Check out David Bowie album Let's Dance. 1983. I think that we we pretty cool then. This is a cool album. I have it on vinyl and cassette. But you can catch it on You Tube.
Also check out Billie Idol . It's a rocker too.
My grandfather that was born in 1900 got a kick out of both! The sax I guess.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
David Bowie Let's Dance
Check out David Bowie album Let's Dance. 1983. I think that we we pretty cool then. This is a cool album. I have it on vinyl and cassette. But you can catch it on You Tube.
Also check out Billie Idol . It's a rocker too.
My grandfather that was born in 1900 got a kick out of both! The sax I guess.
Also check out Billie Idol . It's a rocker too.
My grandfather that was born in 1900 got a kick out of both! The sax I guess.
Work Shoe Experiment
A while ago I posted about work shoes. A new experiment is under way now. I have bought the lowest line shoes available. One pair from Payless. The other from Shoes For Crews. At a thirty percent discount. Making them both the same price. Except for the shipping on the Shoes For Crews.
So what we are doing here is to decide if it is worth the extra money to buy high priced shoes. This experiment will take some time.
These are cheap shoes and are made of vinyl instead of leather. We will see how they work.
So what we are doing here is to decide if it is worth the extra money to buy high priced shoes. This experiment will take some time.
These are cheap shoes and are made of vinyl instead of leather. We will see how they work.
Work Shoe Experiment
A while ago I posted about work shoes. A new experiment is under way now. I have bought the lowest line shoes available. One pair from Payless. The other from Shoes For Crews. At a thirty percent discount. Making them both the same price. Except for the shipping on the Shoes For Crews.
So what we are doing here is to decide if it is worth the extra money to buy high priced shoes. This experiment will take some time.
These are cheap shoes and are made of vinyl instead of leather. We will see how they work.
So what we are doing here is to decide if it is worth the extra money to buy high priced shoes. This experiment will take some time.
These are cheap shoes and are made of vinyl instead of leather. We will see how they work.
Retail vs Big Box Store vs Discount Grocery Shopping
A lot of my posts have to do with groceries and food. Food is after all the main thing. We will talk about retail, big box and discount groceries.
First let's talk about retail grocery stores. I work at a retail grocery store. We are expected to have everything everyone wants. Also to provide all the service that the customer wants and needs. A retail grocery has a wider selection of products. Providing carry out service. Custom service and all the things that people remember about the good old days. The customer actually has someone to talk to with their concerns and wants. Retail stores have all the name brands. Most have their own house brands. From personal experience I have found that my store's house brands are as good as any name brands. Most items are priced higher than box stores and discount groceries. But most customers that come into the store know that anyway and are not price oriented as others. They come to the store to get what they want and do not care about the cost. Our house brand canned vegetables are seventy-five cents a can. Name brands over a dollar. But if you are in a position to pay for what you want we are your store. The quality of our meats are the best. You suffer if you go to big box and discount. The shrink is greater at a retail store. Shrink means food disposed of or waste as they generally have a higher standard of freshness. I know that I have to throw out a lot of good food just because it is "out of date". As the old saying goes. You get what you pay for. Also the retail store can be a social event.
Now we go to the big box stores. They decided to get into the grocery business about twenty years ago. They would have a few items that everyone used. Then they expanded. They started featuring a few name brands at a low price to get you into the store. Big Boxes are attractive as they have about everything that you need,one stop shopping! As in addition to food you can get clothing, hardware, automotive, garden and just about everything else. Albeit, not the best quality or selection. But decent and available. Something is better then nothing. In the grocery department the meat usually arrives to the store prepackaged. Cuts down on labor and the need for a skilled meat person or persons. Just need someone to carry it out to the coolers. No custom cuts. Just pick out what you want. My experience with Walmart is that the meat is pretty good. The produce is OK too. Maybe not all the variety of a dedicated retail grocery. But the basics. I have found that the shelf life of produce and milk to be longer from the retail store I work at. The milk from my store lasts even past the date. Not sometimes from the big box. Obviously the selection at a big box is limited. They used to have a lot of products of their own label. Great Value. I see that they are slowly phasing them out. As for as prices go their prices are higher now then when the economic downturn accrued in 2008. A lot of people who would not shop at a big box for groceries but as the economy continued to list it became fashionable. As everyone was into saving money. As a result my retail store dropped the price on a lot of staples. Of their house brand. Narrowing the difference of staple prices on house brands in an effort to keep customers. While the box stores capitalized on the trend to save money and raised their prices. The retail stores have to maintain a level of service that the box store is not expected to have.
Then we have the discount groceries. The Aldi's and Save a Lots. These are the no frill and basic markets. When I lived in Indiana I had a Save a Lot between home and work. I used to shop there. No name brands to speak of. Unless they were short dated or damaged. Mostly generic name products. But some OK. Limited selection. No real departments. Just put and take. On an experimental shopping visit I went to Aldi. I shopped at Aldi in Indiana in the 1990s. There was one close to home and I liked the products. When Aldi came to the Kentucana market in 1992 I interviewed with them for an assistant store manager position. The interviewer explained to me that there are only one or two manufacturers. of any given product and that all their products and made under custom label for Aldi under contract. Example. Hunts and Heinz make ketchup. So chances are one of these producers are making their ketchup. You get the point. So this is a good place to get staple items. I have found an average of fifty cents less per product then at my retail store. Sometimes as high as a dollar. So if you buy fifty items you could potentially save twenty five dollars. The meat area is iffy at best. You have to get a larger portion then you may want. It is hard to mess up pork or chicken. But the beef sirloin steak I have purchased turned out to be a laminate of steakums. Falling apart in layers as I slow cooked it in an iron skillet on the stove. Still tasted OK anyway. The vegetables are less expensive but again short dated. So there are pluses and minuses for discount grocery shopping. It really depends on the product.
All in all a mixture or hybrid shopping plan will get you the best results.
although when you take in the time and effort involved in this process it my not be worth the time. For me it is a twenty mile round trip to the discount grocery. A six mile trip to the big box. All of which involve the use of an automobile. Also time. If I just get what I need from the retail store that I work at I can bring things home daily in the backpack on a bicycle. Which offsets the hassle of getting into a car to go somewhere. I do not need to question the quality. I have everything available.
Most people use their car everyday all the time and do not think about it. It is an event for me to start the car. So being in a situation that I can get by without driving. I am most likely better off buying where I work and using the house brands. How about you.
First let's talk about retail grocery stores. I work at a retail grocery store. We are expected to have everything everyone wants. Also to provide all the service that the customer wants and needs. A retail grocery has a wider selection of products. Providing carry out service. Custom service and all the things that people remember about the good old days. The customer actually has someone to talk to with their concerns and wants. Retail stores have all the name brands. Most have their own house brands. From personal experience I have found that my store's house brands are as good as any name brands. Most items are priced higher than box stores and discount groceries. But most customers that come into the store know that anyway and are not price oriented as others. They come to the store to get what they want and do not care about the cost. Our house brand canned vegetables are seventy-five cents a can. Name brands over a dollar. But if you are in a position to pay for what you want we are your store. The quality of our meats are the best. You suffer if you go to big box and discount. The shrink is greater at a retail store. Shrink means food disposed of or waste as they generally have a higher standard of freshness. I know that I have to throw out a lot of good food just because it is "out of date". As the old saying goes. You get what you pay for. Also the retail store can be a social event.
Now we go to the big box stores. They decided to get into the grocery business about twenty years ago. They would have a few items that everyone used. Then they expanded. They started featuring a few name brands at a low price to get you into the store. Big Boxes are attractive as they have about everything that you need,one stop shopping! As in addition to food you can get clothing, hardware, automotive, garden and just about everything else. Albeit, not the best quality or selection. But decent and available. Something is better then nothing. In the grocery department the meat usually arrives to the store prepackaged. Cuts down on labor and the need for a skilled meat person or persons. Just need someone to carry it out to the coolers. No custom cuts. Just pick out what you want. My experience with Walmart is that the meat is pretty good. The produce is OK too. Maybe not all the variety of a dedicated retail grocery. But the basics. I have found that the shelf life of produce and milk to be longer from the retail store I work at. The milk from my store lasts even past the date. Not sometimes from the big box. Obviously the selection at a big box is limited. They used to have a lot of products of their own label. Great Value. I see that they are slowly phasing them out. As for as prices go their prices are higher now then when the economic downturn accrued in 2008. A lot of people who would not shop at a big box for groceries but as the economy continued to list it became fashionable. As everyone was into saving money. As a result my retail store dropped the price on a lot of staples. Of their house brand. Narrowing the difference of staple prices on house brands in an effort to keep customers. While the box stores capitalized on the trend to save money and raised their prices. The retail stores have to maintain a level of service that the box store is not expected to have.
Then we have the discount groceries. The Aldi's and Save a Lots. These are the no frill and basic markets. When I lived in Indiana I had a Save a Lot between home and work. I used to shop there. No name brands to speak of. Unless they were short dated or damaged. Mostly generic name products. But some OK. Limited selection. No real departments. Just put and take. On an experimental shopping visit I went to Aldi. I shopped at Aldi in Indiana in the 1990s. There was one close to home and I liked the products. When Aldi came to the Kentucana market in 1992 I interviewed with them for an assistant store manager position. The interviewer explained to me that there are only one or two manufacturers. of any given product and that all their products and made under custom label for Aldi under contract. Example. Hunts and Heinz make ketchup. So chances are one of these producers are making their ketchup. You get the point. So this is a good place to get staple items. I have found an average of fifty cents less per product then at my retail store. Sometimes as high as a dollar. So if you buy fifty items you could potentially save twenty five dollars. The meat area is iffy at best. You have to get a larger portion then you may want. It is hard to mess up pork or chicken. But the beef sirloin steak I have purchased turned out to be a laminate of steakums. Falling apart in layers as I slow cooked it in an iron skillet on the stove. Still tasted OK anyway. The vegetables are less expensive but again short dated. So there are pluses and minuses for discount grocery shopping. It really depends on the product.
All in all a mixture or hybrid shopping plan will get you the best results.
although when you take in the time and effort involved in this process it my not be worth the time. For me it is a twenty mile round trip to the discount grocery. A six mile trip to the big box. All of which involve the use of an automobile. Also time. If I just get what I need from the retail store that I work at I can bring things home daily in the backpack on a bicycle. Which offsets the hassle of getting into a car to go somewhere. I do not need to question the quality. I have everything available.
