It's been a while so I thought I'd say Hi. I'm sorry I haven't been around much but you know how things go. Life just kind of gets in the way. That and I don't think anyone reads what I write anyways.
So.. What's new? Let's see. I just had a birthday. Fun times. Not a milestone or anything, just your middle of the decade birthday. Had a nice dinner.
Christmas was cool. Husband got me a Kindle. Pretty Sweet. Looking forward to giving it some action tomorrow on the train ride to work.
Work is super slow right now which is a good thing. People are in some really shitty situations. I always wonder how they got there. Everyone has a different starting point and I know life is a series of decisions and choices and I will always believe that but sometimes I think no matter how many correct decisions people make LIFE happens and bad stuff happens. I gotta leave it at the door when I leave work otherwise it will make me nuts.
I am glad to be back working for my previous boss. It just feels comfortable. I know they say being "comfortable" is not always the best way to feel about a job but I think in this case it is a good thing. I am comfortable with my boss and co-workers so I think doing new things with this job will be fun and hopefully interesting.
Things on the home-front are good. Husband is happy with his new-ish job and we are doing well together. Everyone is busy busy but we are all trying to make time to see our friends. Family is another issue.
Christmas dinner w/ my folks was canceled b/c of the snow storm and we haven't rescheduled yet. I spoke w/ Dad on Xmas day but he was the only one. Sis sent me a msg on facebook. Never heard from mom. Apparently she is on a little vacation with her new boyfriend. I guess I could have called her but... didn't.
I guess that's it for now.
Here's hoping 2010 is better than 2009, that VT wins the Chick-Fil-A bowl on Thursday night, and that everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Eve.
I'll try to write more.
Peace.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Good Reading: It speaks for itself
* eptember 23, 2009, 1:45 PM ET
Excerpts of Sarah Palin’s Speech to Investors in Hong Kong
Alex Frangos reports from Hong Kong on Sarah Palin’s speech.
Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, delivered her first major international speech outside North America Wednesday in Hong Kong at an investor conference. The speech was closed to the media, but The Wall Street Journal reviewed a recording of the event. Here are some excerpts on various topics, from death panels to Chinese human rights.
Sarah Palin, Hong Kong, CLSA Asia Pacific Markets Conference, Sept. 23, 2009 Speech Excerpts
U.S. DOMESTIC POLICY
On Conservatism:
You can call me a common-sense conservative. My approach to the issues facing my country and the world, issues that we’ll discuss today, are rooted in this common-sense conservatism… Common sense conservatism deals with the reality of the world as it is. Complicated and beautiful, tragic and hopeful, we believe in the rights and the responsibilities and the inherent dignity of the individual.
We don’t believe that human nature is perfectible; we’re suspicious of government efforts to fix problems because often what it’s trying to fix is human nature, and that is impossible. It is what it is. But that doesn’t mean that we’re resigned to, well, any negative destiny. Not at all. I believe in striving for the ideal, but in realistic confines of human nature…
On Liberalism:
The opposite of a common-sense conservative is a liberalism that holds that there is no human problem that government can’t fix if only the right people are put in charge. Unfortunately, history and common sense are not on its side. We don’t trust utopian promises; we deal with human nature as it is.
On what caused the financial crisis:
While we might be in the wilderness, conservatives need to defend the free market system and explain what really caused last year’s collapse. According to one version of the story, America’s economic woes were caused by a lack of government intervention and regulation and therefore the only way to fix the problem, because, of course, every problem can be fixed by a politician, is for more bureaucracy to impose itself further, deeper, forcing itself deeper into the private sector.
I think that’s simply wrong. We got into this mess because of government interference in the first place. The mortgage crisis that led to the collapse of the financial market, it was rooted in a good-natured, but wrongheaded, desire to increase home ownership among those who couldn’t yet afford to own a home. In so many cases, politicians on the right and the left, they wanted to take credit for an increase in home ownership among those with lower incomes. But the rules of the marketplace are not adaptable to the mere whims of politicians.
…
Lack of government wasn’t the problem. Government policies were the problem. The marketplace didn’t fail. It became exactly as common sense would expect it to. The government ordered the loosening of lending standards. The Federal Reserve kept interest rates low. The government forced lending institutions to give loans to people who, as I say, couldn’t afford them. Speculators spotted new investment vehicles, jumped on board and rating agencies underestimated risks.
On Milton Friedman:
Now even Milton Friedman, he recognized that the free market is truly free when there is a level playing field for all participants, and good financial regulations aim to provide the transparency that we need to ensure the level playing field does exist, but we need not, we need to make sure that this regulatory reform that we’re talking about is aimed at the problems on Wall Street and won’t attack Main Street.
On the Federal Reserve:
How can we discuss reform without addressing the government policies at the root of the problems? The root of the collapse? And how can we think that setting up the Fed as the monitor of systemic risk in the financial sector will result in meaningful reform? The words “fox” and “hen house” come to mind. The Fed’s decisions helped create the bubble. Look at the root cause of most asset bubbles, and you’ll see the Fed somewhere in the background.
On deficits and Reaganism:
Common sense tells you that when you’re in a hole, you have to stop digging! A common sense conservative looks to history to find solutions to the problems confronting us, and the good news is that history has shown us a way out of this, a way forward from recession. Ronald Reagan, he was faced with an even worse recession, and he showed us how to get out of here.
