Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Unusual Suspect
This is HILARIOUS!
It's also a little scary that those guys who were interviewed might just be serious...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Pure Genius
I was looking at video clips on youtube tonight of song and dance routines from various musicals. The Seattle Men's Chorus next concert, with the great Debbie Reynolds, is going to feature songs from that golden era of musicals and one of them is this great song from Summer Stock by Judy Garland. It is one of my favorite Garland songs:
Of course, watching this clip led me to this clip of Gene Kelly building an entire dance routine around a creaky floorboard and a newspaper.
And then that clip led me to this one by Gene Kelly from Cover Girl. Words can't even begin to acurately praise this amazing accomplishment. Just watch it
The man was a genius!
In college my friend Gavin and I went through a period where we rented all those great tap routines from movies. I think I'm having another one of those urges!
Of course, watching this clip led me to this clip of Gene Kelly building an entire dance routine around a creaky floorboard and a newspaper.
And then that clip led me to this one by Gene Kelly from Cover Girl. Words can't even begin to acurately praise this amazing accomplishment. Just watch it
The man was a genius!
In college my friend Gavin and I went through a period where we rented all those great tap routines from movies. I think I'm having another one of those urges!
Scam of the Earth
I have come to the conclusion that car insurance is nothing more than a giant scam. I don't think there is anything that anyone can say to convince me differently. All dealings I have had with car insurance companies and several stories that I have heard from friends have been negative enough to convince me that car insurance is a legalized, federally mandated scam.
The reason I am complaining about this is due to (what else) the current situation with my car. As you probably know, I have decided to get rid of my car and utilize Metro buses (and generous rides from friends). The decision has been a tough one and there have been many times when I have wavered and wondered if I really was making the right choice.
Back in early February, I called my car insurance company and told them that I'm in the process of getting rid of my car. I told them I wanted to change my policy so that I was only covered for storage. I was told then that the monthly charge would then be $13 (as opposed to the outrageous $115 per month I've been paying for car insurance).
Last week, I received a notice from the insurance company that in March, they would be taking $104 from my account (when I first started with them, I was informed that it was, according to them, cheaper for me to set up automatic withdrawal from my account). Since I had been told that the monthly charge would only be $13, well, you can see why I was confused. So I called them.
I was told that they had decided (despite what they told me) to charge me for the remaining months of my policy at one time rather than month to month has they have been. Since I'm planning on getting rid of the car in March, why would I want to pay for insurance on it through November when my policy is renewed?
I ended up deciding to simply cancel the insurance on the car and forgo any more headaches with the insurance company. It was then that I was told that they would compute the remaining payment on my policy to see if they owed me money or I owed them. Surprise, surprise....I owe them $17 in March. I asked why this was. Why, exactly, will I owe them $17 in March? The reason, of course, is that I'm paying them for my coverage in February. According to them, I am a month behind in payments - meaning I am paying them for the last month of coverage.
Now, when I first changed coverage of my car to this company, I paid immediately for coverage to begin. As I understand it, I was paying in advance for coverage. In all the months since that dreadful day in my life, they have faithfully taken payment from my checking account every month and there was never a month that they neglected to take money from me for "coverage".
How, then did this mysterious lack of payment occur? The guy on the phone was unable to give me a logical answer. Sure he hemmed and hawed excuses, but he always came back to me paying for previous coverage. This just doesn't seem to logically flow with how my payments to them have always gone.
To me, this is a scam. Let's get back to my earlier statement about car insurance. I have paid these guys $123, then $114 per month to essentially do nothing for me. I never claimed so much as a dinged window with them. $1300 a year I gave to them to do NOTHING! Now, if I had had an accident, would they have happily handed over the money needed to fix my car? Of course not! They would have fought and argued so they could hand over the least amount of money possible.
This is a scam! Taking money from people for doing nothing and then doing nothing when that money is needed back is a scam.
And it's a federally mandated scam. We are required by law to have this crookedness thrust upon us. Now people have argued with me that this law is needed because so many people drive without insurance. If this is true, then why do I have to pay for "uninsured motorist" on my policy? Are we really supposed to believe that making it illegal to drive without car insurance will convince people to get it? Is this in the same category of rationality that says that by making drugs illegal, we won't have drug addicts and pushers out there? 'Cause that's working REALLY well. *note, that last sentence should be read with heavy sarcasm!*
I still can't help but see how this is anything but a scam.
