I thinking about refinancing our minivan and I found a great Car Refinance website the other day. The site itself is pretty slick and they have a great FAQ on refinancing your car. They answered just about every question I had on it and it seemed to be pretty comprehensive. It was a nice site and they had some good deals, so I thought I would share it with you all.
Today was my offical going away lunch. We went to Blueberry Hill and I had a burger. Not a lot of excitement or hoopla. It was also a going away lunch for the Director of IT of which today is his last day, as apposed to my last day being Friday. I had some good conversation with some people and my manger picked up the tab for my burger, so that was nice. Tomorrow I'll probably snag lunch with someone else in the department who didn't get to go, or I may dash out for a bit to run an errand. Friday is my unofficial lunch at the Mongolian BBQ with a couple of the guys from the office. Yum Yum.
As I am getting closer and closer to wrapping up my schooling, I think more and more about the looming student loans I’ve accumulated. I’ve been thinking more and more about Student Loan Consolidation and how it might be able to lower my payments. I want to buy a new car soon, to go with the new job, but I’m worried that I’m going to bury myself because I don’t know what kind of damage those student loan payments are going to do to my checkbook yet. I have an idea, but I don’t know for sure. I think it’s going to be bad. Really bad. So, I’m sort of shopping some Student Loan Consolidation Programs and I think I might have found a good one. I’ve only got about 4 months before I graduate and another 6 months after that before the payments start, but I want to consolidate before the payments start. Wish me luck!
I installed Windows Vista Home Premium last night and I have to say...I'm fairly impressed. My very first impression of it is that it is very, very pretty. It's about as slick as it gets for an OS. Everything is smooth and flowing. There is almost no delay in selecting something and it opening and working. Everything runs like silk.
Windows found a windows driver for all of my hardware, so everything worked right away. I tried to install the included drivers from all of my hardware and none of it was compatible with Vista. They all referred me to their website for updates. Only half of them actually had Vista ready updates on the site, but everything worked so I wasn't too disappointed. I'm sure the updates will be out shortly. The last thing any software or hardware company wants is for their product to be incompatible with the number one used OS.
I'll update with more impressions as I use the OS more.
My kids aren’t quite old enough, but my wife has already got Disneyland on the brain. She’s already planning the trip but I really don’t want to take the kids there for another two years so that they can enjoy it when we go. They won’t even remember it the day after we left there if we took them right now. The resort there is a pretty good deal for what you get, but it’s still so expensive. Of course, the hotels around the area are all overpriced too. Maybe I’ll just go to a website with Florida properties and buy something near there. That might be a cheaper option in the long run. I might even be able to rent it when I’m not using it and have it pay for itself. Now there’s an idea…
So, sharing a cube hasn't been that bad at all. The only thing I really miss about my old cube was the warmth. It seems like this side of the building is about 5 degrees colder than the other side. My cubemate is good company and there are no flatulance problems to speak of, so I'm happy. It's not a horrible way to spend your last week at your job. It doesn't hurt that I've got short-timers disease and I find it pretty hard to get motivated to do anything, so the majority of my day is spent surfing the web. Oh sure, I work a little here and there, but I can tell you this...it's more "hardly working" than "working hard" going on.
Here it is, your HP Camera Puzzle Part Deux #43! If you already have it, then you don’t need it. If you don’t have it, then you want it. If you don’t know what it is…then I pity you. This is part #43 of a puzzle that PayPerPost is hosting for the sponser HP. I’m sure you are familiar with HP for their PCs and Digital Photo Printing equipment. Well, if you can gather all of the puzzle pieces and then be the lucky one who catches the single lucky opportunity to put them all together on your blog, then you get paid $1000. So, if you’re just find out about this now, you’re already behind and you need to catch up quick. Get searching!
The final pieces of hardware for my new PC came yesterday. My PC is now complete. My new OS, the much clamored about Windows Vista, should arrive in the mail today. Once I receive the new OS, I will install it tonight and all will be good in the world. Well, maybe not the world so much as just my house. Well, not in all of the house but more specifically just my computing needs. OK, so my computer will be working and that's about all the good that will come of it. I get a little melodramatic sometimes. I'm excited. Sue me.
What we call audio books here in the US, they called Talking Books in the UK. A new site called Simply Audiobooks has done it right and used to the Netflix rental model. I love audio books, or talking books, but they’re so expensive and you generally only listen to them once. I never buy them because it feels like a waste of money. Simply Audiobooks has got it right. Now…if I can only get them to deliver here to me in the US….
If you love Bruce Campbell or you've never heard of him, you've got to see the new Old Spice Commercial he stars in. It's hilarious! It's nice to see that Old Spice has a sense of humor and they know how to use the actors they pick for their commercials. I can't imagine any other actor doing this commercial. It just wouldn't sell joke if anyone else was used. Genius!
Have you ever gotten a mysterious phone call from an unknown cell phone and tried to find out who it was who called you? Well, you can go to a Reverse Cell Phone Lookup site and find out now. The site is pretty cool in that you can easily lookup who someone is by their cell phone number. Something that can come in handy in numerous different situations. Check it out.
It really sucks to have to wait for a couple of parts to your PC when you have over 95% of it built and waiting. I am waiting for the DVD burner and the Windows Vista software from Newegg.com. By the way, if I havne't mentioned it yet, Newegg.com rocks! Seriously. They rock...HARD. They've got great prices and great selection. You just can't beat them.
So, waiting for the parts. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Waiting sucks.
