Netflix has an enemy ... Walletbuster. I would refer to it by its real name (Blockbuster), but let's face it ... they are out to get all of your money, period. I know, I worked there years ago (14 years, I think). My sister elected to try their mail service, which will save them $5000 annually on late fees. Despite Walletbuster's claim of "no more late fees", they have them. "Restocking fee" is a late fee. They were cheaper than Netflix, but I'll stick with Netflix. I'm happy with them and I use Netflix for the folks. I get three movies for myself annually.
I'm also happy not giving Walletbuster any money. Had it not been for my working there, Monkeyjack might have had $7000 in late fees. It's an exaggeration, but $1200 is in the ballpark. My sister and family are just as poor at returning rentals, spending more money in late fees than in rentals. Either I'm better at it, or because I worked there, I don't get movie late fees. I also don't rent from Walletbuster.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Walletbuster mailed to the wall
jackets included
As a simple observation, I saw three girls the other day walking a small dog. One girl had a sweatshirt. One had a jacket. The third had a t-shirt. It was a cooler/colder day. The dog was wearing a sweater. Of the four there, I credit the dog as the smart one.
Protecing four feet
While never setting foot in Alaska itself, PETA declared war on a church that did nothing wrong. Wow, PETA doing something stupid ... unheard of, right? Not gifted with the intelligence of a fish, a PETA internet scanner flagged a church as darkly evil and worhty of hostility. Only when somebody actually found out that the criteria for bitching was set terribly low, did they mention that the church was in no danger from PETA people who couldn't protest in their homemade clothes. The others, in LL Bean wear weren't interested in Alaska trips in winter, so there was no protest whatsoever.
Reports note that the level for bitching has not been changed and it is still set at baiting hooks and feeding snakes as vile and cruelty to animals. It is this person's opinion that, while the heart is in right place, sadly the brain didn't tag along with too many of the PETA and Greenpeace group.
Trivial ability
In making cover letters and resume's I feel that I must trivialize much of my experience and life. When I read them, I see that I excel at nothing and dabble in trivial skills. Damnit! I'm not so little, so replacable. In the end, "I color real good" doesn't sell, and I don't know what does. Clearly, getting the right paper to the right person at the right time is what matters, but how does it happen?
I have applied many different places, got some phone calls and have little to show. How do I properly convey what makes me important and valuable? What can I write to point out that I am nono-too-shabby at quickly assessing people (decades of practice), am perpetually thinking and revising, scrutinize everything, finding errors quickly? I create and analyze. I improve work and reason out what I don't know, rearching what I can.
I could write a book of me, but I have to put it to a few paragraphs and hope the message in the bottle makes it.
So, still, desserted on a desert isle, I put messages in bottles to employers, "help me", "save me", "hire me"!
Double my pleasure, triple my bill
Most wireless phone services have upgrade packages, Verizon is the same. I got the Christmas book of toys from Verizon. I could, as they suggest, double my pleasure with a new phone and more hours for about triple the monthly pay. Gosh, that's so tempting, but I'll pass.
I saw a neat little ditty that would suit me well, but ... to get it it will triple or quadruple my monthly bill. I say, "forget that!" What bugs me is that the posted rate is different than the monthly bill without overages. There is the "connection fee", "wireless fee", "services package fee", phone insurance, applicable taxes, all adding to $10 to $20 on top of the rate you agreed to pay. Now, if you get ring tones, you are paying at least $24 annually to have that feature, as well as the fee for each ring tone.
They might as well have the Loch Ness Monster tax and the Katrina distater annuity and September 11th recovery fee for what the other fees are. I should be paying $40 monthly, but I'm not. Each month is $52 after all fees and taxes, despite the fact that I don't have any roaming, out of area or overages.
I'm seriously debating dropping Verizon, as the calls often do to me and going with a company with rollover minutes and other features. The Cingular/Sprint any 5 people free is a stupid gimmick. Only five people ... that's not a benefit. I have a month to figure it out and so I shall.
She's got a secret she won't tell
My neice got a kitten recently and named it, "Secret". The large mixed-breed dog didn't much want it there, but after a week, the pets were fine with each other. Secret is interesting as much of the family is allergic to cats, but so far -- no major situations. The eldest boy has asthma and it was a great danger for my sister to allow the cat there. For this, I am disappointed in her. God willing, it will be okay.
Secret made himself known to my brother-in-law by sneaking toward him and standing on his shoulder. With a meow to his face, the cat became family to all. Now secret, isn't a secret, but a gift. My neice had a very difficult time dealing with the change of her sister in college. It is the longest the two have ever been apart. They shared a room for all of her life. The kitten is a gift, while her sister isn't there.
Soon, I expect, a menagerie of more critters including a snake that my asthmatic nephew wishes to have. My sister won't allow tarantulas, though two boys do want them.