If you want real job growth, you cut taxes! And you reduce marginal tax rates on all Americans. Cut payroll taxes, eliminate capital gain taxes and slay the death tax, once and for all. Get federal spending under control, and then you step back and you watch the U.S. economy roar back to life. But it takes more courage for a politician to step back and let the free market correct itself than it does to push through panicky solutions or quick fixes…
I can’t wait until we get that Reaganomics sense supplied again because we are going to survive, and we’re going to thrive and expand and roar back to life. And as the world sees this, the world will be a healthier, more secure, safer and more prosperous place when this happens.
On greenhouse gas legislation:
It seems like some are looking to ever more ways that will actually destroy economic opportunities today. Take for example, Washington’s cap-and-trade scheme. I call it the “cap-and-tax” scheme. Right now we have the highest unemployment rate in 25 years, and it’s still rising. And yet some in D.C. are pushing a cap-and-tax bill that could cripple our energy industry or energy market and dramatically increase the rates of the unemployed, and that’s not just in the energy sector.
American jobs in every industry will be threatened by the rising cost of doing business under this cap-and-tax plan. The cost of farming will certainly increase. That’s going to drive up the cost of groceries and drive down farm incomes. The cost of manufacturing, warehousing and transportation will also rise. We are all going to feel the effects. The Americans hardest hit will be those who are already struggling to make ends meet today, much less with this new tax every month…
I am not indifferent to environmental concerns. Far from it. As governor, I created a sub-cabinet to study the impacts of climate change in my state. And I was the first governor to do so. It took us in a new direction…
I’m a supporter of nuclear power and renewables. We can develop these resources without destroying our economy. And we can help the environment and our economy through energy independence.
On health care:
I seem to have acquired notoriety in national debate. And all because of two words: death panels. And it is a serious term. It was intended to sound a warning about the rationing that is sure to follow if big government tries to simultaneously increase health care coverage while also claiming to decrease costs. Government has just got to be honest with the people about this….
As I said, it’s just common sense to realize that government’s attempts to solve large problems like the health-care challenges that we have, more often create new ones, and a top down one size fits all plan will not improve the workings of a nationwide health-care system that accounts for some one-fifth of our economy.
Common sense also tells us that passing a trillion dollar new retirement program, that’s not the way to reduce health-care spending. Real health-care reform is market oriented, patient centered and result driven. It would give all individuals the same tax benefit, that an ideal plan that I would have in mind, same tax benefits as those who get coverage through their employers. And give Medicare recipients vouchers so that they can buy their own coverage. And reform tort laws and change regulations to allow people to buy insurance across state lines. Rather than another top down government plan, we should give Americans themselves control over their own health care with market friendly responsible ideas.
FOREIGN POLICY
On relations with China:
We engage with a hope that Beijing becomes a responsible stakeholder, but we must take steps in the event that it goes in a different direction. See, we all hope to see a China that is stable and peaceful and prosperous. Optimism that yes, it will be.
Asia is at its best when it is not dominated by a single power. In seeking Asia’s continued peace and prosperity, we should seek, as we did in Europe, an Asia whole and free. Free from domination by any one power…
On China’s relations with Taiwan, and other controversial issues:
We simply cannot turn a blind eye to Chinese policies and actions that could undermine international peace and security. Here, China has some one thousand missiles aimed at Taiwan and no serious observer though believes that it poses a serious threat to Beijing. Those same Chinese forces make our friends in Japan and Australia kind of nervous.
China provides support for some of the most questionable regimes, from Sudan to Burma to Zimbabwe. China’s military buildup, it raises concern from Delhi to Tokyo because it’s taking place in the absence of really any discernable threat to it. China, along with Russia, has repeatedly undermined efforts to impose tougher sanctions on Iran for its defiance of the international community in pursuing its nuclear program. And the Chinese food and safety, uh food and product safety record, of course it’s raised alarms from East Asia and Europe to the U.S. and domestic instance of unrest. From the protest of Uighurs and Tibetans to Chinese workers throughout the country rightfully makes a lot of people nervous.
On human rights and democracy in China:
The more politically open and just China is, the more Chinese citizens of every ethnic group will be able to settle disputes in court rather than on the streets. The more open it is, the less we’ll be concerned about its military buildup and its intentions. The more transparent China is, the more likely it is that they will find a true and lasting friendship based on shared values as well as interests. And I’m not talking about a U.S.-led democracy crusade. [We’re] not going to impose our values on other countries. We don’t seek to do that. But the ideas of freedom and liberty and respect for human rights, it’s not just a U.S. idea. They’re very much more than that. They’re enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and many other international covenants and treaties.
On China-U.S. economic relations:
Our economic interdependence drives our relationship with China. I see a future of more trade with China and more American high tech goods in China. But in order for that to happen, we need China to improve its rule of law, and protect our intellectual property. We need to avoid protectionism and China’s flirtation with state assisted national champions. On our part we should be more open to Chinese investment where our national security interests are not threatened. In the end though, our economic relationship will truly thrive when Chinese citizens and foreign corporations can hold the Chinese government accountable when their actions are unjust.
