Twitter

Twitter is more and more addicting...

Follow me on there

http://twitter.com/CootieB

Fair? No... Not really

I am a big Twitter fan. With the news as it hits I am able to keep up with the current times, and know what is going on. Far more than in Yahoo, FaceBook and so on. Not that I talk to a lot of people on Twitter or anything, but I do watch what others post, and what other people say. And I get caught up on current events. Like I actually knew MJ was in the hospital before it was news... People on Twittter have connections! LOL

Just recently Ashton Kutcher (http://twitter.com/aplusk) posted: "happy to be alive. lets celebrate. party tonight at Turtle Bay Bar in #NYC. Say "Spread" at the door for 1/2 off drinks! on me!" This in celebration that his private jet had to land, due to a fire in the engine, and had to land.

Now this is a little upsetting... All the stuff he does for hunger relief, and as popular as he is. He is now blowing away money that I am sure he feels is hard earned. And he is in my opinion wasting the money he has. When it could go to a better cause. As I am sure where ever this bar is in NYC, it is an expensive one, and a drink is likey $15.00 or so... If he pays 1/2 on all drinks... Someone has say 4 drinks that is $28.00 for that one person.. The hundreds of people that hear about it... lets say that 300 people show up and do that,... That is $8400.00 he will be spending on drinks for people. WOW!

here I am needing a car, so that my wife can have the one for the kids, and school, and so I have have one to go to work and so on... and he is just blowing this much money, not counting the plane there.

If he wants to help people and get a pat on the back for it,... Help me or someone else that needs financial help, and get a family back together, that can last a long time, over paying for people to get a little buzz one night, and not really care about the reason or cause.

Now I am sure lots of famous people get the same kind of crap, but he is Ashton Kutcher for crying out loud. He is probably the most well known actor of his time, and if he wants to set an example, help someone here in the US that is needing a little help and make a huge impression on them and everyone that hears about it (as it would spread fast).

So is it fair that these actors and actress's get paid these thousands of millions of dollars to be more of an icon for people to watch and love and want to be like. And the normal working class, living from paycheck to paycheck pays rent on a 4th class home. And then they blow the money on Booze or something that, that can only get a pleasure one time.

A waste...

How is Kinda to be used?

The other day my daughter was explaining how her brother had hit his head. Rather than being simple with the explanation it was a long drawn out story. Something like this:

Well,... Joshie was playing with Superman, and I was the princess, and we were trying to get on the boat so the Tigers would not get us. He "pushded" me and I told him not to, and then I punched him, but when he was jumping on the bed Buzz Lightyear got under his foot, and he fell off the bed... and he kinda hit his head... ...

Ok... all I asked her was how he hit his head, and where, and it turned into an entire story like the Star Wars Saga. But then it occured to me,... She said he "kinda" hit his head. How do you Kinda hit your head?

So I started thinking about the word Kinda. Compliments of the "Urban Dictionary" the word Kinda is short for Kind of or Sort of. So I came back to my original thought, how do you use the word Kinda in a sentence. I know you cannot kinda hit your head. Either you hit it or you don't. you cannot kinda: die, snore, eat, throw, fart, etc... There are several things that the word kinda in front of it makes not sense at all. If you are a gamer you may be kinda away, meaning you are close by, but may not reply asap. Or you can be kinda bored, not real bored, but enough that you want to find something to do.

At any rate, my daughter using the word for her brother hitting his head on the bed, was just not the best use for the word kinda, but it was rather comical that it was used cause it got me to thinking of the many times that word is used and does not really make sense in the sentence or statement it is being used in.


Kinda

Finally changed services

After having my current cable, internet and phone provider for 2 1/2 years now I have had enough and decided to change.

Being with Charter Communications through a lot of stuff, I had enough on my last billing. To fill you in on what had happened, it would take forever, but I will just explain my recent issues.

I called about a month ago I contacted them to advise them that my current services are costing me too much and I am going to need to make some changes in the services in order to keep paying for it. So, I called to have some items removed to reduce my charges. Dropping off movie channels I did not use or watch, dropping the line service for the house as they had never been int o do anything, and some digital package off the cable. Reducing it by about 25 to 30 dollars total. Being as how my original billing was to be around 130.00 a month, and I had been being billed about 170.00 to 180.00 a month. I thought that I was being fair.

