Amazon.com has announced that it's going to be selling a new version of its Kindle e-reader for the very low price of $139.00! Amazing. This version, though, will be wi-fi, only. If you want the "free 3G plus wi-fi," you'll have to fork over another $50, for a total of $189. Still, this low priced model will make the Kindle available to many more consumers. Not for me, though. Not yet. I need to focus on the move to Oregon before I can buy a new Kindle. (I really miss mine. Remember, I sold it not long ago.) Maybe once I get up there and get my life "stabilized" a bit, then I'll be able to buy a new Kindle.
I recommend the Kindle highly. If you're interested in buying one, I'd really appreciate it if you'd use the link on this page. I would earn a few pennies from the sale. Thanks.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Better Now
Things are looking up. I've gotten over most of the crap that has happened this month. It's water under the bridge. I'm going to concentrate on purging my house of needless things. There are four categories: Keep (and take to Oregon); Give Away; Sell; Throw away. The throw away will be the easiest. Then the give away, although there will no doubt be things left over from my eventual yard sale that will need to go to Goodwill. That means the "give away" will be in stages.
Eventually I will have to have a real estate agent come in andtell me my house is not marketable in its current condition have a look at the house so I can try to sell it. I don't want to do that until Mom and I get a little closer to actually owning a house in Oregon. There's very little chance that I'd be ready to move before we had a house, but still, I want to be able to move in the event that some idiot somebody wants to buy my house. And I need a house to move into before I can move out of this one.
Here's a cartoon from Mother Goose & Grimm that busted my gut:
Eventually I will have to have a real estate agent come in and
Here's a cartoon from Mother Goose & Grimm that busted my gut:
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Worst Month
I am having what could be one of the worst months of my life. And you know what? I'm not going to go into detail about it. At least, not all of it. No matter how much you beg!
Due to some serious financial non-planning, my cell phone provider cut me off because they couldn't withdraw my monthly payment. Not a big deal, but still a pain in the ass.
About a week ago my home phone line (and DSL) was not working at all. No calls in, no calls out. This went on for about 12 hours. I called the phone company, who scheduled a repair person to come out and see what was wrong, but the phone line came back before the person showed up, so I called and canceled the appointment. This happens frequently, but has never lasted so long.
Due to the same serious financial non-planning, the city came and turned off my water WITHOUT ANY WARNING!!!!!!!! This is the city of Gatesville, Texas. They did this early on Monday morning before I got to take my shower, and I was pretty stinky. So, instead of calling and saying, "Your check bounced. Please come in and pay us or we'll turn your water off," they just shut my water off. No shower. No toilet flushing. No hand washing. No teeth brushing. Nothing. BASTARDS!!!! By the way, I should point out that I have lived here and paid property taxes for SIXTEEN YEARS!!! (I wrote an angry letter to the city manager and I'm waiting for his response.)
Fortunately, a friend who lives very close by let me come over to her house and take a shower so that I could go out in public without offending too many people (although it did occur to me to get as stinky as possible before showing up in person to pay the water bill). (Thank you, Donna.)
My lawn mower has quit working, so the grass (and weeds, mostly) in my front lawn is way, way too high. If I can't get the mower to work (it worked for about 30 minutes two weeks ago), I'll have to pay someone to mow the lawn, which I can't afford this month! The city loves to send out little notices if they think your grass is too high. I'm expecting on at any moment.
I've also developed a new medical problem. This is where I won't go into detail, because it's a little personal. (More personal than serious financial non-planning.) I looked this up on the Internet and found that it's either caused by stress or cancer. I'm rooting for stress! Yes, of course I'm going to go see the doctor. I called for an appointment and was told that I need to "walk in," and that walk-in hours are 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. If you know me, and/or if you've been reading my blog, you know that getting out of bed is the hardest thing I do every day. So I will get in to see the doctor, but it's going to be a chore. An afternoon appointment would be much better. (In case you've noticed that I'm making this post at about 6:45 a.m. and you're wondering why I don't go today, I can only say that there is a reason I can't go today. I can't say any more.)
Add to all this the continuing stress of planning a move, and figuring out what I'm going to do with my cats and my house. And a couple of other smaller problems that I haven't discussed here. I think I could really use some Valium. (Do they still give that stuff out?)
