Musings,Meanderings & More

Recently I took a short road trip, and ‘wouldn’t you know it’ my battery died.  Luckily for me, I had reached my destination … so my immediate concern naturally was replacing the battery.  And since I have learned to be rigidly frugal … my next task was to search for the best possible deal that I could locate.

Fortunately, we have AAA, and they do come out and will give you a boot, but not only will they do that but they also offer battery replacement with 25% off for club members … now that appeared to be a blessing, so that was an option.  However, trying to narrow down a price was proving to be quite an obstacle.  The AAA rep, stated emphatically that they were unable to quote a price … so okay, that was understandable.  But she was also reluctant to let us know which mechanic’s were available in our area … so this option wasn’t shaping up at all.  However, after the exchange of quite a bit of dialogue we were able to find out who and how much this battery would cost us.

Nothing should be as difficult as the exchange that ensued between us and AAA, our situation could have been dire and we could have been desperate.  If that would have been the case then we would have had to accept the obscene quote that we received from this mechanic.

Many people are enduring extremely difficult situations and you really don’t know just how needy someone is or how fragile their financial situation may be.  This fellow wanted to charge us $154 to replace our battery, fortunately we had other options.  We opted to have Sam’s Club replace the battery for $74 [which seemed like a lot to me, but] … that’s an $80.00 difference.  $80 can buy a lot of groceries from Walmart, even though Walmart’s prices have risen, quite a bit in the last 12 months.   Anyway, I bet if we had accepted this guy’s quote, he would have gone home gloating about having ’stuck it to us’.  This happened on a Saturday, I wonder if he attends church on Sunday.

My thing is this, what’s happening to our humanity … how could anyone live with themselves after having knowingly lied … cheated … and deceived an individual in need.  Now, I am no saint, but I do try to be the best that I can be.  And I am not naive, I know that there are probably more people living that type of life, than I would want to put a number too.  It’s really kind of scary.  I worry for my children and grandchildren, because the next generation of leaders are being raised by a generation of heartless, ruthless, self-serving and scheming individuals.

I wonder what the Bible meant by the ‘meek will inherit the earth’ … what is all that about?  Maybe, just maybe … after we destroy all of civilization because of our selfish pursuits … the animals will again RULE.

Hands down, the internet is truly a wonderful experience.  If you dig deep enough, you can find the answers and solutions to many of your elusive questions; how to’s on just about any project can easily be sussed out; lessons, tutorials and instructions abound; health tips and unheard of vacation destination are listed … and so much more. The list is simply endless on what can be uncovered and is floating around in cyberspace, waiting to be discovered by inquiring minds.

As you have probably noticed in a few of my previous entries, I have expressed an interest that I’ve recently acquired in all things piano, blame it on my daughter.  So, I am sure it wouldn’t surprise you to learn that I have yet again, found another piece to add to my piano mosaic.

Many budding pianist hopefuls, find mastering sight reading music to be extremely challenging. Quite a few students of this art, learn to play numerous pieces by memorization alone.  That to me, is just amazing … but what if someone composed a stunning piece of music and asked you to accompany him/her in the rendering of this piece; and your skill at sight reading music was put to the test.  Would you be able to participate, in what could possibly be an overwhelming and surreal experience?  For some, they would probably have to turn down that invitation.

But why, anyone’s sight reading music prowess can be improved, enhanced and can become second nature.  Anyone that uses the net, has at least rudimentary skills at using the keypad and after months of usage, those skills seem to improve, at least this is what happened to me.  What was at one time a ‘hit and peck’ struggle, has now evolved and my fingers unconsciously zip across the keyboard effortlessly.  Well, this same skill can be applied to learning to read sheet music.  What you eyes view, your fingers simply respond to, all that’s needed is the guide that will open up what seems to be an intangible craft.

Well, I know I have found another yummy musical morsel that  my daughter is gonna love and I really enjoy springing surprises on her.  So, I will be waiting anxiously for just the right occasion  to unveil my latest musical delicacy …

This is a ‘tad bit soon’ for some, but for others they just might welcome this little tool.  I love the Xmas countdown widgets, however I am a bit leery of those that use JavaScript.  So, I have been searching and I found a page that not only offered HTML coded widgets … but you can actually build it yourself.  How cool is that.  There is a down-side though, it’s to large for my sidebar and that’s where I really want it … oh well, maybe I will think of something.