The next month after having all theses charges removed and changes made to my account, I got my bill and to my surprise the price was a little more than the previous month, and that was after these other fees and charges were to be removed. I then review the bill online to see what had happened and saw several things that I did not understand.

So I contact Charter Communications. I ask them about my services and that I think that since i had called last month to have some reductions done, that my bill should be less than what it is now. And after about 10 min of waiting (using internet to discuss it, cause I did not feel like talking to someone that could barely speak english), I received an answer that the account was reviewed and all the services and all the charges were correct. WHAT? Was my answer. That was not what I was asking...

So I decided to break it down, and got each charge and asked about it. Phone was 39.99 and I was being charged 46.95. After 5 min I got a reply that it was due to ret call (*69) being used and it was 1.75 each.

Ok... I was cool with that, next was the internet. Being charged 59.99 and it was 45.00 the previous month. After about 8 min I was advised that the promotion that I was on, and it was expired and I am now being charged full price. It would have been nice a month ago had the person that I was talking to was to have told me that, since they knew I was attempting to lower my bill, and they did not even mention it to me. But...

Ok.. I can understand that. But then I get to the cable. and I had removed movie channels (10.00) and some kind of digital package (17.99) and my cable charges were exactly the same. in 10 min I get the answer that the services were reviewed and it all is correct. ...

>_<

Again, not answering my question. And it really made me mad that I was calling a month prior to have a reduction in my billing, and then I get a bill the next month for more than I had before. What the Crap! I gave up trying to talk to them about it.

Now this has happened all the time with Charter Communications. Having a question or issue with my bill, and I needed to have an answer and after going through 5 people that barley speak english I would get someone that could explain what has happened to me. Even though I did not like it, I would grin and bare it. Even when they closed their local office location where I was making me drive several miles away to a near by city to do any office things, I was upset. Then this happens.

So,... I call them last night to tell them to cancel. I already had a local company to me hook my cable up, internet with fiber optic service, and then phone ported over. And the charter person had the gaul to offer me the same services I had including DVR and something else that I would not use for like 109.00 a month. WHAT?!!?!? Why did they not offer it to me earlier, when I had the problem? As I had to explain to the person several times... I like my local company, and I am getting the same services that Charter had me under for about 1/2 the price. About 20 min later I think the operator got the hint that I was not happy, and I did not want my services anymore with charter. Offer after offer to keep me. Why was I not offered all this crap before I had enough of the issues and wanted out?

At any rate I have switched my Service provider. After a couple years of paying bills, I am no longer a Charter Communications customer, and I am glad, as now I am saving about 100.00 a month and getting the same services I had, with no lapse in service.

Darn Tooth Fairey!

As we all know, the tooth fairey is a childhood favorite. Loose a tooth and then place then under your pillow (or where ever you put them growing up) and then in the morning this fairey that has a thing for teeth, breaks into your house and steals the tooth leaving money in the place of it. It is kinda like a drug deal. Leave the goods in a pre-definded location and then the switch is made, you get rid of something you do not need anymore and get something better in return! HOW GREAT IS THAT!

Well... here is how todays story begins.

My daughter went to her Papaw's house this weekend, and well lost a tooth. So she came home all excited about it wanting to put it under her pillow and get some money. After a few hours it was bed time, and we had to get the tooth ready for the exchange.

Going to bed we placed the tooth in a little case (a plastic box the dentist gave us) and under the pillow it went. And the kids both went fast to sleep.

If you still believe in the tooth fairey, please stop reading now, your story has ended.

Reading, watching TV and playing games caused Kim and I to forget that we had a tooth that we needed to claim under our daughters pillow. We went to bed at like 11:00 or so, and was sound asleep when 3:00sm mny daughter comes into my room all out sobbing and crying. "The Tooth Fairey did not come" she exclaimed. With tears rolling down her face. She had checked under her pillow and noticed that the case that held the tooth was still there, and knew that she had been forgotten.

being quick thinking, and for 3:30am that is pretty good, we did come up with a story that the tooth fairey may be off on Sundays or that she was busy and had not made it to our house yet. After about 30 min of her crying and just sure that the tooth fairey did not like her anymore, we were able to convince her to go back to sleep at about 4:00. As soon as she was back in the bed we were scrambling to get a note ready for cale, and some money to leave under her pillow.