Copyright 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Excerpts of Sarah Palin’s Speech to Investors in Hong Kong
Alex Frangos reports from Hong Kong on Sarah Palin’s speech.
Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, delivered her first major international speech outside North America Wednesday in Hong Kong at an investor conference. The speech was closed to the media, but The Wall Street Journal reviewed a recording of the event. Here are some excerpts on various topics, from death panels to Chinese human rights.
Sarah Palin, Hong Kong, CLSA Asia Pacific Markets Conference, Sept. 23, 2009 Speech Excerpts
U.S. DOMESTIC POLICY
On Conservatism:
You can call me a common-sense conservative. My approach to the issues facing my country and the world, issues that we’ll discuss today, are rooted in this common-sense conservatism… Common sense conservatism deals with the reality of the world as it is. Complicated and beautiful, tragic and hopeful, we believe in the rights and the responsibilities and the inherent dignity of the individual.
We don’t believe that human nature is perfectible; we’re suspicious of government efforts to fix problems because often what it’s trying to fix is human nature, and that is impossible. It is what it is. But that doesn’t mean that we’re resigned to, well, any negative destiny. Not at all. I believe in striving for the ideal, but in realistic confines of human nature…
On Liberalism:
The opposite of a common-sense conservative is a liberalism that holds that there is no human problem that government can’t fix if only the right people are put in charge. Unfortunately, history and common sense are not on its side. We don’t trust utopian promises; we deal with human nature as it is.
On what caused the financial crisis:
While we might be in the wilderness, conservatives need to defend the free market system and explain what really caused last year’s collapse. According to one version of the story, America’s economic woes were caused by a lack of government intervention and regulation and therefore the only way to fix the problem, because, of course, every problem can be fixed by a politician, is for more bureaucracy to impose itself further, deeper, forcing itself deeper into the private sector.
I think that’s simply wrong. We got into this mess because of government interference in the first place. The mortgage crisis that led to the collapse of the financial market, it was rooted in a good-natured, but wrongheaded, desire to increase home ownership among those who couldn’t yet afford to own a home. In so many cases, politicians on the right and the left, they wanted to take credit for an increase in home ownership among those with lower incomes. But the rules of the marketplace are not adaptable to the mere whims of politicians.
…
Lack of government wasn’t the problem. Government policies were the problem. The marketplace didn’t fail. It became exactly as common sense would expect it to. The government ordered the loosening of lending standards. The Federal Reserve kept interest rates low. The government forced lending institutions to give loans to people who, as I say, couldn’t afford them. Speculators spotted new investment vehicles, jumped on board and rating agencies underestimated risks.
On Milton Friedman:
Now even Milton Friedman, he recognized that the free market is truly free when there is a level playing field for all participants, and good financial regulations aim to provide the transparency that we need to ensure the level playing field does exist, but we need not, we need to make sure that this regulatory reform that we’re talking about is aimed at the problems on Wall Street and won’t attack Main Street.
On the Federal Reserve:
How can we discuss reform without addressing the government policies at the root of the problems? The root of the collapse? And how can we think that setting up the Fed as the monitor of systemic risk in the financial sector will result in meaningful reform? The words “fox” and “hen house” come to mind. The Fed’s decisions helped create the bubble. Look at the root cause of most asset bubbles, and you’ll see the Fed somewhere in the background.
On deficits and Reaganism:
Common sense tells you that when you’re in a hole, you have to stop digging! A common sense conservative looks to history to find solutions to the problems confronting us, and the good news is that history has shown us a way out of this, a way forward from recession. Ronald Reagan, he was faced with an even worse recession, and he showed us how to get out of here.
If you want real job growth, you cut taxes! And you reduce marginal tax rates on all Americans. Cut payroll taxes, eliminate capital gain taxes and slay the death tax, once and for all. Get federal spending under control, and then you step back and you watch the U.S. economy roar back to life. But it takes more courage for a politician to step back and let the free market correct itself than it does to push through panicky solutions or quick fixes…
I can’t wait until we get that Reaganomics sense supplied again because we are going to survive, and we’re going to thrive and expand and roar back to life. And as the world sees this, the world will be a healthier, more secure, safer and more prosperous place when this happens.
On greenhouse gas legislation:
It seems like some are looking to ever more ways that will actually destroy economic opportunities today. Take for example, Washington’s cap-and-trade scheme. I call it the “cap-and-tax” scheme. Right now we have the highest unemployment rate in 25 years, and it’s still rising. And yet some in D.C. are pushing a cap-and-tax bill that could cripple our energy industry or energy market and dramatically increase the rates of the unemployed, and that’s not just in the energy sector.
American jobs in every industry will be threatened by the rising cost of doing business under this cap-and-tax plan. The cost of farming will certainly increase. That’s going to drive up the cost of groceries and drive down farm incomes. The cost of manufacturing, warehousing and transportation will also rise. We are all going to feel the effects. The Americans hardest hit will be those who are already struggling to make ends meet today, much less with this new tax every month…
I am not indifferent to environmental concerns. Far from it. As governor, I created a sub-cabinet to study the impacts of climate change in my state. And I was the first governor to do so. It took us in a new direction…
I’m a supporter of nuclear power and renewables. We can develop these resources without destroying our economy. And we can help the environment and our economy through energy independence.
