I'm currently obsessed with Gmaps Pedometer.



I don't know why I haven't used this before! I'm slowing down on catching on for some things, I guess. Becoming less of an 'early adopter' and more of a 'when i get around to it' sort of mentality. Seriously? I still use MapQuest.

So, I'm not a big fan of using an actual pedometer. I have them, but they collect dust. I don't really care how many steps I have taken, just the time and miles. Besides, I don't trust that it (or me) gauges my stride correctly. I generally know how far I have gone, and for how long, but I am curious for more specific distance-data on the various paths I take, or veer off of, or whatever.

Sure I know that if I am walking a decent pace, that in 15 minutes I should have covered a mile. Some days, however, 45 minutes may have passed, feeling like I covered three miles, but my dragging feet barely covered two.

or I stopped and smelled the lilacs.

or scratched a dog under their chin.

or took in the view for an extra minute or two.

So, I need to know. really know.

obviously this can be generalized to other forms of transportation/bodily movement.

Anyone else use this or have another neat way to gauge miles?

don't mess with a girls quest for books.
or she might just hack your ass in half!


the saga begins with one guys search for an 'over processed hair-public transportation cutie', a concerned (but sketchy?) online "friend" who says, "beware of axe murderers", and a voice from the shadows telling this sordid tale.

"Everything is red she is hearing death metal in her head, and not even the bands she likes."


the drama continues as the mysterious "concerned friend" rises from her icy tomb and is hungry... hungry for cheap groceries, "the perfect book" and revenge for anyone who dares takes her books away.

This means YOU,book nazi.
"No book for you!"

ah, and no last word for you but the shriek of your limbs being hacked off with a special Japanese axe.

see (e:theli), (e:tinypliny) and (e:metalpeter) unravel the full story (and comments and ensuing silliness) at:

(e:theli,48665)

---

(e:metalpeter), i don't know what to say. I want to write a comment but I can't even begin to do so right now, but I will. I was just laughing so damn hard that I woke my sleeping bf, and disturbed my lounging cats. I need to reread the whole thread and your brilliant additions to the "(e:) true-story" haha

cracked me up, thank you thank you thank you

oh my!

as part of a new patient examination, my new doc had me go for a ton of blood work for baseline health, etc. I use Quest for all that blood sucking stuff. This was back in October.







My insurance always takes care of lab fees, but I received a bill from Quest rather recently. I forwarded it on to my insurance (through snail mail), but somehow they didn't get it. Then I tried faxing it to them daily for a week, different locations, different times, always busy. Called, tried new fax numbers with same result. They have all this communication documented, as I kept calling them to explain my inability to get the bill to them. I was told to re send through the mail (different addy than originally sent) and that seemed to work.

In the mean time, I got a call from a collection agency!

I guess Quest sent it off to collections pretty quickly although this is the first I heard of even having an outstanding 'bill'.

So back and forth I go with the collections agency. I called them once I received a letter- I wanted to find out what date this happened, etc. (why so quick?) Of course they launched into payment options..

them: "send us money"

me: "no"

them: "if you can't pay it all, we can put you on a payment plan"

me: "no. this isn't my bill, I do not owe you anything- it is currently being handled by my insurance company"

them; "send us money and your insurance will reimburse you"

me: "uhhhh no. I will not assume what you say is true. I need direct communication from insurance company before making any decision. I'll call back"
(really now! and hell no I'm not sending money! - later call to insurance company laughed at the collections brazen attempt to say what the insurance company would/wouldnt do- and no, it is not up to me to pay the bill in any capacity, as it is covered)

I would/should send them a "Spider Drawing As Payment", like this:



so daily calls from collections ensued. i felt like one of those people that avoid the phone expressly for this reason. I just didn't want to have the same conversation until I knew more.

I then received word back from my insurance- in writing and a phone call, that the bill was an oversight on Quests part and that they indeed should not have billed me for anything and that the bill was indeed paid in full by the insurance company. It will fall upon Quest to contact collections and state that this account should not be there. The bill was paid! There is no actual "bill". Argh!