At 4:30 in the morning I sliped into her room, and made the excange, and back to bed I went. 15 min later my daughter comes back in my room.. Very excited she said "The Tooth Fairey Came!", waking me up again, from the sleep I had just gotten back to. had to read the note to her. I then had to run her back to her room to go back to sleep.

Never forget to be the tooth fairey!!!! It will come back to bite you!

Courage

This excerpt from a book called "Walk The Talk". I like this a lot, and it seems fitting this morning to be thinking about this.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION: What does “courage” have to do with being a person of good character...with someone who stays true to their principles and their values?

ANSWER: EVERYTHING!

You see, being values-driven means two things:

1 - Doing what’s right – following our conscience; refusing to compromise our principles, despite pressures and temptations to the contrary, and

2 - Taking a stand against what’s wrong – speaking out, whenever we see others do things that are incorrect or inappropriate.
Unquestionably, both of those require guts and fortitude...they require courage.

Courage is...

- Following your conscience instead of “following the crowd”.
- Refusing to take part in hurtful or disrespectful behaviors.
- Sacrificing personal gain for the benefit of others.
- Speaking your mind even though others don’t agree.
- Taking complete responsibility for your actions...and your mistakes.
- Following the rules – and insisting that others do the same.
- Challenging the status quo in search of better ways.
- Doing what you know is right- regardless of the risks and potential consequences.

I’d like to share the “Cadet Prayer” that is repeated during chapel services at the U.S. Military
Academy:

Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole truth can be won. Endow us with the courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy.

That is truly the essence of courage.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That really means a lot to me.

... and now my yard is destroyed.

The title of my rant for today is one of the statements we all got to complete in school at one point in time. I can recall all the stuff I would put in mine to make it as dumb as possible, however this one is actually legit.

This story goes back a few days. I noticed my front yard a little wet in places. And that place happened to be in front of the water meter at my house. No big deal really. It had been raining a lot, and I did not think nothing of it. A couple days later I noticed that the wet area was still there, and their was no rain, so there was obviously a problem.

Pulling off the lid to the water meter, there it was. The whole thing was full of water, and slowly leaking out and causing a swamp area in my front yard, flowing down the hill, puddling up in places.

So first thing I did was call the land lord to advise him, I then also called the water company, leaving messages for both of them.

After some conversation with the water company and looking at the meter to realise it was not running, so the leak was not on my end, and was part of the pipe from the water company. They came up... looked around a little, and commented on how big of a pain it will be, and the next morning they will be there to get started to fix the leak.

The next day the electric company and water came up to the house and marked all over the yard with some bright spray paint. Making a pretty design all across the yard. After that the water company decided to start digging. Digging a hole out in the front of the yard around the meter, to see what they could see I guess, and then a matching hole in the back... not sure why for that one. I think they were wanting to move the line, and decided not to put the meter there, and eventually filled up the hole again.

Leaving filled holes in the yard they left.

The next morning, they came again, except this time with a bobcat, and a ditch witch. O_O

So they decided to put the meter from the side, and move it to the other end of the house, and cut off the pipe that was causing the leak. Again not really doing anything with the hole they dug in the back yard. Using the ditch witch they dug a ditch about 40 yards long and buried the pipe across my yard from where it was originally, to the end of the house. Luckily it was under the deck, so it is not as bad.

So to get the big picture, they filled in the holes they made, however they did not pack it at all. So it looks like I have a fresh grave in my back yard next to the back door, and another one in the front under my bedroom window. And a long ditch that some of the dirt has sunk into, last night making it look like I am living on a fault line. However none of the other holes were packed at all, they just set the dirt on top of the holes, I guess hoping that the dirt would all go back to where it was before, and would never be able to tell...

... and now my yard is destroyed.