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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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Home Money

Homestead Area Home Foreclosures

This afternoon I went to RealtyTrac to find out how many foreclosure / pre-foreclosure properties were listed for each of the 6 HomesteadFlorida City area zip codes.

33030 – 685 (West Homestead) 
33031 – 870 (Redland)
33032 – 637 (Naranja, Princeton)
33033 – 2,007 (Northeast Homestead, Leisure City)
33034 – 581 (South Homestead, Florida City)
33035 – 537 (Southeast Homestead)

TOTAL – 5,317

Check out this detailed profile of Zip Code 33033.

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Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Let’s roll:

1.  If you don’t know what’s goin’ on in my Life today then you simply don’t read this blog. I pretty much reveal it all throughout the week on here. You snooze. You lose.

2.  As I compiled, wrote, and then ultimately posted last night’s ‘Monday Night Countdown’ on all things green I was pretty much laughing the whole time. When this lunatic posted his effectively sardonic comment late last night he thoroughly threw me over the edge – laughing hysterically all the way !  😆

3.  I ate a MASSIVE Lunch today at Beef O’ Brady’s, and for much of my meal I was the only customer in there. I had the whole joint to myself. I enjoyed the mother of all mouth-watering half-pound melted cheeseburgers – well-done !  Throw in a moundful of tasty curly fries and a large Coca Cola Classic, and THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ‘BOUT WILLIS !

4.  We are not in a recession. We were never in a recession. We probably won’t be in a recession anytime soon. Having stated the facts it’s all irrelevant if a majority of Americans have the perception that we are in a recession. If they think it is so then it is so.

5.  Home prices in Miami-Dade County plummeted an estimated 28% year-to-year from May 2007 to May 2008. That’s the second-steepest drop in the entire country – second to the Las Vegas metro area. My Homestead condo was once worth nearly $200,000. Now I’d be lucky to get $150,000 for it. That’s still triple the price that I paid for it less than 7 years ago !

6.  Gas prices are on the way down (just as I forecasted several months ago). I really think that they could drop down to the $3.25 to $3.50 per gallon range in time for the Thanksgiving – Christmas holiday shopping season. Remember I wrote that.

7.  Do you see me ?  I’m the one on the two-lane road that’s right in front of the tailgater and right behind the slow-poke.

8.  The NFL exhibition season begins this Sunday night on NBC-TV as my Washington Redskins take the field in Canton Ohio against the Indianapolis Colts in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame Game.

9.  Twice in a row I’ve received what I consider to be subpar service at the Homestead Starbucks drive-thru early in the morning. Three strikes in a row and they may be OUT !

10.  Music Choice needs a digital music cable channel for Christian Rock. The closest channel that they have is one called ‘Contemporary Christian’, but it’s too ‘adult pop’ for me. I ROCK !

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Home Money

Insuring My Home For Less Than $4.67 A Day

TODAY I paid the second of two homeowner’s insurance policies for the upcoming year that begins for each of the policies in about 6 weeks. One of the policies ($754.00 for the year) is for all perils except for wind, and the other policy ($949.10) is for wind only. So that’s $1,703.10 combined for the year – or less than $4.67 a day.

Here’s how my annual insurance costs have evolved since I’ve owned my current home (nearly 7 years):

2008-2009 – $1,703.10
2007-2008 – $1,697.30
2006-2007 – $1,922.00
2005-2006 – $761.00
2004-2005 – $703.00
2003-2004 – $701.00
2002-2003 – $707.00
2001-2002 – $331.98