About sixteen years ago, I met him for the first time. My trainwreck sibling brought home this adorable puppy he had no business adopting because he had not one thing in his life that wasn’t a mess. I was furious at my sibling – he didn’t even take care of himself, how could he drag
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August 5, 2008
Tell me honestly, now, is it really weird that when I sustain a really fantastic-looking injury, I want to show people? I’ve got a newish 1 inch by 2 inch gash across the top of my foot from an altercation with an unfinished edge of a desk, and I had to fight the urge to snap a photo and share it. It’s mostly a morbid fascination that’s probably not shared by the world at large.
Also, my feet are now massive blisters from walking home in completely inappropriate sandals. They’re fine for kicking around, but not power-walking, I guess. Ow.
Votes: juvenile? or do you share cuts and bruises, too?
(seriously, I want to know if you think it’s weird, but don’t think I’m not secretly hoping you’ll all come out of the woodwork with stories to share.)
This article on a recent Superior Court ruling in California caught my eye because I had to pay an early termination fee to cancel my beloved T-Mobile service and start using my iPhone. Originally, the fee was supposed to be taken care of, but the promise was broken, so my pocketbook took a whopping $200 hit. Gr.
Anyway, I got excited thinking that perhaps there was hope yet for getting that $200 back ….
The preliminary, tentative judgment orders Sprint Nextel to pay customers $18.2 million in reimbursements and, more importantly, orders Sprint to stop trying to collect another $54.7 million from California customers (some 2 million customers total) who have canceled their contracts but refused or failed to pay the termination fee.
While an appeal is inevitable, the ruling could have massive fallout throughout the industry. Without the threat of levying early termination fees, the cellular carriers lose the power that’s enabled them to lock customers into contracts for multiple years at a time. And while those contracts can be heinously long, they also let the carriers offer cell phone hardware at reduced (subsidized) prices. AT&T’s two-year contract is the only reason the iPhone 3G costs $199. If subsidies vanish, what happens to hardware lock-in? Could an era of expensive, but unlocked, hardware be just around the corner? It’s highly probable.
If I recall correctly, I think Europe’s way of doing things is far better: They purchase whatever phone they want, and then sign up for service with whatever phone carrier they want. I don’t know what that does to the price of equipment and service compared to ours, but I know that I could have continued on my merry, slow-tech way and saved a whole lot of money!
August 4, 2008
I’m heading out to Portland for a long weekend starting on Friday. My cousin and I are making this a girls’ weekend (aka: no family visits) but since I’m normally only up there to visit family, I have no idea what else Portland has to offer.
We’re going to go hiking, and I’d like to visit Powell’s City of Books since I’ve never been. I don’t want to buy anything, I just want to wander around the books and ogle them.
I’m not looking for touristy things, necessarily, just fun, frugal things to do or see. Does anyone have suggestions?
The budget: $300, plus $150 in gas cards
Spent: $142 cash, $41 gas
Bought: 7 trade paperbacks (gifts), 1 tshirt (gift), 1 super cool toy for BF (gift)
Free: Sketch from Jeph Jacques of Questionable Content (gift), sketch from Lars Brown of me with a Viking hat, sketch from the Penny Arcade guys of Tycho and Gabe doing a fastball special. Bonus points to whoever recognizes that move! 🙂
Still to spend: flowers for the friend who let me stay in his condo (40, to split with BF), shipping fee to send his keys back (5, USPS Priority Mail), ticket for next year
Favorite quote (financially related, of course): Grant Morrison, answering a question from a fan
“You just have to try to learn to let go of your desires. You have to detach yourself from materials, sort of be separate from it, so that you can enjoy life. It’s really difficult, I know, because we’re surrounded by really cool things …. I want to go see Dark Knight again! But you have to remember that things just make you miserable. You see, there’s always going to be some cool thing you want, and then when you get that, you’re going to want another cool thing. In the end, you’re just going to be miserable because you can’t have all the cool things in the world. ”
I love that. I felt like I practiced that philosophy of enjoying being there at Con, and being selective about the things I picked up. Actually, I only bought gifts for other people this year, I didn’t buy a thing for myself, and I came out of there utterly content. Grant Morrison is crazy awesome. And his super Scottish brogue made him that much more lovable. Well, that and his very mellow demeanor with fans. And the fact that he’s always spiffed out in a suit and crazy tie. Speaking of Dark Knight: AWESOME!
Favorite Con Man: David Mack!
I love that he totally humors me. I took a hiatus from comics for a while, jaded by all the Marvel crossovers in the late 90s and his books (Kabuki) were what brought me back to the creativity and sheer artistry that I loved. Thus, I completely fangirl out when I see him, and visit him at every Con I attend. For his part, he’s all smiles, and totally gracious and friendly to every Con attendee, and considering how rough Con can be for these creators, it’s amazing. I know that it’s all fun and games for us, but Con is business for those in the industry and you can tell that some of them aren’t into socializing with their public AT ALL. Not this guy, he’s never having a bad day. Six years I’ve been seeing him at Cons now, and never anything but a smile on him. Luckily, real BF is ok with my Con BF. 😉
Is it because I’m tired, or because I did too much this weekend that I can’t remember Saturday?