So, if you noticed below I have a self-created Christmas countdown clock.  And actually if you think about it, we really don’t have a lot of time left.  Maybe, a little reminder like mine will help some of us avoid that last minute rush.

This can truly be a wonderful time of the year, there are just so many wonderful things that happen once the seasons start to change.  For some, it’s the football season; the young-in’s have Halloween or the Fall Festival, parades, and possibly snow; Thanksgiving and large family gatherings are included in the mix; and then there’s St. Nick and all the other glorious things that this time of the year promises.

So enjoy the tool, I’m even starting too get a little excited, until the next post … Ciao!

ohiok.com

There was a time in my life when owning a small business was all I could think about.  Nothing large … just a neighborhood shop offering a product/products that encompassed the things that I enjoy.  Well, I haven’t really strayed too far away from that dream, but it’s been tweaked and downsized to something that’s far less financially draining, possibly attainable and much more suited to TODAY’s bizscape.

New companies are going up and are failing, old and established businesses are crumbling and disappearing, as are large enterprises … franchises … ‘mom n pop’ shoppe’s, etc..  Today’s economic arena is nothing less than a train-wreck.  And subsequently families have been devastated by these tragic circumstances.  Investing your hard earned savings in pursuit of a dream, could very easily be disastrous.  Or if your funding is close to none existent … the dream could be impossible.

So, I have been looking for small, very techie solutions that would allow a little guy/gal with huge dreams the opportunity of creating a business with some of the same ‘bells and whistles’ that the larger and better financed monolith are employing in there ‘halls of commerce’.

Well, I know what I want to do … next I have to work on locating some of those items that improve the operation of any enterprise, irregardless of the size.  The items/tools that are necessary when interacting with the public.  Accuracy is paramount, and definitely anything that has been discussed on the phone should be recorded to avoid any possible errors, to solve disputes and to clarify orders.

Now, I know that ordinarily this might seem a little over the top for a fledgling company, but the technology does exist.  Even a small entrepreneur could give the appearance of operating on a much larger scale.  Today’s technology offers the best possible tools for any sized business.

My search is just beginning, and things are looking brighter … who knows, maybe soon I may have everything in place to launch my dream.

Unable to find any words that even begins to express

the rush of feelings and memories that this day ushers in … so, I’ll

let the music express some of those heartfelt emotions.

Okay, let’s talk for a moment about dark movies and I really mean that literally.  There are a few that I have seen that appear to have been shot with all of the lights out.  And one of those dark productions, which I actually enjoyed quite a bit was on the tube a few weeks back … ‘Dark City’.  The story line was similar to and reminded me of ‘Matrix’, but this was  actually the predecessor to Matrix.  Although, I seen Matrix first … Dark City hit the cinematic circuit in ‘98′, and Matrix appeared in theaters in ‘99′.

Dark City was about human abduction by aliens, basically just another example of the strong taking advantage of the weak.  And the populous [us] was completely in the DARK about their imprisonment. Their thoughts, memories and everything they believed to be real was fabricated by this dying entity.  Humans were used as their lab rats in a race to save their species, at the expense of ours.  True, there’s nothing new about that scenario, but it’s the packaging that sells this fiction.

Anyway, there were a few who escaped this mind control … and one in particular was John Murdock [Rufus Sewell] who’s awareness seemed to be heightened, and it became apparent that he possessed some of the same mental qualities as The Strangers.  This awareness lead him to discover inconsistency’s and he questioned what others accepted as ’status-quo’.  Aided by one lone human, Dr. Schreber [Kiefer Sutherland] whom was left untouched purposely, by this ruthless pack of invaders to serve their needs.  These two fought for not only their freedom but humanities liberation.  And there are a few unexpected turn of events, that just might keep you glued to the tube.

I really enjoyed how this piece was put together, maybe it’s the love of SciFi that captured my attention.  Or maybe it reminded me of the ‘black and white’ horrors of ‘days gone by’, whatever it is … it’s made my list of favorites.