I made a call to collections to inform them of this update, to tell them to stop calling me, and that any interaction I have with anyone on this matter will be with Quest and/or my insurance. Yeh, they are doing their 'job', but enough already!

As a last ditch effort, the collections person actually said for me to call my insurance and to let them know that they can pay the bill with a debit or credit card, and here's the reference #, phone # and contact person, etc. imagine that? And I did call my insurance people just to see if there was anything else I needed to do (and to document my self initiated follow up).

Feeling empathy for dealing with collections, the gentleman I spoke to said that he would call them on my behalf as a favor, but they wouldn't deal with them financially, just reiterate what I said- as the bill being in collections isn't appropriate and that it was a mistake on Quest. So the letter sent to Quest pertaining to this matter was copied to me and they have X amount of days to resolve this billing error and to take me out of collections.

In the mean time, I will see if anything changes on my credit report updates.

and I will wait a little longer before answering my phone again!

although- I'm now on top of my Fair Debt Collections Practices Act..
wiki article:


actual fun-tastic PDF document of Fair Debt Collections Practices Act blah blah blah:

and a super quick "ehow" to get them off my ass:


but still waiting for this next



written by this guy


looked for "smiling happy collection agents" in google images, but nothing turned up in search results. just "request impossible"

Z Cavaricci! LOL!!!

Wow, (e:vincent,48610) your post just took me back 17 years or so!
agreed (e:paul)- awesome journal (e:vincent). Of course, I really had been there pretty much at the same time as you! This is the only time that a mall brings positive feelings.

I wrote a comment in response, but found it getting much too long, so I've opted to post it as a journal (pretty much everything written here was in the comment box!). I kept writing because I simply found myself sitting here thinking back to those days and how a single public structure was the catalyst for so much fun experience and later nostalgia.

Please don't mind my piggy-backing off your post, (e:vincent). All kudos to you for mentioning it!

And so, I have to chime in, as should (e:ladycroft) and (e:pyrcedgrrl)!

The arcade located at the main entrance that also housed the food court was the hub of activity for 12-17 year olds. Walking back and forth ('doing laps')along the simple one floor straight stretch layout provided mass opportunity for socialization, flirting and following/keeping track of cute guys/gals from both our home school and local area schools we'd yet to know about. (ie; "Sweet Home, where is that?!'- is it long distance to call you?")

Shopping was the least of the activities, although when we (girls) did, it was off to "The Limited" for the highly coveted Forenza and OutBack Red (brand tags were on the outside allowing proof of brand purchase) The shoe store, "Whites" was the only place to buy our Tretorns and penny loafers. Any place else even if the same brand, was not the approved protocol. We used our status symbol post-purchase empty store bags to carry our gym clothes to (and through the) school. I'm thinking some people still do- and it has nothing to do with recycling.

It was more than ok to be a 'preppy'- so at the time it was considered a really good thing to visually blend in. I was a full blown "preppy"- and like everyone else, raised my nose in the air to anyone who was a "grub". In a nutshell, it was more than clothes- being preppy embodied being on the honor roll, being active in clubs, not smoking cigarettes, being clean looking and shopping the "in" stores. Oh and the appearance of money (I gag on all this now, snicker at those still holding close those 'values', but I digress.) A Grub was essentially the opposite. They stood outside before and after school sneaking cigarettes, wore a lot of dark non descript clothing, had mediocre or poor grades, but were probably much more authentic in comparison. Obviously there are much more deeper levels to the difference and sameness of each 'category', and what any of that really meant- but I'm relaying what I remember of the perceptions of a 15 year old. However, even then I remember that my thoughts, actions and words often belied a much more wise and non conformist undertone- a non-preppiness, I guess. I recall you stood out from the crowd in that manner as well. I always appreciated that in you and the small handful of others that existed.

anyway, back to the mall....
How often a bunch of kids would walk back and forth between the interior mall cinema and the "general cinema" across the street, to see where the best movies and movie times were? That theater has been long gone, sadly.