I found a great site for Free Podcast Hosting called MyPodcast.com. For those who don’t already know, a Podcast is a radio-style show delivered over the internet to your computer. They aren’t live, but pre-recorded. They have unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and FREE membership. Not a bad deal if you ask me.
So, tomorrow begins my last week at my current job. As an interesting twist of fate, there happened to spring a leak above the divider between my cube and my neighbor's cube. Well, in order to get to the leak and fix it proper, they need to tear down the cubes. So, I had to vacate the cube and pack up my stuff. They were moving me to another cube located on the other side of the building, through two seperate security doors. Considering that I'm training my replacement all week, it doesn't make sense for me to move all of my stuff. So, I packed up my personal stuff on Friday and brought it home with me. Tomorrow morning, I've got to finish the job and clear everything out of the cube. Then I'll just be sharing a cube with my trainee for the week. So, basically, I'm going to spend my last week there without a home of my own and just wandering the offices. What a way to go out.
It’s the return of the HP Camera Puzzle Part Deux #36! That’s right all you posties, come and get it! For those of you reading this and confused by it, here’s the deal. PayPerPost.com occasionally runs a puzzle promotion, where you have to track down all of the released puzzle pieces and reassemble them. Once reassembled, a single opportunity to post the completed puzzle piece for a cash prize of $1000 appears. If you’re lucky enough to grab it AND you have all of the puzzle pieces, then you get the money. Good deal, eh? So, this is puzzle piece #36. Grab it and cross your fingers.
As for the sponsor of this puzzle, that would be HP. Yep, HP, who not only make fantastic PCs and Digital Photography equipment, but they’re website is chock full of useful information, such as many great Digital Photography Tips. Check out those tips and save this puzzle piece. You never know, you could be the lucky one.
This post brought to you by HP.
I just did something that I think is a little strange, just to give my slighly paranoid wife some piece of mind. I installed a key lock on our basement door, with the key facing the inside of the basement. I also hid the key in the basement where it would never be found by someone locked in there. The point of this is so that if someone were to break one of those tiny little basement windows and slide their way in during the night, they could not get upstairs because the door would be locked. A little odd, but it makes the wife happy and it makes her feel safe, so I guess it's worth it.
As the name of the website implies, HotelReservations.com has all of your Hotel Reservations covered. The site has tremendous discounts if you book through them. You can save up to 70%. Seriously, 70%! That’s not a small amount by anybody’s standard. We also aren’t just talking about a specific state, a specific region of the United States, or even the entire United States, we are talking about worldwide. Yes, international hotels are cheaper by booking through HotelReservations.com. As an odd turn of fate, they can also save you money on flights and on car rentals as well. What can’t this site do? I’ll answer that for you, when it comes to travel and vacation, not much. Not only can you get the great rates on hotels and motels, but you can also get spectacular rates on vacation rentals and even entire vacation packages.
To me, the vacation packages are the coolest thing about the site. It’s all done in steps, but you just click you way to a relaxing, less expensive vacation. The first thing they ask you is if it’s a one destination or two destination trip. Then you pick what kind of package you want, they have a Flight+Hotel+Car package, a Flight+Hotel package, a Hotel+Car package, and a Flight+Car package. The next step is to pick where you are leaving from and where you are going to. You also pick when you are leaving at that stage as well. The last step is to pick how many people will be going and in what age groups. You may not be able to afford to take everyone with you, but with the deep discounts they offer her, you can take more people than you probably think you can.
For those who are phobic about giving credit card information over the web, there is an 800 number on the site as well. It’s not hidden or difficult to find, if you’re looking for the number, just about every page has it listed in an easy to find location. Speaking of how easy it is to find the number on the page, it’s actually easy to find everything on the page. The site is very well laid out and easy to navigate. You shouldn’t have any problems. Of course, if you do for some reason, there’s always the number. Heh.
Someone posted a review of 1408 over on Aintitcool.com. He has mostly very good things to say about the movie. He said he has not read the story nor heard the audio version of this story, so he obviously couldn't compare the two. Just from the previews I can see that the story has been expanded upon. Of course, it was a fairly short story, so it would have to be expanded upon in order to flesh it out to a feature length movie. It looks like they added a subplot about a dead kid and they've elaborated on a lot of the happenings in the room. One thing they didn't really show in the trailer, but I loved from the story, was touched upon in the review linked here. He made some comparisons to the hedge animals in The Shining, which means that something happens when you aren't looking or can't see it, but you know it's happening. Well, in the story, this happens numerous times. There is a piece of woodcut art depicting a cabin and a man, then when he looks at it later, it's changed and there is a wolf eating the man. There is also a creepy part where he walks into the bedroom and there is a bowl of fruit on the night stand. He looks around a bit and looks back and there is no bowl of fruit, but there is a painting of a bowl of fruit above the nightstand. He looks back later and the bowl of fruit is rotton. There is all sorts of stuff like that happening in the story. I'm just hoping that capture that sort of thing in the movie while they're adding all their special effects and shocking horror.
IF you’re on the market for Boston Condos, there is a new CondoList out there by CondoCompany.com. Being the number one searched condominium dedicated site on the web, CondoCompany.com receives thousands of visitors to their website from people who are looking to buy or rent condos. What I’m trying to say is, they don’t mess around. These guys know what they’re doing. Realtors, owners, and developers alike all list on CondoCompany.com. Recently, they’ve launched special program called “Building Specialists” which is basically a real estate agent whose specialty is specific condo building. In general, this type of thing is usually reserved for luxurious high rise condos. Of course, all agents must meet stringent criteria before becoming a Boston building specialist, so you know you’re in good hands.
