Paul's Journal

12/04/2008 02:17 #46947

Being Broke Sucks
Category: housing

Its not often that i am totally broke but right now I am mega super broke. One of our rental appartments bathroom and kitchen cost like $3000 unexpected dollars to fix. Hopefully, now after working on it a bunch this weekend, we can actually rent it out again. Having two apartments rented will be a big help to the brokeness. I feel like that place sucks the life out of me.

I wish we just had our house to deal with. Even after all the problems were fixed at the rental prop I found an attic window that was rotting out. Should be a fun weekend of painting, fixing and cleaning. It should be great as I am still sick.

It really sucks to be broke. Luckily, I bought a turkey on super clearance at the lexington-coop

so even though we have no more grocery money, we will have 20 pounds of turkey once I get a chance to cook it. It was like $16 instead of $70, the original price but it was frozen and I had to defrost it for 3 days now. The turkey comes from Stonewood Farms In Vermont

On the work front
I worked way late into the evening twice and still have two hours of personal leave I have to use right now before it expires so I figure that tomorrow, I am leaving early in order to cook the Turkey, ya right. We will see how that goes.

I have been programming like mad but its never enough to keep up with the crazy number of requests we have now. I am supposed to be working on one new project but everyday its something else. I hope we et new people before there is a hiring freeze.

libertad - 11/15/09 09:58
i'm going to be looking for these turkeys this year after thanksgiving to go on sale again.

tinypliny - 12/04/08 09:28
:( yeah, I was broke my entire first 1.5 years here till I became ultra frugal about everything and got rid of my landline, all expensive grocery, scouted for the cheapest produce, didn't eat out for at least a year and generally whipped my budget into shape. I think I came out more healthy and fell in love with cooking all over again so this is a turn for the positive! :) I want to come home early and cook as well - all the days!

paul - 12/04/08 09:12
It's just that more and more stuff is becoming web based. Not a budget issue, at least not yet.

james - 12/04/08 09:09
Since you are poor you can pretend to be your favorite Jack London story! You can get in the attic with the turkey and pretend to be real cold. Then pull a lighter out of the turkey's stuffing orifice to start a fire and cook him! yum, yum. And an adventure to boot.

carolinian - 12/04/08 09:07
Has the economy's impact on state-funding and personal donations affected Roswells IT dept, and they're trying to do more with the same amount of people, or is what you're facing a buffer overrun of people who said "wouldn't it be neat if..."?

12/01/2008 13:45 #46906

Valuable Wedding Rings
Category: marriage

For me personally, a $55 wedding ring

is too cheap. By me personally, I mean if I got one. I don't have one so I am not an expert. I am not trying to cheapen anyone's else's rings or anything but before everyone just decides that I am purley a materialist, I thought I should explain myself.

I feel like a wedding ring should carry more of a investment than say an mp3 player or cell phone because it shows that the person purchasing worked hard for it and frankly working hard for something equates caring to me.

I am not saying that someone who is poor should have to spend $5000 and go broke, that is ridiculous. And in reference to (e:thelli) I am definately not suggesting it need be diamonds. In fact I don't really like diamonds - I am an emerald guy, lol. But in my opinion it should be somewhat relative to your income and should involve a bit of saving up. Even someone at minimum wage could save $10 a week for one year and get me a $500 ring. Thats like barely a couple beers.

Plus, more valuable rings also appreciate in value over time so that they become things that you can put in your will and pass on to other people.

Now (e:matthew) says he wants this one

tinypliny - 12/04/08 09:22
Here are my demands. If you give me a ring, you sincere person, I want it made out of either:

a) Cheerios (yeah, its going to be tricky getting a one that fits that finger. Start sorting through boxes or bake one for me. hehehe)

OR

b) Sour jello-candy.

I won't accept any compromise deals. I want to eat the ring. Let's be completely clear on that! ;-)

ladycroft - 12/04/08 04:20
After reading all the comments, I think maybe it boils down to "do you and your significant other agree that saving up for a more costly ring equates the commitment/effort in your hearts". If it is important to both of you, then go for the big tag. But, as other have put, if the symbol of the ring itself is equates the commitment/effort in your hearts, then stick with the low budget. It doesn't mean people with big rings are all superficial.

