As of Saturday, I own a burgundy 2002 Nissan Altima. It's a beautiful car and near spotless. I just discovered that it has keyless entry and an alarm on it, too. I keep discovering new features all the time, like if you push the trip odometer it tells you the gas mileage and the outside temperature, too. Neat-o. I tested the cruise control as the one on the rental car didn't work and I was paranoid, but it worked fine. That's a feature I wish I'd had on the Mercury. I just really love the new car.
One thing about it is that one of the seat belts in the back seat didn't lock when you clicked the silver part into it. So, the dealership promised to fix it. But that means I have to drive over there (we're on opposite sides of town, too, so it's a long drive) for them to look at it. I thought I could just call them with the VIN and the salesman seemed to think so, too, but the service department insists on seeing the car. I'll admit it's gorgeous, but surely they got to look at it already. Well, I'm joking. I know they mean they want to look at the seat belt. Anyway, I guess I'll be doing that today. I meant to be cooking dinner, so we'll see how long it takes. They may have to special order a new one.
We did get the duplicate title and Dad signed it and I signed it and I mailed it off yesterday. Hopefully the rest of the settlement will come soon. It might take a couple of days to process, but hopefully soon. Also, my prescription shipped from the second Canadian pharmacy. I hope they're more reliable than the first one I tried. They'd told me my prescription hadn't arrived because of a postal strike in the UK, and I really didn't believe them because it seemed illogical to ship my prescription from the UK if they knew there was a strike. But Sarah confirmed the story. Still, it was only for a few days and they told me when the package would arrive and it didn't arrive. It STILL hasn't arrived, so I don't think I was going to get it at all. The new one had free shipping, so it turned out to be a little cheaper than the first one, so I'm really hoping this works out as it would save us some money and money will be tight for a while with the car payment.
Recent book recommendation would be Nefertiti by Michelle Moran. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's pretty entertaining and fun to read. If you're at all interested in ancient Egypt, it would be a more detailed look into daily life there, especially for people connected to the royal family as the story isn't told from the perspective of Nefertiti, but from her sister's perspective.
Well, that's it for today. Will probably give an update on the seat belt story as I don't really know what's involved in fixing it. It will probably have to be replaced, but we'll see.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
The Car Title was "Altered"
Okay, I always thought that "altering" the title meant trying to change something on the front of the thing and trying to make it look like it said something it didn't. But apparently, they say that if you write on it, that's altering it, even if it's on the back and you just signed it like you were told to. So now that we "voided" the title by "altering" it, we need to get a release of lien, even though it was plain as day on the now-voided title. Of course, the lien was with Security Service CU, which we couldn't find anywhere. We must have passed by 10 or more banks, none of which were a Security Service. Luckily for us, Dad knows where they are as, for some reason, he has a memory for that sort of thing. He has a map in his head and remembers just about every place he ever goes to fix a fax machine. He knew right off the top of his head. I wish I could do that, but usually I'm watching the road and not paying attention to what businesses are around there. Oh well.
So, despite my feeling under-the-weather, we have to go over there and get the paperwork from the bank before we get the duplicate title paperwork over to the DPS. And by the DPS, I don't mean the driver's license office. It's another whole separate building. Could they make this more confusing and complicated? I'm sure this isn't the end of it. I still have to get Dad's signature on the duplicate title form, even though it shouldn't matter because you can't do anything with the title unless you get both of our signatures on it. It's just an extra unnecessary step. But for some reason, everything we've ever done involving a car title has been a big hassle and they're so picky that nothing is ever filled out right. We did it exactly the way they told us to once, and then they said that was wrong. Every time you get a different person, you get a different story. Really, I don't think they're very organized.
Anyway, should you be anxiously awaiting those book recommendations, I have a couple of them. First off, I finally read Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. I meant to read it much sooner, but couldn't find it at the library. I finally had to have it reserved for myself or else I'd probably have to wait much longer to read it. Needless to say, it was really good, although parts of it were sad. But I'd certainly recommend it. Next up, in a completely different genre, is John Scalzi's The Last Colony. Even if you don't read science-fiction, you should find it entertaining. The writing alone makes it extremely entertaining and beyond that the story is more complicated as it goes along. When you think you get what's going on, there's always something that happens to change that. I'm not done with that one, but it's fun to read and I thought I'd recommend that one, anyway.
Well, that's it for now. Again, I'm not feeling well, so my attention span is a little shorter than usual. It's hard to concentrate and I'm really tired. Hope I'll feel better by tomorrow. Don't worry I'm loading up on antioxidants and taking zinc and drinking lots of water.