As for the site itself, it’s very easy to use and has a logical layout and smooth navigation. You won’t be sorry you checked them out for a condo.
On a long roadtrip, my wife and I borrowed some audio books from the library. My wife knew that I liked Stephen King and got an audio book called Blood and Smoke. I found out that this is not an audio reading of a book of his, but this was stuff that he wrote for audio only. We listened and mostly enjoyed them. The stories were good and they all had some remote connection to smoking or quiting smoking. Well, my favorite story from that collection was called 1408 and it was a short story about a writer of "haunted location" books who traveled around and stayed in haunted locations, then reviewed them. Well, almost exactly half of this story is just the writer and the manger of the hotel sitting in the manger's office while the manager tries to convince the writer not to go in the room. Let me tell you, he is VERY convincing. I mean, when he was done and the writer persists, I was talking to my radio saying "don't go in the room, man!" I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but...he goes in the room. The second half of the story is of him in the room. It could almost be told in real time, that's how short his stay in the room is. It's creepy as all hell and is probably one of my very favorite Stephen King stories. Well, now they've made a movie about it. John Cusack is the writer and Sam Jackson is the hotel manager. I just got this link to the trailer. You've GOT to check this out. If it's HALF as good as the audio book, it should be one HELL of a creepy movie.
I was out checking my football message board and I realized that I had not talked about them on my blog yet, so here is their prestigious premiere. The place is called Football Boards.com. Simple, right? Well, the site is great, if you like football. If you’re not into football at all, you probably won’t find it very appealing. The boards are broken up into sections and are super easy to navigate. Everyone on the boards is extremely knowledgeable and fun. You can even talk some Fantasy Football on there. I need the help, believe me. I was doing great until about half way through the season and then it seemed like all of my players turned on me. Anyway, I wanted to mention the boards because they deserve it. They’re a fun place to talk football.
So, I've opened most of my packaging for my new PC parts. I can't wait to post my first blog entry from it. Anyway, I've got most of it out and ready to go. As soon as the kids to go bed tonight, their daddy will start building THE MACHINE! *queue spooky music*
I figure that I'm safe as long as I don't start yelling "It's Alive! It's Alive!"
Ok, so I heard about this weird guy who actually renamed Halfway, Oregon to Half.com, Oregon. He went on to write a book about it and how he did it. It all has to do with Buzzmarketing, which is basically the art of marketing something by doing something so crazy it gets in the news. Well, this guy is a professional marketing speaker now. If you want a new and unique way to market something, this guy can do it.
So, I received a frustrating amount of computer parts today. I received almost all of my internal componants. There are only three pieces that I still need to receive. I'm missing my speakers, which are no big deal. My monitor has speakers built in, cruddy speakers, but speakers never-the-less. The other two things I'm waiting on are the DVD ROM drive and my copy of Windows Vista. Those last two items are fairly important to the overall functionality of the PC. I can't install an operating system if I don't have it, but even if I did, I can't install ANY software without a drive to read the DVD with.
Although my parts look pretty sweet sitting on the table, waiting for me to assemble them.
So, I’ve been hearing a lot about this hoodia diet pill. My knee jerk reaction is that it’s a bunch of hooey like every other diet pill out there. Apparently this one has been featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, and the Today Show, so maybe there’s something to it. Basically, it’s a cactus found in South Africa called Hoodia Gordonii. According to all of those shows, it’s supposed to work. I may have to try it. I’ve got a couple of pounds to lose. Read “a couple” as about 15-20 pounds.
So, we're getting close to the end of the first week of my last two weeks at my current employer. I tell you what, I'm busy as all heck! I was expecting to coast through a bit, but it's been really busy lately. I mean, crazy busy. I got out roughly on time last night, but the only way that happened is because I decided to just leave and come in early tomorrow (today). It's just been crazy. Hopefully tomorrow will go a little smoother and with a bit of luck, my last week here will be smooth and easy.
So, I talked earlier a little bit about Peter Belisi and how the story of his start is inspirational to other people starting a business, well, now I want to actually talk about the Belisi Fashions blog. This guy can actually write some entertaining and useful stuff. It is especially useful to someone like me who is a fashion illiterate. He actually has a cheat sheet for busy men and women as to what is currently in style, what is hip, and what is considered high-end. It’s like he’s watching the fashion trends of Hollywood and filling you in later. He also has quick tips and commentary on what celebrities are wearing and you can put together your own variations of that polished look. Definitely check out the site for his style secrets and insider tips, but you’ll keep reading for his wit and energy.
So, I bit the bullet and purchased a copy of Microsoft Windows Vista today. I could have been rockin' the Ultimate Edition for free by using a volume license version from my work, but they have limited copies of it and since I'm leaving them...they're not too keen on giving it to me anyway. They did offer a copy of the business version though. I want to be able to watch TV through my PC so I can get rid of the tiny TV in my computer room and the business version didn't offer that option, so Home Premium it is then. I've never actually purchased an OS before. It's always either come with the PC or I've had a volume license version available to me from wherever I worked. So, big steps here.
Hopefully it's good and I didn't just waste $120.
I can’t wait for this. This should be excellent! Clive Owen has convinced Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment to option the Raymond Chandler mystery novels featuring the famous character Philip Marlowe. That’s right, Clive Owen is going to play the hard edged private detective Philip Marlowe. If you can’t get Clive Owen as James Bond, Philip Marlowe is about the next best thing.