When asked what I wanted, I requested small, sapphire, and inexpensive. Of course it is his prerogative regarding the engagement ring.

iriesara - 12/02/08 17:13
I've been thinking about this post for a couple of days. Jim and I are the in the process of becoming "betrothed", technically, that is. (he asked my father for his blessing in September when my folks came to visit). I want a ring because, although anyone who knows me would use the word materialistic LAST among adjectives to describe me, it just shows that the person has invested themselves in the question, in the proposal. Plus I never buy anything nice for myself, so if a man really loves me, he'll see that I deserve more than I would ever do for myself. My man is not rich, the two of us together struggle to make the old ends meet in the middle, and maybe have a few left over for a couple cocktails or tokes at the end of the month. I've been leaving him the jewelry ads which come in the mail since last valentines (I'd never really ever gotten actually "jewelry" before that, other than beaded hippie businesses). I circled a very modest yet cute ring, which was $150. I keep telling him, it's not the ring, it's the man, it's the relationship, but seriously I'm over 30 now, so let's go. I don't want to wait the 7 years for him to save up, ya know? He said, and I quote "Do you know how much that ring costs?!?! - $100!!!" and I said
"It's $150". to which was replied "Do you think I'm a fucking asshole? What kind of man would I be to buy the woman I want to marry a $150 ring?!?"

oh, the struggles we have.....wow, I sound very obnoxious...really I'm just blessed.

The whole price thing is just retarded. Woman with huge real rings and huge fake boobs and big successful fake husbands have only one real thing, and that diamond won't keep her warm at night.

I don't care what anyone thinks when they look at my small get-the-magnifying-glass-out-ring that I'll eventually get, I'll know it's mine because I'm loved. That's all that matters.

paul - 12/01/08 21:51
Oops I copied the wrong link :::link::: from the chat. Both were in there. The self-insemination site is insane because its about trying to predetermine the gender of your baby with all these tricks.

I am fixing it.

theecarey - 12/01/08 21:39
So I click the link to the $55 ring, and I'm brought to a forum about "at-home self-insemination". LOL

gardenmama - 12/01/08 20:49
I get the sense that you feel the ring should be more of a reflection of someoneâ€™s commitment rather than simply a symbol of their commitment - I believe many other people feel that way too. However, I sometimes think people who have already been married a while (or who are divorced) often have a different take on the ring thing. As for engagement rings, many women stop even wearing an engagement ring some years into their marriage - here I think a bigger ring just says someone has more money (or less sense), not that theyâ€™re more committed.

My husband and I had very simple, unadorned 14K gold wedding bands. They were quite inexpensive (not $55 but close enough) and I did not want an engagement ring - it felt unnecessary to me (of course we were only engaged for a month before we got married). It was his commitment to me that I most valued not the symbol. I donâ€™t think I could have ever found a ring that would have been a true reflection; everything â€" no matter the cost â€" would have seemed cheap in comparison.

One nice thing about the inexpensive rings - when my husband died, I buried his wedding ring with his ashes - and I can pretty much be sure no one would dig him up for it, nor did I feel any compulsion not to do it based on its (monetary) value.

metalpeter - 12/01/08 18:56
To expand on (e:James)'s Idea (assuming traditional weeding) The grooms men and bridesmades who are set up could just get naked together and have a blast of a time I would love to see the look 0n the camera crews faces.

Back to the point on rings. I do like rings but never really wear them and I have seen some cool looking rings for men not sure what rings for men look like but if they made them look like college rings or rings you get for winning some championship that would be pretty cool. But see with women the traditional rings look all the same mostly. Yes there are different sizes of diamonds. But unless you are up close you can't tell the difference. Not to mention if it is 14k or 24k gold it will look the same, if the diamond is worth 100 or 5000 bucks to the naked eye they look the same. What I think is more important is what the ring means. If two people met at The Lord of the Rings Then those rings with elfish writings on them is what you should get. To many people think that how much the ring costs is what makes it good or not, and that isn't true. Well unless of course that is what the relationship is built on, and a lot of them are so.... it makes sense that how much you spend equals how much you love to those people.

drew - 12/01/08 16:37
(e:james), I cannot wait until you get married. $1,000 does buy a lot of pizza and beer.

james - 12/01/08 16:26
There are demons at lose in our society and they work for the wedding industry. Apparently, you now need an engagement ring, a wedding ring, and another ring when you renew your vows every ten years. Then there is an engagement party, the wedding, the honeymoon... you could buy a house for what some middle class people spend on, what is essential, a large party.

