Standardized part naming is needed!!!!!!!!!!!!

It would be nice if the names of the parts people need were the same everywhere you go. While the computer code said a Front Speed Sensor was bad, the name of the part for my vehicle was called the Transmission Output Sensor at NAPA. It would also help to get the sensor for the right type of transmission - mine is NOT a 5-speed.

Good news: We may finally have the right part figured out. The mechanic attempting to do the work pulled out the bad sensor and had it matched by photo.

Bad News: It won't be here until Wednesday morning.

First full week of 2013 results

I had a hard time dealing with having to get a working vehicle, not having something safe or reliable for the past year, or at least the last few months. I put $1,800 into my Kia Sephia back last March and April when I really should have been looking for something else to drive. After this past week when all my sources for rides to my guy for things manga fizzled, the first time in weeks since depending on others for rides, some family members and I found a 1998 Ford Explorer XLT for $1,500 before fees and that other crap. I don't exactly like this vehicle but my brother in law says I got a good deal. It just needs a speed sensor replaced.

Which meant in turn I had to do something with the Kia. Not worth trying to trade it in, I took it to a scrap yard, being able to drive it in, and got some cash for it. I cleaned it out of course before that. It held a lot of memories, driving my mother to her doctor's appointments in the 2 years I was in the role to do that for her. It was her car previously when she was working and got injured, and then became my car when she was no longer able to drive. Having that Kia meant a lot in these past 3 years. How odd to be cleaning it out and finding the missing control knob for the upstairs air conditioner, something we thought was lost nearly 10 years ago!

As for manga that came out this week, OreImo Vol.2 manga from Dark Horse has a letter from me and a photo of my bathtub tiling design! I got a Nichijou poster soon after writing them, and yes I was FIRST to email them in regard to OreImo. It has the glorious Kuroneko on the cover.

My Grandmother's Services - last part

This happened last Thursday before Christmas, but I didn't have a chance to remember to send this to my blog until today.

Need to go see some cars???

So when the flying f*ck are people going to help me find a replacement vehicle? My older sister obviously went somewhere today and when I asked if she'd be able to take me somewhere to do some shopping, I got a summarily told No.

I need to get another bag of dog food because it seems Melody is just throwing up anything from the last half of the bag I have now, and I don't know why. I really need to get out and get some shopping done.

5th Grade Choir

For some reason while I was in Elementary school, I was pretty much pressured into (others would say I was merely "encouraged") trying out for school choir as an extra activity mainly because my older sister was in choir (I don't recall if she was in band, too, but stands to reason she was) and she enjoyed it. I don't know why, but I did. I forget which grade this started, but I know it ended by 5th grade. All the while I endured hell. I remember being made part of some PTA thingy in 4th grade if I remember right. At any reason, let me expound on the event that ended my involvement with school choir. Thankfully I was never encouraged to do anything like it ever again, not even band which as I reflect on it, I'm glad it turned out that way.

I don't remember what event it was for, but Mrs. Fugelberg (her married name at the time) decided to take a song from South Pacific and have the boys in the choir sing it, so the song then became "I'm going to wash that Girl right out of my hair." It wasn't enough just to have the boys sign it. She wanted them all to come to the edge of the stage, make hair washing motions, and then point somewhere for the next line after that first line.

I was horrified. Rehearsals were fine and dandy, but I did not sign up for this.

I was raised to respect your teachers, so I saw no alternative to not doing this. Mrs. F didn't give anyone the option to not doing it, at least right at the time this happened.

On the day this was to be performed, my stomach hurt with anxiety cramps. I don't remember anything else or what was rehearsed. Nobody really believed I was sick, but Mom let me stay home from school that day. Afterwards, Mrs. F had the nerve to chew me out over this - somehow Mom communicated how much "better" I was feeling by the end of the day. Well, duh. I got out of public humiliation over something I didn't want to do and had no other options.

Mrs. Fugelberg then tells me that if I didn't want to do something, I just had to say so! But at no time during this did she ask anyone if they didn't want to do it!!! Telling me afterwards is too late.

So for some reason, I was kicked out of 5th grade choir and I never was encouraged or pressured into anything like it ever again.

I hated school. When I was in 6th grade in town, I really disliked Mr. Swank (Junior High choir teacher) and his general attitude. He really disliked other people talking during his class, and would throw pieces of chalk at students who didn't listen while he spoke. That killed off all future consideration of choir, and the high school choir teacher I thought to be a flake.

Oh, what about Band? What if I just wanted to learn how to play an instrument and not have to deal with school concerts?

And something not exactly related, but in 3rd grade one kid invited the entire class to attend and I was the only one who didn't show up mainly because we didn't know where the kid lived nor how to find the place, in spite of my grandparents having lived in the area for some time. I remember getting flack because I was the only one who didn't show up. I didn't exactly like the kid, and as time went on, he became a real asshole anyway.

Black Friday deals I see so far

Well, once again I'm having to deal with car problems in November, but if I didn't have to worry about that, I'd be out and about going after these deals, which if I'm lucky, maybe the people I know will get some of these for me...

OFFICEMAX - 100 stack of VERBATIM +R DVD media - $19.99 per stack. I'm always needing Verbatim Media. If it's the Life Series, all the better.  If I was going out, I'd buy 2 stacks since Officemax just keeps raising the price on Verbatim media for no reason. I'll see if it's available online from them with free shipping...

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
(looks and comes back) OK NEVER MIND. Looks like the ad price is available online and with orders over $20, SHIPPING IS FREE. But if you still want to give me a 50 disk DVD+R Verbatim stack, I'm not going to stop you!

