Tonight’s last post of the night is sponsored by the ‘WTF Files’. What are the ‘WTF Files’? They are certain items that just make you go What the F… when you see them. Simple enough, yeah? Good.
‘WTF Files’ for June 28, 2009
As seen on a billboard: wholesale tvs at bargin basement prices. Reason for WTF: There is absolutely nothing else on the billboard. No location, no phone number, nothing. Time Spent Contemplating WTF: 1 HR.
As seen at a graduation: A man beating on an old cowbell Reason for WTF: I can’t tell you the reason, it’d cause way too much of a frenzy for someone/something and I don’t want to do that. Time Spent Contemplating WTF: Too much.
I hate when I have nights like this. I’m bone deep tired, but I’ve gone beyond the point of wanting to go to sleep and am sitting here channel surfing. Sadly, being 2am on a Sunday/Monday morning, the only thing on television is infomercials. Tonight’s infomercial dejour? Diet pills. What’s new? There’s about 20 different ones on various channels. Surprisingly enough, I haven’t seen one for Decaslim yet. I should be in bed already. I should be knocked out cold by now. I should I should I should.
Ah well, maybe I’ll keep up the mantra and it’ll put me to sleep.
I came home tonight to the news story that Billy Mays was found dead. Now, for those living under a rock, Billy Mays was the pitchman for products like Oxy Clean and stuff that they sell on late night television infomercials. He was the one who stood outside in the wind to prove that Mend It works. It’s sad and he’ll be missed, but I’m absolutely horrible. When I read the story, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was testing some new edible plant based product that turned out to be poisonous.
I know it’s a fucked up way of thinking, but I’m tired tonight and when I’m tired, I come up with whacked out theories about life and stuff. I mean, it’s not overly far fetched, since he’s always on television hocking some new great product. But, unlike a lot of other infomercial pushers, he tests the products and makes sure they do that they say. So it wouldn’t be hard to believe that one of the products killed him.
Do all speakers for graduation ceremonies use the same lines? It sure as hell seems like they do. It seems like you hear the same thing over and over again. It reminded me of being in high school, in a way, at my own graduation. Listening to the principal giving a long winded speech about how wonderful the students all were, when you know as well as you know your own name that he was glad to be rid of them. Listening to classmates talk about how long ago it was and the times when they needed to find an acne treatment so they could clear up their zits and get the girl/boy that they liked.
It also reminded me of a song that was popular for graduations a few years ago – Vitamin C’s – Friends Forever
I will say that this graduation was nothing like my high school graduation was, that’s for sure. It was memorable, for more reason than just my nephew graduating.
It was an absolute whirlwind of a day. My nephew graduated from High School, as I said yesterday. In a 24 hour span, we went from not going to graduation to going and also having a graduation party for him. It wasn’t anything big or fancy, but it was really nice. I figure this to be the last real chance to have a family party since he’s 18.
I am so completely exhausted right now that it’s not even funny and I have a few more posts I want to make tonight before I head to bed, but I also want to write about graduation. One thing that I’ve come to figure out in the last 24 hours is that you don’t need the best weight loss pills to lose weight if you’re running around like mad, making salads and getting stuff together for a BBQ. I also learned that eating a real breakfast and not just a blueberry muffin is a good idea, otherwise I end up with a wicked migraine if I forget to eat lunch.
Overall it was a nice day. I’ll write about the actual ceremony fiasco in a separate post, though.
I keep thinking that I need to get a real job. I write, I make money doing it. I love what I do, too. To me, that is a real job. A lot of people don’t see it the same way though. They think that because I get to sit and home and write whatever floats my boat, it’s not a real job.
So what? I need to have some sort of formal sales training in order to sell my writing? I need to go out and kill myself working for someone else? I don’t really think so. I’m not good as someone’s underling. I’m not good at strict environments, I never have been. I’m the kind of girl who likes to work late at night, when it’s quiet, be all by myself.
So really, is working as a freelance writer not a real job? As those who make more money than you do and I bet they say yes.