Under dear, departed President George W. Bush, this legalized scam was further scandalized when it was declared that car insurance companies can look at your credit score to determine what your policy should be! HUH? How exactly is my driving record reflected IN ANY WAY by my credit history? SCAM! SCAM! SCAM!
I have been really struggling with this issue of my car. I know that it's going to be hard not having a car. I'm going to be giving up freedom of mobility. But as I have reflected on this issue of car insurance and how little they have done for me over the years at the rate of $1300/year, I have begun to realize just how blessed I am going to be to not give any more money to them for doing nothing.
Don't even get me started on how happy I am that I will no longer being throwing money to those crooks that run the fuel industry!
The reason I am complaining about this is due to (what else) the current situation with my car. As you probably know, I have decided to get rid of my car and utilize Metro buses (and generous rides from friends). The decision has been a tough one and there have been many times when I have wavered and wondered if I really was making the right choice.
Back in early February, I called my car insurance company and told them that I'm in the process of getting rid of my car. I told them I wanted to change my policy so that I was only covered for storage. I was told then that the monthly charge would then be $13 (as opposed to the outrageous $115 per month I've been paying for car insurance).
Last week, I received a notice from the insurance company that in March, they would be taking $104 from my account (when I first started with them, I was informed that it was, according to them, cheaper for me to set up automatic withdrawal from my account). Since I had been told that the monthly charge would only be $13, well, you can see why I was confused. So I called them.
I was told that they had decided (despite what they told me) to charge me for the remaining months of my policy at one time rather than month to month has they have been. Since I'm planning on getting rid of the car in March, why would I want to pay for insurance on it through November when my policy is renewed?
I ended up deciding to simply cancel the insurance on the car and forgo any more headaches with the insurance company. It was then that I was told that they would compute the remaining payment on my policy to see if they owed me money or I owed them. Surprise, surprise....I owe them $17 in March. I asked why this was. Why, exactly, will I owe them $17 in March? The reason, of course, is that I'm paying them for my coverage in February. According to them, I am a month behind in payments - meaning I am paying them for the last month of coverage.
Now, when I first changed coverage of my car to this company, I paid immediately for coverage to begin. As I understand it, I was paying in advance for coverage. In all the months since that dreadful day in my life, they have faithfully taken payment from my checking account every month and there was never a month that they neglected to take money from me for "coverage".
How, then did this mysterious lack of payment occur? The guy on the phone was unable to give me a logical answer. Sure he hemmed and hawed excuses, but he always came back to me paying for previous coverage. This just doesn't seem to logically flow with how my payments to them have always gone.
To me, this is a scam. Let's get back to my earlier statement about car insurance. I have paid these guys $123, then $114 per month to essentially do nothing for me. I never claimed so much as a dinged window with them. $1300 a year I gave to them to do NOTHING! Now, if I had had an accident, would they have happily handed over the money needed to fix my car? Of course not! They would have fought and argued so they could hand over the least amount of money possible.
This is a scam! Taking money from people for doing nothing and then doing nothing when that money is needed back is a scam.
And it's a federally mandated scam. We are required by law to have this crookedness thrust upon us. Now people have argued with me that this law is needed because so many people drive without insurance. If this is true, then why do I have to pay for "uninsured motorist" on my policy? Are we really supposed to believe that making it illegal to drive without car insurance will convince people to get it? Is this in the same category of rationality that says that by making drugs illegal, we won't have drug addicts and pushers out there? 'Cause that's working REALLY well. *note, that last sentence should be read with heavy sarcasm!*
I still can't help but see how this is anything but a scam.
Under dear, departed President George W. Bush, this legalized scam was further scandalized when it was declared that car insurance companies can look at your credit score to determine what your policy should be! HUH? How exactly is my driving record reflected IN ANY WAY by my credit history? SCAM! SCAM! SCAM!
I have been really struggling with this issue of my car. I know that it's going to be hard not having a car. I'm going to be giving up freedom of mobility. But as I have reflected on this issue of car insurance and how little they have done for me over the years at the rate of $1300/year, I have begun to realize just how blessed I am going to be to not give any more money to them for doing nothing.
Don't even get me started on how happy I am that I will no longer being throwing money to those crooks that run the fuel industry!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
I should have been packing
I just got back from seeing Slumdog Millionaire. Yes, I should have been packing, but at least I got a fair bit of work done.