A wedding could be just as memorable and fun with kegs of beer, gallons of whiskey, and pizza. Save the small well drink, the dry chicken marsala, and the crushing debt. Seriously, how much alcohol and pizza could you get for $1,000? For the money people spend on tuxedos and dresses you could have a whole drunken orgy of a wedding.

janelle - 12/01/08 15:56
Ugh, I am biting my tongue and trying not to rant about women who demand expensive engagement rings.

Not to mention the whole evils of the diamond industry that the ridiculous demand for expensive engagement rings supports.

My husband paid very little for my engagement ring and I still thought it was too much. Lol.

joshua - 12/01/08 15:22
I've had friends that got engaged to girls with ridiculous ring demands... like, for example, a $10,000 ring on a salary of $65k or $70k. If I ever have a future fiancee that pulls that on me, I'd have to reevaluate if I ever actually knew her.

Guys are easy though... our bands are modest and don't have to be super expensive. I can see what you mean though (e:paul) - I don't think you are hung up on the price of the item, but the value in terms of what it took to give it to you. I think there is room for compromise. Like you say, the ring doesn't have to be absurdly expensive. Especially for guys, since it isn't too hard to make a guy's wedding ring look cheaper the more you spend on it.

drew - 12/01/08 15:05
(e:janelle) and I have modest rings--not $55, but definitely not even one month's salary--likely not a paycheck.

We demonstrate our commitment in other ways.

theli - 12/01/08 14:27
The diamond comment was really just an aside. Diamonds just rub me the wrong way. I definitely agree that other gemstones tend to look better. And would definitely go for something like that if I ever felt the need to purchase a ring that was more than just a band. (Although for a symbol, I'd actually find a clean and simple band to be preferable.) And, as opposed to diamonds, you are less likely to have a forced monopoly driving up prices despite the actual lack of real rarity. (At least the kind of rarity that would warrant those prices. Cripes.)

jason - 12/01/08 13:58
I like the ring Matt picked out. Having excess bling is way too guido, way too chav, no diamonds for me.

12/01/2008 12:30 #46904

Soar Throat
Category: health

I am sick. I decided to stay home and recoup a bit as I have personal day that expires on 12/05. I hope it just goes away but I doubt it. I some how made it through the October sickness this year. Usually, I get sick in October and March. I was kind of hoping that by missing october I was good till march.

tinypliny - 12/04/08 09:15
How are you doing??! I hate cold. I hope you are doing well now?

boxerboi - 12/01/08 21:44
hey paul- i hope you are feeling better.

gardenmama - 12/01/08 20:51
Hope you feel better soon - sick sucks!

12/01/2008 00:14 #46898

Baking Meringue Cookies
Category: food

I decided to bake tonight. First I baked pork chops with smokey barbeque sauce. Then I decided to make Meringue cookies.

Here is my recipe:
3 large egg whites
1.5 cups of blended sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Separate out the wegg white. I did this by poking holes in the eggs and letting the whites pour out. It works way better than you would expect.

The bacon grease in the background was from this morning and is being saved for the squirrels who love it. I figure why waste it?

Then take the sugar and put it in the blendar till it is powerdery. Preheat the over to 200 degrees. You could probably start with powdered sugar but I wanted it organic and there was no powdered organic sugar.

Then whisk the eggs white till frothy and then add the cream of tartar. Beat until the peaks are stiff. Then add suagr and continue beating until it is stiff again. I am good at beating things till stiff but my arms were so tired from this we had to keep switching off between the three of us. I refuse to buy more appliances so I use the manual beaters and whisk for stuff.

Then you scoop them onto trays and bake for like two hours. Yes, like two hours. It is insane but you have to bake it so low.

