mobile12/29/08 04:18 - 41ºF - ID#47214
Happy New Year
Since I don't post everyday the new year is likely to be here and I won't have the chance to wish all the (e:peeps) Happy New Year.
Best wishes for a wonderful 2009 for everyone.
Best wishes for a wonderful 2009 for everyone.
Thanks so very much!! Wish you an awesome year ahead as well!!Permalink: Happy_New_Year.html
Words: 35
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: work
12/29/08 04:16 - 41ºF - ID#47213
Work Rant
well at least it will be my last one for 2008.
We're going to be reorganized at work and this is basic plan they have come up with.
They = very upper level decision makers
They will survey all impacted employees.
They will hunt you down if you don't want to answer the survey. It's not an anonymous.
They will gather all the information and take this back to the upper level decision makers for each unit and the budget/financial persons.
I will get reorganized in some way since I have been by someone close to the process that everyone will get reorganized in some way.
I will get a letter/email telling me where I have been reorganized to.
No one will lose their job and that is good.
I have no idea if I will continue to work for my current boss, if I will move from my office and building, if I will get promoted or demoted or move laterally or anything and not knowing causes me some stress, not a lot but some.
We're going to be reorganized at work and this is basic plan they have come up with.
They = very upper level decision makers
They will survey all impacted employees.
They will hunt you down if you don't want to answer the survey. It's not an anonymous.
They will gather all the information and take this back to the upper level decision makers for each unit and the budget/financial persons.
I will get reorganized in some way since I have been by someone close to the process that everyone will get reorganized in some way.
I will get a letter/email telling me where I have been reorganized to.
No one will lose their job and that is good.
I have no idea if I will continue to work for my current boss, if I will move from my office and building, if I will get promoted or demoted or move laterally or anything and not knowing causes me some stress, not a lot but some.
Permalink: Work_Rant.html
Words: 176
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: cars
12/15/08 11:46 - 53ºF - ID#47067
Cars - hate them!!!
So Sunday morning my husband tells me we have a flat tire on our Saturn so he goes out and puts some air in it. The Saturn has a built in air compressor and then waits to see if it's slow leak or something more.
It was something more. The tire was shot and we needed a new one but since we have a super sized Saturn places like Sam's club don't carry a tire that size in stock and most tire places are closed on Sundays. At least the tire places I could think of were closed.
We found that Firestone was open and we ended up buying a tire from them. We had to jack up the Saturn, get the old tire and rim off, take it to Firestone, get the new tire installed on our rim, go home and install the tire on the car...in the rain. It totally killed our day! I swear it took us about 3 hours to get everything all settled.
Spending $150 on a tire 10 days before Christmas was not exactly what I was planning on doing but gotta have a tire on the car. The guy who looked at the tire told us that the wear isn't right and we probably need another tire and that we should take the car to the dealer.
My husband confirmed when we got home that the other back tire should be replaced. Now we need to replace another $150 tire and possibly have a car repair bill too.
Congress I still need that bailout!
Later that night, I passed our neighbor on my way home from Wegmans. His car was being loaded on a flat bed because he had a flat tire. Since it was too busy of an intersection to stop at and I was already through when I saw his jeep, I pulled over and called his partner to make sure no one needed a ride home.
stupid cars!
It was something more. The tire was shot and we needed a new one but since we have a super sized Saturn places like Sam's club don't carry a tire that size in stock and most tire places are closed on Sundays. At least the tire places I could think of were closed.
We found that Firestone was open and we ended up buying a tire from them. We had to jack up the Saturn, get the old tire and rim off, take it to Firestone, get the new tire installed on our rim, go home and install the tire on the car...in the rain. It totally killed our day! I swear it took us about 3 hours to get everything all settled.
Spending $150 on a tire 10 days before Christmas was not exactly what I was planning on doing but gotta have a tire on the car. The guy who looked at the tire told us that the wear isn't right and we probably need another tire and that we should take the car to the dealer.
My husband confirmed when we got home that the other back tire should be replaced. Now we need to replace another $150 tire and possibly have a car repair bill too.
Congress I still need that bailout!
Later that night, I passed our neighbor on my way home from Wegmans. His car was being loaded on a flat bed because he had a flat tire. Since it was too busy of an intersection to stop at and I was already through when I saw his jeep, I pulled over and called his partner to make sure no one needed a ride home.
stupid cars!