Most people use their car everyday all the time and do not think about it. It is an event for me to start the car. So being in a situation that I can get by without driving. I am most likely better off buying where I work and using the house brands. How about you.
Retail vs Big Box Store vs Discount Grocery Shopping
A lot of my posts have to do with groceries and food. Food is after all the main thing. We will talk about retail, big box and discount groceries.
First let's talk about retail grocery stores. I work at a retail grocery store. We are expected to have everything everyone wants. Also to provide all the service that the customer wants and needs. A retail grocery has a wider selection of products. Providing carry out service. Custom service and all the things that people remember about the good old days. The customer actually has someone to talk to with their concerns and wants. Retail stores have all the name brands. Most have their own house brands. From personal experience I have found that my store's house brands are as good as any name brands. Most items are priced higher than box stores and discount groceries. But most customers that come into the store know that anyway and are not price oriented as others. They come to the store to get what they want and do not care about the cost. Our house brand canned vegetables are seventy-five cents a can. Name brands over a dollar. But if you are in a position to pay for what you want we are your store. The quality of our meats are the best. You suffer if you go to big box and discount. The shrink is greater at a retail store. Shrink means food disposed of or waste as they generally have a higher standard of freshness. I know that I have to throw out a lot of good food just because it is "out of date". As the old saying goes. You get what you pay for. Also the retail store can be a social event.
Now we go to the big box stores. They decided to get into the grocery business about twenty years ago. They would have a few items that everyone used. Then they expanded. They started featuring a few name brands at a low price to get you into the store. Big Boxes are attractive as they have about everything that you need,one stop shopping! As in addition to food you can get clothing, hardware, automotive, garden and just about everything else. Albeit, not the best quality or selection. But decent and available. Something is better then nothing. In the grocery department the meat usually arrives to the store prepackaged. Cuts down on labor and the need for a skilled meat person or persons. Just need someone to carry it out to the coolers. No custom cuts. Just pick out what you want. My experience with Walmart is that the meat is pretty good. The produce is OK too. Maybe not all the variety of a dedicated retail grocery. But the basics. I have found that the shelf life of produce and milk to be longer from the retail store I work at. The milk from my store lasts even past the date. Not sometimes from the big box. Obviously the selection at a big box is limited. They used to have a lot of products of their own label. Great Value. I see that they are slowly phasing them out. As for as prices go their prices are higher now then when the economic downturn accrued in 2008. A lot of people who would not shop at a big box for groceries but as the economy continued to list it became fashionable. As everyone was into saving money. As a result my retail store dropped the price on a lot of staples. Of their house brand. Narrowing the difference of staple prices on house brands in an effort to keep customers. While the box stores capitalized on the trend to save money and raised their prices. The retail stores have to maintain a level of service that the box store is not expected to have.
Then we have the discount groceries. The Aldi's and Save a Lots. These are the no frill and basic markets. When I lived in Indiana I had a Save a Lot between home and work. I used to shop there. No name brands to speak of. Unless they were short dated or damaged. Mostly generic name products. But some OK. Limited selection. No real departments. Just put and take. On an experimental shopping visit I went to Aldi. I shopped at Aldi in Indiana in the 1990s. There was one close to home and I liked the products. When Aldi came to the Kentucana market in 1992 I interviewed with them for an assistant store manager position. The interviewer explained to me that there are only one or two manufacturers. of any given product and that all their products and made under custom label for Aldi under contract. Example. Hunts and Heinz make ketchup. So chances are one of these producers are making their ketchup. You get the point. So this is a good place to get staple items. I have found an average of fifty cents less per product then at my retail store. Sometimes as high as a dollar. So if you buy fifty items you could potentially save twenty five dollars. The meat area is iffy at best. You have to get a larger portion then you may want. It is hard to mess up pork or chicken. But the beef sirloin steak I have purchased turned out to be a laminate of steakums. Falling apart in layers as I slow cooked it in an iron skillet on the stove. Still tasted OK anyway. The vegetables are less expensive but again short dated. So there are pluses and minuses for discount grocery shopping. It really depends on the product.
All in all a mixture or hybrid shopping plan will get you the best results.
although when you take in the time and effort involved in this process it my not be worth the time. For me it is a twenty mile round trip to the discount grocery. A six mile trip to the big box. All of which involve the use of an automobile. Also time. If I just get what I need from the retail store that I work at I can bring things home daily in the backpack on a bicycle. Which offsets the hassle of getting into a car to go somewhere. I do not need to question the quality. I have everything available.
Most people use their car everyday all the time and do not think about it. It is an event for me to start the car. So being in a situation that I can get by without driving. I am most likely better off buying where I work and using the house brands. How about you.
First let's talk about retail grocery stores. I work at a retail grocery store. We are expected to have everything everyone wants. Also to provide all the service that the customer wants and needs. A retail grocery has a wider selection of products. Providing carry out service. Custom service and all the things that people remember about the good old days. The customer actually has someone to talk to with their concerns and wants. Retail stores have all the name brands. Most have their own house brands. From personal experience I have found that my store's house brands are as good as any name brands. Most items are priced higher than box stores and discount groceries. But most customers that come into the store know that anyway and are not price oriented as others. They come to the store to get what they want and do not care about the cost. Our house brand canned vegetables are seventy-five cents a can. Name brands over a dollar. But if you are in a position to pay for what you want we are your store. The quality of our meats are the best. You suffer if you go to big box and discount. The shrink is greater at a retail store. Shrink means food disposed of or waste as they generally have a higher standard of freshness. I know that I have to throw out a lot of good food just because it is "out of date". As the old saying goes. You get what you pay for. Also the retail store can be a social event.
Now we go to the big box stores. They decided to get into the grocery business about twenty years ago. They would have a few items that everyone used. Then they expanded. They started featuring a few name brands at a low price to get you into the store. Big Boxes are attractive as they have about everything that you need,one stop shopping! As in addition to food you can get clothing, hardware, automotive, garden and just about everything else. Albeit, not the best quality or selection. But decent and available. Something is better then nothing. In the grocery department the meat usually arrives to the store prepackaged. Cuts down on labor and the need for a skilled meat person or persons. Just need someone to carry it out to the coolers. No custom cuts. Just pick out what you want. My experience with Walmart is that the meat is pretty good. The produce is OK too. Maybe not all the variety of a dedicated retail grocery. But the basics. I have found that the shelf life of produce and milk to be longer from the retail store I work at. The milk from my store lasts even past the date. Not sometimes from the big box. Obviously the selection at a big box is limited. They used to have a lot of products of their own label. Great Value. I see that they are slowly phasing them out. As for as prices go their prices are higher now then when the economic downturn accrued in 2008. A lot of people who would not shop at a big box for groceries but as the economy continued to list it became fashionable. As everyone was into saving money. As a result my retail store dropped the price on a lot of staples. Of their house brand. Narrowing the difference of staple prices on house brands in an effort to keep customers. While the box stores capitalized on the trend to save money and raised their prices. The retail stores have to maintain a level of service that the box store is not expected to have.
Then we have the discount groceries. The Aldi's and Save a Lots. These are the no frill and basic markets. When I lived in Indiana I had a Save a Lot between home and work. I used to shop there. No name brands to speak of. Unless they were short dated or damaged. Mostly generic name products. But some OK. Limited selection. No real departments. Just put and take. On an experimental shopping visit I went to Aldi. I shopped at Aldi in Indiana in the 1990s. There was one close to home and I liked the products. When Aldi came to the Kentucana market in 1992 I interviewed with them for an assistant store manager position. The interviewer explained to me that there are only one or two manufacturers. of any given product and that all their products and made under custom label for Aldi under contract. Example. Hunts and Heinz make ketchup. So chances are one of these producers are making their ketchup. You get the point. So this is a good place to get staple items. I have found an average of fifty cents less per product then at my retail store. Sometimes as high as a dollar. So if you buy fifty items you could potentially save twenty five dollars. The meat area is iffy at best. You have to get a larger portion then you may want. It is hard to mess up pork or chicken. But the beef sirloin steak I have purchased turned out to be a laminate of steakums. Falling apart in layers as I slow cooked it in an iron skillet on the stove. Still tasted OK anyway. The vegetables are less expensive but again short dated. So there are pluses and minuses for discount grocery shopping. It really depends on the product.
All in all a mixture or hybrid shopping plan will get you the best results.
although when you take in the time and effort involved in this process it my not be worth the time. For me it is a twenty mile round trip to the discount grocery. A six mile trip to the big box. All of which involve the use of an automobile. Also time. If I just get what I need from the retail store that I work at I can bring things home daily in the backpack on a bicycle. Which offsets the hassle of getting into a car to go somewhere. I do not need to question the quality. I have everything available.
Most people use their car everyday all the time and do not think about it. It is an event for me to start the car. So being in a situation that I can get by without driving. I am most likely better off buying where I work and using the house brands. How about you.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Taking A Break From Not Buying And Frugality
The last couple of months have caused me to spend more than I regularly would. I bought a lot of stuff I did not really need.
I bought bicycle wheels I could have done without. Tires too. Watch repair items. This will hopefully pay for itself. The thing is buying things you do not really need.
In March I was in a frantic search for a replacement of my computers as then were becoming obsolete. I got over that and now my ten year monitor is working on and off. So I have one ordered to replace it. Because one time it just may not come back on. As I have to have to start it several times to get it to come on. And other times it just works fine. Is it the screen or the computers visual drivers? If I get another screen the computer may be the fault. Not the screen. Who knows. Too late now as the other one is on the way. Then I will have a spare with the old one which is working today. Adding clutter. I was able to do a few things to extend the computers usefulness for now anyway. The first thing is to store anything that you feel you must have. Maybe on an external hard drive. Then go to system restore. You can generally restore your computer to a past date. Or restore it to the condition with which it came in from the box. Then you have to go to your add or delete programs and get rid of a lot of stuff that comes with new computers. The first thing I like to delete is the anti virus that was installed. Then blow out any other programs for internet and obsolete features such as Musicmatch and a sundry amount of others. At this time you should have already picked an anti virus of your choice. Try to pick the one which has the best rating with your operating system. At this time do not bother to update your search engine to Internet Explorer. If you use an older computer that came with Internet Explorer 6 or 7 and have updated to 8 it is a moot point. As a lot of websites are no longer supporting that program and will not update to Internet Explorer 9. Use Firefox or Google Chrome. You will have to add all your bookmarks and programs if you wish.