On health care:
I seem to have acquired notoriety in national debate. And all because of two words: death panels. And it is a serious term. It was intended to sound a warning about the rationing that is sure to follow if big government tries to simultaneously increase health care coverage while also claiming to decrease costs. Government has just got to be honest with the people about this….
As I said, it’s just common sense to realize that government’s attempts to solve large problems like the health-care challenges that we have, more often create new ones, and a top down one size fits all plan will not improve the workings of a nationwide health-care system that accounts for some one-fifth of our economy.
Common sense also tells us that passing a trillion dollar new retirement program, that’s not the way to reduce health-care spending. Real health-care reform is market oriented, patient centered and result driven. It would give all individuals the same tax benefit, that an ideal plan that I would have in mind, same tax benefits as those who get coverage through their employers. And give Medicare recipients vouchers so that they can buy their own coverage. And reform tort laws and change regulations to allow people to buy insurance across state lines. Rather than another top down government plan, we should give Americans themselves control over their own health care with market friendly responsible ideas.
FOREIGN POLICY
On relations with China:
We engage with a hope that Beijing becomes a responsible stakeholder, but we must take steps in the event that it goes in a different direction. See, we all hope to see a China that is stable and peaceful and prosperous. Optimism that yes, it will be.
Asia is at its best when it is not dominated by a single power. In seeking Asia’s continued peace and prosperity, we should seek, as we did in Europe, an Asia whole and free. Free from domination by any one power…
On China’s relations with Taiwan, and other controversial issues:
We simply cannot turn a blind eye to Chinese policies and actions that could undermine international peace and security. Here, China has some one thousand missiles aimed at Taiwan and no serious observer though believes that it poses a serious threat to Beijing. Those same Chinese forces make our friends in Japan and Australia kind of nervous.
China provides support for some of the most questionable regimes, from Sudan to Burma to Zimbabwe. China’s military buildup, it raises concern from Delhi to Tokyo because it’s taking place in the absence of really any discernable threat to it. China, along with Russia, has repeatedly undermined efforts to impose tougher sanctions on Iran for its defiance of the international community in pursuing its nuclear program. And the Chinese food and safety, uh food and product safety record, of course it’s raised alarms from East Asia and Europe to the U.S. and domestic instance of unrest. From the protest of Uighurs and Tibetans to Chinese workers throughout the country rightfully makes a lot of people nervous.
On human rights and democracy in China:
The more politically open and just China is, the more Chinese citizens of every ethnic group will be able to settle disputes in court rather than on the streets. The more open it is, the less we’ll be concerned about its military buildup and its intentions. The more transparent China is, the more likely it is that they will find a true and lasting friendship based on shared values as well as interests. And I’m not talking about a U.S.-led democracy crusade. [We’re] not going to impose our values on other countries. We don’t seek to do that. But the ideas of freedom and liberty and respect for human rights, it’s not just a U.S. idea. They’re very much more than that. They’re enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and many other international covenants and treaties.
On China-U.S. economic relations:
Our economic interdependence drives our relationship with China. I see a future of more trade with China and more American high tech goods in China. But in order for that to happen, we need China to improve its rule of law, and protect our intellectual property. We need to avoid protectionism and China’s flirtation with state assisted national champions. On our part we should be more open to Chinese investment where our national security interests are not threatened. In the end though, our economic relationship will truly thrive when Chinese citizens and foreign corporations can hold the Chinese government accountable when their actions are unjust.
Copyright 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
WTF??
I am so sick of hearing about these health care town hall protests. Here's my 2 cents and then I'm done thinking about this topic.
I support free speech. I support the right to protest your government. I support the right of dissenters to be heard.
I do not support the childish behavior that some of these protesters are exhibiting. Since when is it appropriate to scream and yell at someone who is trying to make a point? Since when is it appropriate to interrupt someone who is speaking? This behavior is not tolerated in elementary school and it should not be tolerated at these town hall events.
What happened to civility?
This is embarrassing.
I believe it is a mob mentality at work here. The conservative groups that are providing this mis-information are empowering people to disrupt an otherwise orderly event b/c you can "hide" in a crowd. These folks feel like they don't have to take responsibility for their actions because it is too easy to just yell at the Congressman from the back of the room rather than approach a mic and ask an intelligent question and possibly have to explain yourself and your position to the person you are asking the question to.
It just makes me sick and sad.
Bill Maher has a great article in Huffington Post posted last Friday that pretty much explains why I am embarassed, sick, and sad about the whole thing:
New Rule: Just because a country elects a smart president doesn't make it a smart country. A few weeks ago I was asked by Wolf Blitzer if I thought Sarah Palin could get elected president, and I said I hope not, but I wouldn't put anything past this stupid country. It was amazing - in the minute or so between my callingAmerica
I support free speech. I support the right to protest your government. I support the right of dissenters to be heard.
I do not support the childish behavior that some of these protesters are exhibiting. Since when is it appropriate to scream and yell at someone who is trying to make a point? Since when is it appropriate to interrupt someone who is speaking? This behavior is not tolerated in elementary school and it should not be tolerated at these town hall events.
What happened to civility?
This is embarrassing.