You might be wondering why I specify +R media. It's due to compatibility. -R media isn't guaranteed, while I've never had a problem with Verbatim +R. And why Verbatim? I've had consistently good results, and the only thing that would cause a bad burn would be scratches during manufacturing.

Moving on.... 

FLASH aka THUMB DRIVES. There are LOTS OF DEALS abounding almost everywhere!!

BIG LOTS has KODAK brand 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drives for $5.88
WalMart has a SANDISK 16GB for $6.97 and is one of the brands I actually recommend.

OFFICEMAX will not be outdone as they have several offerings.
Though I recommend LEXAR devices along with SanDisk.

PNY and Dane Elec are two to completely AVOID. I bought a PNY memory card for Mom's Kodak camera and it died after only a couple of months of use!

If you don't own a few external storage devices and you use computers for lots of things, SHAME ON YOU. Burn CDs at least!!!

I did see one deal for an external USB 3.0 hard drive. I didn't look at the details much.

I do need another flat screen monitor though. I wish I had bought 2 of the Acer monitors a few years back when I had a chance, instead of the 1 I did get.

I see not too many places still offering Winx Club dolls. I guess that was a summer flash in the pan thing? However, if I could just find the Monster High werecat twins... 

Of course, aside from my car working like it's supposed to again, a trip to Japan is always high on my list. Mainly because the one thing I really want is one thing I can't get.

I guess it's time

I need all the thinking heads I can get, all the help I can get - because I've decided I have to get out from under Mom's 1998 Kia Sephia. After the repeated failures earlier this year, and the recent shifting oddities I've been experiencing for the past few days (off and on), I want to be able to drive a car that won't cause me so much anxiety about it leaving me dead on the road away from home. I can't take that stress any more.

Now, I realize the trade in value for my car may barely be $1,100 on a good day. I'd like to consider a car that's $3K if I can get that much, otherwise $2K if not.

Or if anyone can help me negotiate a better price (like $2,500 for the $3K car) please speak up about being able and wanting to help me. I will finance this with a credit card. I could use a 0% interest credit card check, but I have one card that has a rate under 9%.

I really hate having to do this, but as my computer services business is still trying to get started, I need a newer car. I think at this point, Mom would agree. It's time.

Do not hesitate to get involved with this process. I'd love to have it done within the next week. Tomorrow if things go right. I'll be looking for my title to the car and we'll have to clean it out.

I'm sick and tired of the problems and would prefer not putting any more money in the Sephia.

And I just put $16.50 of gas in it today... DAMMIT.
  

Wow, what a complete lack of CLASS, Time Warner!!

So, today I get the latest Road Runner bill via Time Warner. Instead of the customary bump in rate, which hasn't happened for about a year (well, how about that??), I see a notification that Time Warner is now going to CHARGE USERS A "LEASE FEE" OF $3.95 for the cable modem that they provided for us to be able to use Road Runner.

WHAT THE FREAKING HELL, TIME WARNER?

CHARGING US TO USE YOUR EQUIPMENT ON TOP OF THE FEE FOR THE SERVICE? A FEE THAT YOU NEVER CHARGED BEFORE???

OK, so whatever anyway. They do provide a list of devices that I could buy and use without that fee, and in the long run sounds like a good idea. I'd rather tell Time Warner to fuck themselves, but the options for high speed internet are limited. Frontier's high speed service isn't an option because 1) It's not available, 2) it's unreliable, and 3) it has no data.

And by all rights, if this sort of arrangement isn't in the original agreement that was signed when the service began all the way back in 2007 (I think) when Road Runner light was only $14.95 a month, then they can't just change this arrangement, right?

I need to get the service in my name, then bitch them out over this.

TIME WARNER CABLE IS JUST A BUNCH OF FUCKING THIEVES.

 
 

One says there's a mistake, the other is doing what they are told

The fingers don't know what the toes are doing. It's a saying that I made up that attempts to explain the flaws in the system.

When things go wrong, they really go F_ing WRONG

So today I decided I would get an answer to what happened to my lost $80 USPS money order.

I found a toll free number and called that. That person got me the number for the USPS General Accounting office. And here's where that person got my answer.

I filed my missing money order claim August 24. The refund was issued August 29. HOWEVER, the address on the slip WAS THE WRONG ONE. It should have been MY ADDRESS, NOT THE PERSON I TRIED TO SEND IT TO. 

AND THEN !!!!!!! IT WAS CASHED BY THAT OTHER PERSON SEPTEMBER 12. Now I TOLD her originally if that first money order ever arrived, do not cash it. DON'T CASH IT. I looked up her phone number and called it. She didn't answer, but some other guy did. I left the young woman whom I transacted with back in June (and into July) emails on one board and on Yahoo. The guy I spoke to and left a message with even says she acknowledge she got this envelope but forgot what it was about and went right ahead and cashed it!

I FIND IT DISTRESSING AND ANNOYING SHE DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE AMOUNT OF THE REFUNDED MONEY ORDER WAS THE SAME AS THE LOST ONE.

I've left her emails giving her a chance to make things right. Either we work out a deal, or you send me Cas$h via Certified Mail.

IF I HAVE TO TAKE HER TO COURT, WHERE WOULD I FILE THIS? IN OHIO OR WHERE THIS PERSON LIVES????

So now--- The USPS is off the hook for this. They messed up, they refunded. Now I want my goddamn $80 back in some form.

And then the refilled ink cartridges that I got this week - the color one works, the black one prints with streaks...

And then I have to re-do one DVD project as it came out all messed up and the wrong audio on stuff. GRRRRRRRRRR... I still haven't cashed that $3.93 Classmates lawsuit check. I wonder how to report that?