So, despite my feeling under-the-weather, we have to go over there and get the paperwork from the bank before we get the duplicate title paperwork over to the DPS. And by the DPS, I don't mean the driver's license office. It's another whole separate building. Could they make this more confusing and complicated? I'm sure this isn't the end of it. I still have to get Dad's signature on the duplicate title form, even though it shouldn't matter because you can't do anything with the title unless you get both of our signatures on it. It's just an extra unnecessary step. But for some reason, everything we've ever done involving a car title has been a big hassle and they're so picky that nothing is ever filled out right. We did it exactly the way they told us to once, and then they said that was wrong. Every time you get a different person, you get a different story. Really, I don't think they're very organized.
Anyway, should you be anxiously awaiting those book recommendations, I have a couple of them. First off, I finally read Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. I meant to read it much sooner, but couldn't find it at the library. I finally had to have it reserved for myself or else I'd probably have to wait much longer to read it. Needless to say, it was really good, although parts of it were sad. But I'd certainly recommend it. Next up, in a completely different genre, is John Scalzi's The Last Colony. Even if you don't read science-fiction, you should find it entertaining. The writing alone makes it extremely entertaining and beyond that the story is more complicated as it goes along. When you think you get what's going on, there's always something that happens to change that. I'm not done with that one, but it's fun to read and I thought I'd recommend that one, anyway.
Well, that's it for now. Again, I'm not feeling well, so my attention span is a little shorter than usual. It's hard to concentrate and I'm really tired. Hope I'll feel better by tomorrow. Don't worry I'm loading up on antioxidants and taking zinc and drinking lots of water.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Back to job-hunting
Wouldn't it be great if job-hunting meant I just had to go out into the woods with a shotgun? Really, if that's all it took to snag one, I think I could do it. I mean, I hate guns, but if I really need medical insurance, I might suck it up and manage it for a while. I might not bag a really beautiful 10-prong photography job, but I'm sure I could get something. Instead, this piling through listings over and over again hurts my eyes and puts me to sleep. This daily tedium is a little much for me. I try to act on leads, but it only goes so far. I'm either under-qualified or over-qualified. It sucks to be stuck in the middle. When I find one of those jobs that I think I'd be perfect for, there always someone out there who's more perfect than me. So I won't bore you with a listing of every job I've applied for. But once in a while there's one I'm really excited about and I hope I get called for an interview. That job of the moment is Texas State University. It's in San Marcos, TX and they need a photographer. Really, I'm in Texas and I'm a photographer. How great is that? I'm sure they want more, but I not only do I have experience in photography, but I have a degree. I can do film or digital. I can do processing. And really, how often is it that there's a photographer out there who loves working in the darkroom? Many out there are thrilled with the advent of digital photography because it means they get out of the darkroom. Personally, I miss it. I enjoy the wonders of Photoshop as much as the next person. It's a fun program after all. But nothing is really like that experience in the darkroom when you're waiting for a print to develop and it finally darkens in the developer and you see it's the perfect image you were waiting for. Nothing beats poring over contact sheets with a loupe and a Sharpie. I miss all of that. It's silly, I know. Plus, I just got addicted to that stink of the chemicals and the perfect control of your image (unlike when you send it to a lab to be finished) in the enlarger. But, I digress...I just think that it would be nice to work for a university and be connected with education somehow. Maybe it would help me to get my masters degree like I've wanted to do. That would be great, too.
The problem is that I tend to get all excited about the possibilities and probably end up jinxing myself out of the job. I'm sure there are other qualified applicants out there. I'm not fooling myself into thinking my portfolio is so stupefyingly amazing that they can't wait to hire me, either. I wish that were so, but then again, maybe that would put me into the over-qualified category again. I don't know. Technically, they did say they wanted someone with 3 years experience, but I'm hoping my combination of experience and education will count for something. We'll see. Usually I hope for these things, but they don't come true. But I remember when there was the time I got hired for the photography job at Clear Channel and that was the job I really wanted at the time. (That job did come available recently, but they didn't hire me back--super-discouraging).
I do have a couple of book recommendations, though. I recently read Red River by Lalita Tademy. I may have mentioned this book earlier in my blog, but maybe not. It's really her family history, but it involves the famous massacre in Colfax, Louisiana that Louisiana history dubs as a race riot. Even other newspapers of the day called it a massacre. Either way, the story is riveting and continues on to tell the aftermath and what it was like for former slaves trying to make better lives for themselves. I'm sure I had other recommendations after that, but that's the book that sticks out in my memory. And recently, I read Jo Bannister's The Tinderbox that tells of the homeless communities in London, England. The story was interesting, about a man whose daughter went missing 6 years earlier and who now believes his daughter is living homeless in London. There is a commentary near the beginning about the shortfalls of community programs and aid there are for the homeless, but most of the story involves this man's dedication and love for his daughter, no matter what she has done in the interim. Of course, I'm still convinced that the lack of programs and funding to help the mentally ill probably contributes to the rate of homeless in the world, but that's beside the point. Obviously there is a lot to be done to help if enough people would just commit to making some very fundamental changes to policy. It should be simple to fix, but it's not and it will take a coordination of efforts. But it's possible. Anyway, read the book. It's a good story, full of danger and suspense.
