Posts (page 2)

What misconception about the place you live bothers you the most?
Submitted by Jessmiloo

I hate that people say that my area of Sacramento is "conveniently located".  It is in the middle of a freewayless region and getting to the freeway means travelling along congested roads with 40mph speed limits for at least 3 miles of annoying lights, each of which can run as long as 2 minutes.  This is not convenient!!

What one trait do you wish more people around you displayed?
Submitted by Ross

Awareness.

I wish people would be more aware of their surroundings and how they impact those surroundings.  Awareness of their actions and the possible repercussions of those actions.  Awareness of other people in the world, or even just on the same stretch of highway.  I just wish people would open their eyes and become aware of the world outside their own microcosm.

It's Yod Day, part 2!

http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/National...

According to Sesame Street Magazine, October 15th is National Grouch Day -- a day for all Grouches to celebrate their way of life. A Grouch's mission in life is to be as miserable and grouchy as possible, and pass that feeling on to everyone else. ...

Yod the Grouch, Grump, Crank, Crab, Misanthrope, Churl...  the list can go on! Celebrate National Grouch Day today!

Flaming Squirrel Blamed For Redding Wildfire - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

http://www.kcra.com/news/17713428/det...

REDDING, Calif. -- With southern California fighting wind-driven flames and spot fires breaking out across northern California, firefighters have fingered at least one arsonist: an unlucky squirrel. Redding firefighters said the squirrel set off the blaze when it shorted out a power line, caught fire and dropped into dry vegetation. Battalion Chief Gerry Gray said it took 18 firefighters and six fire engines to fight the fire that started behind a Redding restaurant. The fire briefly threatened a home before it was contained Monday. Redding Electric Utility spokesman Pat Keener said about 200 customers might have noticed their electricity flicker when the squirrel shorted out the high-voltage power line. But the incident did not cause a power outage.Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

I know that a squirrel lost his life, but c'mon... I just had to laugh.  What a revoltin' development!

psssst... it's I CAN HAS YODBURGER?'s birthday today!!

Sadly, I understand most of this song. 

I'm just too white and nerdy!  ...how'd I get so white and nerdy?

What sound can't you stand?

The sound of people chewing and gulping.  It just takes a little background music to cover the sound, thankfully.  I have to grit my teeth and try to ignore it if there is no music and if I hear the chomping and slurping and lip-smacking of people, it ruins the eating experience. It isn't even the people with no manners... it's people just drinking and eating normally that drives me insane.  I blame all this on my father and have learned how to swallow quietly (so I didn't suffer his wrath).

I've tried to break myself of this issue, but, like most sounds, the more you concentrate on ignoring it, the more you're aware of it, which just makes it that much worse.  Arghhhhhhhhhhh!!

You know, I seem to have a much higher tolerance for bullshit than many people.  I stayed with Cingular (AT&T) when I should've just left.  And I stayed with Allstate for too many years.

Some highlights:

• Started with Allstate in 1997 or so on a whim. Co-worker had to drop off a payment and I was amazed by the very low price I was quoted.  Unfortunately, it's 2008 and their prices are hella expensive now.
• Allstate runs ads for programs not offered in CA, like accident forgiveness, reducing your co-pay, and well, anything other than straight-up insurance.  That's why, when I got in a VERY MINOR fender-bender, my insurance rates spiked 54%.
• Allstate promotes fraud.  The woman with whom I was involved in an accident committed fraud, Allstate defends HER (not their customer) and not ME, when the evidence is plainly in front of them.  The service manager even admitted to fraud, but said that the accident occured "too long ago" (8 months... because nobody told me that she submitted a claim, nor did they want my photos at the time of the accident) so there was nothing I could do.

I thought I was done with Allstate.  I left them 15 days before my policy expired and am due a refund of the unearned premium on the account.  However, the agent's "helper" (or whatever she is) decided that I meant to just let my policy on the actual term date, not the date I specified.  We'll see if they want to pursue this matter further... hopefully it's all cleared up now.  Thank God I kept the fax proving when I submitted my request!

I seriously need to go to law school.  Who's gonna sponsor me? ;-)

I was born in the 70's in a Christian commune.  Music consisted of a lot of Christian hymns and non-secular (i.e., religious) songs. After my parents let us rejoin civilization in the late 70's, they listened to their music - songs from the 50s and 60's, not the then-popular 70's songs.  It wasn't until the early to mid-80's that I got to choose my own music.  So, I'm firmly an "80's child", but I have very very little knowledge of 70's music.

It's always puzzled me how the theme music was selected for my favorite crime dramas, the CSI suite.  I hate the CSI: Miami theme, and barely tolerate the CSI theme.  I do love the CSI: NY theme, but only because I heard it with my mother at a Blue Man Group performance so it reminds me of her.  Before that, it was just tolerable, too.

I finally looked up the theme songs and found out that they're all done by The Who.  No wonder I'm not familiar with the music.  Though, it could just be that I've got PTSD when it comes to The Who, because I know that my dad has mentioned listening to them. I just don't know the songs.  So here they are - enjoy!!

Who are You for CSI

Baba O'riley for CSI: NY

Wont Get Fooled Again for CSI:Miami

No, I'm not consolidating.  Or shirking my responsibilities by looking for debt reduction.  I'm paying the same amount each month, but in a SMART way.

Last night, I couldn't sleep.  I had my mind on my money and my money (or lack thereof) on my mind.  Yod and I make enough to not live so hand-to-mouth, even if we do have pretty expensive tastes.  We're cutting back on some expenses (so we can make room for others), and I want to do my part by restructuring the unsecured debt payments.

Credit cards have always bothered me.  I hate the idea, and hate how easy it is to put something on credit.  That $20 meal you bought on your 14.99% APR MasterCard ends up being a $40 pay-off 5 years later.  In addition, you're reducing your income by having to pay those interest charges that keep accruing.

I knew there were calculators for all sorts of things out there -- mortgage, how much house can you afford, cost of living, etc. -- so there just had to be a site that would do the math for me and tell me how much to pay each month to get out of debt.  It's a simple principle, and one I should've been able to do in my head, but CNN Money has a very elegant calculator and plan that takes most of the guesswork out of it.

By paying the exact same amount each month, but concentrating on the highest interest card first and paying minimums on the others, and not scaling back that payment as cards go kaboom, I'll be debt-free years before I thought I would.  Years.  That's a lot of money not paid in interest.  And the best part?  A lot of money now available to do things like take vacations. Travel. Not have to be house-poor to buy a house.

Get your own payment plan at http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/debtplanner/debtplanner.jsp