15 years ago, I was graduating from high school. It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long, but it has. My nephew graduates from high school tomorrow. I’m proud of him for sticking it out and graduating when so many teenagers are dropping out. Friend of the family’s daughter also graduated this weekend. I’m glad she finished school, I wasn’t sure she would, honestly.
Today was busy, but not really. It’s kind of odd, but I slept til 1pm, so it was a short day, which makes it seem busy. I couldn’t sleep worth a crap last night, so hopefully tonight is better. Too bad the only thing on television at 4am are infomercials or advertisements for Mesothelioma lawyers. I don’t understand that one, though. Is Mesothelioma really that big now? I know someone who died from it, but that’s the only case I’d ever heard of.
If you read crime thrillers – check out Lisa Gardner’s The Neighbor. It’s absolutely fantastic. I like Grisham for crime/law thrillers, but typically I don’t get into other authors. I got this one for review and absolutely LOVED it. I’ll share my review once it’s published.
Michael Jackson has passed away suddenly from an apparent overdose of prescription pain killers. While this is a tragedy, it shouldn’t be the subject of over 24 hours of coverage on almost every single channel. One of the things that was said that stood out to me though, was someone calling him the “Black Elvis.”
I’m not sure how I feel about that. In a lot of ways, Michael was like Elvis, right down to the way he died, but I’m just not sure that’s the right title to give him. That’d be like saying that the iPod is the best of the Mp3 players out there. Sure it’s great and one of the most innovative, definitely having a giant impact on the way music is listened to these days, but is it the best?
I don’t know about being the Black Elvis, but Michael Jackson paved a lot of roads for a lot of people to come into the industry and music wouldn’t be the same today without him.
PSA – If I get a single comment about how horrible Michael Jackson was, I will ban ALL commenting to the post. He may have been a controversial person, he may have done a lot of whacked out shit, but that doesn’t make him any less of a fantastic singer and performer.
Not much going on, but still a lot going on. It’s been a weird week. We haven’t done much, but it’s been pretty busy. I spoke with my half-brother Monday about some business, but I’ve not heard back from him about it yet. I plan to call him tomorrow if I don’t hear from him tonight. I have some paperwork that I need to work on tonight as well. I feel like I’m under a lot of pressure and it’s starting to wear on me, really.
I was sick Wednesday, and I’m starting to think that stress and pressure are a better diet aid for my body than the best diet pills on the market. I mean, how can they not be when every time I get stressed, my body decides it doesn’t want to be fed and what I do feed it, returns in a matter of minutes. Thankfully it was just one day that I felt crappy.
I hate feeling like nothing I do is right, especially when it comes to things that really need to get done. Like now, I should be figuring out what to make for dinner, but I’m sitting here, procrastinating and watching videos on MSN. Hubby doesn’t get done for another 2 hours, so I have time to figure out dinner, but that doesn’t stop my stomach from revolting because I forget to eat.
Usually, having a wide selection from which to choose is an advantage. That allows us to identify the products which make the most sense given our personal tastes and circumstances, and many people love picking Cavalier Telephone. Having said that, when it comes to long-distance (LD) phone service, the variety of plans offered by carriers can seem overwhelming. Rarely do they come with a single rate or fee. Instead, the price you’ll pay each month will depend heavily upon your company’s usage; the monthly cost can rise or fall based on several factors.
Below, we’ll describe the items that are most influential to your business’s long-distance phone costs. Then, we’ll take a look at pricing and rates as well as other charges you should watch for. By knowing which factors have the greatest impact upon your bill, you can choose the LD plan that is best suited for your company’s needs and budget, and perhaps pick Cavalier Telephone.
Key Items To Review Before Choosing
Selecting a carrier and a new plan is a long-term investment. Take the time to review your business’s calling patterns over the last several months carefully. That is the only way to ensure that your company will enjoy as much value as possible from the new service, which may very well be Cavalier Telephone.
Determine how many calls and how many minutes you and your staff are spending on non-local connections each month. Also, take note of the average duration of the calls, where they’re being placed to (national versus international), and the rates you’re currently being charged. If you’re paying a different per-minute price at varying times throughout the day, make a note of that, too. That way, you can make a reasonable comparison of other long-distance packages based on your company’s unique call profile.