This week I had two pairs of work shoes blow out. Guess I need to buy new work shoes. Got to have them.
My toaster is acting up. It is twelve years old. My microwave is twelve years old too. But is still working at this juncture. So some time in the future I will have to spend money to replace these aging appliances. But in the meantime I will clean and try to maintain them. It will extend there usefulness. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But you do not know unless you try.
We all like to spend money. We all say that we like to save money. But when we say that we like to save money, do we really? I think deep down we will spend to the max. Everything we can. For immediate satisfaction. Fulfill your wants not your needs.
As a friend said to me lately, if you do not live a little you are just like a plant. But just do not push it to far and you should be OK.
I bought bicycle wheels I could have done without. Tires too. Watch repair items. This will hopefully pay for itself. The thing is buying things you do not really need.
In March I was in a frantic search for a replacement of my computers as then were becoming obsolete. I got over that and now my ten year monitor is working on and off. So I have one ordered to replace it. Because one time it just may not come back on. As I have to have to start it several times to get it to come on. And other times it just works fine. Is it the screen or the computers visual drivers? If I get another screen the computer may be the fault. Not the screen. Who knows. Too late now as the other one is on the way. Then I will have a spare with the old one which is working today. Adding clutter. I was able to do a few things to extend the computers usefulness for now anyway. The first thing is to store anything that you feel you must have. Maybe on an external hard drive. Then go to system restore. You can generally restore your computer to a past date. Or restore it to the condition with which it came in from the box. Then you have to go to your add or delete programs and get rid of a lot of stuff that comes with new computers. The first thing I like to delete is the anti virus that was installed. Then blow out any other programs for internet and obsolete features such as Musicmatch and a sundry amount of others. At this time you should have already picked an anti virus of your choice. Try to pick the one which has the best rating with your operating system. At this time do not bother to update your search engine to Internet Explorer. If you use an older computer that came with Internet Explorer 6 or 7 and have updated to 8 it is a moot point. As a lot of websites are no longer supporting that program and will not update to Internet Explorer 9. Use Firefox or Google Chrome. You will have to add all your bookmarks and programs if you wish.
This week I had two pairs of work shoes blow out. Guess I need to buy new work shoes. Got to have them.
My toaster is acting up. It is twelve years old. My microwave is twelve years old too. But is still working at this juncture. So some time in the future I will have to spend money to replace these aging appliances. But in the meantime I will clean and try to maintain them. It will extend there usefulness. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But you do not know unless you try.
We all like to spend money. We all say that we like to save money. But when we say that we like to save money, do we really? I think deep down we will spend to the max. Everything we can. For immediate satisfaction. Fulfill your wants not your needs.
As a friend said to me lately, if you do not live a little you are just like a plant. But just do not push it to far and you should be OK.
Taking A Break From Not Buying And Frugality
The last couple of months have caused me to spend more than I regularly would. I bought a lot of stuff I did not really need.
I bought bicycle wheels I could have done without. Tires too. Watch repair items. This will hopefully pay for itself. The thing is buying things you do not really need.
In March I was in a frantic search for a replacement of my computers as then were becoming obsolete. I got over that and now my ten year monitor is working on and off. So I have one ordered to replace it. Because one time it just may not come back on. As I have to have to start it several times to get it to come on. And other times it just works fine. Is it the screen or the computers visual drivers? If I get another screen the computer may be the fault. Not the screen. Who knows. Too late now as the other one is on the way. Then I will have a spare with the old one which is working today. Adding clutter. I was able to do a few things to extend the computers usefulness for now anyway. The first thing is to store anything that you feel you must have. Maybe on an external hard drive. Then go to system restore. You can generally restore your computer to a past date. Or restore it to the condition with which it came in from the box. Then you have to go to your add or delete programs and get rid of a lot of stuff that comes with new computers. The first thing I like to delete is the anti virus that was installed. Then blow out any other programs for internet and obsolete features such as Musicmatch and a sundry amount of others. At this time you should have already picked an anti virus of your choice. Try to pick the one which has the best rating with your operating system. At this time do not bother to update your search engine to Internet Explorer. If you use an older computer that came with Internet Explorer 6 or 7 and have updated to 8 it is a moot point. As a lot of websites are no longer supporting that program and will not update to Internet Explorer 9. Use Firefox or Google Chrome. You will have to add all your bookmarks and programs if you wish.
This week I had two pairs of work shoes blow out. Guess I need to buy new work shoes. Got to have them.
My toaster is acting up. It is twelve years old. My microwave is twelve years old too. But is still working at this juncture. So some time in the future I will have to spend money to replace these aging appliances. But in the meantime I will clean and try to maintain them. It will extend there usefulness. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But you do not know unless you try.
We all like to spend money. We all say that we like to save money. But when we say that we like to save money, do we really? I think deep down we will spend to the max. Everything we can. For immediate satisfaction. Fulfill your wants not your needs.
As a friend said to me lately, if you do not live a little you are just like a plant. But just do not push it to far and you should be OK.
I bought bicycle wheels I could have done without. Tires too. Watch repair items. This will hopefully pay for itself. The thing is buying things you do not really need.
In March I was in a frantic search for a replacement of my computers as then were becoming obsolete. I got over that and now my ten year monitor is working on and off. So I have one ordered to replace it. Because one time it just may not come back on. As I have to have to start it several times to get it to come on. And other times it just works fine. Is it the screen or the computers visual drivers? If I get another screen the computer may be the fault. Not the screen. Who knows. Too late now as the other one is on the way. Then I will have a spare with the old one which is working today. Adding clutter. I was able to do a few things to extend the computers usefulness for now anyway. The first thing is to store anything that you feel you must have. Maybe on an external hard drive. Then go to system restore. You can generally restore your computer to a past date. Or restore it to the condition with which it came in from the box. Then you have to go to your add or delete programs and get rid of a lot of stuff that comes with new computers. The first thing I like to delete is the anti virus that was installed. Then blow out any other programs for internet and obsolete features such as Musicmatch and a sundry amount of others. At this time you should have already picked an anti virus of your choice. Try to pick the one which has the best rating with your operating system. At this time do not bother to update your search engine to Internet Explorer. If you use an older computer that came with Internet Explorer 6 or 7 and have updated to 8 it is a moot point. As a lot of websites are no longer supporting that program and will not update to Internet Explorer 9. Use Firefox or Google Chrome. You will have to add all your bookmarks and programs if you wish.
This week I had two pairs of work shoes blow out. Guess I need to buy new work shoes. Got to have them.
My toaster is acting up. It is twelve years old. My microwave is twelve years old too. But is still working at this juncture. So some time in the future I will have to spend money to replace these aging appliances. But in the meantime I will clean and try to maintain them. It will extend there usefulness. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But you do not know unless you try.
We all like to spend money. We all say that we like to save money. But when we say that we like to save money, do we really? I think deep down we will spend to the max. Everything we can. For immediate satisfaction. Fulfill your wants not your needs.
As a friend said to me lately, if you do not live a little you are just like a plant. But just do not push it to far and you should be OK.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Omega Man
There is an old movie called the Omega Man. It was made in 1972. It starred Charlton Heston. He was making a lot of science fiction movies then.
it starts out with him driving down a freeway. But soon you realize there are no other cars. It seems he it the last regular human (whatever that is!) on Earth. Or at least in New York City.
He lives in this fortress like home in town. Like the original man cave. All the bells and whistles. Although at night he is attacked by these zombie like people that got some kind of virus and cannot stand the daylight.
The point being here is that I feel like the Omega Man. I have all the toys (within reason). For the most part things that wouldn't be worth anything to most people. But however keep me occupied. And out of trouble.
I used to be a out and about person. See and be seen. It would usually just cost a lot of trouble and result in grief. But it was fun I guess. Maybe just a learning experience. But if you are going to learn, you have to remember the bad with the good. That is learning.
Abraham Lincoln said believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. It is bad, but you have to think this way. When most people approach you they have a motive. What can I get from this person? We all do it. It is just being human. Give and take. I feel that I get put together every day. Put together is an old Hoosier term for being used. But if you are not being used you are not living. That's just the way it goes.
Being the Omega Man is kind of spooky. You think that you are normal. When in reality the zombies are the norm. So if you think outside the box you may be an Omega Man too. A freak to the normal zombies.
So if you are frugal. Ride a bicycle to commute. Try to do your best job (most of the time). Don't fall for all the new fads. Are slightly iconoclastic. Do not excel in office politics (read brown nose). Believe everything you hear on the news. Question normal thinking. You may be an Omega Man or Women.
The zombies may even hold you responsible for their condition. As you caused it. And then they will spend the rest of their time trying to get you. Even if in a subtle manner. Don't worry you will eventually find a way to cure the zombies and everything will be alright.
The next time you are at your library. Check to see if they have the Omega Man, Andromeda Strain and Soylent Green. They are pretty cool movies in that early seventies style. Again, check your library. I am sad to say my local library in Florida isn't quite the one I had in New Albany, Indiana. The one in New Albany had many newspapers, magazines and books. You could also borrow movies on VHS, disk and 16mm. They had music on cassettes, CDs and albums. You could even borrow pictures to hang on your wall!
At any rate, be and Omega Person.
it starts out with him driving down a freeway. But soon you realize there are no other cars. It seems he it the last regular human (whatever that is!) on Earth. Or at least in New York City.
He lives in this fortress like home in town. Like the original man cave. All the bells and whistles. Although at night he is attacked by these zombie like people that got some kind of virus and cannot stand the daylight.
The point being here is that I feel like the Omega Man. I have all the toys (within reason). For the most part things that wouldn't be worth anything to most people. But however keep me occupied. And out of trouble.
I used to be a out and about person. See and be seen. It would usually just cost a lot of trouble and result in grief. But it was fun I guess. Maybe just a learning experience. But if you are going to learn, you have to remember the bad with the good. That is learning.
Abraham Lincoln said believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. It is bad, but you have to think this way. When most people approach you they have a motive. What can I get from this person? We all do it. It is just being human. Give and take. I feel that I get put together every day. Put together is an old Hoosier term for being used. But if you are not being used you are not living. That's just the way it goes.
Being the Omega Man is kind of spooky. You think that you are normal. When in reality the zombies are the norm. So if you think outside the box you may be an Omega Man too. A freak to the normal zombies.