My sister knows that three other kittens from the litter are not yet placed, insisting that the folks could have one -- they declined repeatedly. It isn't fair to the cat.
It would be out of the theater in a weekend
I got an email from someplace. I sometimes get job spam on my less current email, but I thought, maybe this is a possibility. I went to the text link (html not activated). It was a presentation with shoddy, piss-poor illegible graphics and a sloppy, ill-prepared podcast. I was listening for minutes, sometimes going back to the graphics, often just listening. It made an interesting comment, which lead up to (2 minutes later) the name of the company. It's tidbit of trivia was: The US has 6 percent of the world's population and 70 percent of the world's attorneys.
It was the company of pre-paid legal. I remember that I got that one year as Monkeyjack was selling it. I found that I didn't use it and I wisely put the charge on a credit card that expired anyway. What a waste. Granted, they had no footwork or phone call to make, but it was simply terrible.
I doubt seriously that many people would be enticed by the thing. I killed it when they said the name. Some of the stuff was geared to media-hyped fear of identity theft -- like they could help you with that. First: prove who you are. Second: identify that which is your and that which isnt'. Pay for it all and there you have it. Their schtick -- more manhours available to their team. Generally though, the attorneys don't do squat, but rather paralegals do the bulk of it.
I give the whole big pie a fat "F", as in 'bugger off.
Boom shuckalucka Boom shuckalucka
Well, I think I'm eating less, because I lost around 4 pounds. I applied for a job that is physically demanding -- hopefully getting a more thinking job -- higher monkey. If I get the job, I will quickly drop down to my "fighting weight" of 150. I got notices of "We want you; we need you, but there ain't no way in the world we're gonna pay you. Now don't be sad, 'cause two out of three ain't bad."+ I recently saw a woman in the area walking her dog. She had gastrointentinal bypass surgery. Yikes! I hope that I never need that! She is much lighter, as hers was medically necessary (if nothing else has worked over a decade, it is time to do something drastic to save yourself).
I always think that I will start and continue a regular exercise regimate, but I don't. I'll do two or three days, then nothing. Perhaps this winter I will continue one. Starting is easy ... continuing is the hard part.
+ "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" by Meatloaf
turn downs
MSDS (Southwest Allen County Schools System) declined to hire me. After much deliberation, we went with the secretary with the biggest... I think you've heard the joke. Actuallly, I was applying for a different position, but hey -- I tried, but perhaps lacked the experience they were seeking.
"I have tried to be meek, I have tried to be mild"+, I have applied to nearly every plausible position, but little has happened. "What I got back didn't live long, thankfully."++
+ "Man's Too Strong", by Dire Straits
++ Star Trek Motion Picture
making it last
Today, a typical seasonal change was the cleaning and prepping the lawnmower. I cleaned out the base, changed the spark plug, changed the oil, tightened ever screw and removed the blade. Generally, it is wise to sharpen the blade annually, but man, this blade was bent and dented. I don't remember mowing rocks, but I must have done it, as the blade was such a mess.
I have the snowblower ready and I think that I am, as far as I can tell, ready for winter. Last winter I got a 40# container of salt, so that is all set as well. Indiana has a lovely tendency to get rain then snow leaving layers of ice under it all.
Father did teach me that with care and maintenance, a tool or car, can last a much longer time. His old station wagon of the 70s lasted 12 years in his hands and another 4 in family's hands -- not as much care. Being a handy man is handy ... a skill that was sadly not passed on to me. I am a tinker, but not a mechanic and not a toymaker.
Santa's List
I would put on the wish list: peace and job, but job is first right now.
I'm selfish and naughty.
They just wanna have a festival
While the upside-down tree isn't for everone, the decorated trees are for most people's enjoyment. Most notable was the peace tree, though not as pretty as some of the others. The family has missed it a couple of years and it's nice to see it again this year. Mum had a good deal of walking -- good for her. I was really less interested in the trees and more interested in the theater itself, have decades of character.
The display included a Santa and gift shop, but mostly trees and gawkers. There were performances by local groups, but we didn't stop to watch them. They were kids' groups from various places.
After the festival of trees and $3 parking (unlimited), we went to Aspen Coffee and had drinks. They are still pricey but less than Starbucks. We droppped off the family at their house and returned. It was a good night for all, I think.
Thanksgiving
So, here's the family about and around, after eating lots of food for Thanksgiving.
We played Imagine If... and later Tripoly. Since the folks had not seen Cars, they watched that. I had seen it and saw bits here and there.
I chatted a bit with Jim while he was drawing deer on his drawing pad. He had drawn a scene before, but was adapting this one to have the father watching the fawn.
In all, we had a good time, ate lots and the girls, loved that Grandma brought over a gallon of homemade orange sauce -- consumed nearly like soup.
For family, I am quite thankful.