Pricing And Rates
Many LD carriers advertise plans with one easy rate. However, there is usually more to discover underneath the surface. For example, a provider might charge one fee for calls made to certain locations and a different fee for calls make to other locations. Just realize that these packages are often more complex than they seem.
Also, some carriers charge a variable rate while others charge a fixed price. This is one of the reasons you need to identify your business’s normal calling usage. If a variable price is attached, you’ll likely pay more for connections made during business hours. That said, a variable plan may be less expensive based upon your company’s calling profile.
Additional Charges: Expect The Unexpected
In addition to the per-minute fees you’ll pay for your long-distance service, you may also need to pay monthly fees, minimum charges, and surcharges. Monthly fees can span an enormous range, so ask your provider to clarify whether they levy them and how much they are. Also, if your business’s calling volume fails to exceed a predefined minimum, your LD provider may levy an additional fee. Finally, surcharges can be levied for a wide assortment of actions. Ask your carrier to explain every instance in which a surcharge would be applied to your company’s account.
Partnering with a reliable long-distance provider is an important component in satisfying your business’s phone communication needs. Follow the tips above to select the right plan for your company.
Millions of people are confused about the differences between DSL and cable internet connections. Fewer still understand the advantages and disadvantages of satellite internet access. Potential subscribers who want to enjoy the fastest service for the lowest price are understandably bewildered by their choices. Fortunately, the decision is usually a simple one.
For most people, satellite broadband service will be a less than ideal choice. Below, we’ll explain how the service works and the type of customer most likely to use it. We’ll also explore how it compares to a DSL connection. You’ll likely find that if a conventional broadband alternative is available in your area, it will be a better solution.
Satellite Broadband In A Nutshell
In order to understand how satellite broadband (SB) compares to a digital subscriber line, it is worth reviewing how the technology works. The service does not use phone lines, fiber optics, or a cable infrastructure. Instead, the upload and download data transmission takes place via a dish and an orbiting satellite.
The dish must be installed so that it maintains a clear path skyward. If its “view” is obscured (for example, by trees, clouds, etc.), the data transmission may be slowed or temporarily severed.
One of the limitations of SB service is the rate at which you can upload and download data. You can download at rates up to 1.5 Mpbs and upload at 256 Kbps. While that is markedly faster than a dial-up modem, both throughput rates are significantly slower than those offered by a DSL connection.
Another limitation involves price. Given the slower performance of the technology, you would expect its price to be lower than that of a digital subscriber line. However, that is rarely the case. More often than not, SB service costs as much, if not more, than a conventional broadband connection.
Is A Digital Subscriber Line Better?
Simply put, yes. First, a digital subscriber line is normally less expensive on a monthly basis and it’s easier to install. Second, it will seldom require a long-term contract while an SB provider will push for such a commitment. Third (as noted above), the data transfer rate of DSL is almost always much faster than that offered by satellite internet. By contrast, SB will often carry a higher monthly bill, cost several hundreds of dollars to install, and offer a slower datastream. What’s more, it can be unreliable if the path of the dish is obscured in any way.
The reason SB customers use the service is because their alternatives are usually limited. Subscribers often live in areas that lay outside the territory serviced by DSL Internet Providers. In that case, the technology – as limited as it is – might be considered valuable. However, if you live in an area that is near a DSL provider, they will usually be able to offer the most value (i.e. speed, reliability, etc.) for the price.
Posted on 2009 under Technology | Comments are off
19
Jun
There is so much nonsense and drama online these days that I’d just like to smack the crap out of people when they start in. Especially on one of those days like I had today where I was trying to recover everything after reformatting my computer. I was also having MORE connection issues, which I’ve narrowed down to being something getting waterlogged, either the line, the jack or the filter because once it stops raining and starts to dry up some, my connection behaves.
I got to angry last night that I told my husband to take a life insurance policy out on me and let me walk out in traffic. This whole problem needs to stop, like now. Especially with everything else that I’ve got going on. Maybe tomorrow I can sit down and put together a post and catch up on everything. Tonight, I’m tired and still have stuff I need to install.
