This was originally a reply to a blog post entitled Self-Respect: Come to Your Success by Pagan mystic and teacher Thorn Coyle.

For me the biggest obstacles to coming to my success are old commitments and convictions that I've outgrown. Take my bedroom curtains for example.

My current level of success means I have less time and more money but I ( Read more... )

So I got home with lots of loot from Gilroy. That place is definitely worth going to, even if it was about an hour's drive there. There are so many stores there with so many deals that if you don't find what you're looking for in one, there are four more stores worth looking at. I spent a solid 3 hours there and only went through about a quarter of ( Read more... )

I looked up my account online and found that no money had been withdrawn from it. When I called the fund they were very apologetic but had no explanation. They were going to put a rush on it but couldn't guarantee that I'd have my money before Tuesday afternoon ( Read more... )

Having read lots and lots on ConsumerReports, the following is my shortlist for cars:

1. Honda Fit (Sport)
2. Hyundai Accent (2006 or newer)
3. Kia Rio (Rio5) (2006 or newer)

The Honda Fit is the best car but it will also cost the most. $13,950 - $15,270 according to CR. The Accent and Rio actually start in the four digits for cars manufactured in 2006 ( Read more... )

My rental car will have to be returned on Tuesday. Before then I need to either have arranged for another, hopefully cheaper, rental or bought a car. To that end I've just signed up with AAA, the automobile association in the US. Apart from roadside recovery they have lots and lots of discounts and rebates in hotels, restaurants, Target etc. ( Read more... )

I just sold the car for £325. That's a potential £75 less than I would have gotten from a dealer but it saves me the uncertainty and hassle of going over to Gloucester. I'm happy.

I just called the TV License people on 0870 241 6468. They have 6 choices in their first level menu. None of them is for cancelling your license. So I took the last one, which is "all other inquiries". On that choice, there are two more choices. One of them is the same as on the previous level. The other is too, because it's "all other inquiries ( Read more... )

I was worrying about how I'd find out about all my direct debits and standing order, envisioning phone calls with endless security questions and being told it would take a fortnight before anything would happen. That's been my experience with getting anything done in this country ( Read more... )

So yesterday I couldn't call outside the 020 area. I thought that was because there was something wrong with my phone. The cable does look rather tattered. But today I used the phone that belongs to the flat, and still couldn't make any calls to mobiles, nor dial into the important conference call in Bahrain ( Read more... )

I just talked to BT. They said that they need 14 days to stop the service, including the broadband. Given BT's track record, I'll call back in mid-July. That should give them plenty of time to mess up.