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Computers Driving Food Sports Television Weather

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

1.  Category 1 Hurricane Gustav made landfall earlier this afternoon in southwestern Haiti very near that country’s capitol city. I am forecasting it to eventually intensify into an extremely dangerous Category 4 Hurricane threatening the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida on Labor Day Monday and Tuesday. If you live anywhere between New Orleans and Panama City Beach then I would start preparing now. Don’t panic. Prepare.

2.  I ate a MASSIVE Lunch at this place late this morning. As usual it was a ton of great food – hot and plentiful – with excellent customer service. If you don’t know the Beef’s then you just don’t know what’s good for Lunch !

3.  I’ll be driving well over 800 miles from this Thursday morning through this Sunday afternoon. That’s the most driving that I’ll be doing in nearly 18 months – since March 2007 when I drove to and from north of Atlanta Georgia !  Back then I was paying between $2.40 and $2.70 per gallon of gas.

4.  I’m constantly watching cable television on my sparkling new desktop computer system. My favourite part of it all – pausing LIVE TV and then resuming it when I feel like it. I now know this – A 30-minute TV show recorded on my hard drive takes up 1.87 GB of space. That’s nearly one-fourth of one percent (0.25%) of my entire hard drive !

5.  I didn’t watch the Olympics at all. I got caught up on previously-recorded television shows on VHS and DVD. In addition to my 3 VHS VCRs (‘Andrew’, ‘Barney’, and ‘Charley’) I also have my DVD recorder (‘Danny’) as well as my new HP computer (‘Eddie’). I know. I’m weird. Who isn’t ?

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Advertising Animals Computers Driving God Life Mail Money Philosophy Politics Shopping

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Let’s do it:

1.  It feels like a Monday for me because I took a 3-day weekend from work (to include Monday). I had so much fun setting up and personalizing my sparkling new desktop computer system on Saturday and Sunday that I spent Monday catching up on everything else that I would have normally done during the previous two days. I got it all done and then some on Monday !  I was proud of myself when I went to sleep.

2.  After over 15 years with State Farm I saved over 24% by switching my auto insurance to GEICO yesterday. Back in February I compared State Farm with GEICO, and had I made the switch back then I would have saved a mere 9%. It wasn’t worth the time and the trouble to switch. But a more than a 24% savings is definitely worth it !

3.  The MASSIVE political ads continue to inundate and stuff my (old-fashioned) mailbox. I’m actually taking the time to glance over all of the fancy and glossy literature, but the joke is on them. I’m not voting in the Primaries – not even via absentee ballot.

4.  A closed door that you can not open due to the fact that it is locked shut and you don’t have a key for it, or there is another impeding factour (such as a person who won’t let you in) is very symbolic of ‘The End’. You can’t go any further. You can’t proceed. Progress is halted. STOP !  It’s certainly not a positive symbol – especially if you are on a fantastic journey. Before I was saved by Jesus I regularly hit closed doors in my life – literally, figuratively, and symbolically. Nowadays (in my new Life) I don’t encounter too many closed doors. I am simply more aware of the ones that I need to stay away from. But when I do reach a closed door on this journey it is far more painful than it ever was in my previous life. Sometimes what isn’t that big of a deal to one person may actually be a closed door to another person. There should never be a closed door between me or you – and God.

5.  Back in November 2007 a Canadian Dollar was worth more than U.S. $1.08. Today it was only worth U.S. $0.94. The British Pound has dropped from above U.S. $2.10 to below U.S. $1.90. The European Euro was flirting with U.S. $1.60 as recently as the start of July 2008. Now it’s down to nearly U.S. $1.49 !  Our U.S. Dollar is making a substantial comeback. That’s allowing oil prices and ultimately gas prices to drop.

6.  The last time I went through the Starbucks (in Homestead) drive-thru I received exceptional customer service. That’s a good thing because they had already received two strikes in a row from me, and had they received a third strike in a row I would have initiated a temporary boycott of the joint. A boycott of Starbucks is something that I’m not sure that I’m ready for yet.

7.  I got a haircut at the legendary Woody’s Barber Shop yesterday. I always feel clean and refreshed after I get my mop cut. Believe it or not I actually don’t keep track of when I get a haircut via an Excel Spreadsheet. There’s no point to it. If my hair blows around in the wind then it’s time to get a haircut.

8.  If HP wanted to do a television commercial right here in my living room then all they would have to do is simply film me sitting down here at my computer workstation using all of their fine products.

9.  I have an HP printer-scanner-copier all-in-one device now. I bought it at Office Depot yesterday. Those two pictures of Barney and Fluffy that I posted on the blog last night were the first two that I scanned (as a test). I’m gonna look around for some more classic pictures. Maybe I’ll find one of me from my U.K. days some 23 years ago. You can see what I looked like as a goofy 18-year-old !

10.  My credit card company just raised my credit limit by a tad. They must’ve seen how much money I spent this past weekend !  😯

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Blogging Computers Shopping

Blatant Promotion

Greetings My Friends,

The long-awaited round-trip to and from Circuit City on Kendall Drive this morning was a quick one (less than two hours total), and it was a successful one !  I am totally enjoying my sparkling new state-of-the-art desktop computer system and flat-panel LCD widescreen monitor (both courtesy of HP Pavilion). It’s my first brand new store-bought computer system since January 2000 (also an HP Pavilion desktop). I actually stopped using that 2000 system back in 2003 or 2004 when I switched over to a (more modern) used laptop. I replaced that used laptop in 2005 with another (even more modern) used laptop (an HP Pavilion no doubt) which I used up until today.

OK – On to the blogging business at hand here:

Be sure to check out the ‘Life Pointe Church Sunday Morning Tossed Salad’ tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon.

Then on Monday it’s another exciting edition of the ‘Monday Night Countdown’. Im not sure what this week’s TOP 5 countdown will be all about, but I’m sure that I’ll think of something silly between now and then.

On Tuesday I’ll be bringing you an all-new set of miscellaneous thoughts on my mind that can only be filed within the legendary ‘Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts’.

Be sure to stay tuned to this blog for all of the above and a few additional surprises here and there. You won’t regret it pal.

Until we blog again keep it real, and enjoy some peace and quiet tonight.

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Advertising Computers Shopping Television

Bedtime Stories

TOMORROW is the long-awaited big day. I’m leaving for Kendall Drive in the morning, and I’m heading straight to Circuit City to buy my sparkling new state-of-the-art desktop computer system. It’ll be my first store-bought computer system in about 9 years (that was an HP Pavilion 6545C desktop), and it’ll be my first replacement computer system in nearly 3½ years (that was a used HP Pavilion ZT1290 laptop that was new in 2002 but bought by me in 2005). Every single blog entry that you have ever read from me was done on that laptop, and she shall retire from active duty tomorrow once I bring home my new baby !

Oh yeah I’m also buying this sparkling new flat-panel LCD widescreen monitor to replace my longtime monitor of the past 9 years.

2008 computer technology arrives in my home tomorrow !

Until we hang out again here on the big blog (via my fresh new computer system) REMEMBER THIS classic Circuit City television commercial from 1994 when the 486 SX / 33 was state-of-the-art, and Packard Bell was a household name.