Permalink: Cars_hate_them_.html
Words: 325
Location: Buffalo, NY
12/12/08 10:08 - 29ºF - ID#47041
House Assessment Challenge
I'm preparing my case to fight out recent house assessment.
I will be taking photos of the exterior of our house, it needs a paint job terribly. I will be taking using photos of our kitchen and bathroom that show they have not been updated, well the bathroom was updated in the 50's but it's crazy.
Our bathroom is pink and baby blue including a baby blue tub and sink.
I am also going to look at the sale data for the house next door as our houses are planned out the same way and roughly the same square footage.
I have an email into my neighbors who are also fighting the assessment on their home.
I will be taking photos of the exterior of our house, it needs a paint job terribly. I will be taking using photos of our kitchen and bathroom that show they have not been updated, well the bathroom was updated in the 50's but it's crazy.
Our bathroom is pink and baby blue including a baby blue tub and sink.
I am also going to look at the sale data for the house next door as our houses are planned out the same way and roughly the same square footage.
I have an email into my neighbors who are also fighting the assessment on their home.
Permalink: House_Assessment_Challenge.html
Words: 116
Location: Buffalo, NY
12/12/08 10:01 - 29ºF - ID#47040
well what are you going to eat?
ahhh the age old question my mother asks every time a holiday or family gathering of some sort is going to happen.
Why? Hubby and I are both vegetarians in a family of non-vegetarians and we apparently still confound and confuse them - we probably do that on many levels.
Neither one of us is a crazy strict veg nor are we veg for moral reasons. You can't control every food product you eat, esp. when you go out to eat so we try to take in stride when we discover that after the fact the soup was made with chicken stock but the serving staff didn't know that.
It shouldn't matter that we don't eat meat but it's always something my mom worries about. It's not like we're going to go hungry anywhere we go as generally all of the sides dishes, appetizers, drinks and desserts are meat free and available in such abundance that no normal person could consume all of the food at one of my family gatherings.
My favorite is when my mom offers to cook us something. I always tell her no since she usually picks something crazy and then doesn't execute it well at all. If I think it's such an issue, I can cook something for us. I'm the person who is the veggie and who has been preparing my own meals as well as the meals in my household for a long time. She means well, she is just trying to show she cares and is sensitive to things.
I lost track but I think I've considered myself a vegetarian for about 15 years or so maybe longer so my family shouldn't be too surprised anymore but I'm sure it will continue to be an issue until far into the future.
Why? Hubby and I are both vegetarians in a family of non-vegetarians and we apparently still confound and confuse them - we probably do that on many levels.
Neither one of us is a crazy strict veg nor are we veg for moral reasons. You can't control every food product you eat, esp. when you go out to eat so we try to take in stride when we discover that after the fact the soup was made with chicken stock but the serving staff didn't know that.
It shouldn't matter that we don't eat meat but it's always something my mom worries about. It's not like we're going to go hungry anywhere we go as generally all of the sides dishes, appetizers, drinks and desserts are meat free and available in such abundance that no normal person could consume all of the food at one of my family gatherings.
My favorite is when my mom offers to cook us something. I always tell her no since she usually picks something crazy and then doesn't execute it well at all. If I think it's such an issue, I can cook something for us. I'm the person who is the veggie and who has been preparing my own meals as well as the meals in my household for a long time. She means well, she is just trying to show she cares and is sensitive to things.
I lost track but I think I've considered myself a vegetarian for about 15 years or so maybe longer so my family shouldn't be too surprised anymore but I'm sure it will continue to be an issue until far into the future.
Permalink: well_what_are_you_going_to_eat_.html
Words: 298
Location: Buffalo, NY
12/03/08 11:10 - ID#46935
More letters
Dear City of Buffalo Assessment and Taxation Office
We are one of the 7,065 property owners, that has received a higher assessment and we're puzzled as to how you came to the conclusion that our modest home in N. Buffalo is now worth $24,000 more than it was last year when you then said it was worth $19,000 more than in 2006.
I know Buffalo is different from other parts of the country when it comes to our strange little economy. I hardly can believe that our house has increased in value by so much in such a short time.
We might have been happy since this would have meant that we had a nice amount of home equity but surely you know that the credit market is pretty tight these days.
Last time I heard the doom gloom news, it was estimated that only 1 in 4 people who wanted to get a loan could. Stats can be misleading but I also read that in the US there are 5 major banking players and none of them a readily lending so I am inclined to believe we won't get a loan if we wanted one.
