First post of the new year, eh?

First post of the new year! So what's new? My computer services business is official. I have a vendor license and the name registered with the State of Ohio. So now I can charge sales tax. I have a page for my business on Facebook.

I found out I was a living heir to some gas and oil rights to a property in West Virginia via my mom's side of the family, extending past my grandfather to some "relatives" I had no idea I was related to. It's a part of the family that my grandfather never spoke about if he did know, but the lady from Chevron I spoke to said that he probably didn't know. I know quite a bit about my grandmother's family, my father's on his mom's side, and a little on my father's family on his father's side. So it may be no wonder that we knew nothing about my grandfather's family. I'm told that he was born in Southern Ohio which is very near this tract of land I located.

All I know is that if this was in Ohio, it would have been taxed on property taxes, seized for non-payment, and then sold at auction. I guess the laws in West Virginia are different in that you can sell the surface land but retain some of the oil and mineral rights in perpetuity. For once, a relative of mine managed to hold onto something and not lose it.

I also now own 24 Monster High dolls, with the Foreign Exchange Draculara in her Japan-inpsired Shi-Boo-Ya outfit.

The extreme cold these past 2 weeks was not conducive to working on computers. Some Sailor Moon Crystal chips I bought got a 2nd box sent that I was not charged for when I got on the online retailer's website to ask them to "make me feel like I got a good deal" when I commented on how much I felt cheated when I found out how much they sold in Japan vs the markup on their site. I am truly humbled in that they'd send me another box like that. They are the 2nd retailer for Things Otaku or Japan related that has earned my business. They do listen. I will shop carefully to make sure the price they're asking for is reasonable, and sometimes it is.

The spindle motor in mom's Zenith DVC2200 DVD player went bust, so I ordered an exact model replacement online. Hopefully it will survive the trip here and work. I think the coldness that invaded the house these past 2 weeks may have contributed. It was made in May 2000, so getting 14 years out of it was pretty good, but still... The Toshiba DVD player I got says it was made in 2007.

I also have a mouse in my kitchen gadgets drawer (currently empty) that I'm going to name Gan-chan, based on the rat / mouse from the Oh My Goddess Small Things are Handy TV anime. The reason for that is I was going to see if I could discourage Gan-chan from getting into my drawer by putting a few Wasabi Peas into the drawer and see what happens. I put 3 in the drawer and in the morning I found they were gone.

Wow. So I tried again with 5 Wasabi Peas but I sprinkled some Morton Hot Salt around them this morning. A few hours later THEY were gone, too! So Gan-chan loves Wasabi Peas, eh? So I put 2 more, but still in the area of the Hot Salt to see if it was coming back. I'm sure by this time Gan-chan has some of the cayenne pepper dusting that's in Hot Salt all over his body and right now is having an unpleasant experience licking that off itself.

So if these recent 2 peas also disappear, I'm going to make him take on the Cinnamon Challenge, and dust the entire bottom of the drawer and see what happens.