So if you are frugal. Ride a bicycle to commute. Try to do your best job (most of the time). Don't fall for all the new fads. Are slightly iconoclastic. Do not excel in office politics (read brown nose). Believe everything you hear on the news. Question normal thinking. You may be an Omega Man or Women.
The zombies may even hold you responsible for their condition. As you caused it. And then they will spend the rest of their time trying to get you. Even if in a subtle manner. Don't worry you will eventually find a way to cure the zombies and everything will be alright.
The next time you are at your library. Check to see if they have the Omega Man, Andromeda Strain and Soylent Green. They are pretty cool movies in that early seventies style. Again, check your library. I am sad to say my local library in Florida isn't quite the one I had in New Albany, Indiana. The one in New Albany had many newspapers, magazines and books. You could also borrow movies on VHS, disk and 16mm. They had music on cassettes, CDs and albums. You could even borrow pictures to hang on your wall!
At any rate, be and Omega Person.
Omega Man
There is an old movie called the Omega Man. It was made in 1972. It starred Charlton Heston. He was making a lot of science fiction movies then.
it starts out with him driving down a freeway. But soon you realize there are no other cars. It seems he it the last regular human (whatever that is!) on Earth. Or at least in New York City.
He lives in this fortress like home in town. Like the original man cave. All the bells and whistles. Although at night he is attacked by these zombie like people that got some kind of virus and cannot stand the daylight.
The point being here is that I feel like the Omega Man. I have all the toys (within reason). For the most part things that wouldn't be worth anything to most people. But however keep me occupied. And out of trouble.
I used to be a out and about person. See and be seen. It would usually just cost a lot of trouble and result in grief. But it was fun I guess. Maybe just a learning experience. But if you are going to learn, you have to remember the bad with the good. That is learning.
Abraham Lincoln said believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. It is bad, but you have to think this way. When most people approach you they have a motive. What can I get from this person? We all do it. It is just being human. Give and take. I feel that I get put together every day. Put together is an old Hoosier term for being used. But if you are not being used you are not living. That's just the way it goes.
Being the Omega Man is kind of spooky. You think that you are normal. When in reality the zombies are the norm. So if you think outside the box you may be an Omega Man too. A freak to the normal zombies.
So if you are frugal. Ride a bicycle to commute. Try to do your best job (most of the time). Don't fall for all the new fads. Are slightly iconoclastic. Do not excel in office politics (read brown nose). Believe everything you hear on the news. Question normal thinking. You may be an Omega Man or Women.
The zombies may even hold you responsible for their condition. As you caused it. And then they will spend the rest of their time trying to get you. Even if in a subtle manner. Don't worry you will eventually find a way to cure the zombies and everything will be alright.
The next time you are at your library. Check to see if they have the Omega Man, Andromeda Strain and Soylent Green. They are pretty cool movies in that early seventies style. Again, check your library. I am sad to say my local library in Florida isn't quite the one I had in New Albany, Indiana. The one in New Albany had many newspapers, magazines and books. You could also borrow movies on VHS, disk and 16mm. They had music on cassettes, CDs and albums. You could even borrow pictures to hang on your wall!
At any rate, be and Omega Person.
it starts out with him driving down a freeway. But soon you realize there are no other cars. It seems he it the last regular human (whatever that is!) on Earth. Or at least in New York City.
He lives in this fortress like home in town. Like the original man cave. All the bells and whistles. Although at night he is attacked by these zombie like people that got some kind of virus and cannot stand the daylight.
The point being here is that I feel like the Omega Man. I have all the toys (within reason). For the most part things that wouldn't be worth anything to most people. But however keep me occupied. And out of trouble.
I used to be a out and about person. See and be seen. It would usually just cost a lot of trouble and result in grief. But it was fun I guess. Maybe just a learning experience. But if you are going to learn, you have to remember the bad with the good. That is learning.
Abraham Lincoln said believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. It is bad, but you have to think this way. When most people approach you they have a motive. What can I get from this person? We all do it. It is just being human. Give and take. I feel that I get put together every day. Put together is an old Hoosier term for being used. But if you are not being used you are not living. That's just the way it goes.
Being the Omega Man is kind of spooky. You think that you are normal. When in reality the zombies are the norm. So if you think outside the box you may be an Omega Man too. A freak to the normal zombies.
So if you are frugal. Ride a bicycle to commute. Try to do your best job (most of the time). Don't fall for all the new fads. Are slightly iconoclastic. Do not excel in office politics (read brown nose). Believe everything you hear on the news. Question normal thinking. You may be an Omega Man or Women.
The zombies may even hold you responsible for their condition. As you caused it. And then they will spend the rest of their time trying to get you. Even if in a subtle manner. Don't worry you will eventually find a way to cure the zombies and everything will be alright.
The next time you are at your library. Check to see if they have the Omega Man, Andromeda Strain and Soylent Green. They are pretty cool movies in that early seventies style. Again, check your library. I am sad to say my local library in Florida isn't quite the one I had in New Albany, Indiana. The one in New Albany had many newspapers, magazines and books. You could also borrow movies on VHS, disk and 16mm. They had music on cassettes, CDs and albums. You could even borrow pictures to hang on your wall!
At any rate, be and Omega Person.
Monday, July 14, 2014
PBS Travel Shows
As I have mentioned I watch a lot of broadcast TV. Many of which are on PBS. They have many cooking and travel shows. Even old favorites like This Old House and Victory Garden.
Watching the travel shows I am trying to figure out how the European countries get by. For the most part the people are just sitting around in parks, walking the streets or in restaurants. Do they all have their own business, winery, and restaurants? You never see any industry. Maybe a brewery. Maybe they just do not show the industry. But people have to work don't they? Or do they all just work in each others shops and restaurants? Are they all able to get by off of tourists?
Eighteen of the 28 European Union (EU) use the Euro for currency. Today a Euro is worth $1.36. This lends some stability to their money and also makes transactions between countries easier. Although a lot of European countries use their traditional currencies. There are 25 countries that use their traditional currencies. i mistakenly thought that almost all European countries used the Euro. I also did mot realize there are so many countries in Europe. Almost as many states as there are in the United States.
When I look at the shows about the countries most people look like they are living a good life. I have also stumbled upon an article about the most happiest countries in the world. Most were northern European. Except for Canada which had the highest average expendable incomes. Canada was the highest and the rest averaged out at about $25,000. So I guess money isn't everything. These folks in these countries actually save money too.
These countries have high taxes and social medicine. They have a good infrastructure. Good public transportation. The people also ride bicycles for transportation. They also seem to be more social. A key thing here is that they have few personal possessions. They have a place to sleep. A place to work. A place to hang out in between. Do you ever notice any new subdivisions going up in Europe? All you see are old houses.
Maybe the United States economy is headed that way. How many people that you know work at a big major factory? Not many I am sure. Most work in restaurants, retail or service type businesses. I work in retail and can't rally say that anyone I work with isn't underemployed. Even the young ones who thirty or forty years ago could have went out and got some kind of manufacturing or mining job. They then went out and bought a car, got married and bought a house. And needed appliances.
Now most of them are living with relatives and doing the best they can to just get by.Some are in college. Hoping to find something in the future. Others have pretty much just given in to the way things are. At least they are doing something and trying.
So I guess we are moving into that kind of economy. The sharks are working hard right now to maximize their income. Because before long there will not be any honey holes to draw from. The older generation has just about played out. No more land of milk and honey. So there will not be anything to pull from.
At best what I am getting at is that you better figure out how to get by on what you are making. Because unless you come up with the next best thing. This is your thing,
So I am happy for the folks who are still remaining on the old way. Your children will likely have a much tougher road to how. They will no longer to but new houses. Be happy to have one that has been around for a while.
Are we moving to a European lifestyle? I hope at best!
Watching the travel shows I am trying to figure out how the European countries get by. For the most part the people are just sitting around in parks, walking the streets or in restaurants. Do they all have their own business, winery, and restaurants? You never see any industry. Maybe a brewery. Maybe they just do not show the industry. But people have to work don't they? Or do they all just work in each others shops and restaurants? Are they all able to get by off of tourists?
Eighteen of the 28 European Union (EU) use the Euro for currency. Today a Euro is worth $1.36. This lends some stability to their money and also makes transactions between countries easier. Although a lot of European countries use their traditional currencies. There are 25 countries that use their traditional currencies. i mistakenly thought that almost all European countries used the Euro. I also did mot realize there are so many countries in Europe. Almost as many states as there are in the United States.
When I look at the shows about the countries most people look like they are living a good life. I have also stumbled upon an article about the most happiest countries in the world. Most were northern European. Except for Canada which had the highest average expendable incomes. Canada was the highest and the rest averaged out at about $25,000. So I guess money isn't everything. These folks in these countries actually save money too.
These countries have high taxes and social medicine. They have a good infrastructure. Good public transportation. The people also ride bicycles for transportation. They also seem to be more social. A key thing here is that they have few personal possessions. They have a place to sleep. A place to work. A place to hang out in between. Do you ever notice any new subdivisions going up in Europe? All you see are old houses.
Maybe the United States economy is headed that way. How many people that you know work at a big major factory? Not many I am sure. Most work in restaurants, retail or service type businesses. I work in retail and can't rally say that anyone I work with isn't underemployed. Even the young ones who thirty or forty years ago could have went out and got some kind of manufacturing or mining job. They then went out and bought a car, got married and bought a house. And needed appliances.
Now most of them are living with relatives and doing the best they can to just get by.Some are in college. Hoping to find something in the future. Others have pretty much just given in to the way things are. At least they are doing something and trying.
So I guess we are moving into that kind of economy. The sharks are working hard right now to maximize their income. Because before long there will not be any honey holes to draw from. The older generation has just about played out. No more land of milk and honey. So there will not be anything to pull from.
At best what I am getting at is that you better figure out how to get by on what you are making. Because unless you come up with the next best thing. This is your thing,
So I am happy for the folks who are still remaining on the old way. Your children will likely have a much tougher road to how. They will no longer to but new houses. Be happy to have one that has been around for a while.
Are we moving to a European lifestyle? I hope at best!
PBS Travel Shows
As I have mentioned I watch a lot of broadcast TV. Many of which are on PBS. They have many cooking and travel shows. Even old favorites like This Old House and Victory Garden.
