do, I turned on my lap top to search the forums for possible solutions. After a while, I found a possible solution and as far as I was concerned any possible solution was worth trying. Replace the video card. I returned the power supply to Office Max and purchased a video card and hurried home. Installation of the video card was really simple. I turned on the computer and my monitor lit up, what a wonderful feeling. I needed now to install the software and as I did it said something wasn’t compatible, but honestly I didn’t care. I continued the installation and everything worked fine. Mind you the first thing I did after that was to take the 1 TB backup I had bought months ago and I backed up everything. That little black box is now one of my most valuable possessions.
In conclusion, if you turn on your computer and it sounds like it’s running, fans and all, and it says “no connection” and then the screen goes black, it very well might be your video card. A $59.99 solution that was well worth it!!
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009 |
I do know that some people have lives that are wrought with misery. I understand that there are many, many people that are suffering everyday. I do not take what I have for granted. I, and those close to me (most of them) are healthy, somewhat happy and keeping there heads above water. When I write about my day to day stress it is a release for me. Everything each one of us faces is relative to what we are used to. Although there seems to be a black cloud lingering over my head right now, I know that because I am married to a wonderful man and happy in love that we’ll get by together. Sometimes it might be by the skin of our teeth, but repeating, “this too shall pass,” is often all I need. I try like hell to live each moment as if it’s my last and if it’s not a good one I am confident that those moments will come. My only wish would be, that those deserving of it, should have happy and fulfilling lives as well.
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Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 |
While it’s fresh in my mind, I’m going to write about our first day back from Hastings. I should fill you in that we actually live in Fort Lauderdale, but have a place, in Hastings that I’ll tell you about another time. We bought it 3 years ago with the intention of relocating and retiring there. Still our dream, but the economy has screwed us up. We do, however, drive up every other weekend, a four hour drive, but well worth the peace.
We are so done with South Florida and this is what awaited us when we returned.
Not even an hour after our arrival home, Mike received a voice mail. For the 3rd time in two months, and actually the 2nd time in two weeks, his company truck had been broken into. Just to clarify, it’s not “his” company truck, but the truck owned by the company he works for. The problem is that in this wonderful city we live in, associations rule the city. You are not allowed to park a vehicle with lettering on it in your driveway. The association also tell you when you need to clean your roof, or driveway or house. They even tell you to remove plants that they don’t like and they do all this for an astronomical fee. That’s another story in itself. So, anyway, Mike parks his truck in a parking lot on a main road in a lighted area. The braizen thieves break the back window of the truck, climb through and hand out their take. Being a air conditioning and appliance tech the truck is supplying the low-lives with multiple Freon tanks, guages and motors. Each time there’s a break-in Mike has to file a police report which entails waiting an hour for the police to show up and then filing the report. This takes a half hour to an hour depending on the officer and thorough he chooses to be. Of course, this is also on Mike’s time, not the company’s. The police department has no leads and no idea who might be doing these break-ins, but the hassle is no longer worth it and Mike will now have to leave the truck at the shop which is a half hour away, rather than five minutes from our house. Thank you, low-lives.
The following day I received 4 pieces of mail. The first of these was actually an $8.00 ticket for a toll violation in New York. Our son, Jason, just moved up to Albany and had his car shipped there. I called Jason and informed him about the ticket to which he replied that he didn’t run any tolls. A little while later he called me back. He had checked the date of the violation and realized it was the day the car was shipped. He hadn’t driven the car that day. As it turns out, the driver who hauled Jason’s car on an eighteen wheeler, did not want to drive the truck into New York City where we had scheduled the drop off. The truck driver drove Jason’s car into the city and blew the toll. Nice!!!