Totally unrelated
Yesterday, at the coop I noticed Guecios deleviering produce. I really should just go there instead. I mean seriously it can only be marked up, not discounted, for them to drive it down the street.

I also bought a turkey at the coop. They were liek $70 for natural ones before but the day after thankgiving they were like $15-$20. I figured they would still be there when I went back today but they were all gone except one which was in the freezer case. I bought it. For $16 we will have enough turkey for the three of us to eat for a week. I just wish it wasn't frozen so I could have cooked it today.

Today, we were at the tenants house scrapping the kitchen ceiling when I was looking at myself in the new bathrrom mirror which lets you see your profile easily. I was amazed at the shape of my ear, which is stunted I feel. I never noticed it before when looking at it from a normal reflection.

tinypliny - 12/04/08 19:41
Were they crispy?? They look like pastres!

paul - 12/04/08 19:29
NO one was exicted about Meringue cookies. They are gluten free!

tinypliny - 12/04/08 09:08
You guys don't read my journals, I guess. :p

They get all their produce for the sandwich, salads and prepared foods sections from Guercios. They get many of their bread from Dolci's down the street.

And they mark up their produce like crazy.

Admit it people. They are pretentious snobs. Shopping there is a nice way to throw away your money. If I shopped there, I would be completely bankrupt in a couple months.

joshua - 12/01/08 10:56
Interesting... I can't imagine they sell their produce there. Wouldn't it be stupid? Who knows. I would be willing to guess that they are using Guercio's for their hot/cold bar. If that were the case, it seems lame to me that they wouldn't use the produce they actually have in the store. =/ In either case, I'll still go down to Grant St.

11/30/2008 11:38 #46890

Hit me baby one more time.
Category: estrip

As (e:vincent,46885)'s journal reminded me - it is amazing just how many hits certain things get. Generally we get between 1000-2000 unique visits viewing between 80k-100k pages per month. Those are real visitors, not robots.

But on Novemeber 21st, 2008 we had like 10,000 unqiue visitors, that was the day we had ip to 500 guests at a time for most of the day. I thought (e:imk2,46778)'s journal about prince william's peter, lol.

Then today I was going through logs and found out it was the opening page of my journal of 11/2005

. I am not sure exactly why. There is a pic of my skinny arm getting some muscles, a painting of men wrestling, some forrest lawn pics, some flash animation, the story about me getting my job at Roswell and some pics of (e:lilho). I wonder if the job story is inspirational, lol or if it is just the wrestlers. The artist in me likes to think it is the flash animations and I am sure (e:lilho) thinks it is her.

The reason I think it is the painting of the guys wrestling is that I got this message the same day.

Hi Paul, please do You know the name of the artist who painted those two muscle guys? I really liked that painting: it Seems taken from Dante's Divina Commedia. Do You remember any detail (where You've taken the picture, the title, ecc). I would like to find more info on that painting.

Thank You very much
Stefano

Does anyone know the artist? I tried writing to the guy today to see how he knew. It seems sex sells. The all around most popular page is the one I wrote about a bot I made which was downloading images of amateur naked men and atheletes. Just search for "robot frat boys" on google if you are curious. It comes up number one and is totally not work safe. It was really about programming and usually no one cares about that but mix programming and nudity and all of a sudden every amateur scripter cares.

I must get like 5 messages a week asking me how it works. Clearly, this person does not understand at all but hey want to. The site is gone now, so the code doesn't work even if executed outside a browser where it belongs.

I Fould your page instestedin "Robot Eating Candid Frat Boys"
im curious how I use The Robot Code with a Brouser in order to find photos like you have
Thank you
Kyle

lilho - 12/01/08 00:06
wow, you make me sound great. but ur kinda right. maybe. i am 2nd most popular here...

paul - 11/30/08 13:27
Wow, the comments onthis are insane :::link:::

james - 11/30/08 12:40
I was wrong. It is by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. But it stylistically looks derived from Dore.

tinypliny - 11/30/08 12:40
They must have discussed it in art class or a museum trip...

james - 11/30/08 12:20
I think that painting is three images from Dore's Inferno colorized.