Watching the travel shows I am trying to figure out how the European countries get by. For the most part the people are just sitting around in parks, walking the streets or in restaurants. Do they all have their own business, winery, and restaurants? You never see any industry. Maybe a brewery. Maybe they just do not show the industry. But people have to work don't they? Or do they all just work in each others shops and restaurants? Are they all able to get by off of tourists?
Eighteen of the 28 European Union (EU) use the Euro for currency. Today a Euro is worth $1.36. This lends some stability to their money and also makes transactions between countries easier. Although a lot of European countries use their traditional currencies. There are 25 countries that use their traditional currencies. i mistakenly thought that almost all European countries used the Euro. I also did mot realize there are so many countries in Europe. Almost as many states as there are in the United States.
When I look at the shows about the countries most people look like they are living a good life. I have also stumbled upon an article about the most happiest countries in the world. Most were northern European. Except for Canada which had the highest average expendable incomes. Canada was the highest and the rest averaged out at about $25,000. So I guess money isn't everything. These folks in these countries actually save money too.
These countries have high taxes and social medicine. They have a good infrastructure. Good public transportation. The people also ride bicycles for transportation. They also seem to be more social. A key thing here is that they have few personal possessions. They have a place to sleep. A place to work. A place to hang out in between. Do you ever notice any new subdivisions going up in Europe? All you see are old houses.
Maybe the United States economy is headed that way. How many people that you know work at a big major factory? Not many I am sure. Most work in restaurants, retail or service type businesses. I work in retail and can't rally say that anyone I work with isn't underemployed. Even the young ones who thirty or forty years ago could have went out and got some kind of manufacturing or mining job. They then went out and bought a car, got married and bought a house. And needed appliances.
Now most of them are living with relatives and doing the best they can to just get by.Some are in college. Hoping to find something in the future. Others have pretty much just given in to the way things are. At least they are doing something and trying.
So I guess we are moving into that kind of economy. The sharks are working hard right now to maximize their income. Because before long there will not be any honey holes to draw from. The older generation has just about played out. No more land of milk and honey. So there will not be anything to pull from.
At best what I am getting at is that you better figure out how to get by on what you are making. Because unless you come up with the next best thing. This is your thing,
So I am happy for the folks who are still remaining on the old way. Your children will likely have a much tougher road to how. They will no longer to but new houses. Be happy to have one that has been around for a while.
Are we moving to a European lifestyle? I hope at best!
Watching the travel shows I am trying to figure out how the European countries get by. For the most part the people are just sitting around in parks, walking the streets or in restaurants. Do they all have their own business, winery, and restaurants? You never see any industry. Maybe a brewery. Maybe they just do not show the industry. But people have to work don't they? Or do they all just work in each others shops and restaurants? Are they all able to get by off of tourists?
Eighteen of the 28 European Union (EU) use the Euro for currency. Today a Euro is worth $1.36. This lends some stability to their money and also makes transactions between countries easier. Although a lot of European countries use their traditional currencies. There are 25 countries that use their traditional currencies. i mistakenly thought that almost all European countries used the Euro. I also did mot realize there are so many countries in Europe. Almost as many states as there are in the United States.
When I look at the shows about the countries most people look like they are living a good life. I have also stumbled upon an article about the most happiest countries in the world. Most were northern European. Except for Canada which had the highest average expendable incomes. Canada was the highest and the rest averaged out at about $25,000. So I guess money isn't everything. These folks in these countries actually save money too.
These countries have high taxes and social medicine. They have a good infrastructure. Good public transportation. The people also ride bicycles for transportation. They also seem to be more social. A key thing here is that they have few personal possessions. They have a place to sleep. A place to work. A place to hang out in between. Do you ever notice any new subdivisions going up in Europe? All you see are old houses.
Maybe the United States economy is headed that way. How many people that you know work at a big major factory? Not many I am sure. Most work in restaurants, retail or service type businesses. I work in retail and can't rally say that anyone I work with isn't underemployed. Even the young ones who thirty or forty years ago could have went out and got some kind of manufacturing or mining job. They then went out and bought a car, got married and bought a house. And needed appliances.
Now most of them are living with relatives and doing the best they can to just get by.Some are in college. Hoping to find something in the future. Others have pretty much just given in to the way things are. At least they are doing something and trying.
So I guess we are moving into that kind of economy. The sharks are working hard right now to maximize their income. Because before long there will not be any honey holes to draw from. The older generation has just about played out. No more land of milk and honey. So there will not be anything to pull from.
At best what I am getting at is that you better figure out how to get by on what you are making. Because unless you come up with the next best thing. This is your thing,
So I am happy for the folks who are still remaining on the old way. Your children will likely have a much tougher road to how. They will no longer to but new houses. Be happy to have one that has been around for a while.
Are we moving to a European lifestyle? I hope at best!
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Did You Fall Into The Windows XP Trap?
My buddy, Bill Gates and his company has put out the death threat for Windows XP. If you are in a financial situation that you cannot just go out and drop a grand to "upgrade " what are you to do? I cannot just go out and buy a new computer. It is not in the budget. So what to do?
The first thing to do is get Firefox. Do not use Internet Explorer any more. Google Chrome is also an alternative. Although Google Chrome has a lot of add ons that you may not want or need. I have to think Firefox is the best bet. It is easy to download and will let you migrate your favorites from Internet Explorer to bookmarks on there web page. You can still set your home page to whatever you like. Just like home.
The next step is to get a strong anti virus program. Heretofore I used Microsoft Security Essentials. This has worked fine in the past. And it was free. As the updates to XP waned I disabled MSE and went with an outside source. I went with the top notch Avast. There are several to choose from however.
Do this and do not go to any iffy websites and you should be able to keep using XP for a while anyway. Disable JavaScript. It seems to be a catch all for a lot of virus. They may correct that in the future as they will have to come up with a way to survive.
Well I an still trying to save for a new computer if it becomes necessary. There are stories about people who are still using Windows 98. Good for them. My system may still have some life left. I seem to be able to keep machines for a long time.
People I have talked to seem to like Windows 7 better then Windows 8. Now they have 8.1. I do not know. It doesn't seem like anyone is talking about it anymore. On Dell's Outlet store the Windows 7 machines seem to bring more money then the Windows 8 machines.
I hope I do not have to worry about that for a while.
The first thing to do is get Firefox. Do not use Internet Explorer any more. Google Chrome is also an alternative. Although Google Chrome has a lot of add ons that you may not want or need. I have to think Firefox is the best bet. It is easy to download and will let you migrate your favorites from Internet Explorer to bookmarks on there web page. You can still set your home page to whatever you like. Just like home.
The next step is to get a strong anti virus program. Heretofore I used Microsoft Security Essentials. This has worked fine in the past. And it was free. As the updates to XP waned I disabled MSE and went with an outside source. I went with the top notch Avast. There are several to choose from however.
Do this and do not go to any iffy websites and you should be able to keep using XP for a while anyway. Disable JavaScript. It seems to be a catch all for a lot of virus. They may correct that in the future as they will have to come up with a way to survive.
Well I an still trying to save for a new computer if it becomes necessary. There are stories about people who are still using Windows 98. Good for them. My system may still have some life left. I seem to be able to keep machines for a long time.
People I have talked to seem to like Windows 7 better then Windows 8. Now they have 8.1. I do not know. It doesn't seem like anyone is talking about it anymore. On Dell's Outlet store the Windows 7 machines seem to bring more money then the Windows 8 machines.
I hope I do not have to worry about that for a while.
Did You Fall Into The Windows XP Trap?
My buddy, Bill Gates and his company has put out the death threat for Windows XP. If you are in a financial situation that you cannot just go out and drop a grand to "upgrade " what are you to do? I cannot just go out and buy a new computer. It is not in the budget. So what to do?
The first thing to do is get Firefox. Do not use Internet Explorer any more. Google Chrome is also an alternative. Although Google Chrome has a lot of add ons that you may not want or need. I have to think Firefox is the best bet. It is easy to download and will let you migrate your favorites from Internet Explorer to bookmarks on there web page. You can still set your home page to whatever you like. Just like home.
The next step is to get a strong anti virus program. Heretofore I used Microsoft Security Essentials. This has worked fine in the past. And it was free. As the updates to XP waned I disabled MSE and went with an outside source. I went with the top notch Avast. There are several to choose from however.
Do this and do not go to any iffy websites and you should be able to keep using XP for a while anyway. Disable JavaScript. It seems to be a catch all for a lot of virus. They may correct that in the future as they will have to come up with a way to survive.
Well I an still trying to save for a new computer if it becomes necessary. There are stories about people who are still using Windows 98. Good for them. My system may still have some life left. I seem to be able to keep machines for a long time.
People I have talked to seem to like Windows 7 better then Windows 8. Now they have 8.1. I do not know. It doesn't seem like anyone is talking about it anymore. On Dell's Outlet store the Windows 7 machines seem to bring more money then the Windows 8 machines.
I hope I do not have to worry about that for a while.
The first thing to do is get Firefox. Do not use Internet Explorer any more. Google Chrome is also an alternative. Although Google Chrome has a lot of add ons that you may not want or need. I have to think Firefox is the best bet. It is easy to download and will let you migrate your favorites from Internet Explorer to bookmarks on there web page. You can still set your home page to whatever you like. Just like home.
The next step is to get a strong anti virus program. Heretofore I used Microsoft Security Essentials. This has worked fine in the past. And it was free. As the updates to XP waned I disabled MSE and went with an outside source. I went with the top notch Avast. There are several to choose from however.
Do this and do not go to any iffy websites and you should be able to keep using XP for a while anyway. Disable JavaScript. It seems to be a catch all for a lot of virus. They may correct that in the future as they will have to come up with a way to survive.
Well I an still trying to save for a new computer if it becomes necessary. There are stories about people who are still using Windows 98. Good for them. My system may still have some life left. I seem to be able to keep machines for a long time.
People I have talked to seem to like Windows 7 better then Windows 8. Now they have 8.1. I do not know. It doesn't seem like anyone is talking about it anymore. On Dell's Outlet store the Windows 7 machines seem to bring more money then the Windows 8 machines.
I hope I do not have to worry about that for a while.
Is An Inconsistent Work Schedule Bad For Your Health?
Is an inconsistent work schedule bad for your health? Last week I had all closings. Which in my case means starting work anywhere from 10:30am to 2pm and working till 9 or 10p. Having a break around 4p.