I believe it is a mob mentality at work here. The conservative groups that are providing this mis-information are empowering people to disrupt an otherwise orderly event b/c you can "hide" in a crowd. These folks feel like they don't have to take responsibility for their actions because it is too easy to just yell at the Congressman from the back of the room rather than approach a mic and ask an intelligent question and possibly have to explain yourself and your position to the person you are asking the question to.
It just makes me sick and sad.
Bill Maher has a great article in Huffington Post posted last Friday that pretty much explains why I am embarassed, sick, and sad about the whole thing:
New Rule: Just because a country elects a smart president doesn't make it a smart country. A few weeks ago I was asked by Wolf Blitzer if I thought Sarah Palin could get elected president, and I said I hope not, but I wouldn't put anything past this stupid country. It was amazing - in the minute or so between my calling
Now, the hate mail all seemed to have a running theme: that I may live in a stupid country, but they lived in the greatest country on earth, and that perhaps I should move to another country, like
And before I go about demonstrating how, sadly, easy it is to prove the dumbness dragging down our country, let me just say that ignorance has life and death consequences. On the eve of the Iraq War, 69% of Americans thought Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11. Four years later, 34% still did. Or take the health care debate we're presently having: members of Congress have recessed now so they can go home and "listen to their constituents." An urge they should resist because their constituents don't know anything. At a recent town-hall meeting in South Carolina, a man stood up and told his Congressman to "keep your government hands off my Medicare," which is kind of like driving cross country to protest highways.
I'm the bad guy for saying it's a stupid country, yet polls show that a majority of Americans cannot name a single branch of government, or explain what the Bill of Rights is. 24% could not name the country
Not here. Nearly half of Americans don't know that states have two senators and more than half can't name their congressman. And among Republican governors, only 30% got their wife's name right on the first try.
Sarah Palin says she would never apologize for
People bitch and moan about taxes and spending, but they have no idea what their government spends money on. The average voter thinks foreign aid consumes 24% of our federal budget. It's actually less than 1%. And don't even ask about cabinet members: seven in ten think Napolitano is a kind of three-flavored ice cream. And last election, a full one-third of voters forgot why they were in the booth, handed out their pants, and asked, "Do you have these in a relaxed-fit?"
And I haven't even brought up
And these are the idiots we want to weigh in on the minutia of health care policy? Please, this country is like a college chick after two Long Island Iced Teas: we can be talked into anything, like wars, and we can be talked out of anything, like health care. We should forget town halls, and replace them with study halls. There's a lot of populist anger directed towards
And if you want to call me an elitist for this, I say thank you. Yes, I want decisions made by an elite group of people who know what they're talking about. That means Obama budget director Peter Orszag, not Sarah Palin.
Which is the way our founding fathers wanted it. James Madison wrote that "pure democracy" doesn't work because "there is nothing to check... an obnoxious individual." Then, in the margins, he doodled a picture of Joe the Plumber.
Until we admit there are things we don't know, we can't even start asking the questions to find out. Until we admit that
Bill Maher is the host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," and will be joined on the show tonight by Arianna Huffington. "Real Time" airs fridays on HBO at 10:00PM Eastern Time.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Twitter?
Ok - so i am a nerd. I was reading a transcript of a WaPo Chat on Lost and the moderator said that she would be Twittering from ComicCon next week during the Lost panel. So... i took the leap and joined Twitter. I have no intention of ever Twittering - I just wanted the ability to follow her. I tried to "follow" her but the software was messed up or something and it didn't work so i need to log back in and try again...
in the two days that i have had my Twitter acct I already have 2 followers. I have never even posted anything... this is interesting. i wonder how many followers I can get without ever Twittering a thing....
in the two days that i have had my Twitter acct I already have 2 followers. I have never even posted anything... this is interesting. i wonder how many followers I can get without ever Twittering a thing....
Monday, June 22, 2009
Adventures with Craigslist: Part IV
"The Concert Tickets"
A few months ago we got tickets to the NIN / Jane's Addiction show at Merriweather Post. Last week we heard that the Beastie Boys were playing at Rams Head Live the same night. We took the gamble and were successful in getting Beastie tix even though the show sold out in 8 minutes. (Ticketmaster still sux tho).
As soon as we got the Beastie tix I posted the NIN / Janes tix on Craigslist. I didn't get any hits until Sunday night but that person never wrote me back. I got two more hits last night so I went with the first guy. I called him - we set up to meet at Little Havana later in the evening - and that was that. Ok so far.
So hubby and I meet up with the guy at LH, I gave him the tix and he gave me the money (which I counted there). Thanks, thanks, and the guy was on his way.
So that was easy. But why? Is it easier when dealing with big ticket items or was it this guy didn't have any drama? I'm at a loss to explain... i'd like to conduct more experiments but the rest of the stuff i have to sell isn't really worth much... i'm about ready to toss some of it. I just need to look up when it is "electronic / hazardous waste" disposal day for the city...
A few months ago we got tickets to the NIN / Jane's Addiction show at Merriweather Post. Last week we heard that the Beastie Boys were playing at Rams Head Live the same night. We took the gamble and were successful in getting Beastie tix even though the show sold out in 8 minutes. (Ticketmaster still sux tho).