On Saturday I went and bought myself a bed. My method, like most things in my life of late, was hurried and poorly timed. I had already checked out a store near my soon-to-be-former apartment and decided that I was going to buy a bed there. I could get a regular one for $250. Last Friday I went to a Sleep Country USA store and ended up offending the only guy working there when I told him I was looking for a bed under $300. Apparently the only bed that fit my price range had springs poking me in the back. "Well, you get what you pay for," was what the salesman told me. By then he had lost interest in me. Most likely, I wasn't going to bring him his much desired commission. It would serve him right if I went back there and slapped him with a Julia-Roberts-Pretty-Woman moment, huh?
Maybe someday.
So there I was in the other store - the one where I planned to buy a bed. I had figured I'd better lay down on one just to make sure it was going to work for me. Hell, they let me do it at Sleep Country and that guy didn't even like me! I panicked, though, when I saw that almost all of the beds had been sold. There were still plenty of twin size beds, but I would like my next bed to be a bit bigger!
So I did what I normally do. I slapped down the money without a plan.
My roommate had already told me that his daughter was using his van this weekend. He had also told me that she'd be done with it by Sunday. So when the store told me they'd only hold the bed for 24 hours, I was hopeful that my roommate wouldn't let me down.
He later told me that even if he could get me the van by Sunday, it is already so full of his shit that I probably couldn't get my new purchase in there anyway. So I called UHAUL and reserved a van for today. At the hourly rate, it would only cost me $10. My roommate did promise that he'd help me move the bed into storage where it will sit until moving day next week.
Today, I went to rent the van. Apparently, when you rent at the hourly rate from UHAUL, your hour starts when you start filling out paperwork. By the time we were done, he told me I had 40 minutes! Also, because I opted out of the insurance (hey, I'm a school bus driver - I think I know a little something about driving larger vehicles) they charged me $80 right off the bat. I was told that I would be refunded the remainder after the actual total was calculated when the van was returned. But we all know how quickly refunds are given back. They are definitely much slower than the charges.
I hurried to the store to pick up the bed. Of course, two other customers with furniture purchases had arrived just before me. Their workers had to load three beds into the back of one pickup and a crib into the back of another. The whole time I was eyeing the clock like a student counting down the minutes until the school bell rings.
When I finally got the bed "home", my roommate was nowhere to be found. I later discovered that he'd gone to a gun show in Pullayup and didn't even have the decency to get shot! I would have accepted that excuse rather than "Oh, yeah, I forgot." So I had to move the bed from the van into storage by myself.
Have you ever moved a queen size bed? By yourself? Maybe I should have gotten the twin size...
I got the van back to UHAUL with 5 minutes to spare. I even forgot to top off the tank, but since I had only driven it a total of 3 miles, the guy didn't even notice. Seeing as how they have still technically charged me $80 to rent the damn thing (as of yet, the "refund" is still not there) I don't feel bad about getting away with that.
I did a little more packing today and a lot of throwing away. I think that has been my biggest accomplishment in all this: throwing junk away.
I turned on the Oscars and remembered that I still have two free movie tickets to use before they expire on February 28th. Time is definitely running out. I had been wanting to see the movie Slumdog Millionaire, so I decided to head down the hill to the new theater that charges $10 for a movie. It's not like I'd be paying for it anyway.
I even had a $5 concession stand coupon which I used to buy egg rolls. Can you believe that? You can get egg rolls at the theater. Well, at least I think you can...
The guy behind the register told me it would take ten minutes to "prepare" them. When I told him I would rather get my seat, he told me that they can take your items to the theater for you when they're ready. I told him my theater number and waited for my egg rolls.
And waited.
And waited.
They never did come, but I didn't let that ruin the fantastic movie. Slumdog Millionaire was REALLY great! Dev Patel is cute, too! Not surprisingly, when I turned my phone back on after the movie and sent a text to my friend, he told me that it won the Best Picture Oscar while I was watching it. I really didn't know what to expect with the movie. I knew the general premise, but was unprepared for the crazy life that kid had to live to get where he did. I liked the way the questions on the game show helped tell his life story.
Did I mention that Dev Patel is cute?
After the movie, I went back to the concession stand to inquire about my egg rolls. Though I didn't have a receipt, they believed me and gave me back $5. I guess somewhere in the back my egg rolls had been sitting on a counter somewhere. Or maybe the guy ended up eating them. At least I got my $5 back. Or at least the $5 from the concession coupon...hehehe
Okay, I should now get ready for bed. I still have so much left to do as far as packing. I probably shouldn't have gone to see the movie, but I am glad that I did, anyway.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Possession is 9/10ths
I really haven't blogged much about my upcoming move. Things have been moving along with it, though I continue to feel trepidation. Am I doing the right thing? My roommate has casually been telling my co-workers that he gives me three months before I come crawling back for my old room. I know - total vote of confidence there.