I can’t tell, I’m too tired.
Starting from Sunday, then.
Finally got a load of laundry done, it’s been too long. Spent a lot of time on the computer doing work stuff (like … bloggy stuff), and then ran out to take my cousin to see Dark Knight for her birthday. Luckily, I’d purchased a bulk lot of cheap movie tickets last year for $5.75 right before the prices skyrocketed, and so our movies were paid for. We shared a bagel sandwich with water for $6.99. I smiled because she’d brought a huge bottle of Gatorade and snacks with her so she wouldn’t have to buy drinks or candy. There’s a girl after my own heart.
Then we did a typical cousin hangout at her place: her mom had cooked random Asian foods, we (I) ate too much, noshed on fresh mango and carrot cake. We lolled about reading comic books from the library, played her brother‘s iPhone app games, and gossiped. I also loaded up on free calculus books so I could start reviewing some of the concepts in case I need it for the GMAT or biz school. They were destined to be donated to the library, so I’ll take them there once I’m through with them.
Spent the rest of the evening having dinner (#2) with East Coast friend and her family. EC friend is only in town for a day as she’s stopping here on her way to spend a whole blessed week in Hawaii with her family. *sigh* Lucky, lucky girl.
Oh I remember Saturday, now. Errands, mostly. It cost $50 to nearly fill up my tank. Spent $11 on personal grooming, another $6 on postage for the keys, exchanged some particularly noxious lotion at Bath and Body Works for a much more pleasant scent, and spent the entire afternoon at Borders. Half the time was spent on catch-up work because I’d gotten completely distracted on Friday by news from EC friend, and half was spent doing some background reading, related to the news from EC friend. I can’t really talk about it, not for a while, but I’m super excited about it. Also, nervous.
Had dinner at Cheesecake Factory, shared a pasta dish with a friend’s friend so it should have only cost $8 per person with tax and tip, but friend picked it up before we could contribute.
All told, I spent $24 out of pocket this weekend, and didn’t manage to tame my shaggy locks.
August 2, 2008
Single Ma’s post on Flirting and Finances made me laugh out loud for more than one reason. First, I know that girl’s got game, and it was just not on on that day. But second, when her game’s off, she sounds a lot like regular me.
Perhaps there is a link between flirting abilities and financial personalities. My inability to recognize, and therefore participate in, flirting correlates directly to my preference for slow and steady finances without any of the hot stock tip business. Emphasis on hot. Hot, apparently, makes me nervous and slow.
Now, I’m no superquick lady like Ms. Ma over there, but I can usually hold my own when I’m comfortable with (normal) people. I find myself startlingly off game around certain (confident, attractive, talkative) people, or completely clueless around others (hello, friend zone!).
In other words, she brought back some *fond* memories that still make me chuckle. And shake my head. And sometimes hang my head, even when I’m alone. Because, Dear Lord. Come take a peek at my past “experience” and you’ll see what I mean. These are not in any particular order except in the strength of how embarrassingly dimwitted I felt when the lightbulb came on. In most cases, I was not the one who turned on the lightbulb, sadly.
Me, annoyed: Why have you been acting so weird all quarter? What’s the matter with you?
Friend Boy, abashed, and apparently heartbroken: Well, I just … I just realized that a guy like me could never be with a girl like you, and I’m just having a really hard time with it, and it’s just me, don’t worry, it’s not your fault, you didn’t do anything wrong, etc. *rambles on for a while*
Me, blithely having stopped listening after “it’s just me, don’t worry”: I know I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t do anything at all. So, we’re cool? Cool.
Oy. Heartless, clueless, brainless! Some kind of a triple threat there. I’d known this friend for over a year and nev-er had an inkling that he was carrying a torch for me. And then I assumed, well, he’s talked himself out of making a move sooooooo we’re good? Yeah? All good?
Cute Boy: *shifting from side to side, kicking the bottom of my foot. Trying to carry a conversation with me.*
Me: Stop kicking my foot. That’s abusive behavior.
Cute Boy, looking at me oddly: I’m not being abusive.
Me, quirking eyebrow, still oblivious: Yes it is. What else do you call kicking someone?
Cute Boy, exasperated: Flirting. I’m flirting with you!
Me: Shut up, liar. *thinking* Oh……….. really?
Seriously. I’m an idiot.
Boy: May I kiss you?
Me, startled, looking around wildly: I have gum in my mouth!
Um, probably not the answer he was looking for. I still think that was practical. How awkward would choking on my gum have been?
I’d be saying: borders plays a really bad version of “time after time.”
Listening to: death cab for cutie’s new album, leann rimes circa 1998, mindy mccready circa before all the arrests and bad times, and lupe fiasco.
I’m ADD: Keep checking random websites and googling things as they occur to me when I’m trying to make up some work left over from Friday. Also, people watching. And amusing myself with really bad jokes and lip syncing.
No wonder I can’t get anything done.
Good job I don’t twitter as well as blog, can you imagine how much less productive I could be??