As soon as we got the Beastie tix I posted the NIN / Janes tix on Craigslist. I didn't get any hits until Sunday night but that person never wrote me back. I got two more hits last night so I went with the first guy. I called him - we set up to meet at Little Havana later in the evening - and that was that. Ok so far.
So hubby and I meet up with the guy at LH, I gave him the tix and he gave me the money (which I counted there). Thanks, thanks, and the guy was on his way.
So that was easy. But why? Is it easier when dealing with big ticket items or was it this guy didn't have any drama? I'm at a loss to explain... i'd like to conduct more experiments but the rest of the stuff i have to sell isn't really worth much... i'm about ready to toss some of it. I just need to look up when it is "electronic / hazardous waste" disposal day for the city...
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
ass
I am blogging from the train with a guys ass totally in my face. Not fun. I really wish I could figure out how to turn the sound off when I take pictures with my bberry.
Too funny - these irritating people just realized they are on the wrong train. Good job losers.
Too funny - these irritating people just realized they are on the wrong train. Good job losers.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Adventures with Craigslist: Parts I, II, and III
Prologue:
We have a lot of crap. So much that it is really hard to park in our garage. Ever since we combined households (5 years ago), moved into our new house (3 years ago), and got married (1 year ago) we have so much stuff that we don't use and will likely never need to use again. So what's a person to do? Craigslist of course!
Part I: "The College TV and TV stand"
Hubby purchased this TV in 1996 after moving into a house with a bunch of guys and NO ONE owned a TV. After a few weeks of "getting to know you," board games, and rounds of asshole, he couldn't take it anymore and decided to purchase a TV at Walmart. I was a nice big TV (at the time) and he also bought a Nintendo 64 to go with it. Why not?
This TV made it though college and several moves before ending up in Baltimore. In '02 (i think) hubby decided to purchase one of those fancy flat screen TVs. Although this TV was a flat screen it is also 3 feet thick - a huge TV - and the old TV migrated upstairs and became the bedroom TV (see part II of this story for what happened with the "original" bedroom TV).
On Christmas of 2006 my dad gave us a really nice gift certificate to Best Buy and with that we purchased a new TV for the bedroom. The Walmart TV moved to the guestroom in the new house where it was united with my old TV stand from college that hasn't held up a TV in many years.
After sitting in a room not being used and collecting dust (also not hooked up to cable or DirecTV) we decided to get rid of it last summer.
This was our first experience w/ Craigslist. We posted pics of the TV and stand, all of the relevant info, we still had the original instruction book and remote, etc and we asked for $40.00 for the TV and $15 for the stand. After a few days we got an offer for $50 for both - and they requested that we deliver. I was working in Timonium the next day so I said I could deliver to Owings Mills, no problem.
The next day w/ Hubby's help I loaded the TV and stand into the car and went to work. On my lunch hour I went to deliver the TV.
First of all, the place this family lived was super difficult to find. Of course I google mapped it, etc. but the main road I planned on taking into this neighborhood had a gate across the road. Great. So I had to figure out another way into this neighborhood of apartment buildings and townhouses that ALL look the same. ugh.
I finally find the place and they had to buzz me into the building. I got to their apartment and they showed me where they want the TV. OK.... um... is someone home to help me carry the tv from the car? oh no. Dad is at work and the rest of the extended family that lives in the apartment (2 women, 2 children, and grandpa) couldn't help. really? ok fine.
I went out to the car and carried this super heavy tv into their house. (At least they held the door for me.)
I hooked up the tv to their cable (at least they have cable - see part II) and showed them how to use the remote. Ok works great. Thanks. The entire time I am there they keep asking me why I don't want the TV anymore.
Does it work ok? Yes. Anything wrong with it? No. Then why don't you want it? - It isn't like I can say, "well, I already own 3 tvs and this one has been collecting dust for 2 years and i just don't want it anymore because I can purchase a new tv anytime i want." Geeze. Can I have my $50 bucks so I can get the hell out of this apartment???
After I bring in the TV stand the woman tries to only give me $40 b/c the TV stand is scratched. I told her that the scratches were clearly visible in the pics on the Craigslist ad and that I won't take anything less than $50 otherwise I will carry the TV back to my car. OK she says and gives me the $50. Sweet. I am out of there.
Does it work ok? Yes. Anything wrong with it? No. Then why don't you want it? - It isn't like I can say, "well, I already own 3 tvs and this one has been collecting dust for 2 years and i just don't want it anymore because I can purchase a new tv anytime i want." Geeze. Can I have my $50 bucks so I can get the hell out of this apartment???
After I bring in the TV stand the woman tries to only give me $40 b/c the TV stand is scratched. I told her that the scratches were clearly visible in the pics on the Craigslist ad and that I won't take anything less than $50 otherwise I will carry the TV back to my car. OK she says and gives me the $50. Sweet. I am out of there.
I am barely down the driveway when my cell rings. The sound button on the remote doesn't work. huh? I just checked the damn thing before I left. Damn it! Ok, so I turned around and went back in. The button was just sticky. It worked just fine - you just needed to press really hard to make it work. Again they tried to ask for some of their money back. No way. Once I showed them they just needed to press hard on the button I got the heck out of there and headed back to work.
whew.
Part II: "Grandma's TV"
Hubby's grandmother died in early 2000 and he inherited a small 12 inch TV which became the original bedroom TV. This TV was the bedroom TV until 2002 when hubby purchased the flat screen referenced in Part I.