A couple weeks ago, he kept calling me into his room to show me "better deals" he found on Craigslist. He basically thinks I am making a mistake and is trying to help save me from me, apparently. He is concerned that I made too rash a decision.
This whole mess started with my car tabs. They are due this month and (lucky me) I also have to get an emissions test. Well I thought I'd be smart and get that done early in the month, but my car failed the test. The vehicle speed sensor is malfunctioning. To me, this sounds like an electrical problem, not an emissions problem. Actually, I took the car to a mechanic and he seemed surprised that the failed my car for it, so there ya go.
I discovered that it would take $200 to replace the part, though a mechanic at work said he could do it for 1/2 that, so I was all set to go that route, but then the clutch on my car started having problems shifting. Great. Another problem.
It was around this time (or perhaps it came the next day when the mechanic then quoted the fixing cost around $600) that I started thinking about my goals. One of my goals has always been to get an apartment within walking distance of work. As gas prices have risen I have been more and more imagining a life with an easier commute. There is an apartment complex right across the street from work and I inquired about availability.
I walked out of there $40 lighter having paid the application fee.
That night, they called me back and said I was approved and suddenly I was moving.
Over the past several weeks I have been making plans. Can I survive without a car? Can I get by just using Metro and a bike and my own two feet?
As my roommate continually showed a lack of belief in my ability to make it financially (my rent is going to double) and be able to make it without a car, I've started to doubt myself. Well, more so than usual, anyway.
I sent my parents an email detailing my reasons for the move and got a response back from Dad who 100% backed me on my rationale and choice. That was such a boost! As I look at my options things look less and less bleak. It's going to be a major change, not having a car. But when I look at the benefits and $ I'll save on maintenance and gas, I can't help but rejoice as I look at getting rid of my car. As for the higher rent, I will be taking more of those smaller trips I don't usually take due to my current terrible commute and those add up. I will probably do a lot better at getting closer to 40 hours a week.
My roommate continues to give me that look though. You know, the one that says "boy do I pity you."
Then, yesterday he came to my room and provided yet another memorable moment in the history of my roommate. He informed me that the green blanket on my bed is his daughters and he wants me to make sure I leave it.
I looked at the blanket that Mr and Mrs Bork made for me when I was 9 years old and shook my head. "I've had that blanket since I was nine years old," I told him.
"Are you sure? I could swear that it was my daughter's."
I told him about how the pattern called for a blue color because there are sailboats on the blanket, but since my favorite color is green, the Borks chose that. It was a handmade gift of love that I have treasured for almost 25 years, yet my roommate insists it belongs to his daughter.
Thankfully he gave up his protests and left me alone. I guess I'd better check my bed every night to make sure my special blanket is still there. Or maybe I should hide it! He ain't getting it, that's for DAMN sure!
A couple weeks ago, he kept calling me into his room to show me "better deals" he found on Craigslist. He basically thinks I am making a mistake and is trying to help save me from me, apparently. He is concerned that I made too rash a decision.
This whole mess started with my car tabs. They are due this month and (lucky me) I also have to get an emissions test. Well I thought I'd be smart and get that done early in the month, but my car failed the test. The vehicle speed sensor is malfunctioning. To me, this sounds like an electrical problem, not an emissions problem. Actually, I took the car to a mechanic and he seemed surprised that the failed my car for it, so there ya go.
I discovered that it would take $200 to replace the part, though a mechanic at work said he could do it for 1/2 that, so I was all set to go that route, but then the clutch on my car started having problems shifting. Great. Another problem.
It was around this time (or perhaps it came the next day when the mechanic then quoted the fixing cost around $600) that I started thinking about my goals. One of my goals has always been to get an apartment within walking distance of work. As gas prices have risen I have been more and more imagining a life with an easier commute. There is an apartment complex right across the street from work and I inquired about availability.
I walked out of there $40 lighter having paid the application fee.
That night, they called me back and said I was approved and suddenly I was moving.
Over the past several weeks I have been making plans. Can I survive without a car? Can I get by just using Metro and a bike and my own two feet?
As my roommate continually showed a lack of belief in my ability to make it financially (my rent is going to double) and be able to make it without a car, I've started to doubt myself. Well, more so than usual, anyway.