This week I am stating out the work week today with starting at 5:30 pm till 10pm. Tomorrow I work 10:30am till 9pm. Monday off. Tuesday 11am till 9pm. Then off again Wednesday. 6:30 am on Thursday. 11am till 9pm Friday. Is this a goofy schedule or what?
How does your body get used to this? I ate at 1pm today with a break at 7:30 tonight. Have I upset someone who does the schedule? This makes you tired and your body system go haywire. I guess some of us just get shuffled around so others can get what they want. How would you like to be off on Monday, work Tuesday then off again on Wednesday. Having to work straight through till Monday again.
My department is down to three full time people. Two of which are threatening retirement. And me. One probably will retire and the other is using it to get their way. The manager says the department's bottom line is much better without full time workers. Everyone they hire seems like they are part of that government program to subsidise the company for their wages. So what gives here.
So I guess I better just eat the crow and keep my mouth shut.
This week I am stating out the work week today with starting at 5:30 pm till 10pm. Tomorrow I work 10:30am till 9pm. Monday off. Tuesday 11am till 9pm. Then off again Wednesday. 6:30 am on Thursday. 11am till 9pm Friday. Is this a goofy schedule or what?
How does your body get used to this? I ate at 1pm today with a break at 7:30 tonight. Have I upset someone who does the schedule? This makes you tired and your body system go haywire. I guess some of us just get shuffled around so others can get what they want. How would you like to be off on Monday, work Tuesday then off again on Wednesday. Having to work straight through till Monday again.
My department is down to three full time people. Two of which are threatening retirement. And me. One probably will retire and the other is using it to get their way. The manager says the department's bottom line is much better without full time workers. Everyone they hire seems like they are part of that government program to subsidise the company for their wages. So what gives here.
So I guess I better just eat the crow and keep my mouth shut.
Is An Inconsistent Work Schedule Bad For Your Health?
Is an inconsistent work schedule bad for your health? Last week I had all closings. Which in my case means starting work anywhere from 10:30am to 2pm and working till 9 or 10p. Having a break around 4p.
This week I am stating out the work week today with starting at 5:30 pm till 10pm. Tomorrow I work 10:30am till 9pm. Monday off. Tuesday 11am till 9pm. Then off again Wednesday. 6:30 am on Thursday. 11am till 9pm Friday. Is this a goofy schedule or what?
How does your body get used to this? I ate at 1pm today with a break at 7:30 tonight. Have I upset someone who does the schedule? This makes you tired and your body system go haywire. I guess some of us just get shuffled around so others can get what they want. How would you like to be off on Monday, work Tuesday then off again on Wednesday. Having to work straight through till Monday again.
My department is down to three full time people. Two of which are threatening retirement. And me. One probably will retire and the other is using it to get their way. The manager says the department's bottom line is much better without full time workers. Everyone they hire seems like they are part of that government program to subsidise the company for their wages. So what gives here.
So I guess I better just eat the crow and keep my mouth shut.
This week I am stating out the work week today with starting at 5:30 pm till 10pm. Tomorrow I work 10:30am till 9pm. Monday off. Tuesday 11am till 9pm. Then off again Wednesday. 6:30 am on Thursday. 11am till 9pm Friday. Is this a goofy schedule or what?
How does your body get used to this? I ate at 1pm today with a break at 7:30 tonight. Have I upset someone who does the schedule? This makes you tired and your body system go haywire. I guess some of us just get shuffled around so others can get what they want. How would you like to be off on Monday, work Tuesday then off again on Wednesday. Having to work straight through till Monday again.
My department is down to three full time people. Two of which are threatening retirement. And me. One probably will retire and the other is using it to get their way. The manager says the department's bottom line is much better without full time workers. Everyone they hire seems like they are part of that government program to subsidise the company for their wages. So what gives here.
So I guess I better just eat the crow and keep my mouth shut.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
A Day Of Zero Spending
Tomorrow I plan on having a day of zero spending. By that I mean that I will not go out and buy anything or spend any money whatsoever. Given a certain amount of money is being spent anyway in the form of rent, utilities, interest on loans. What I am talking about here is fresh spending.
What I eat and drink will come from what is already at home. No running to the store for this and that. No buying stuff online or ebay (which is online). No gas. Although I ride a bike that is easy. No snacks, candy bars, something I may want to eat what I do not already have at home. A Zero spending day. The one exception will be the change for the coin laundry I use. Can't get around that as it is my laundry day.
My favorite blogs speak of zero spending days. They are Trent Hamm's The Simple Dollar
Also Leo Babauta's Zen Habits
I read their blogs on a regular basis and suggest you give them a try too. Over the years I have gotten a lot of ideas and knowledge from them. As well as a considerable amount of entertainment.
So what do you do on a day of zero spending? You do a lot of things that you say that you are going to do but get side tracked. I really need to clean my carpet. But I guess I will just go to the store instead. Since you have to eat from what you have on hand this is a good day to clean out the fridge and pantry. You might just find that great piece of steak that has been hiding under all the other stuff in the freezer. When did I buy those tomatoes, okra and corn. I have mushrooms too. Wait! I found some spaghetti that has been in the cupboard since Bush was President (just kidding). Guess what? I found some frozen ground beef and pasta sauce. I can make spaghetti and garlic toast. Wait, I have no garlic toast. I do however have bread and garlic. May not be as fancy but may turn out OK. Then I can have some great leftovers for my lunch as I work the weekends. Win win here.
How about those lawn and garden things you have been meaning to do? Most anything that you need to do in your lawn and garden only require time and effort on your part. You already have the tools and most of the time the supplies to perform most tanks. But do not try and cheat and you will run somewhere to get that thing that you need and end up stopping a a fast food place and just getting a burger.
You can talk to your family and friends on the phone as most of of phone calls are free (or included in the package). You can talk to your neighbors on an analog basis. You know, face to face. Maybe even meet someone new. My apartment complex has a fitness room and two swimming pools. And I do not use them.
Take a nice hot bath. Try Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap. It will cleanse your body and soul. Cut your own hair. I have cut my own hair since 2008. With about the same results as I could get at a barber shop. There is just not that much to work with. As if there was any way. It is more of a pampering thing than anything. Clip your nails. Trim your eyelashes. When you get older do you notice that the hair in your ears grows faster then the hair on your head? Floss and bleach your teeth.
There is not anything that bad about watching TV. My old shows are available on broadcast TV. No need for cable. Listen to the radio. Read a book.
Clean out your closets and put things you no longer use up for donation. I rounded up about fifty dress shirts that I no longer use. Just taking up space. Donated then to the Salvation Army.
Take a walk or bicycle ride. You would be surprised as to what you notice. If you drive a car the things just whirl by. When walking or biking things are so much more up close. You will notice the little things like when you were a kid.
Well tomorrow is today. So I cannot spend any money. But still have a great day!
What I eat and drink will come from what is already at home. No running to the store for this and that. No buying stuff online or ebay (which is online). No gas. Although I ride a bike that is easy. No snacks, candy bars, something I may want to eat what I do not already have at home. A Zero spending day. The one exception will be the change for the coin laundry I use. Can't get around that as it is my laundry day.
My favorite blogs speak of zero spending days. They are Trent Hamm's The Simple Dollar
Also Leo Babauta's Zen Habits
I read their blogs on a regular basis and suggest you give them a try too. Over the years I have gotten a lot of ideas and knowledge from them. As well as a considerable amount of entertainment.
So what do you do on a day of zero spending? You do a lot of things that you say that you are going to do but get side tracked. I really need to clean my carpet. But I guess I will just go to the store instead. Since you have to eat from what you have on hand this is a good day to clean out the fridge and pantry. You might just find that great piece of steak that has been hiding under all the other stuff in the freezer. When did I buy those tomatoes, okra and corn. I have mushrooms too. Wait! I found some spaghetti that has been in the cupboard since Bush was President (just kidding). Guess what? I found some frozen ground beef and pasta sauce. I can make spaghetti and garlic toast. Wait, I have no garlic toast. I do however have bread and garlic. May not be as fancy but may turn out OK. Then I can have some great leftovers for my lunch as I work the weekends. Win win here.
How about those lawn and garden things you have been meaning to do? Most anything that you need to do in your lawn and garden only require time and effort on your part. You already have the tools and most of the time the supplies to perform most tanks. But do not try and cheat and you will run somewhere to get that thing that you need and end up stopping a a fast food place and just getting a burger.
You can talk to your family and friends on the phone as most of of phone calls are free (or included in the package). You can talk to your neighbors on an analog basis. You know, face to face. Maybe even meet someone new. My apartment complex has a fitness room and two swimming pools. And I do not use them.
Take a nice hot bath. Try Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap. It will cleanse your body and soul. Cut your own hair. I have cut my own hair since 2008. With about the same results as I could get at a barber shop. There is just not that much to work with. As if there was any way. It is more of a pampering thing than anything. Clip your nails. Trim your eyelashes. When you get older do you notice that the hair in your ears grows faster then the hair on your head? Floss and bleach your teeth.
There is not anything that bad about watching TV. My old shows are available on broadcast TV. No need for cable. Listen to the radio. Read a book.
Clean out your closets and put things you no longer use up for donation. I rounded up about fifty dress shirts that I no longer use. Just taking up space. Donated then to the Salvation Army.
Take a walk or bicycle ride. You would be surprised as to what you notice. If you drive a car the things just whirl by. When walking or biking things are so much more up close. You will notice the little things like when you were a kid.
Well tomorrow is today. So I cannot spend any money. But still have a great day!
A Day Of Zero Spending
Tomorrow I plan on having a day of zero spending. By that I mean that I will not go out and buy anything or spend any money whatsoever. Given a certain amount of money is being spent anyway in the form of rent, utilities, interest on loans. What I am talking about here is fresh spending.
What I eat and drink will come from what is already at home. No running to the store for this and that. No buying stuff online or ebay (which is online). No gas. Although I ride a bike that is easy. No snacks, candy bars, something I may want to eat what I do not already have at home. A Zero spending day. The one exception will be the change for the coin laundry I use. Can't get around that as it is my laundry day.
My favorite blogs speak of zero spending days. They are Trent Hamm's The Simple Dollar
Also Leo Babauta's Zen Habits
I read their blogs on a regular basis and suggest you give them a try too. Over the years I have gotten a lot of ideas and knowledge from them. As well as a considerable amount of entertainment.