For the last seven years this TV was brought along on all of our moves but was never hooked up anywhere since we already had more than enough TVs.
Since our last Craigslist adventure was SO successful we decided to finally list a bunch of stuff - an old (and totally unused) Palm Pilot, a diskman w/car adaptor and headphones, an i-river MP3 player w/ headphones, and grandma's old tv for $15. The only hit we got was for the TV. The responder asked if we had an antenna for the tv since they don't have cable. Actually we did have an antenna - an HD antenna - that we didn't need anymore. We said we'll throw in the antenna for an extra $5 - and I volunteered to deliver the TV since I was "working from home" the next day anyway.
The respondent indicated that she only had $18. We said fine. I just wanted to get rid of the thing and we could use the cash to see a movie later that night. So i get to her apartment building - a really fancy building I might add - and she meets me out front. She doesn't want me to bring up the tv to her apartment. She wants me to bring it to the computer lab off of the lobby and plug it in there and hook up the antenna to show her that it works. Really? Ok, if that's what you want. So I hook everything up, turn on the TV and we have snow. Of course we have snow. We are in the basement of a huge apartment building surrounded by computers. uuuggghh.
OK, so I move the antenna around and show her how to get a signal and we sort-of get 3 or 4 channels. I explained to her several times that it will be better in her apartment and oh by the way, i told her that she is going to need cable in an month or a DTV converter box otherwise it won't work (this info was also in the craigslist ad). After 20 minutes! of going over all of this with her - showing her how to use the remote (Apparently she is a Hopkins Grad student from "overseas" and wasn't sure how to operate the thing. great.) she said that since she couldn't get a better picture she only wanted to give me $15 bucks. NO WAY. Look lady - we already came down from $20 to $18 and I delivered it. If you don't want to pay the $18 we settled on then I will take it home. - This was what hubby and i decided. $18 or nothing. - in reality if we didn't get the $18 for it I was going to head straight to goodwill and just donate it. It is the principle of the thing.
So fine - $18 it is. She hands me a wad of $1's which looks like $18 and I leave. I get back to my car (no ticket thank goodness. The woman kept me 10 minutes past my meter) and I counted the money. The woman only gave me $17!!! AAAHHH!!! Geeze - how stingy can you get?? She totally knew that she only gave me $17. It wasn't a mistake. Of course I wasn't going to go back in to get my other dollar - likely she was already upstairs in her apt anyways. Damn. Seriously.
Part III: "the futon"
We have two rooms in our house that we rarely go in. One is the guest bedroom and the other is the "random furniture w/ bookcases" room. This is the room that the Walmart TV and old college TV stand lived in. Also in this room was my futon that I purchased when I got my own apartment in Alexandria after college. The futon hasn't really served any useful purpose for several years but has made all of the previous moves with us... In my effort to eventually turn this "random furniture" room into a study/reading room I decided it was time to get rid of the futon.
I didn't want to deal with haggling over such small amounts of money (like we had to do w/ the TV's) so I decided we would list it for free - as long as the "buyer" picked it up. No delivery this time. We cleaned it up, got all of the cat hair off, took pics and listed it. We got several hits within minutes of posting it. Wow! I wonder if people get notices or something when free stuff gets listed or what. It was super fast. I was kind of surprised at how many people wanted our free futon. One respondent "want to know how much for our stuff?" - um yea. it's free. says so right in the listing in big letters. That guy didn't get it.
We went with the Hopkins student whose boyfriend was going to pick it up later that night. Perfect.
The guy shows up... wait for it.... in a freaking tiny little hatchback civic. Seriously? You do know how big futons are, right? Geeze - nothing is easy around here....
The guy says that actually he only needs the mattress as they already have a frame. Um no. You cannot have only the mattress. Who is going to take a futon frame w/out the mattress? The whole point was to get the entire thing out of the house. AAAAHHH!!!
OK. So the guy says that he will take it but needs to get a different car. So he calls his dad who lives in Columbia and they arrive back at our house around 9 pm. With Hubby's help they get the futon frame and mattress into dad's minivan. Finally - that damn thing is out of the house.
Selling was a hassle 3 of 3 times we tried... These events have made me think...
Are all Craigslist purchasers totally high-maintenance or did we just pick the wrong people to sell our crap to?
whew.
Part II: "Grandma's TV"
Hubby's grandmother died in early 2000 and he inherited a small 12 inch TV which became the original bedroom TV. This TV was the bedroom TV until 2002 when hubby purchased the flat screen referenced in Part I.
For the last seven years this TV was brought along on all of our moves but was never hooked up anywhere since we already had more than enough TVs.
Since our last Craigslist adventure was SO successful we decided to finally list a bunch of stuff - an old (and totally unused) Palm Pilot, a diskman w/car adaptor and headphones, an i-river MP3 player w/ headphones, and grandma's old tv for $15. The only hit we got was for the TV. The responder asked if we had an antenna for the tv since they don't have cable. Actually we did have an antenna - an HD antenna - that we didn't need anymore. We said we'll throw in the antenna for an extra $5 - and I volunteered to deliver the TV since I was "working from home" the next day anyway.