Okay, this is one of the tastiest recipes I’ve tried in ages. It was printed in the Amish Cook column in our paper, so we snipped it out and tried it yesterday. I’ve made a couple notes and changes. It was printed without a baking temp and the time was wrong, so I fixed it. I also made a couple substitution notes as well.
2 eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon almond extract *Optional – just use 1tsp of vanilla if you leave this out 1 2/3 cup flour(stir or sift before measuring) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries-fresh or frozen and lightly drained 1/2 cup chopped nuts-your choice *Optional
Beat eggs until foamy. Add oil, sugar, vanilla, and almond to eggs and mix well. Stir well or sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add to previous mixture and stir until just barely moistened. Add strawberries and nuts and lightly mix being careful not to over mix. Pour into greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake @ 350 65 minutes until nicely browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. May need to put foil over top if browns to quickly.
Okay, so I need to stop watching DIY and HGTV before bed! Why? I dream about weird home improvement projects when I do. For instance, I dreamt about having a home that I was remodeling, but it wasn’t mine. How do I know it wasn’t mine? I live in a mobile home, not a mansion. The thing is, I was installing a stainless steel backsplash in my kitchen in the dream. I don’t *like* stainless steel though, I’d rather have some pretty, decorative glass tiles. Best I can figure is that I fell asleep watching them install one somewhere on TV before I fell asleep, but I don’t remember.
Oddly, when I turned the television on this morning, MTV was on. I recall putting on the MTV Movie awards on so I could indulge myself in Twilighty previewy goodness. Who knows what the hell that’s all about, but dreaming about home improvements is… interesting. Too bad I can’t wake up to having them actually done to my home.
The story of my life. I’m still having issues, even after having the tech out and inspecting all the lines, giving me a shiny new modem and everything. So that means it’s got to be either a problem that one of the computers is causing on the network or the wire from the jack to the modem. We’re buying a new phone cord to see if it’s the later, but I’m afraid that it’s the former. I see a reformat in my near future. :/
I’m a bad poster lately. I’ve just not really felt that up to it. Especially since my glasses broke last weekend. Plus my Internet connection has been highly unstable. I think, however, that I may have isolated the issue. We’ll see, I guess. I’m hoping that closing a few excess ports was all that I really needed to do. A lot of the ports that were open, were there for when I was DJ’ing and I’d never bothered to close them back up since they weren’t hurting anyone.
I did order a pair of glasses this morning from Zenni Optical. I just hope that I read the prescription right and that we did the measurements right. I figure that if I don’t have it right and they’re screwed up, I’m only out $22. I need to get a new prescription soon anyway, so I can always get them to measure me and make sure that I have the proper information. For the price, I’m not going to bitch if the first pair is wrong. It’s a learning curve and stuff.
The beginning of the week was busy for me. Sunday, we went to the store to pick up a few things and ended up going a second time, to another store, to pick up the majority of the monthly groceries. We need a few things still, but they’re mostly things that we can pick up any time. Monday, Rob had his final dental visit for the minor stuff. We have to have an impact wisdom tooth taken care of still, but that can wait a while longer. We need to find a decent oral surgeon for that.
One thing that’s been plaguing me is problems with my internet connection. It’s been pulling this weird up/down/up/down game for about 3 weeks now. Now, I’ve had my DSL for 3 years and in that time, we’ve had maybe 3 major outages and a half dozen small outages. I can not complain about the service I’ve gotten from Frontier. I can, however, complain about the problems I’m currently having. I think the modem, being 3 years old and on 24/7, surviving several storms where it never got shut off (my bad for not being home), is finally on it’s last limbs. A couple weeks ago it started, so I called tech support to see if there was problems in the area. There were not, so he sent out a tech. He split the signal at the box, fixed a small problem and it was fine for a week or so. Tuesday, however, it started acting up again. The modem is throwing errors, it’s resetting itself, dropping at random intervals, but the DSL connection from the box to the modem is staying up. So, I call Wednesday and they suggest moving the modem. Fine, did that, it seemed to be alright. Nope. Yesterday, it acted up again. Shut everything down while it stormed. Came back several hours later, rebooted and it was fine. This morning, however, acting up again. So I call, get treated like I’m stupid, finally get a ticket. Tomorrow they should be out. He better have a modem to replace this one because that’s the only logical explanation we have. If the modem is off for a while, it’s fine for several hours after rebooting it.