I sent my parents an email detailing my reasons for the move and got a response back from Dad who 100% backed me on my rationale and choice. That was such a boost! As I look at my options things look less and less bleak. It's going to be a major change, not having a car. But when I look at the benefits and $ I'll save on maintenance and gas, I can't help but rejoice as I look at getting rid of my car. As for the higher rent, I will be taking more of those smaller trips I don't usually take due to my current terrible commute and those add up. I will probably do a lot better at getting closer to 40 hours a week.
My roommate continues to give me that look though. You know, the one that says "boy do I pity you."
Then, yesterday he came to my room and provided yet another memorable moment in the history of my roommate. He informed me that the green blanket on my bed is his daughters and he wants me to make sure I leave it.
I looked at the blanket that Mr and Mrs Bork made for me when I was 9 years old and shook my head. "I've had that blanket since I was nine years old," I told him.
"Are you sure? I could swear that it was my daughter's."
I told him about how the pattern called for a blue color because there are sailboats on the blanket, but since my favorite color is green, the Borks chose that. It was a handmade gift of love that I have treasured for almost 25 years, yet my roommate insists it belongs to his daughter.
Thankfully he gave up his protests and left me alone. I guess I'd better check my bed every night to make sure my special blanket is still there. Or maybe I should hide it! He ain't getting it, that's for DAMN sure!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
A Moore Productive Day
Today was a busy day. I went down to storage and went through my many boxes down there in an effort to downsize my life. This is a tradition I adopt every time I move that I call...downsizing my life. In a little over three hours I had thrown away four large tubs of stuff, collected two large tubs of stuff I plan to take to Goodwill, and eight boxes of books that at one time I couldn't live without, but now figured I should take to Half Price Books.
The heavy lifting paid off because they offered me $79 for all the books - minus the $20 I paid for three other books I found during the 20 minutes I had to wait in the store. Hey, I figure I'm still downsizing. I made some great headway with the stored boxes, though. Enough that I consider today productive. The problem is that there is no storage at the new apartment, so anything I'm not going to have out will need to fit in the closets. I have a pretty nice sized walk-in closet, but it feels good to get a better shot at getting everything to fit in there. Thank God I'm out of the closet, now. That'll make that much more room in there.
After making a little money, I drover my dying car (it actually handled quite well for a dying car) out to Bothell because one of my favorite authors, Christopher Moore, was in town for a book reading and signing. I've been a fan of his ever since accidentally finding his book Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal at the library. I definitely recommend checking out his books, as long as you don't mind people staring at you because you're laughing out loud. Also, his books tend to get a little risque, but that makes them all the more fun. After his hour of funny talking (he didn't actually read from the book, but talked in detail and with great humor about his research in Jolly ol' England) he went to a table for the signing. Now the bookstore staging the event obviously wanted people to buy his books there, and I SO would have, but I couldn't afford to pay full price, so I'd already bought mine at Target.
The problem with that was that people who bought the book at the bookstore got first spots in line to meet the author. They gave out slips of paper with letter based on the order that books were purchased. Starting with A. I was told that people who bought their books elsewhere would have to wait (not even being allowed in line) until all the people with numbers had gone through. So I did a LOT of waiting tonight, but it was really worth it. He stayed around until everyone had met him so I did get to meet him, get my books signed, tell him which of his books is my favorite (Coyote Blue) and why, and of course got my picture with him.
Sadly, I have ordered a hardback copy of Coyote Blue, but it didn't come in time, so I told him that he'll just have to sign it next year when I come to his book signing for his next book. He gave us all a teaser of it, too - it's called Bite Me and it is a sequel to his previous vampire novels Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck: A Love Story. It was exciting to see so many people there, too!
There were at least 400 Christopher Moore fans. I heard that a couple even drove out from Idaho. While it meant waiting a LONG time to finally meet him, it's cool to see that so many people appreciate his work.
Maybe one day I'll have as many people coming to hear me speak and meet me!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
What a Rush!
I saw this today and thought it was very funny! And to think, I used to think Rush Limbaugh was the end all be all!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Just call me a Dancing Queen...
I just found out that I get to be part of a dance group in the upcoming Seattle Men's Chorus concert with Debbie Reynolds. I just couldn't get enough from dancing as a zombie. It sounds like the dance routine is going to be a lot of fun!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Gays: The end of marriage as you know it!
During the Superbowl, there was a commercial that aired in Texas, but nowhere else. Here is the commercial
Now, I had to have it explained to me. The website being advertised is a dating site for married people.
Now, I had to have it explained to me. The website being advertised is a dating site for married people.
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