The respondent indicated that she only had $18. We said fine. I just wanted to get rid of the thing and we could use the cash to see a movie later that night. So i get to her apartment building - a really fancy building I might add - and she meets me out front. She doesn't want me to bring up the tv to her apartment. She wants me to bring it to the computer lab off of the lobby and plug it in there and hook up the antenna to show her that it works. Really? Ok, if that's what you want. So I hook everything up, turn on the TV and we have snow. Of course we have snow. We are in the basement of a huge apartment building surrounded by computers. uuuggghh.
OK, so I move the antenna around and show her how to get a signal and we sort-of get 3 or 4 channels. I explained to her several times that it will be better in her apartment and oh by the way, i told her that she is going to need cable in an month or a DTV converter box otherwise it won't work (this info was also in the craigslist ad). After 20 minutes! of going over all of this with her - showing her how to use the remote (Apparently she is a Hopkins Grad student from "overseas" and wasn't sure how to operate the thing. great.) she said that since she couldn't get a better picture she only wanted to give me $15 bucks. NO WAY. Look lady - we already came down from $20 to $18 and I delivered it. If you don't want to pay the $18 we settled on then I will take it home. - This was what hubby and i decided. $18 or nothing. - in reality if we didn't get the $18 for it I was going to head straight to goodwill and just donate it. It is the principle of the thing.
So fine - $18 it is. She hands me a wad of $1's which looks like $18 and I leave. I get back to my car (no ticket thank goodness. The woman kept me 10 minutes past my meter) and I counted the money. The woman only gave me $17!!! AAAHHH!!! Geeze - how stingy can you get?? She totally knew that she only gave me $17. It wasn't a mistake. Of course I wasn't going to go back in to get my other dollar - likely she was already upstairs in her apt anyways. Damn. Seriously.
Part III: "the futon"
We have two rooms in our house that we rarely go in. One is the guest bedroom and the other is the "random furniture w/ bookcases" room. This is the room that the Walmart TV and old college TV stand lived in. Also in this room was my futon that I purchased when I got my own apartment in Alexandria after college. The futon hasn't really served any useful purpose for several years but has made all of the previous moves with us... In my effort to eventually turn this "random furniture" room into a study/reading room I decided it was time to get rid of the futon.
I didn't want to deal with haggling over such small amounts of money (like we had to do w/ the TV's) so I decided we would list it for free - as long as the "buyer" picked it up. No delivery this time. We cleaned it up, got all of the cat hair off, took pics and listed it. We got several hits within minutes of posting it. Wow! I wonder if people get notices or something when free stuff gets listed or what. It was super fast. I was kind of surprised at how many people wanted our free futon. One respondent "want to know how much for our stuff?" - um yea. it's free. says so right in the listing in big letters. That guy didn't get it.
We went with the Hopkins student whose boyfriend was going to pick it up later that night. Perfect.
The guy shows up... wait for it.... in a freaking tiny little hatchback civic. Seriously? You do know how big futons are, right? Geeze - nothing is easy around here....
The guy says that actually he only needs the mattress as they already have a frame. Um no. You cannot have only the mattress. Who is going to take a futon frame w/out the mattress? The whole point was to get the entire thing out of the house. AAAAHHH!!!
OK. So the guy says that he will take it but needs to get a different car. So he calls his dad who lives in Columbia and they arrive back at our house around 9 pm. With Hubby's help they get the futon frame and mattress into dad's minivan. Finally - that damn thing is out of the house.
Selling was a hassle 3 of 3 times we tried... These events have made me think...
Are all Craigslist purchasers totally high-maintenance or did we just pick the wrong people to sell our crap to?
Today is June 8, 2009
Let's see.... what's been going on? Other than my new job and hubby's new job not much actually.
New job is an extention of what I've been doing on the Hill but from a different angle - i'm now a state employee. woo hoo.
It is an interesting switch. I've been thinking like a federal employee for so long that it is hard to turn around and start looking at the world from a state angle. All of a sudden unfunded mandates mean a lot more.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Hillary Clinton Looks Like Tang
So... did you see Hillary Clinton yesterday at the unveiling of the new Sojourner Truth bust at the Capitol Visitor Center? Horrible. That's all I can say. Apparently she wore the same suit at the Dem convention last August.... Top pic is from yesterday and bottom is from the convention.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Random Stuff
I know its been a while - blah blah blah
I'm watching HBO. I love "Flight of the Concords." I don't know if other people dig this show or not but they are starting a new season on Sunday. The humor is just so funny. I just find it hilarious. The songs and the dream sequences are awesome.
After FOC is a Chris Rock special filmed in the fall of 2008. Very timely and relevant. He is sooo funny. His stuff about Barack Obama and McCain/Palin is priceless. If you have an opportunity to see this special i highly recommend it. It is called "Kill the Messanger"
I'm watching HBO. I love "Flight of the Concords." I don't know if other people dig this show or not but they are starting a new season on Sunday. The humor is just so funny. I just find it hilarious. The songs and the dream sequences are awesome.
After FOC is a Chris Rock special filmed in the fall of 2008. Very timely and relevant. He is sooo funny. His stuff about Barack Obama and McCain/Palin is priceless. If you have an opportunity to see this special i highly recommend it. It is called "Kill the Messanger"
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