So what do you do on a day of zero spending? You do a lot of things that you say that you are going to do but get side tracked. I really need to clean my carpet. But I guess I will just go to the store instead. Since you have to eat from what you have on hand this is a good day to clean out the fridge and pantry. You might just find that great piece of steak that has been hiding under all the other stuff in the freezer. When did I buy those tomatoes, okra and corn. I have mushrooms too. Wait! I found some spaghetti that has been in the cupboard since Bush was President (just kidding). Guess what? I found some frozen ground beef and pasta sauce. I can make spaghetti and garlic toast. Wait, I have no garlic toast. I do however have bread and garlic. May not be as fancy but may turn out OK. Then I can have some great leftovers for my lunch as I work the weekends. Win win here.
How about those lawn and garden things you have been meaning to do? Most anything that you need to do in your lawn and garden only require time and effort on your part. You already have the tools and most of the time the supplies to perform most tanks. But do not try and cheat and you will run somewhere to get that thing that you need and end up stopping a a fast food place and just getting a burger.
You can talk to your family and friends on the phone as most of of phone calls are free (or included in the package). You can talk to your neighbors on an analog basis. You know, face to face. Maybe even meet someone new. My apartment complex has a fitness room and two swimming pools. And I do not use them.
Take a nice hot bath. Try Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap. It will cleanse your body and soul. Cut your own hair. I have cut my own hair since 2008. With about the same results as I could get at a barber shop. There is just not that much to work with. As if there was any way. It is more of a pampering thing than anything. Clip your nails. Trim your eyelashes. When you get older do you notice that the hair in your ears grows faster then the hair on your head? Floss and bleach your teeth.
There is not anything that bad about watching TV. My old shows are available on broadcast TV. No need for cable. Listen to the radio. Read a book.
Clean out your closets and put things you no longer use up for donation. I rounded up about fifty dress shirts that I no longer use. Just taking up space. Donated then to the Salvation Army.
Take a walk or bicycle ride. You would be surprised as to what you notice. If you drive a car the things just whirl by. When walking or biking things are so much more up close. You will notice the little things like when you were a kid.
Well tomorrow is today. So I cannot spend any money. But still have a great day!
What I eat and drink will come from what is already at home. No running to the store for this and that. No buying stuff online or ebay (which is online). No gas. Although I ride a bike that is easy. No snacks, candy bars, something I may want to eat what I do not already have at home. A Zero spending day. The one exception will be the change for the coin laundry I use. Can't get around that as it is my laundry day.
My favorite blogs speak of zero spending days. They are Trent Hamm's The Simple Dollar
Also Leo Babauta's Zen Habits
I read their blogs on a regular basis and suggest you give them a try too. Over the years I have gotten a lot of ideas and knowledge from them. As well as a considerable amount of entertainment.
So what do you do on a day of zero spending? You do a lot of things that you say that you are going to do but get side tracked. I really need to clean my carpet. But I guess I will just go to the store instead. Since you have to eat from what you have on hand this is a good day to clean out the fridge and pantry. You might just find that great piece of steak that has been hiding under all the other stuff in the freezer. When did I buy those tomatoes, okra and corn. I have mushrooms too. Wait! I found some spaghetti that has been in the cupboard since Bush was President (just kidding). Guess what? I found some frozen ground beef and pasta sauce. I can make spaghetti and garlic toast. Wait, I have no garlic toast. I do however have bread and garlic. May not be as fancy but may turn out OK. Then I can have some great leftovers for my lunch as I work the weekends. Win win here.
How about those lawn and garden things you have been meaning to do? Most anything that you need to do in your lawn and garden only require time and effort on your part. You already have the tools and most of the time the supplies to perform most tanks. But do not try and cheat and you will run somewhere to get that thing that you need and end up stopping a a fast food place and just getting a burger.
You can talk to your family and friends on the phone as most of of phone calls are free (or included in the package). You can talk to your neighbors on an analog basis. You know, face to face. Maybe even meet someone new. My apartment complex has a fitness room and two swimming pools. And I do not use them.
Take a nice hot bath. Try Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap. It will cleanse your body and soul. Cut your own hair. I have cut my own hair since 2008. With about the same results as I could get at a barber shop. There is just not that much to work with. As if there was any way. It is more of a pampering thing than anything. Clip your nails. Trim your eyelashes. When you get older do you notice that the hair in your ears grows faster then the hair on your head? Floss and bleach your teeth.
There is not anything that bad about watching TV. My old shows are available on broadcast TV. No need for cable. Listen to the radio. Read a book.
Clean out your closets and put things you no longer use up for donation. I rounded up about fifty dress shirts that I no longer use. Just taking up space. Donated then to the Salvation Army.
Take a walk or bicycle ride. You would be surprised as to what you notice. If you drive a car the things just whirl by. When walking or biking things are so much more up close. You will notice the little things like when you were a kid.
Well tomorrow is today. So I cannot spend any money. But still have a great day!
Monday, July 7, 2014
How's Your Garden Grow?
As we have ended the first half of the year (already!) and the first week of July is behind us, how is your garden doing? Are you reaping what you have sown? I pretty much planted about the same time I did in Indiana. This year I am only using containers for planting. So far so good. My earliest tomato plant is finally starting to produce some fruit. Although my thoughts of opening a fruit stand has abated me. Some of the late start plants that were purchased at a bargain price are starting to come along too. In retrospect I would have started the process a bit earlier than I would have in the past in Indiana and Kentucky.
All northern crops here are apt to get some kind of failure due the tropical climate and all the ramifications that come with that. But we are still trying.
I do not know if a raised bed would work in Florida. But I do know that it worked in Indiana. The raised beds permit you to create the soil you need to grow a fruit or vegetables that would otherwise not grow well if at all with the soil in the ground with which you have to deal with.
By this time in Indiana I was giving away buckets of tomatoes, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, eggplant, cabbage and just about anything else I grew. Out front of the house the Inpatients, Petunias were going wild as was the marigolds were in the garden. As marigolds are a natural pest repellant. When the marigold blooms die off save them and spread them out onto a flat surface and dry them out. When they are dry put them into a jar to plant nest year.
I hope that your garden is starting to produce what you have hoped for. I just know by this time I was starting to get results. The green onions that I did not pull were getting into full size onions..
Then comes the roses. I grew English hybrid tea roses.These were put along the walkway to my backyard. They had such nice names as Miter Lincoln, Chrysler Imperial, Yellow Rose, White Rose, Black Rose and maybe a couple more. As these roses would come to bloom I would invite my neighbors to take what they wanted.
Another Hoosier thing was taking care of your neighbors. There were a few older ladies in the neighborhood that I elected to mow their yards when I have mowed mine. At no charge none the less. Sometimes they would reward me with a nice dinner.
This all just proves that if you a nice most people will be nice to you,
How's Your Garden Grow?
As we have ended the first half of the year (already!) and the first week of July is behind us, how is your garden doing? Are you reaping what you have sown? I pretty much planted about the same time I did in Indiana. This year I am only using containers for planting. So far so good. My earliest tomato plant is finally starting to produce some fruit. Although my thoughts of opening a fruit stand has abated me. Some of the late start plants that were purchased at a bargain price are starting to come along too. In retrospect I would have started the process a bit earlier than I would have in the past in Indiana and Kentucky.
All northern crops here are apt to get some kind of failure due the tropical climate and all the ramifications that come with that. But we are still trying.
I do not know if a raised bed would work in Florida. But I do know that it worked in Indiana. The raised beds permit you to create the soil you need to grow a fruit or vegetables that would otherwise not grow well if at all with the soil in the ground with which you have to deal with.
By this time in Indiana I was giving away buckets of tomatoes, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, eggplant, cabbage and just about anything else I grew. Out front of the house the Inpatients, Petunias were going wild as was the marigolds were in the garden. As marigolds are a natural pest repellant. When the marigold blooms die off save them and spread them out onto a flat surface and dry them out. When they are dry put them into a jar to plant nest year.
I hope that your garden is starting to produce what you have hoped for. I just know by this time I was starting to get results. The green onions that I did not pull were getting into full size onions..
Then comes the roses. I grew English hybrid tea roses.These were put along the walkway to my backyard. They had such nice names as Miter Lincoln, Chrysler Imperial, Yellow Rose, White Rose, Black Rose and maybe a couple more. As these roses would come to bloom I would invite my neighbors to take what they wanted.
Another Hoosier thing was taking care of your neighbors. There were a few older ladies in the neighborhood that I elected to mow their yards when I have mowed mine. At no charge none the less. Sometimes they would reward me with a nice dinner.
This all just proves that if you a nice most people will be nice to you,
Sunday, July 6, 2014
The Valley Of Death
One of my favorite bloggers, Trent Hamm of The Simple Dollar has been my most read blog for the last eight years. I have used countless amounts of information from his site. He also has put me on a couple of other favorite blog sites. Zen Habits and Frugal Living Wise Bread. Both of which I view regularly.
In one of the latest The Simple Dollar posts he did a guide to blogging. One section is called The Valley Of Death. This is the point where you are obsessing with your statistics. Cannot understand why you do not have a thousand readers a day. Why you do not have a lot of comments. You are having a hard time coming up with a topic. You are not posting as frequently. And last but not least that no one is clicking on all those great ads you have.
At this point one feels that they have reached the end. Your blog is just a waste of time and does not really provide any real want or need for anyone. Except a hobby for yourself. I am going through this phase. But am going to continue on. Dig in and try harder. I feel that I am running out of runway and cannot get this thing off the ground.
The folks that read this from time to time should give me a little nudge and leave some comments. I again also thank Trent Hamm for his post which came through at a timely fashion for me.
In one of the latest The Simple Dollar posts he did a guide to blogging. One section is called The Valley Of Death. This is the point where you are obsessing with your statistics. Cannot understand why you do not have a thousand readers a day. Why you do not have a lot of comments. You are having a hard time coming up with a topic. You are not posting as frequently. And last but not least that no one is clicking on all those great ads you have.
At this point one feels that they have reached the end. Your blog is just a waste of time and does not really provide any real want or need for anyone. Except a hobby for yourself. I am going through this phase. But am going to continue on. Dig in and try harder. I feel that I am running out of runway and cannot get this thing off the ground.
The folks that read this from time to time should give me a little nudge and leave some comments. I again also thank Trent Hamm for his post which came through at a timely fashion for me.
The Valley Of Death
One of my favorite bloggers, Trent Hamm of The Simple Dollar has been my most read blog for the last eight years. I have used countless amounts of information from his site. He also has put me on a couple of other favorite blog sites. Zen Habits and Frugal Living Wise Bread. Both of which I view regularly.