Here is the perfect story of how someone can start their own business using a niche they already have and be successful. You can read about how the designer Peter Belisi got his modest start on his blog entry, Belisi - How it Started. He talks about how he had no money to speak of and a wife and baby to feed, but he wanted to start his own business. He wanted to do something he enjoys, but make a good living doing it. He had no ideas, but he could see who the successful were and tried to emulate them by dressing like them. He amassed a nice tie collection and was praised by his eye for detail, so to speak, and that’s when it hit him, he could design ties, scarves, and other accessories so others could afford to dress the way that the Palm Beach elite dressed. He opened that business and has gained success with it. He is working his way upward and onward.
The story is not only inspirational, but it shows that anyone can find that niche and run with it to be successful. He didn’t come from a designer background, he wasn’t apprenticed by some other successful designer and then pushed off on his own to succeed. He found his niche and he earned his success. With the will and drive of Peter Belisi, along with the right niche and idea, you can be successful too. It’s inspiring to read his story to anyone wanting to start this own business. He’s also an entertaining writer as well and he makes his blog entries fun. When you get a few minutes, definitely check it out.
My wife drives me crazy sometimes when she has control of the clicker. She constantly tries to watch two shows at a time by flipping back and forth between the two. It's especially annoying because she doesn't actually enjoy either show, she spends all of her time watching it trying to figure out what she missed during the flip. Occasionally, she'll have the audacity to actually ask me what I think is happening. Usually that's about the time I leave the room and go blog about something....like right now.
You’ve heard me talk about them before, but here is another Online Payday Loan website you can go to if you need one. It has a fairly catching/amusing name. NeedSpeedyCash.com. Heh.
I don't know what I did to deserve this, but it seems like I've hit this perfect storm of money in this past week. First, I get a really high paying job that is going to significantly improve my lifestyle, then I get my W2s and I start in on my taxes. It looks like I'm going to get about three grand back. Now, I was given a bonus at work of a couple grand that I thought for sure I wouldn't get. I have a lotto ticket, now I'm just waiting for that to crack open and pay out.
Oh, if I win the lotto...this will be my last blog entry for awhile. I'll be too busy quiting jobs, traveling, and spending money to blog on anything. Once I tire of that though, I'll probably start blogging again, but I'll have MUCH more interesting stuff to blog about.
There is a website called Bulgarian Dreams. Specifically, I’m directing you to the Sofia property section of the site. It’s like every beach in Sofia is a white sand, perfect beach out of a movie. If you are going to take a vacation somewhere, this would be an ideal place to spend it. You can buy property there, if you’re the buying type as well.
I was paid my bonus today! I had written it off when I turned in my two weeks. Twice before has someone quit near bonus time and both people were denied their bonus checks. Both people were all pissed off about it too. I was expecting it. I was not pissed because I was expecting to be left out. Well, my boss drops by my desk and slides me an envelope today and tells me not to tell anyone about it. He said I deserved it and that only he and my direct supervisor know about it. So, I went for a walk and visited my supervisor. I shook his hand and thanked him. He told me that I had done a great job in the past year and that he thought I deserved it. He went to the HR manager and asked them to include me in bonuses even though I was leaving. She didn't put up a fight and I was given my cash.
There is a lesson to be learned here. First, do a good job at work. Do a good enough job that when you go to leave, they try everything in their power to keep you. Second, be nice to EVERYONE. I was always nice and personable to my mangers, other people's managers, HR managers, and everyone else who I worked with. Apparently that pays off. People do things for you that go against what a normal company policy would allow.
While by boss and supervisor don't read this blog (at least I hope they don't), I want to publicly say thank you. You've been great and this last little bit has really touched me. Of course, I have to keep quiet else there be dissension in the ranks, so my public thank you is anonymous, but public never the less.
Now, I’m not generally an advocate of payday loans if you can avoid them, but I can see certain situations where a very responsible person could use one to their advantage. Linked is a great site for some good information on Payday Cash Advance Loans, if you are one of those responsible individuals who can handle taking one out.
So, apparently I caused a big ripple in the harmony of my office. My leaving is causing others to question their worth and whether or not they are being compensated for that perceived worth. My boss had to have a special meeting to try and calm everyone down and ease the tension. Who knew that my jumping ship would cause such waves.
You’ve heard me talking about Wirefly over and over again. I can’t help it, the site is great. Seriously, the selection is unbelievable. They even have phones that the actual carriers don’t offer. I’m talking a crazy good selection of phones. Also, the money you can save by going there is ridiculous. If you get your wireless phone someplace else and you already know about Wirefly, there can be only one explanation; your company would have to provides a wireless phone to you for free OR maybe you just plain like spending more money for things. That would be it.
Wirefly always has great deals going on, too many to list them all here, but Wirefly’s latest limited time offer is, as no surprise, just a fantastic deal. You can get a $50 T-Mobile rebate when ordering a new T-Mobile plan online through them. You have to get a plan for $34.99 to qualify, but seriously, the only way to get a cheaper plan is to get one that doesn’t actually allow you to use the phone except for emergencies. The rebate is valid through March 31st, 2007. You’ve got a little time to act on this, but not much. Get over to Wirefly and get your T-Mobile phone.