The second piece of mail was a letter that I received was from an attorney. He wanted to “help” me retrieve unclaimed property that the State of Florida has in it’s possession. And, he wanted a mere $200 to do this. The property that FL has now taken over is stock in Ashland Oil. My parents had given my ex and I stock when we got married and since our divorce in 1999 I hadn’t been able to cash the checks because they were in both our names. The checks were a whopping $21 a quarter so I ignored them. Not a good idea. Ultimately, the stock was turned over to the state as unclaimed property. Now this lawyer wants to cash in on getting me the money owed to me for the stocks. I suppose a lot of people would have signed the documents and allowed this lawyer to file for what is owed them, but $200 is $200. I threw out the letter and then proceeded to www.fltreasurehunt.org where you can search for unclaimed property in your name. Lo and behold, I found four items that I could claim. I printed the forms, signed where necessary, attached a copy of my license and mailed everything certified to the address specified. Within 60 days, I should have a check. I’m pretty sure that in this economy everyone would rather have every penny they own in their pockets and with a little effort I saved $200.
The final two pieces of mail were the largest cause of aggravation. Not because I couldn’t handle it, but because someone else should have handled it and now it wound up in my lap (again.) The story: Our daughter, Tara was in a car accident. (I’ll detail that story in another post.) The only thing that pertains to this story is that Tara’s girlfriend was driving her father’s company truck and is well insured. I point that out because the incredible state of Florida is a “no fault” state regarding auto insurance and although most drivers carry PIP (personal injury protection), it only covers $10,000. In Tara’s case the bills were to be much higher, but in this case with the insurance coverage that the driver’s father’s company carries the insurance company will be paying the bills. Now being that the insurance company will be paying all bills they gave us a claim number and instructions to submit the claim number for every medical facility, doctor and service. These instructions were reiterated to Tara’s biological mother along with the claim number on numerous occasions, but because of the nature of the “beast,” (also to be embellished upon in another post) she seems to conveniently give them Mike’s insurance info everytime. Not sure I’ve met anyone more dense. Subsequently, upon receipt of every bill I have to call, explain the situation and give them the claim number. I do have to comment though that when we received a $36,000 hospital bill, it was a phone call that I took great pleasure in making!
Well, that was day one of what would turn out to be a chain of events yet to follow. I’m sure “Murphy” has taken up residence with us, hopefully not for too long. It seems “anything that can go wrong will.” Such is life!!! More to follow…
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Monday, September 28th, 2009 |
Last weekend. Mike and I went to Tallahassee, FL. We decided to take a trip up to see our son Scott who’s in his last year at FSU (Florida State University.) We surprised him by showing up at his door unexpected. Normally, it might be a problem to surprise a college student at his residence but, I have a wonderful relationship with both of my sons, so I knew this wouldn’t be a problem. This might not be advisable for all parents. I guess you’d have to know whether or not your relationship with your college student will allow this. So, anyway, we showed up at Scott’s door and he was thrilled. Deciding to meet up again when his girlfriend, Liz got home we headed over to the hotel to check in.
I had previously booked our room through Orbitz.com at the Day’s Inn on West Tennessee, which was the closest hotel to his apartment, at the cheapest rate. We checked in to the hotel with no problem and headed to our room, great location, right next to the pool. Upon entering our room we found clay colored sand, all over the chairs and floor. This compelled Mike to wipe down everything in sight feeling that it just wasn’t clean. The WIFI that was promised didn’t work; the safe in the room wouldn’t lock. I guess the saying, “you get what you pay for” is absolutely true. It’s a good thing that we’re not particular or materialistic. Being that I had already unpacked, I had decided that we weren’t going anywhere.
We relaxed a bit and then headed back over to pick up the “kids.” Our first stop together to get our weekend started was to go to happy hour at a bar called “Bullwinkles.” Yes, it’s safe to assume in a college town it was filled with college students. No big deal! So Mike and I ordered our usual drink; Dewars and water. No Dewars!? We ordered Bud on tap. With the $10 cover the beer was all you could drink; we could do that. Well, after our first drink, they were out of Bud. What bar runs out of Budweiser? Time to leave.
We headed to dinner. Scott and Liz chose the place, decent food, very long wait and apparently we won’t be going back because I have no idea what the name of it was or where it was located. Back at Scott’s apartment, we hung out for a bit and left.
