Thoughts of the Day and some Things I find Amusing
It is Thursday and down to only one more workday this week to go. It feels weird how quick time seems to be moving. Honestly I don't feel like summer should be past, let alone being already December 4th. Seems like before I know it the year will be completely gone.
Yesterday was a pretty good day. I have to say that I did successfully get several things accomplished. Since it was a payday, well that means there is always a lot of errands that need to be run. The main thing is making the arrangements for the student loan payment. Oh how the bill collectors always come circling like sharks on that day:) Oh well, it makes me feel at least for one day that I have lots of money!:)
I managed to finally get my flu shot right after lunch yesterday. Hopefully my white blood cells will take to the training and be prepared to foil in virii invaders that try to strike this winter. Amazingly enough it was one of my best experiences getting a shot. I hardly felt it. It was not that I have a fear of needles, I don't, but I in no way like being pricked. Once I had more fear of it, but then I almost died from appendicitis and an infection afterwards. During this period I got painkillers in shot format, and I will tell you one thing, that is a good way to get rid of the fear of needles. Those shots were awesome:)
The other thing I did accomplish during lunch was that of finally getting direct deposit set up with the opening of an account up at PEFCU. I had been meaning to do it for awhile. I still had to go another round with Star Financial Bank as they were still saying I had an outstanding account, but once I got them to fax me something that cleared that, it was all good. So I should not have to deal with getting a paper check again:) It is another good step:)
Then after work I accomplished a little Christmas shopping and finally relented and replaced my digital camera. The LCD screen was cracking and last time I replaced batteries I had to "adjust" the camera a bit with a few well placed "hits". Anyway I went with a Panasonic camera. I spent quite a bit of time looking and for the money these clearly seemed the best value. It was the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8K. It is a 8MP camera with a 5x Wide Angle MEGA optical zoom. Info on the camera can be found here:
I would have liked to get the model above this one, but yeah that was a hundred dollars more and I wanted to stick around the hundred dollar point for a camera, just for affordability. After doing some searching over the internet, I realized I could get it at HH Gregg. I paid a few more bucks then I could have gotten it on the internet, although if you added in shipping it would have been about the same, but I got to have it yesterday and if there is a problem, I can take it right back to the store. Plus I had the advantage of being able to read the price tag:) I could have probably negotiated the price down even more then when I did, but I know what it was like to be a salesman and I knew I was not going to get any accessories for it.
So far I have to say that I definitely like the camera...actually it is by far the best camera I have had. That should not be surprising, especially since I had the Fuji forever, but I am amazed at the differences. It has so many functions that it will take me forever to learn them all. I know everyone is high on the Canon camera's but from what I saw, to get the same quality from Canon it would have been twice the price. Now I just need to find stuff to take pictures of:)
The final thing I did yesterday is see the new X-Files movie. I have to say I really liked it. I say that with some decent expectations going into it because of the reviews I read. It says something when I am not disappointed in it. It was like visiting some old friends again. Hopefully the DVD sells enough that they can make another movie. I miss Chris Carters story telling ability.
Work has been slow. Mark has been ill for the last three days. Add the fact that Mike is also out of town until tomorrow. Most agreements require duel review so that means since it is just Ken that well, there is not much coming back to me. Of course that means that when Mark get back I will be busy. I just sort of wish I was more busier now. Alas that is life!
Something that amused me today was a news article I was reading. It was one from a British news site that was talking about how some British men were coping with the economy crisis by getting a new life in the French Foreign Legion. The story itself was interesting, but the amusing part was in this paragraph:
New recruits get about £1,000 a month and a shiny new rifle, which they are supposed never to leave on the battlefield. One practice popular in the main French army at certain times members of which are routinely expected to fight to the death. The good news is the wine. The Legion has its own vineyards in Provence which provide the main ingredient for regimental get-togethers. - surrendering - is not encouraged in the Legion,
The rest of the story is here:
I just like the fact that they state the common joke in a new story:)
In the final thing that has amused me is the reason why I think Roger Ebert is completely awesome. He finally responded to people that wanted him to review Ben Stein's movie on intelligent design. He lays the smack down!
He says exactly as I think and damn it is an intelligent response. It hits it on the head.
The quote of the day comes from Noland who forwarded it to me. I was amused and wish we had spent our money this way.
"Instead of going to war, with people dying and crap exploding, we could have subsidized 12,000 years worth of _Arrested Development_. Almost no one dies because of _Arrested Development_."
--Zack Parsons
[on the $250 billion wasted on the war in Iraq]
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/12/win_ben_steins_mind.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/3546207/The-French-Foreign-Legion---the-last-option-for-those-desperate-to-escape-the-UK.htmlhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011Z23XK/ref=s9sdps_c1_114_at1-rfc_g1-frt_p-3237_p_si3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_r=1NBPEE21R50W40V0V421&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383431&pf_rd_i=507846