Here is a funny guy. He calls himself the 30 year old Man-Child and rants about some funny stuff. Most recently it's been about American Idol and how cruel the judges are to the people trying out. He thinks that the only way the show is going to stop is if one of the contestants commits suicide because of what they told him/her at the audition. I think that's a bit extreme, but I see his point. Each year they get crueler and crueler, and they have to in order to top the previous year's cruelty. Eventually, some fragile soul is going to wander in there and they're going to shred the last thread of what is holding their sanity reigned in. Who knows what will happen, but I'm sure we'll see it on the 10 0'clock news.
What little girl doesn’t like Dress Up Games? There is a website called TheDollPalace.com, which can be accessed through the previous link, and at this website you can create a doll to dress up. You can theme her out like a princess, an angel, a goddess, a queen, or anything else you think you or your little girl might like. The site has a lot of games for girls. It’s almost like the site is a dollmaker who not only provides the custom dolls to you, but also gives you fashion games to play as well. Also, after you’ve put your digital doll through the doll maker, you can save it as an avatar for use in forums, chats, or even competitions. There are even forums on TheDollPalace.com that allow you to discuss current fashion trends in dolls these days.
The website itself is laid out with everything accessible from the home page. Your basic sections are found on the right side of the page. That’s where you’ll find the games, forums, and so on. Right down the center is where you’ll find all of the various doll makers. You can make any kind of doll you want there. The possibilities are fairly limitless.
Check out TheDollPalace.com to make a doll, after all, it is where the cartoon dolls live.
I think I cracked a rib or something. Seriously. I'm in some pain. I don't know HOW in the heck you do this with a video game system, but apparently that Wii is one dangerous piece of equipment. It hurts to laugh, cough, even pee. Yes, because of the Wii I'm having problems going wee. It's a sad state of affairs.
Some people just have a gift at making money, you know? My old Kenpo instructor had that gift. He was a full time martial arts instructor, but he ALWAYS had something going on the side. Somewhat recently, it was baseball cards. At first, he picked up a couple of them for his young son. He wanted to start a collection for him. Then he started looking up cards online and seeing what they were selling for. He then started looking up what cards were listed for in card value books. The genius that he is, he was basically memorizing what most cards were worth in the book and what they actually sold for, then he started trading, buying, and selling cards. It was amazing. He would find people to trade cards with and by the books, he would lose money trading to those people. They, of course, thought they were getting a great deal, but in reality, he knew what every card was selling for on ebay and the like, and he knew that he just made money off of them. Sometimes, he made hundreds of dollars in a single trade. He did this for over a year and he estimated that he was able to pull in about $50,000 by doing this in that one year. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone as a side job because the man never slept. If he wasn’t actually wheeling and dealing, he was researching and memorizing what cards were booking for and actually selling for. You’ve got to have an amazing memory to do that kind of thing. Very rarely would he have to resort to looking something up in a book or online while making his deals. This made him all the more dangerous. Seriously, he’s a scary man to deal with…both in business and in the ring. I’m a little scared right now just writing about him.
My ribs are KILLING me! I went over to a friend's house yesterday before we went out to see a movie. Well, he got a Wii for Christmas from his girlfriend. This is the first time I had the chance to play with a Wii, so I slipped on the wrist strap and tried Wii sports. I thought that boxing might be fun. It was fun, by the way, but what's NOT fun is the pain I'm in today. My ribs hurt like hell from the bobbing and weaving I was doing while fighting in this game. The game reacts to real movements you make, so I was bobbing around and punching and jabbing. Now, my ribs hurt because I wasn't used to that type of movement. I guess I'm just another Wii related injury to add to the websites, eh?
Hey all, there is a great list of car insurance companies at CarInsurance.com. What’s cool about car insurance company website is that they offer tips and tricks to getting good rates, avoiding accidents, avoiding tickets, and other helpful driving tips. For instance, GEICO just added a “Teens and Trucks” section to their online library. It’s in the safe driving materials for teen drivers section, if you’re out there looking for it now. The brochure includes information for teens on how to safely share the highway with large trucks. I can see that as especially helpful as anyone can be intimidated by those big trucks on the road, especially a new driver. The save driving website, in case anyone is looking for it, is located here.
Here is a quick rundown of some of those tips:
· Stay out of a truck’s blind spots or “No Zones”
· Be careful when attempting to pass a truck
· Do not swerve in front of a truck or cause the driver to come to a sudden stop
· Avoid squeeze play when a large truck needs to make a wide turn
· Do not cut off a large truck or passenger bus
There are a lot more tips on the website, and I suggest you check them out.
Apparently someone at the FX studio played a little joke that they thought nobody would catch, but it was found. Someone gave the Silver Surfer from the new Fantastic Four trailer some cash a prizes between his legs. I posted a still of the trailer here. You can check it out frame by frame yourself right here. In all of the other scenes with the surfer, there appears to be no frank and beans, just in the one scene. So, that leads ME to believe that they didn't actually give the surfer the family jewels in the movie, but some FX guys playing a joke by allowing it in a quick scene in the trailer. Funny stuff, but i'm sure somebody is probably going to get fired over that.
Who wouldn’t LOVE to get their hands on some free cell phones? Well, Wirefly.com is at it again. You can not only get some free cell phones at Wirefly.com, but they also happen to have the best cell phones and the best cell phone deals for your needs. Seriously, they have the largest selection you can find anywhere, and that’s including the actual service provider’s sites. Oh, did I mention that they have free shipping too? I know, it’s just so ridiculous. Anyone and everyone who is even thinking about getting a cell phone needs to go to Wirefly.com and check out the crazy deals they’ve got going on.