Next morning we drove for what seemed to be forever to a wonderful breakfast place called “Another Broken Egg.” The area was quaint, the view was magnificent, the service was impeccable and the food was delicious. Apparently, this is a franchise that’s all over the United States and growing and very worth visiting, if you have the opportunity.
After breakfast we took a ride through an exclusive residential area so that Scott and Liz could show us a “house that looked like a castle.” 
They, being young, are still in that mode where they have their lives ahead of them and dream of things that are possibilities in their lives. Of course, Mike and I are past the point where we could ever hope to possess anything of any great monetary value and honestly we’re not the kind of people that actually ever cared for those things. As we drove, Scott couldn’t wait until we came up to the “castle.” It did look like a castle, we stopped took pictures and contemplated the interior furnishings. What do you imagine?
From there we decided to shoot some pool, have a few drinks, shoot some darts and watch the truck race. Funny how girls on the street think they have to advertise a “car wash” wearing a bikini. Actually, not so funny!!! Funny how “kids” in a bar gravitate toward the new touch screen technological games while Mike and I would rather play pool. Funny how at 21 years old Liz needs 2 hours to get ready for dinner and me who’s somewhat older and could use more work, only needs 20 minutes. We left the bar to get ready!!!
Well, 2 ½ hours later, because “Ghost” was on and I had to watch it for the trillionth time, we picked up the “kids” again and headed out to Harry’s. It’s about two blocks from the capitol building in Tallahassee, a very nice restaurant with a really nice atmosphere, good service and high priced, but delicious meals. Oh, I shouldn’t forget to mention that they vacuum the dining area while you eat! Never saw that before.
Now we were off in search of somewhere to relax. It was pretty odd to us that on a Saturday night there were so few people out. We found a place called One O One. 
It’s said to be Tallahassee’s social dining experience. “It’s coming for dinner and staying for the nightlife!” Nice atmosphere, classy place and they had Hookahs in all different flavors. For anyone that doesn’t know, a Hookah
is a single or multi-stemmed water pipe for smoking. The popularity of Hookahs and Hookah bars has increased dramatically over the last few years. The draw to Hookahs is that you are smoking Shisha which is a mixture of tobacco and treacle, honey or sugar, and distilled water with fruit flavors. Shisha tobacco is very light and flavorful with a wonderful fruity aroma. Shisha is not your typical tobacco. It’s nothing like the tobacco in cigars, cigarettes or dip. Smoking true narguile shisha is an entirely different sensation. Shisha Tobacco is smoked for flavor and not for any kind of effect. It provides a relaxing and peaceful pursuit. The most popular flavor is apple and others include strawberry, pineapple, apricot, grape, rose, mint and even cappuccino! Hookahs are generally allowed to be used in places where smoking is not permitted thus providing the “smoker” a form of appeasing their habit. We stayed for a little while testing the different flavored Hookahs. A new experience for us.
From there we headed through the city and found another bar, the name slips my mind and the only excitement 
in that place was a drunk college student making a fool out of himself jumping up and down, which I assume was his rendition of dancing. He was amusing though and gave us all a good laugh. We left, stopped for a few pics and retired for the night.
For our final goodbye and meal together we went to a nice little bagel place called Bruegger’s. They had fresh bagels, great coffee and quick service and have several locations throughout the United States.
After breakfast we dropped Scott and Liz off at the apartment, said our goodbyes and headed back to our place in Hastings, FL. The 3 1/2 hour trip was uneventful and quick. Quick because we used to take the trip straight from Fort Lauderdale, a 7 hour trip, which was definately a long ride. None-the-less, other than the fact that I starting missing Scott as soon as we left, it was good to get back to our place in the woods where the only thing you hear are the birds, the crickets and an occasional owl at night!
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p for a challenge decided to buy it.
ould have used a tubing bender. I have since, painted our Badger camouflage color and we’re looking forward to the complete reassembly.