Guess what folks … just the other day I found this Super Fun Gizmo.  It made me feel really very happy, and I realize it was nothing but a ‘pipe dream’ and I didn’t believe the results ‘for a second’ but I liked it and I am gonna share it, it really is a ‘hoot’.

Oh, there I go again rambling on and you, my fellow blogette’s and blogdude’s don’t have the slightest clue as to what I’m talking about.  Well, it’s really a net-tool that I happened to have stumbled upon.  What YOU have to do is submit your web address and this site will analyze it’s net value and create a button that displays it worth.

Now, I would like to believe that one day the figure below will actually be the value of my site, but I know it’s not worth that today.  I found a gadget a while back that  guesstimated my worth at about 10% of what this little tool estimated as the market value for my ‘net property’.  I actually believe that the other figure to be closer to the true value … but I like looking at this much, much, more …

Here’s the link, if you want to find out your net worth …

Have fun.

BizInformation

Do you have an ‘all time’ favorite movie?  Have you watched it an embarrassingly HUGE number of times?  Have you reached your threshold yet or could you still watch it with as much enthusiasm and zest as you experienced at your first viewing?

Well, there are many that I have enjoyed and would eagerly sit through time and time again. But honestly, my daughter has got me beat.  There is a movie that she watches almost daily.  She claims it relaxes her and raises her spirits and I must admit, it is really very entertaining.  Have you seen it, oh … it’s called Birdcage … starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane? The story is about a gay couple who raised a ‘quite’ straight son, who wants to marry the 18 year old daughter of a senator.  They [Robin and Nathan] feel that both are too young [he's 20 years old] but that is only the least of the young couples problems and obstacles.

Birdcage is hilarious; at times you may find yourself smiling from ear to ear … and at other times simply roaring with laughter.  There is never a dull moment and believe it or not there are also some very comedic yet intense moments, where you just might find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat in anticipation.

If you missed this one, give it a try … I guarantee this is one of those movies that  will grabs your attention and you will find it awfully hard to switch to another channel.

Do you have a record of your family’s history … how far back can it be traced?  Are you certain that those records are accurate?  How much do any of us really know about our familys history and the true Journey Of Man.  So, are you wondering where all of this is coming from and where is it leading?  Well, let me start from the beginning … oh, and by the beginning I mean what prompted the writing of this entry.  I’ll leave mankind’s journey through history, up to an expert … and in this case that would be, Spencer Wells.

Mylot and Posting

Every day, I pay a little visit to MyLot and do a little searching around the site, for posts where I feel I can join in and drop a few of my own pearls of wisdom.  A few days ago, I came across a post that revolved around politics but because of the variety of comments, it evolved and branched into numerous sub-topics, one of which dealt with genetics and the origin of humankind.  One MyLotter graciously left a link that lead to an article from National Geographic’s; and after reading that I decided to visit YouTube and see if I could further investigate what I thought was really fascinating stuff.

YouTube never fails to amaze, and ‘low and behold’ I found much more than I bargained for.  So while ‘the iron is still hot’, I am gonna share what I discovered.  Now, this is actually some really controversial stuff … some folks would probably rather choke than read or view it, but some of the supporting evidence that has been introduce to the scientific arena, is hard to refute.

But it does make this planet seem a lot smaller and supports the theory that ‘we are all brothers/sisters under the same sun’. Let’s begin this journey by introducing you to the individual that documented the research that will take you back 50,000 years to the place where the migration began … part 1 of a 13 part video series.

Recently, I ran across a couple of sites that had gadgets that tested your reading speed … Who Knew?  Some not only tested your speeds but some also gauged your comprehension of the text that was read.

Gosh, sometimes it is just so easy to become distracted and to lose track of exactly what you are suppposed to be focused on.  Well, that’s what happened to me, I fell off the track and so to re-coup for that lost time, I thought I would turn what I discovered into a post.  I am sure their are quite a few readers that would just love to give that test ‘a-go’, to find out just how fast she/he really is.

Well, below are links to what I thought were the best from the list that these gizmo’s can be found on … now it’s up to you to find out exactly how you measure up.  And don’t worry, it will be ‘our little secret’.

• FreeReadingTest by AceReader
• StudyHabits
• Speed Reader X Review

Just another one of those nifty online tool …