I remember having 'dinner and a movie' dates at that York Steak house you mentioned and then walking across the hall to the theater. One time in particular I remember seeing, the River Phoenix film "A Night in the Life of Jimmy Rearden" with Todd K. on a date. His mom was with us! We were 13.

As for McCrory's-yeh, that was a cool little crap store, one of the first stores anyone would see after leaving the food court, and just to the side of the cinema. And yes, (e:vincent) the image of the ICEE machine still is still clear in my memory. It was convenient to wander in there and stock up on candy before heading into the theater. Also, it was the store that many kids tried out their first stealing attempts.

Many of my mall adventures were with (e:ladycroft). It was a big thing for us to head out to the mall on a friday night. Our parents were often reticent to drive us, so we would often beg her bigger sister to take us along with her on her way to work, which was at the mall! (a shoe store, maybe Payless, i think?)

the main mall entrance had/has a convenient and safe spot to quickly pull up and drop off then later pick up. good times!

(e:ladycroft) and I usually bought and shared a cheap order of fries and a drink from Tijuana Taco during the course of the evening. Any other money we brought with us was usually wasted at the Arcade. I wonder how many miles we logged walking that mall?

You pegged the time line correctly in it going down-hill from 1994 on. I remember working there at GNC, and sometimes I would be shipped over the The Factory Outlet (now Prime Outlets or something like that). And I hated going over there because it was a dead mall. No one was ever there! It looked like it was sure to close, especially compared to the ever hopping Summit Park Mall. Then.... the two situations switched. The Summit became a dying mall and the Outlet began to thrive.

The construction of The Galleria Mall in '89 didn't help matters, it seemed.

I've been in "The Summit" a few times this year for some small business work shops. I thought it interesting that the mall held very few stores but several community related sites and a barrage of mall walkers. I thought that this could be a very good thing if marketed correctly. That it should be used less as a walk-in take a chance shopping complex (ie traditional mall) and more of a dedicated spot of specific and/or business & community offerings. Something that people go their intentionally. Also, the building and lots are clean, lots of parking, convenient location, a structure that is still in great condition and is aesthetically pleasing etc.. I wonder what the plan is now?


well, again, thanks for the trip down memory lane, (e:vincent)!

Again, reading product reviews at Amazon.com can offer hours of entertainment.

I'd offer examples, but there are just too many, and if you have ever looked for a review on something, than you know exactly what I mean.

and the comments that often follow someones "review" can be priceless; better than snark blogs at times.

Even though I kill a few brain cells knocking my head on the desk in wonderment at reading some these, I suddenly feel a bit smarter, too.

Plastic came off the windows today. yay!

after several months of primarily purchasing and file sharing of highly compressed MP3s, I needed to hit up a CD store.

the most recent CD purchases:

Bjork-Post (typical sound for her work, but I don't have any of her Cds, just MP3s, so this is a nice addition)

Bjork-Vespertine (melodic, breezy, pleasantly surprising- love it)

Ella Fitzgerald- Love Ella (the original versions)- good mix of stereo and mono. Awesome voice. Prefer her sound on vinyl, but this is pretty great to have on CD.

Ella Fitzgerald- Ella for Lovers (most intimate songs)- mono, but with limited noise reduction, so the sound is more pure.

soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire (energetic, pretty, multi dimensional sound)

I'm very pleased with these purchases.


I'll be seeking to acquire a few more CDs of varying genres soon.


any audiophiles out there?

suggestions for my eager listening experience? :)

woops, forgot to hit, "publish" a couple of hours ago.

Happy Dyngus day!




Dyngus Day Buffalo site:



from Holiday Insights,

Dyngus Day

When : Always the Monday after Easter

Dyngus Day, also spelled Dingus Day, is a Polish Holiday. It is very popular in Poland, and in Polish communities in America. After the long Lenten holiday, Dyngus Day is a day of fun. And, perhaps a little romantic fun. It is always celebrated on the Monday after Easter.

There area all sort of ways for boys to meet girls. But, this one takes the cake.