The phone company did foil my plans of going to the lake tomorrow, but that’s alright, I can survive. I’ll just go another time. I do have to go into the city Tuesday, but there won’t be time to go to the lake, since we have to be back to get Rob’s hair cut and go to an appointment in the Valley. Wednesday, we also have an appointment in the Valley and I need to go to my sister’s house one day. I’m kind of hoping to be able to do that next Saturday because I want to head over to the Oakdale Mall and meet jpsorrow.
I think I’m going to head off to check on the manicotti that’s baking away in the oven chill for a while and see if turning the modem off while I’m gone makes it behave for the evening. I kind of doubt it though.
I’m glad this weekend is over. It’s been a long one in a lot of different ways. It’s also been stupidly hot. I ended up grocery shopping today, which isn’t bad. I spent more than I thought that I would, but I think we’re pretty well set. We need a bit more meat, but other than that, we’re alright. One thing that I’ve noticed is that, despite buying the Earth Friendly bags, I still get the plastic grocery bags because I forget to take them with me. Duh on me. I should get myself a custom tote bag that I can put the bags in, along with my cell phone and stuff since I don’t like carrying a purse. Especially after the stupid human trick I pulled today – I lost my phone in the store. Thankfully, someone was nice and turned it in to customer service, so nothing lost.
My garden is coming along nicely. It had visitors last night, though. I threatened them and they just looked at me funny. >:( The picture isn’t that great, since I’m still learning the features of the new camera. I’ll figure it out eventually Took me a while with my other one too, but this one has so many more bells and whistles that it’ll take me a while longer. I took like 10 pictures and that’s the only one that was even remotely uploadable. I do have a video that i’ll put on youtube later.
I’m tired, I don’t think I have enough energy to think what else needs to be said.
One of the things that I’ve noticed at the local hospital is that all the nurses and assistants wear cute print scrub tops instead of the standard whites that they used to wear years ago. It’s always interesting when you go to the doctor because sometimes it’s hard to tell who the doctor is and who the nurse or assistant is, but it’s nice to see them express their own personality through their choice of scrubs.
One of the problems, however, is that there aren’t very many choices in the stores around here. They offer the basic landau medical scrubs, but they do not carry the styles that you can find online. There are more than just flowery prints, there are animal prints, different styles that look layered, and give you a wider variety to express yourself.
One thing that I find cool is that you can buy print scrub jackets to wear as well. The sizes and colors beat out anything that I’ve seen locally and the prices aren’t out of line either. If you’re looking for good quality scrubs, check out Scrubs and Beyond.
Good: * I have 6 beautiful tomato plants. * I learned a lot about local history and got to hear some absolutely fascinating stories. * Getting a couple decent shots of the site of the Old Mill and Old Jail
Bad: * We can’t take the road trip we wanted to this summer. * I was the youngest adult listening to the local history. * The Old Mill is gone now.
In Between: * I learned a lot about local history tonight, but it left me digging for a lot more information that I can’t find. * I wish my father was still around to share his own stories with me. * They’re going to be doing more history nights, but I may not be able to attend due to Rob’s schedule.
I was going to write a normal post, but I’m tired and feeling stupid, so I’m going to bed instead.
$20 later, we know that the spot on the bottom of Rob’s foot is absolutely nothing of any consequence. It’s a solid mass that comes from him having been a dumb ass when he was younger. I’m not kidding about that either. But at least we know that there’s nothing there to worry about, so it was worth the co-pay cost.
I’m in a fairly foul mood tonight, for multiple reasons. None of which have to do with anything online. But, my mood is seeping into the things I say and do in public venues. Not good. I try not to let that happen, I try to stay off of plurk, lj, twitter, etc. I should have done the same tonight, but I didn’t. Oh well, that’s life. At least no friends were lost.