There is a horror movie coming out called Dead Silence. You can see the R rated trailer here. Ventriloquist dolls are creepy as it is, and several movies have had them as an element before. I haven't seen a movie focus on them so much though. So, watch the trailer, just don't scream. Apparently the old lady will rip out your tongue if you scream.
Do you know what’s great about home equity loans? The interest is tax deductible, that’s what. If you have some equity in your home, you can put it to work for you with a home equity loan. One of the best places to go for home loans is PersonalHomeLoanMortgages.com. Check them out for a home equity loan or for a home loan.
I went to go see Pan's Labyrinth last night. I have to say, it was pretty good, but not quite as good as I was expecting. As with all foriegn movies, there was something that was lost in translation or something. As much as I like various foriegn films, there is always something that just doesn't jive or doesn't feel right about them. I can only assume it's something that appeals or is understood by the intended audience and not by me. This movie was no exception. The effects and creatures were really good, but sometimes they looked a bit stiff. Also, the movie was a LOT more violent than I thought it would be. At the end, they don't really give you straight answers, which is one thing that american movies generally do. Generally american movies think that the audience is stupid and just tells you everything you need to know. This movie left it up to you whether or not the fantasy world existed or only existed in the little girl's head. Overall, I would suggest it, but be prepared for a fairly violent movie.
So, all of the specs out for the amazing Apple iPhone aren’t due out until the summer, but you can sign up for early alerts on Wirefly.com by clicking the previous link. The buzz on this phone is going to get OUT OF CONTROL. If you want to be the first to sport one of these things, you need to get on the bandwagon now.
Well, my wife and I were going to have a nice romantic dinner at The Melting Pot, but my wife's disapointment of a husband couldn't get reservations at either of the St. Louis locations. She's not very happy with me. I feel like such a disapointment.
For all of you who haven't yet read about the ABC news story about an InPhonic practical joke where someones car was completely covered with sticky notes, read it at the above link. I've also posted some pictures of it as well.
You know, this is almost genius. Not just because it's a GREAT practical joke, but the company got their name in the news. Not in a bad way either. After this news story, the company mentioned where this happened will be remembered as a seemingly fun place to work. That's good for anyone looking to work there. That fun place to work attitude generally seeps into the service and products that a company sells. So, I'm sure it will help their bottom lines, if not indirectly. Like I said...genius.
So, I pulled the trigger today and bought my PC parts. I've got a dual core on it's way along with a 19" widescreen monitor. I've got 2GB of RAM and 320GB of hard drive space. This thing should really cook. I'm excited and I can't wait for it to show up at my doorstep.
A place called TCA have got a whole bunch of deals going on. They’ve got great deals on hdmi wall plates, home audio/video distribution products, and all of your other HD accessory needs. They’ve even got some HDMI switches, because most TVs and HD devices just don’t come with enough HDMI ports. Check these guys out.
So, I've got some big news from the job front for all of you following along in the home game. Move your pieces to the "take the job and put in two weeks" spot on the board. Woo hoo! The offer that came in was really high and I couldn't be more pleased. I put in my two weeks today, which was actually pretty sad because I honestly do like my job and everyone I work with. The oppertunities presented at this new place are just too good to pass up. I have to think of my family and do what's best for my future. My boss really didn't want to see me go and he put up the good fight to keep me. I mean, he offered me everything he had in his arsenal. It was sad, but I had to turn him down. It'll be a sad day when I leave in two weeks.
Who doesn’t like a good joke or funny video now and then, eh? There is a site called Jokeroo.com that has all of that going on. They’ve got some seriously funny pictures as well. Seriously, who doesn’t like to laugh now and then? So, go break up the monotony of your day and check out something funny.
So, Aint It Cool News posted a HUGE spoiler about Spiderman 3. If you want to read it, you can read it HERE. Basically, it talks about some of the fight scenes and the final fight scenes, but mostly about a death. If it's true, it would be a somewhat shocking death. Of course, everything is probably now thinking that Gwen Stacy is going to die as she did in the comics. Or maybe I'm the only geek who knew that over here. I don't know. Anyway, it's not her. It's a little more shocking than that. Anyway, if you're interested, go ahead and read it. If not...and it's true...then you'll find out anyway when Spidey 3 is released next summer.
Hey, if you’re looking for an IT related job, check out Miles Consulting Corp. They’re looking for Cisco Firewall Experts, or any kind of enterprise class managed services and outsourced software development. If you are a company looking to hire Outsourced IT, Microsoft Consulting Experts, or Microsoft CRM Consulting, you should check them out too.
I received the call today. THE call. I was offered the job and the initial offer was at the high end of what I was hoping to get. I'm going to see if I can negotiate a tad more, just to see if I can. I told my boss today and, of course, he was not happy about it. He really, really wants to keep me and has offered to go to HR and to try and get a match. He can't garuntee that he can, but he said he would fight for it because he doesn't want to lose me. I don't know what to believe really. Who knows if this is a ploy to keep me long enough for them to replace me with someone instead of me walking out on them in two weeks. I guess you never know that if you take a counter offer to keep from leaving. I guess you never know until they fire you four months later, eh?
Decisions, decisions....
The absolute leader in corporate Performance Management software is Longview Solutions. They recently announced the release of version 3.5 of their Longview Performance Management Platform, which is also known as Khalix. If you aren’t familiar with Longview, their platform is used to streamline and automate the strategic financial processes of some of the biggest leading organizations in world. This new release has several key enhancements that make it worth checking out. So, do that. Check it out.