Well, that's it for this post. Check back later for more job-hunt progress reports (I'm trying to stay optimistic) and hopefully some good news.
The problem is that I tend to get all excited about the possibilities and probably end up jinxing myself out of the job. I'm sure there are other qualified applicants out there. I'm not fooling myself into thinking my portfolio is so stupefyingly amazing that they can't wait to hire me, either. I wish that were so, but then again, maybe that would put me into the over-qualified category again. I don't know. Technically, they did say they wanted someone with 3 years experience, but I'm hoping my combination of experience and education will count for something. We'll see. Usually I hope for these things, but they don't come true. But I remember when there was the time I got hired for the photography job at Clear Channel and that was the job I really wanted at the time. (That job did come available recently, but they didn't hire me back--super-discouraging).
I do have a couple of book recommendations, though. I recently read Red River by Lalita Tademy. I may have mentioned this book earlier in my blog, but maybe not. It's really her family history, but it involves the famous massacre in Colfax, Louisiana that Louisiana history dubs as a race riot. Even other newspapers of the day called it a massacre. Either way, the story is riveting and continues on to tell the aftermath and what it was like for former slaves trying to make better lives for themselves. I'm sure I had other recommendations after that, but that's the book that sticks out in my memory. And recently, I read Jo Bannister's The Tinderbox that tells of the homeless communities in London, England. The story was interesting, about a man whose daughter went missing 6 years earlier and who now believes his daughter is living homeless in London. There is a commentary near the beginning about the shortfalls of community programs and aid there are for the homeless, but most of the story involves this man's dedication and love for his daughter, no matter what she has done in the interim. Of course, I'm still convinced that the lack of programs and funding to help the mentally ill probably contributes to the rate of homeless in the world, but that's beside the point. Obviously there is a lot to be done to help if enough people would just commit to making some very fundamental changes to policy. It should be simple to fix, but it's not and it will take a coordination of efforts. But it's possible. Anyway, read the book. It's a good story, full of danger and suspense.
Well, that's it for this post. Check back later for more job-hunt progress reports (I'm trying to stay optimistic) and hopefully some good news.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Doctor?
Really, I just totally forgot. I'm glad they call to confirm the day before. So, I've got to leave in a few minutes. I'd hate to forget and be charged for missing an appointment. Maybe it's good that they do that (charge for missed appointments) as a way to provide incentives for continuing your treatment. I know it's easy to just wallow in self-pity and want to stay home all the time and never do anything. But those wouldn't be reasons I'd miss them. I just don't remember dates very well. I knew I had an appointment sometime this month, but I didn't remember exactly when, and I don't know where my appointment card is. I even wrote it on my calendar to help me remember. I just hadn't been marking off days on it or anything. So I totally didn't even know what day it was yesterday to even know I had an appointment today. Dummy.
I did a lot of cleaning yesterday. I did clean the bathtub and it took forever. I cleaned the sink and counters and the toilet. Then I did tons of laundry. It took all day, actually. I knew it would be bad. Somewhere in there I did find time to eat and do some reading. I got to the Febreezed book and tried not to hold it too close to my face. Then I'd smell my hands afterwards to make sure I didn't get any of it in my eyes. That would be awful. So far it doesn't seem to transfer very well, so I hope I'm safe reading it. The next thing would be to see if the book is even worth the trouble. So far the jury's still out. I may end up going to the library again this Saturday. There was already another one that I started to read, but didn't like. So, maybe I'm going through them too quickly, but I saw a couple of others I wanted to read when I was there last. Maybe they'd still be there.
Anyway, I guess I'd better get going. Maybe I'll go to Bucky's (Starbucks) after all today just to be out of the house. I already had to put makeup on and everything, so it seems silly to do that and then only go to a 15 minute doctor appointment. We'll see. I'm sure a passion tea lemonade would be tasty.
I did a lot of cleaning yesterday. I did clean the bathtub and it took forever. I cleaned the sink and counters and the toilet. Then I did tons of laundry. It took all day, actually. I knew it would be bad. Somewhere in there I did find time to eat and do some reading. I got to the Febreezed book and tried not to hold it too close to my face. Then I'd smell my hands afterwards to make sure I didn't get any of it in my eyes. That would be awful. So far it doesn't seem to transfer very well, so I hope I'm safe reading it. The next thing would be to see if the book is even worth the trouble. So far the jury's still out. I may end up going to the library again this Saturday. There was already another one that I started to read, but didn't like. So, maybe I'm going through them too quickly, but I saw a couple of others I wanted to read when I was there last. Maybe they'd still be there.
Anyway, I guess I'd better get going. Maybe I'll go to Bucky's (Starbucks) after all today just to be out of the house. I already had to put makeup on and everything, so it seems silly to do that and then only go to a 15 minute doctor appointment. We'll see. I'm sure a passion tea lemonade would be tasty.
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