In one of the latest The Simple Dollar posts he did a guide to blogging. One section is called The Valley Of Death. This is the point where you are obsessing with your statistics. Cannot understand why you do not have a thousand readers a day. Why you do not have a lot of comments. You are having a hard time coming up with a topic. You are not posting as frequently. And last but not least that no one is clicking on all those great ads you have.
At this point one feels that they have reached the end. Your blog is just a waste of time and does not really provide any real want or need for anyone. Except a hobby for yourself. I am going through this phase. But am going to continue on. Dig in and try harder. I feel that I am running out of runway and cannot get this thing off the ground.
The folks that read this from time to time should give me a little nudge and leave some comments. I again also thank Trent Hamm for his post which came through at a timely fashion for me.
In one of the latest The Simple Dollar posts he did a guide to blogging. One section is called The Valley Of Death. This is the point where you are obsessing with your statistics. Cannot understand why you do not have a thousand readers a day. Why you do not have a lot of comments. You are having a hard time coming up with a topic. You are not posting as frequently. And last but not least that no one is clicking on all those great ads you have.
At this point one feels that they have reached the end. Your blog is just a waste of time and does not really provide any real want or need for anyone. Except a hobby for yourself. I am going through this phase. But am going to continue on. Dig in and try harder. I feel that I am running out of runway and cannot get this thing off the ground.
The folks that read this from time to time should give me a little nudge and leave some comments. I again also thank Trent Hamm for his post which came through at a timely fashion for me.
For The Most Part We All Have It Pretty Good
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's an American thing. It is written into our Declaration Of Independence and Constitution. For the most part we do all right. We have a roof over our heads, food, water, clothing, appliances people would not of dreamed of a hundred and fifty years ago (electricity, computers, telephones, automobiles, stoves, refrigerators, toasters, microwaves, TV, heat, air conditioning, and just about anything you can think of). How about indoor plumbing? I have never lived without it. Running water and sanitation. People didn't have those things in the past and some still do not. Just about everyone has access to these things that would have been considered magic in our past as a civilization.
These are personal things. How about roads, street lights, public transportation, libraries, homeless shelters, food banks, public health, bridges (how would you like to have to wade every creek or take a boat across every waterway you encounter), Public safety. How would you like to live in a town without a police force? School systems. All of these things just didn't get there. People worked hard to get them established.
Our high schools have decayed for the most part to just filter out who is or is not going to college. Fifty years ago people actually learned something in high school. This prepared you for the job market. You could read, write and do arithmetic. Dummies didn't pass and were left to a life of back breaking work. Even if you quit school after eighth grade you could still read, write and do some math. The Educational Act of 1964 dictated that everyone should be able to go to college. It eventually reduced high school to a baby sitter for parents that had other pursuits to work on.
So we have another Forth Of July coming up. I have to work. A lot of folks that do not even know what the Forth Of July is about do not care. Even though it is Friday they will manage to make a four day week end of it. The recent immigrants will enjoy the week end that they have no idea of what it is about other then for them to enjoy it. And I will be working to serve them.
The people that do not work will take the week end off too. Why not. We do not work anyway. But we will celebrate it. After all it is our country.
Also to have a family gathering of people that could care less if they seen each other. As they did on a daily basis anyway. We would have hamburgers and hot dogs burnt to a crisp on a grill. And then throw these large metal objects at each other called JARTS. These things weighed about fives pounds each. they could cut through you and kill you. A Russian invention I guess. Just what to do if you have had some beer. Then about 5 o'clock everything was cleaned up and went home. You did have to go to work the next day. The Fourth wasn't drug out for days. One day only.For the most part I do not know anyone who does not have at least the basics to get by. And those who do not seem to do so by their own design. As they choose to live that way. Not entirely, but for the most part.
We all have a lot more than we realize. We all have less than we want. Most of us live as good as of a life that we live. Reap what you sow you know. Everyone has different priorities, lifestyles, wishes, wants desires, pleasures, ambitions, abilities, mental capacities, physical capabilities, styles, mannerisms, characteristics, height, weight, perseverance,etc. That is what makes America. Or it has in the past. We have to as a nation pull up our sleeves, be nice and do what we do well. Be nice to your neighbor, be nice to the people you meet. Work hard. Make the others know that Americans do not just shuffle by. We do what we do well. That is why people from other places come here. The land of opportunity.
But please do not mistake the Land Of Opportunity for a land of suckers. Unfortunately we have seemed to evolve into that. I see more people that are unable to do things for themselves. They cannot do the basic thing of telling time. Let's do it. Lock and load. Be nice. Work hard. Have fun in a nice and safe country. If you do something wrong you will get caught. Water seeks it's own level.
The bottom line is enjoy the holiday. Do not only think of your self. Enjoy the Fourth Of July
For The Most Part We All Have It Pretty Good
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's an American thing. It is written into our Declaration Of Independence and Constitution. For the most part we do all right. We have a roof over our heads, food, water, clothing, appliances people would not of dreamed of a hundred and fifty years ago (electricity, computers, telephones, automobiles, stoves, refrigerators, toasters, microwaves, TV, heat, air conditioning, and just about anything you can think of). How about indoor plumbing? I have never lived without it. Running water and sanitation. People didn't have those things in the past and some still do not. Just about everyone has access to these things that would have been considered magic in our past as a civilization.
These are personal things. How about roads, street lights, public transportation, libraries, homeless shelters, food banks, public health, bridges (how would you like to have to wade every creek or take a boat across every waterway you encounter), Public safety. How would you like to live in a town without a police force? School systems. All of these things just didn't get there. People worked hard to get them established.
Our high schools have decayed for the most part to just filter out who is or is not going to college. Fifty years ago people actually learned something in high school. This prepared you for the job market. You could read, write and do arithmetic. Dummies didn't pass and were left to a life of back breaking work. Even if you quit school after eighth grade you could still read, write and do some math. The Educational Act of 1964 dictated that everyone should be able to go to college. It eventually reduced high school to a baby sitter for parents that had other pursuits to work on.
So we have another Forth Of July coming up. I have to work. A lot of folks that do not even know what the Forth Of July is about do not care. Even though it is Friday they will manage to make a four day week end of it. The recent immigrants will enjoy the week end that they have no idea of what it is about other then for them to enjoy it. And I will be working to serve them.
The people that do not work will take the week end off too. Why not. We do not work anyway. But we will celebrate it. After all it is our country.
Also to have a family gathering of people that could care less if they seen each other. As they did on a daily basis anyway. We would have hamburgers and hot dogs burnt to a crisp on a grill. And then throw these large metal objects at each other called JARTS. These things weighed about fives pounds each. they could cut through you and kill you. A Russian invention I guess. Just what to do if you have had some beer. Then about 5 o'clock everything was cleaned up and went home. You did have to go to work the next day. The Fourth wasn't drug out for days. One day only.For the most part I do not know anyone who does not have at least the basics to get by. And those who do not seem to do so by their own design. As they choose to live that way. Not entirely, but for the most part.
We all have a lot more than we realize. We all have less than we want. Most of us live as good as of a life that we live. Reap what you sow you know. Everyone has different priorities, lifestyles, wishes, wants desires, pleasures, ambitions, abilities, mental capacities, physical capabilities, styles, mannerisms, characteristics, height, weight, perseverance,etc. That is what makes America. Or it has in the past. We have to as a nation pull up our sleeves, be nice and do what we do well. Be nice to your neighbor, be nice to the people you meet. Work hard. Make the others know that Americans do not just shuffle by. We do what we do well. That is why people from other places come here. The land of opportunity.
But please do not mistake the Land Of Opportunity for a land of suckers. Unfortunately we have seemed to evolve into that. I see more people that are unable to do things for themselves. They cannot do the basic thing of telling time. Let's do it. Lock and load. Be nice. Work hard. Have fun in a nice and safe country. If you do something wrong you will get caught. Water seeks it's own level.
The bottom line is enjoy the holiday. Do not only think of your self. Enjoy the Fourth Of July
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Update On Nashbar Single Speed Argyle Bicycle
I have had the Nashbar Argyle single speed bicycle for about four months now. For the most part I use it every day. Took the 1974 Schwinn LeTour to Mom and Dad's house. I will have something to ride there if I want. The Trek 7100 hybrid is hanging in the carport. The Raleigh Record is sitting in the bedroom. The Raleigh is sitting on the new 27 inch wheels purchased in February after an unsuccessful attempt to convert it to 700c wheels and tires. So I now have a new set of 700c rims and tires just sitting there.
So anyway back to the single speed. It has been marvelous. It just is the only bike I ride now. Back and forth to work and errands everyday. It has so far been flawless. I had my doubts about the stock tires and they have worked fine. 700c x 28. No water bottle cage bosses. I just used hose clamps and have that worked out. I also replaced the stock stem with an adjustable one. even though the bike is of the 54cm variety the stock stem had me leaning further forward than I like for the commuter application.
The 42 by 16 tooth cogs are well in Florida where it is mostly flat. That may be an issue in hilly terrain. You can change the ratio by replacing the rear cog with one that has more teeth.
If you are looking for a nice bike to commute with I would recommend the Nashbar Argyle single speed.
Update On Nashbar Single Speed Argyle Bicycle
I have had the Nashbar Argyle single speed bicycle for about four months now. For the most part I use it every day. Took the 1974 Schwinn LeTour to Mom and Dad's house. I will have something to ride there if I want. The Trek 7100 hybrid is hanging in the carport. The Raleigh Record is sitting in the bedroom. The Raleigh is sitting on the new 27 inch wheels purchased in February after an unsuccessful attempt to convert it to 700c wheels and tires. So I now have a new set of 700c rims and tires just sitting there.
So anyway back to the single speed. It has been marvelous. It just is the only bike I ride now. Back and forth to work and errands everyday. It has so far been flawless. I had my doubts about the stock tires and they have worked fine. 700c x 28. No water bottle cage bosses. I just used hose clamps and have that worked out. I also replaced the stock stem with an adjustable one. even though the bike is of the 54cm variety the stock stem had me leaning further forward than I like for the commuter application.
The 42 by 16 tooth cogs are well in Florida where it is mostly flat. That may be an issue in hilly terrain. You can change the ratio by replacing the rear cog with one that has more teeth.
If you are looking for a nice bike to commute with I would recommend the Nashbar Argyle single speed.
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