This is for those of you who liked Alien vs. Predator and are excited about Alien vs. Predator 2. I didn't like the movie and I'm not excited about a sequel. The movie just wasn't good so the sequel can't be any better. I'd be shocked if it was. Anyway, here you go. Looks like a Predator fighting an Alien...woo hoo.
Hey all, I found a awesome new for sale by owner site called FindMyRoof.com. The site is a free real estate ad posting site. The site is super easy to use and has a bunch of cool features like Google Maps. With as much as real estate agents charge to sell your home it’s worth a shot trying to sell it yourself at a site like this. No question.
So, next Monday (1/22/07) is the return of Heroes on NBC. I'm really excited about this, even though I am slightly frustrated with the show. I've discussed it before, but I think they give you too many questions and don't give enough answers. Hopefully they'll answer a few questions on this month's return of the show.
Also, Prison Break starts back up too. I'm excited about that as well. They're cliffhangers aren't as frustrating though. They have just the right amount of questions to answers on that show. The question is usually "how is Michael going to get out of this one?" and the answer is usually dumb luck or something truly ingenious.
I’ve written about small businesses before, but if you’re REALLY small…like running the business out of your house, you probably don’t want to use your home address as your business address. This is especially true if you have customers mailing items to you. The last thing you want is a disgruntled customer showing up at your doorstep. One way to take care of the address situation is to get a mail drop. A mail drop is a secure address where you can rent a box and effectively use it as your postal address. The biggest internet directory of mailboxes and mail drops is at MailDropGuide.com. They’ve got all of your mailing needs covered. Check them out.
I think I'm the only person in Saint Louis, MO who DIDN'T lose power during this last ice storm. When you read about Saint Louis losing power on the news, I'm not one of them. I don't know what kind of power lines they have up in my area, but I love it. I have yet to lose power. In three years, I've only lost power once and it was for about an hour. Everyone I know loses power for hours and hours, or even days sometimes, every time we get really bad weather here. Of course, by writing this entry, I'm cursing myself to lose power at the next slight breeze.
If you own a small business, there is one unavoidable thing that will always rear its ugly head and that’s your payroll and bookkeeping. Nobody likes crunching the numbers, but a site called Accounting Paradise makes it a little bit easier. Their prices are very reasonable, starting at $50 a month, and they always set up an understandable system. The bookkeeping they do there is always done by people who actually do that every day for a living and they don’t lock you in to a long term contract. They keep your business with great service, not contractual bindings. It’s simple really; you run the business and outsource the headaches to them. Easy.
The last thing I heard from my possible future employer is that they have completed my reference check and that they will be contacting me shortly. I got that email on either Wednesday or Thursay of last week. I'm anxious to see if they are going to offer me a job (I'm assuming they are) and how much it's going to pay. The waiting is the hardest part.
How cool are the beach cruisers at xyzbikes.com? They have a TON of different styles and colors available, plus they regularly take suggestions for new colors and styles. I mean, how cool is that? Check out their color wheel to see what kinds of colors are possible for bikes in the future. Personally, I like the 26” XYZ Man Teal Beach King Cruiser. It’s the perfect bike for a leisurely ride on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I can just see myself riding down the beach, checking out the ladies and their incredible shrinking bikinis. Of course, with a cool bike like this, I’d have all the ladies wanting to talk to me. (Hey, it’s MY fantasy, so I get to say how it goes.) OR, maybe I’ll ride on one of those Chopper Cruisers so I can feel like a bad ass. You wouldn’t be able to help but to feel like a bad ass riding one of those. I mean, look at it.
Seriously though, they have lots of different styles and several different categories of bikes too. They’ve got Classic Beach Cruisers, Multi-speed Cruisers, Chopper Cruisers, Kid’s Cruisers, Men’s Cruisers, Women’s Cruisers, and they also sell accessories. If you want a bike for cruising the beach, they’ve got you covered. Ride on, Ride on.
So, as I previously mentioned, I got an OTA antenna so I can get HD channels for free, the ones that my cable provider doesn't provide. Well, I set it up and I now get those two channels I was missing. The problem is that apparently there is some sort of "shifting" during the day that affects my reception. Every once in a while, the signal goes a little funny and weak. The antenna has to be moved a little bit. This isn't a huge deal, but it is a little annoying.
Headphones. There are numerous jobs that require them. There’s military use, SWAT, aviation, broadcasting, and more. Of any of those various uses, Peltor Headsets have got you covered. They’ve even got headsets designed for your kids. I’m telling you, they’ve got EVERYTHING covered. If you’re looking for a headset, you need to check out the Peltor Headsets at Best4Headsets.
I have Charter Communications for my cable TV provider. I also have an HDTV, which I've mentioned before. I love watching channels in HD, it's great, but I've never gotten ABC in HD and just a week ago or so, my cable company stopped providing CBS in HD. This sucks because that means I have to watch CSI in lowly SD. What sucked is that they dropped the HD channel on the very night that a new CSI was on after their little winter break. SUCKY. So, I thought about getting an antenna and pulling the HD channels over the air. Tonight I bought an antenna. I had a gift card to Best Buy from Christmas and didn't know what to buy with it, so I thought I'd pick up an antenna. I wanted to hide the antenna behind my TV, close to the ground. I knew it was not an ideal location to pick up TV signals. Honestly, I didn't think it was going to work. So, I bought the best antenna I could find there, thinking that anything to help me pick up the signals was worth it, and I headed home. Once home, I assembled the antenna and got to hooking it up. Like I said, I didn't think it was going to work. It worked though. I was shocked. I get EVERY local channel in HD with crystal clarity. I am amazed. So, I reset my settings on the TV to tell it that I now have an antenna AND cable. You see, my TV has the TV Guide on screen menu. It will pull the listings over the air while the TV is off. Then I can arrange them, delete them, and move them around any way I see fit. So, basically, I'm going to nix out the non-HD versions of all of the channels on the menu. Theoretically, it will switch between cable and antenna and I shouldn't even notice the switch. I'm very happy about this. Now I just have to wait for the menu to populate and then I have the tedious task of arranging the channels. To be honest though, I kind of like that stuff. I'm weird like that. I like playing the with settings on stuff and I like installing software. I wipe my PC and reinstall everything from the OS up every couple of months. I think everyone should do that once a year or so, but I do it closer to every three or four months. I know...I'm a freak.