Guys, on this day you get to wet the ladies down. Sprinkling or drenching with water is your goal. Chase after the ladies with squirt guns, buckets, or other containers of water. The more bold and gallant boys, may choose to use cologne. Hitting (gently, please) the ladies on the legs with switches or pussy willows is also common.

Yes ladies, you can strike back. Ladies , you get your revenge on Tuesday, when tradition has it that you throw dishes or crockery back at the boys. It has become increasingly popular for the ladies to get their revenge on Monday, tossing water back at the boys.

Note: Dyngus Day is also called Wet Easter Monday. Hmmmmm, I wonder why!?

Origin of Dyngus Day:

When exploring the roots of Dyngus Day, Historians point to the baptism of Polish Prince Mieszko I in 966 A.D. Baptism with water signifies cleansing, fertility, and purification. Somewhere along the way, the tradition of tossing water on the girls and hitting them with pussy willows evolved.

Always a holiday in WNY! enjoy!

ever have so many things on your mind, so many things going on, so many thoughts- whether any of them are interesting, humdrum or whatever, but you want to share, to write to keep connected, then the effort of doing so just leads to squat?

yeh, that's me right now.

even the mental effort to read posts and write comments can't get through the mental sludge.

Staying up all night and sleeping a few hours in the late morning is frying my brain. I swear I have dumbed-down these past few weeks. But all is worth it to help family to this degree temporarily. (e:theecarey,48091) & (e:theecarey,48112)

Not sure how much more I can stretch it out though- never been good on "overnights", and it really does make the rest of my life unbalanced, as any of you that have had that sort of schedule knows. Again, for better or worse, it won't be much longer. It has been a good experience and to look back on the situation later on, I will have been happy to have contributed my time and effort.

I can't imagine being in my 90's, healthy overall, but slowly losing pieces of my mind, for real. Dementia is fascinating- clear moments nestled between increasingly scattered and confusing ones. It must be frustrating to have less and less control, and everything that you have ever known to be on the edge of feeling/being lost forever. Sometimes the person experiences a whole new day, going through the motions, re learning expectations, having more experiences, then lose it all just to start it all over again the next morning.

Sometimes that would be nice right?

But then old thoughts creep in, making conflict with
current thought. Probably like having that sensation of wanting/having/trying to remember something on the tip of your tongue, but just out of reach- always.

And then to have people familiar and unfamiliar to come into and out of your life every day, on some level overseeing what you do, telling you what to do and/or helping you to do some of the most basic things. Sometimes you can do it on your own, sometimes you can't, and you know it, and it sucks. Having less control after a long life of taking care of yourself and your family must be incredibly.. frustrating, sad, etc.

And so, with other family members, I do what I can. I'm there to offer safety, look over the house, regular night checks, complete simple chores, listen to him talk, assist him when I can and should, oversee meds, take him to a day program in the morning, and whatever else is needed. I try not to interfere with his routines or self help skills, as I firmly believe that he doesn't need to have someone on top of him. I hang in the background as much as I can and step in when it seems that I should (such as when he puts on several pairs of underwear in varying configurations, tries to put one pair of shoes on over another as he failed to realize he already has a pair of shoes on, etc).

He has a great sense of humor and he often makes me laugh.

And so, one day at a time for me as well. I try to get things done in my own life- so many projects that require my attention, and they have more or less been suspended until I can re devote my time to them. This includes gym time. In time, I will get back to all of it. Just need some good night time, rejuvenating sleep. My brain just feels so fuzzy-things are often just on the tip of my tongue as well, these days. As I was explaining to (e:pyrcedgrrl), I want to go from point A to B, but some how forget about B, and end up at point E, M and Z or nowhere at all.

But its all good.

Sometimes when we are in the middle of something, it seems so big, daunting and permanent, but really, in hindsight, it was a very small piece of time in our lives, a tiny fragment of the bigger picture.
I often remind myself of that when I go through things. I also have the propensity to bail when things are rough, boring, awkward or any other non stimulating uncomfortable situation that you can think of. Not all, but in recent self reflection, there have been times that i have now known this to be true.
So with this, I am challenging myself to hang in there.

and I will.

made me laugh