I don’t understand people though. People go off on these things that just make no sense to me. For instance – Bruno/Eminem at the MTV Awards. I saw the show, I turned away, so I googled and saw the video. I would have been pissed if I was Eminem too. Staged or not, it was disgusting and disrespectful. Personally, I don’t think Bruno was meant to land face in Eminem’s crotch. It looked like a stunt gone awry to me. Get over it, the world won’t end. Just like, I don’t understand why it matters if Adam Lambert is gay or straight. Kara DioGuardi said on “The View” last week – “I don’t think that Adam was ever in [the closet]. So I think he was always openly out.” I have to agree with her statement. Apparently, he is going to come out formally in Rolling Stone. Big deal. He was out (to me) from the moment I saw him, frankly.
I watched the first episode of “I’m a Celebrity.. Get me out of here” and can only conclude that it’s more train wreck television. Sadly, there really isn’t much else to watch right now, so I won’t be watching much television for a little while. I’ll stick with reading and listening to audio books. Currently, I’m listening to The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Far from my usual reading, but I’m quite enjoying it.
Anyway, it’s time to sleep, or something like that. So I’m out.
What the bloody fuck? It’s going to be June in another hour June 1, so why on earth is there a frost advisory? Oh yeah, because Mother Nature hates me! Of course, I planted my seeds a week ago, which means that they’ve probably germinated. They haven’t popped yet, so they should be alright, as long as we don’t get more than surface frost. Frost isn’t guaranteed, but it’s close enough that I’d be willing to bet that we get some frost. Sucky.
We also have what’s called a Roll Out Garden along our driveway. We’ve had it for several seasons, though, so it may not be any good. This is the first year we’ve gotten around to cutting in a bed for it. We have another one that hasn’t gotten put down yet, so we know that one is safe from frost. The problem is, our cats think that they can dig in it. Bastards. And in case you’re curious? The flower bed is straight. Our driveway, however, is not.
I wish I knew if the lilacs I planted last spring are going to live or not. They don’t seem to be growing other than some leaves. I had to put tires around them in order to keep them from being mowed down when Rob mows. I had 4 total, but there was absolutely no growth on 2 of them, so I let him mow them down when he mowed last.
Meh, I’ve been fighting Firefox for an hour, so I got off track.. I’m gonna just go to sleep and I’ll write another post tomorrow or something
Posted on 2009 under Technology | Comments are off
29
May
Sometimes, I wonder if it’s possible to declare net-ruptcy like you can declare bankruptcy. Is there anything like debt consolidation for those of us who spread ourselves too thin? I mean, there’s blogging on whatever site like Livejournal or Blogger, Twitter, Plurk, Facebook and Myspace. There’s also Friend Feed, Flickr, G-Mail and G-Talk, plus AIM, Y!M, MSN/Windows Live and even Jabber and Skype.
With all these different social media outlets, and that’s just a few listed above, how do you keep from spreading yourself too thin? Should you ‘just say no’ to the next one? I know I’d like to. Maybe we should start a revolution? Go back to E-mail being the best form of cyber communication. Think it would work?
Every now and then, I come across cool sites that I like to share and this is one of those times. Now, I don’t have kids, but there is a brand new online clothing store that is selling designer children’s clothing. Now this isn’t a new thing, a lot of online stores sell children’s clothing, but most of them do not sell them at a discount.
Heavenly Children’s Boutique is a brand new online store with a lot of great items. They offer boys and girls clothing from designers such as Kate Mack, Sister Sam and Wonder Boy. And being a newly registered customer of the site, you will receive a coupon for an additional 25%-40% off their already designer children’s clothing.
If you have a baby, small child or even a tween and want to find some reasonably priced designer clothing, check out the Heavenly Children’s Boutique and see if they have anything you like.
Some contents may not be suitable to the faint of heart, or those who can't handle people who have an opinion and their own mind. Who I am is who I've always been, an open minded, married BBW, bi-sexual who does not talk about religion or politics. I don't care who our president is, he still deserves our respect, whether we like him or not. I am blunt and honest to a fault and I'm outright offensive sometimes. If you think that you want to get to know me, read on and enjoy.
frustrated
The thing is, I was installing a 
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tired