Really, this doesn't sound like much to complain about. I mean, these problems are miniscule compared to what's going on in the world, and in other peoples' lives. But I'm not the world, and I'm not other people.
I feel a little bit like Job. But I keep telling God that I love Him. I do love Him. And I know He's not responsible in any way for this sh*t that's raining down upon my head.
The one thing that keeps my head up is that I am going to move to Oregon with mom, and that will help a great deal. Call it a fresh start. I'm excited about it and I'm looking forward to it. I'd say, "it can't happen soon enough," but that would be a lie. I'm a horrible procrastinator, and I'll need a few months to actually get ready for the move. I need to get rid of a lot of stuff, either by giving it away or selling it. I need to find a real estate agent who is willing to help me sell a home that can only be politely described as a "fixer-upper." I've already mentioned dealing with the cats. (Mom says they're welcome, but that really wouldn't be fair to her. I'm used to them. Mom isn't. I'm sure they'd stress her out.)
Anyway, except for that, life is good. And that's about all I've got to write about for now. Please don't forget about the "donate" button over there in the right hand column!! ;-)
Due to some serious financial non-planning, my cell phone provider cut me off because they couldn't withdraw my monthly payment. Not a big deal, but still a pain in the ass.
About a week ago my home phone line (and DSL) was not working at all. No calls in, no calls out. This went on for about 12 hours. I called the phone company, who scheduled a repair person to come out and see what was wrong, but the phone line came back before the person showed up, so I called and canceled the appointment. This happens frequently, but has never lasted so long.
Due to the same serious financial non-planning, the city came and turned off my water WITHOUT ANY WARNING!!!!!!!! This is the city of Gatesville, Texas. They did this early on Monday morning before I got to take my shower, and I was pretty stinky. So, instead of calling and saying, "Your check bounced. Please come in and pay us or we'll turn your water off," they just shut my water off. No shower. No toilet flushing. No hand washing. No teeth brushing. Nothing. BASTARDS!!!! By the way, I should point out that I have lived here and paid property taxes for SIXTEEN YEARS!!! (I wrote an angry letter to the city manager and I'm waiting for his response.)
Fortunately, a friend who lives very close by let me come over to her house and take a shower so that I could go out in public without offending too many people (although it did occur to me to get as stinky as possible before showing up in person to pay the water bill). (Thank you, Donna.)
My lawn mower has quit working, so the grass (and weeds, mostly) in my front lawn is way, way too high. If I can't get the mower to work (it worked for about 30 minutes two weeks ago), I'll have to pay someone to mow the lawn, which I can't afford this month! The city loves to send out little notices if they think your grass is too high. I'm expecting on at any moment.
I've also developed a new medical problem. This is where I won't go into detail, because it's a little personal. (More personal than serious financial non-planning.) I looked this up on the Internet and found that it's either caused by stress or cancer. I'm rooting for stress! Yes, of course I'm going to go see the doctor. I called for an appointment and was told that I need to "walk in," and that walk-in hours are 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. If you know me, and/or if you've been reading my blog, you know that getting out of bed is the hardest thing I do every day. So I will get in to see the doctor, but it's going to be a chore. An afternoon appointment would be much better. (In case you've noticed that I'm making this post at about 6:45 a.m. and you're wondering why I don't go today, I can only say that there is a reason I can't go today. I can't say any more.)
Add to all this the continuing stress of planning a move, and figuring out what I'm going to do with my cats and my house. And a couple of other smaller problems that I haven't discussed here. I think I could really use some Valium. (Do they still give that stuff out?)
Really, this doesn't sound like much to complain about. I mean, these problems are miniscule compared to what's going on in the world, and in other peoples' lives. But I'm not the world, and I'm not other people.
I feel a little bit like Job. But I keep telling God that I love Him. I do love Him. And I know He's not responsible in any way for this sh*t that's raining down upon my head.
The one thing that keeps my head up is that I am going to move to Oregon with mom, and that will help a great deal. Call it a fresh start. I'm excited about it and I'm looking forward to it. I'd say, "it can't happen soon enough," but that would be a lie. I'm a horrible procrastinator, and I'll need a few months to actually get ready for the move. I need to get rid of a lot of stuff, either by giving it away or selling it. I need to find a real estate agent who is willing to help me sell a home that can only be politely described as a "fixer-upper." I've already mentioned dealing with the cats. (Mom says they're welcome, but that really wouldn't be fair to her. I'm used to them. Mom isn't. I'm sure they'd stress her out.)