Not too terribly long ago, I got my review at work. I have to tell you, I was not impressed. It was sloppy, unorganized, and just done poorly. What they need is some employee review software to help with the performance appraisal. Perhaps with that software, things would have gone a little smoother.
A friend of mine has been blogging and whatnot for quite a while at CheskiTech.com. His blog, as the "tech" from his URL implies, leans toward PCs and the IT industry. He always has something interesting or funny to say and he's always giving his opinion and reviews of the latest and greatest tech stuff. Go check him out. I challenge you to read his blog and not be entertained or informed by his writing. His blog entries are like potato chips, I betcha can't read just one.
I have officially been writing for PayPerPost.com for two months now. In those two months, I have earned close to $900. $900! That’s some serious cash. Anyone can make money at home with PayPerPost.com. All you need is a blog and the time to write. Let me tell you about what I’m going to do with my money. With the money I’ve already earned, my first purchase is going to be a new PC. I’m currently writing this blog entry from an older laptop with a flickering screen. Also, it tends to overheat, so I can’t do a whole lot with it without it overheating and shutting down unexpectedly. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to work on your PC when all of a sudden the fan kicks on super high and three seconds later, it just shuts down. I’ve lost work numerous times because of that. So, I’m going to build myself a nice PC. I’m thinking that I’m going to go with a 19-22 inch widescreen monitor. I’m definitely going with a dual core processor and at least 2 GB of RAM. I’m going to a decent video card so I can run Aero on Windows Vista. I’m not a big gamer like I was several years ago. I guess a wife and kids doesn’t leave too much time for gaming these days. So, I’ll probably get a decent video card with 256 MB of RAM. I’m thinking that it’s going to be a nice PC. It’ll definitely be better than what I’m on right now. After I get the PC, I think I’m going to just bank the rest of the money I earn from PayPerPost.com and hopefully, at the rate I’m going at now, I’ll have Christmas paid for next year…and I’ll probably have enough to take my wife and I on a little vacation. Someplace nice.If you want to earn some extra cash yourself, check out PayPerPost.com.
So, I was driving around earlier today, listening to my iPod and I had an odd thought. I was listening to the song playing and when it was over, another of my favorite songs came on. Guess what happened next, ANOTHER of my favorite songs came on. That's when I started thinking about it. You know, with all of these people getting satellite radio for the commercial-less songs, they just need to get an iPod. Load all of your music onto your iPod and then just put it in random mode. It's like listening to a commercial free radio station that only plays your favorite songs. I mean, how cool is that. All of these people wasting money on satellite radios and subscriptions when all they need is an iPod. Fools.
I know, I'm a freak. I can't wait to get my taxes done. I'm weird like that. I'm not even a CPA or anything. I just like doing my taxes. Generally I get a refund, but it was usually a very small one. Last year was the first year that I got to claim my kids. Woo hoo! Big refund. I even changed my W4 to reflect the kids and I STILL got a big refund. Of course, what I consider big and what some other people consider big are different things, of course. Doesn't matter though, I'm the one who gets the check so it only matters what I think, right? Anyway. Previous years, I've always used HRBlock's website to do my taxes. I have always had some sort of problem with them. I'm not entirely sure why I kept using them year after year with the problems I was having, but I did. I'm a creature of habit, I guess. Anyway, last year I got all the way through my taxes and, of course, HRBlock's website couldn't electronically send my taxes. I was going to have to print and mail them. That's not fun. Since you don't pay until to got send them, I hopped over to TurboTax's website and tried them. WOW! They were super easy to use and I had zero problems with them. So, I'm using them again this year too. I know I'm a little weird, but I'm anxiously awaiting my W2s to show up so I can get started. I've already logged in and entered all of our personal information. Now I just need forms to show up. Come on already people!
Stop living in the past. Christmas is behind us. It’s over. It’s time to stop dwelling in the past and time to start thinking about the future. The future is…next Christmas! It’s time to start saving for next Christmas now. I’ve already started saving and you should be too. It doesn’t take much, just sock away a little bit here and there and by next Christmas, you’ll have all of your gifts paid for. Imagine coming out the other side of Christmas with no debt from holiday spending. One thing you can do is to check out the deals they’ve got going on at ThriftyScot. They’ve got deals on credit cards, secured loans, mortgages, and home insurance. You can even check your current accounts at the site too. There are a ton of little ways to save money for next Christmas, but only if you get started soon.
Who actually wants to drudge into work every day just to make ends meet? What would be great is if you could make some serious cash and work only part time hours right at home. Well, now you may just be able to make that CEO Level Income Part Time From Home. By this time next year, you could be “living the dream”, so check it out.