I feel like this is pretty thinly veiled tax increase in the works. Yes, I read and understood that nice statement that our taxes are based on many factors. Our memory isn't that short and I keep all our records and the last time you raised our assessment, the city raised our taxes so I'm a bit skeptical at this point.
How about you talk to the Mayor's Office and suggest revitalizing some of the more depressed areas of Buffalo and expanding our tax base so we don't need to concentrate so much of the tax burden.
As a tax payer, I would welcome intergovernmental communications that could lead to some positive progress and increased efficiency.
We'll be sending in our grievance letter shortly or my husband may show up on the ultra convenient grievance day of December 31, 2008.
Thanks in advance!
We are one of the 7,065 property owners, that has received a higher assessment and we're puzzled as to how you came to the conclusion that our modest home in N. Buffalo is now worth $24,000 more than it was last year when you then said it was worth $19,000 more than in 2006.
I know Buffalo is different from other parts of the country when it comes to our strange little economy. I hardly can believe that our house has increased in value by so much in such a short time.
We might have been happy since this would have meant that we had a nice amount of home equity but surely you know that the credit market is pretty tight these days.
Last time I heard the doom gloom news, it was estimated that only 1 in 4 people who wanted to get a loan could. Stats can be misleading but I also read that in the US there are 5 major banking players and none of them a readily lending so I am inclined to believe we won't get a loan if we wanted one.
I feel like this is pretty thinly veiled tax increase in the works. Yes, I read and understood that nice statement that our taxes are based on many factors. Our memory isn't that short and I keep all our records and the last time you raised our assessment, the city raised our taxes so I'm a bit skeptical at this point.
How about you talk to the Mayor's Office and suggest revitalizing some of the more depressed areas of Buffalo and expanding our tax base so we don't need to concentrate so much of the tax burden.
As a tax payer, I would welcome intergovernmental communications that could lead to some positive progress and increased efficiency.
We'll be sending in our grievance letter shortly or my husband may show up on the ultra convenient grievance day of December 31, 2008.
Thanks in advance!
Permalink: More_letters.html
Words: 330
Location: Buffalo, NY
11/21/08 04:48 - ID#46787
Dear Congress
Dear Congress
May I have a bailout? I don't need nearly as much as you have been giving out and I won't fly in to ask for money on a private jet or even in coach; if you need my request in writing I will send it via USPS and pay for the stamp out of my own pocket.
Once you give me the money, I will not hoard it or throw lavish parties or take a spa vacation.
I have a spending plan all set too.
We can work out the exact details since it is smarter to pay off high interest credit cards first but it would go something like this:
Pay off mortgage.
Pay off car.
Pay off student loans.
Pay off credit cards - we only have 2.
Pay back my mom.
I promise I will stimulate our local and national economy and save for the future too. I have a plan for that as well; once again it's simple but I can see it working out really well for everyone.
We're going to save more than we spend but we'll spend as we know the importance of consumer spending and we'll continue to support local charities.
We'll buy some new stuff from local stores and bigger national chains - but not from Wal-Mart. Hope that is not a deal breaker but I'm just not a fan.
We'll go visit some friends and family in other parts of the country and buy some stuff where they live too, I doubt we'll stay in hotels for every visit since we want to stay with our friends and family but we'll go out for dinner at least once per trip.
We'll pay my husbands school tuition and not take out any student loans and in a couple years he will re-enter the workforce as a teacher. He already has plans to teach in a high demand area such as the inner city.
We'll be sure to set aside money for his children to attend college or trade school so they'll be able to get good paying jobs and add to the tax revenue.
Just ask the IRS for our address, they have it as we have been loyal tax payers for a while now.
Thanks in advance!
May I have a bailout? I don't need nearly as much as you have been giving out and I won't fly in to ask for money on a private jet or even in coach; if you need my request in writing I will send it via USPS and pay for the stamp out of my own pocket.
Once you give me the money, I will not hoard it or throw lavish parties or take a spa vacation.
I have a spending plan all set too.
We can work out the exact details since it is smarter to pay off high interest credit cards first but it would go something like this:
Pay off mortgage.
Pay off car.
Pay off student loans.
Pay off credit cards - we only have 2.
Pay back my mom.
I promise I will stimulate our local and national economy and save for the future too. I have a plan for that as well; once again it's simple but I can see it working out really well for everyone.
We're going to save more than we spend but we'll spend as we know the importance of consumer spending and we'll continue to support local charities.