Anyway, except for that, life is good. And that's about all I've got to write about for now. Please don't forget about the "donate" button over there in the right hand column!! ;-)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
2010 Emmy Award Nominations: Split Allegiances
I don't care too much about what goes on in the entertainment industry. I don't follow the gossip and I don't watch the award shows. But there are a few shows that, in my humble opinion, are exceptional. When those shows and the actors who star in them are nominated, it makes me very happy.
Lost and Dexter are the two best dramas on television. No one will ever convince me otherwise. They're both incredibly unique. And they are in competition against each other in two categories. Both are up for "Best Drama." (I'll be happy if either one wins.) Both have provided nominees for "Best Actor in a Drama Series:" Matthew Fox and Michael C. Hall. (I'm leaning toward Michael for this one, but will still be happy if Matthew wins.)
In the category "Best Supporting Actor in a Drama," two actors from Lost are competing against each other: Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn. I have to say that I'm probably equally split between these two. They both did superior jobs during the last season of Lost.
For "Best Guest Actor in a Drama," John Lithgow was nominated. He played one of the eeriest serial killers ever in Dexter. No one I care about was nominated against him in this category, so I don't have to split my allegiance.
I was disappointed, as were many others, that The Big Bang Theory wasn't nominated for Best Comedy. Already people are using the word "shunned." But Jim Parsons was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy, and rightly so. I don't envy him for the dialogue he has to memorize and deliver each week.
There was one show in the Best Comedy category that I watch: Nurse Jackie. And the star, Edie Falco, was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy. I hope she wins.
Lost was nominated in other categories, as well: writing, music, directing - that sort of stuff. Of course that's wonderful, but for me it's more about the actors. Although I'll be happy if Lost wins any of these categories. As for Dexter, The Big Bang Theory and Nurse Jackie, I have no idea if they garnered any other nominations. If they did, I'll root for them, too!
Lost and Dexter are the two best dramas on television. No one will ever convince me otherwise. They're both incredibly unique. And they are in competition against each other in two categories. Both are up for "Best Drama." (I'll be happy if either one wins.) Both have provided nominees for "Best Actor in a Drama Series:" Matthew Fox and Michael C. Hall. (I'm leaning toward Michael for this one, but will still be happy if Matthew wins.)
In the category "Best Supporting Actor in a Drama," two actors from Lost are competing against each other: Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn. I have to say that I'm probably equally split between these two. They both did superior jobs during the last season of Lost.
For "Best Guest Actor in a Drama," John Lithgow was nominated. He played one of the eeriest serial killers ever in Dexter. No one I care about was nominated against him in this category, so I don't have to split my allegiance.
I was disappointed, as were many others, that The Big Bang Theory wasn't nominated for Best Comedy. Already people are using the word "shunned." But Jim Parsons was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy, and rightly so. I don't envy him for the dialogue he has to memorize and deliver each week.
There was one show in the Best Comedy category that I watch: Nurse Jackie. And the star, Edie Falco, was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy. I hope she wins.
Lost was nominated in other categories, as well: writing, music, directing - that sort of stuff. Of course that's wonderful, but for me it's more about the actors. Although I'll be happy if Lost wins any of these categories. As for Dexter, The Big Bang Theory and Nurse Jackie, I have no idea if they garnered any other nominations. If they did, I'll root for them, too!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Dexter has been adopted
Thank God, Dexter has been adopted. I went to the vet's office to get some insulin for Rosie and some flea stuff. I was planning to bring Dexter home with me if he was still there. After all, he'd been there for over two weeks. And being full-grown, I knew it would be hard to find a home for him. Most people want kittens. But Dexter was gone. Adopted! Hallelujah!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
What I'm looking forward to in Oregon:
- Getting to spend some quality time with mom
- Getting to spend some time with my brother, Ken, his wife, Hazel, and his son, Mark
- Getting away from the Texas heat
- Doing some cooking and eating some decent meals
- Improving my "self-"discipline
- State Income Tax
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