We'll buy some new stuff from local stores and bigger national chains - but not from Wal-Mart. Hope that is not a deal breaker but I'm just not a fan.
We'll go visit some friends and family in other parts of the country and buy some stuff where they live too, I doubt we'll stay in hotels for every visit since we want to stay with our friends and family but we'll go out for dinner at least once per trip.
We'll pay my husbands school tuition and not take out any student loans and in a couple years he will re-enter the workforce as a teacher. He already has plans to teach in a high demand area such as the inner city.
We'll be sure to set aside money for his children to attend college or trade school so they'll be able to get good paying jobs and add to the tax revenue.
Just ask the IRS for our address, they have it as we have been loyal tax payers for a while now.
Thanks in advance!
Permalink: Dear_Congress.html
Words: 378
Location: Buffalo, NY
11/20/08 01:20 - 33ºF - ID#46773
ipod woes - almost
I have an iPod shuffle that I use when I work out. It's the clip on kind and I love it but the other day when I went to listen to it; it did not want to play. Just flashing yellow and then green. <sigh> so no music as I worked out.
I thought the shuffle was a goner but a little Google and some persistence and my shuffle is back!
It was totally odd series of steps I had to take but what ever combination of the things I tried finally worked this morning when iTunes saw the iPod and was able to restore it and I was able to sync my workout music to it.
BTW: (e:Anne) my iPod shuffle has some of those same songs you mentioned and I have not one iota of guilt for liking pop music.
Totally made my day!
(e:tinypliny) My solution was so convoluted I'm not sure it would work for anyone else. It also involved some cursing and talking to the ipod and then rebooting and going to bed!
Here is a link to the article I read
I also unplugged all my other ipod and my external USB drive while trying the recovery.
I really cannot say what exactly of all the things I tried worked.
I am fairly certain that swearing at the ipod and speaking to it probably had very little to do with it now working but you never know.
I thought the shuffle was a goner but a little Google and some persistence and my shuffle is back!
It was totally odd series of steps I had to take but what ever combination of the things I tried finally worked this morning when iTunes saw the iPod and was able to restore it and I was able to sync my workout music to it.
BTW: (e:Anne) my iPod shuffle has some of those same songs you mentioned and I have not one iota of guilt for liking pop music.
Totally made my day!
(e:tinypliny) My solution was so convoluted I'm not sure it would work for anyone else. It also involved some cursing and talking to the ipod and then rebooting and going to bed!
Here is a link to the article I read
I also unplugged all my other ipod and my external USB drive while trying the recovery.
I really cannot say what exactly of all the things I tried worked.
I am fairly certain that swearing at the ipod and speaking to it probably had very little to do with it now working but you never know.
Permalink: ipod_woes_almost.html
Words: 247
Location: Buffalo, NY
11/17/08 03:02 - 34ºF - ID#46720
Womens Gifts at Babeville
A little squished but a nice venue and some really beautifully made items.
It was nice to see that business appeared to be good for most vendors. I went with my friends and neighbors and we knew a few of the people selling at the venue as well as running in to others we knew who were shopping.
Anyone else who went partake in the Advice Booth and Candy Therapy?
It was nice to see that business appeared to be good for most vendors. I went with my friends and neighbors and we knew a few of the people selling at the venue as well as running in to others we knew who were shopping.
Anyone else who went partake in the Advice Booth and Candy Therapy?
Permalink: Womens_Gifts_at_Babeville.html
Words: 70
Location: Buffalo, NY
11/17/08 01:25 - 35ºF - ID#46717
USS Freedom
A day later than expected the USS Freedom pulled in to port here in Buffalo.
Basically the guy who best friends with my husband is stationed on the ship so we go to take a tour of the ship. It was amazing but I felt like I was in a real life game of chutes and ladders.
It was great for my husband to be able to visit with his friend, even if it's only for a couple days. We last saw him in 2005 when we got married and he was in town for our wedding.
I'll have pictures soon.
Finally, no ranting in my post!
Basically the guy who best friends with my husband is stationed on the ship so we go to take a tour of the ship. It was amazing but I felt like I was in a real life game of chutes and ladders.
It was great for my husband to be able to visit with his friend, even if it's only for a couple days. We last saw him in 2005 when we got married and he was in town for our wedding.
I'll have pictures soon.
Finally, no ranting in my post!
Permalink: USS_Freedom.html
Words: 106
Location: Buffalo, NY
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