Since getting my new widescreen TV, I am torn on the virtues of widescreen video versus regular video. I am coming around to widescreen. However, it really does a number when there are subtitles. They have to put them all over the faces of the characters.
One of the funny things about Facebook is discovering the political leanings of people you had no idea. On at least a couple of occasions, I’ve found myself saying “Wait, you’re a Republican? No way!” (two girls I didn’t know very well but still wouldn’t have guessed and one guy I knew reasonably well but was a socialist back in high school) and on one occasion was stunned to find out that a guy I knew was (a) a Mormon and (b) extremely liberal. That frankly surprised me more than the high school buddy I found out was gay.
Verizon placed a $40 for “Verizon Wireless’ and Other Charges & Credits” with not much in the way of explanation. The description they gave, which was pretty vague, left me with the impression that this was going to be a regular thing. Like “Yeah, we got towers to build and so we’re passing the charges on to you.” Which is sorta the kind of thing you want to know before you sign a contract. So I waited to get my bill and found out that, whew, it was a one time charge. But it was a restocking fee for having replaced my phone. The thing is, I replaced the phone because it wasn’t working. I replaced the phone with the exact same model. I thought that was uncool and wrote Verizon saying so. They wrote back within a day and said that the charge had been removed. Well, it shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but I’ll take the result.
Shame on the makers of the car air fresheners who release different smells with the same color. I thought I was buying something piney but now instead the car smells like there’s breeding Jolly Ranchers inside.
I can’t seem to get the hang of the whole “going to bed” thing. I’ve been staying up really late and sleeping till noon. This isn’t very much like me, but every night I plan to go to bed around midnight and something gets lost between 12:30 and 3:30 and by 3:30 I start getting a second wind. I need to start taking my melatonin earlier in the day.
I was at Walmart the other day. The closest one is in Redstone, an hour away, so it’s a big deal when I get to go and I have to make a list and everything. One thing that’s always on the list is Dove Sugar-Free Dark Chocolates, which Clancy absolutely loves. The last three times I’ve gone they’ve been out. This time around they had a bunch of them there. But they were out of them as soon as I left the aisle. Clancy is well-stocked for some time to come.
It’s really annoying how people that genuinely like vegetables tend to believe that just about everything but vegetables will kill you.
I was eating at a fast food restaurant in Redstone the other day. The place was empty. So why did the group of loud young people feel the need to sit in a booth adjacent to mine? Seriously, they had the whole place! Muttermutter.
I’ve been making more regular trips to Redstone lately. I think it’s in part because the audiobook I am listening to got really interesting.
I think The Hangover is one of those movies that I’m going to end up watching once a year or so.
I’m on season five of the TV show Las Vegas. Sam Marquez, one of my favorite characters, is getting more screen time to compensate for some cast departures after season four. Unfortunately, I can’t even enjoy her increased presence because for some inexplicable reason they’ve got her wearing nail polish all the time. Boo.
“It’s really annoying how people that genuinely like vegetables tend to believe that just about everything but vegetables will kill you.”
I genuinely like vegetables. I also genuinely like liquor, dairy, seafood, and meat. I figure everything kills us sooner or later.
The scale in the doctor’s office recently drove home the folly of my magical thinking regarding vegetables.
Comment by stone — June 23, 2010 @ 3:22 pm
I can’t seem to get the hang of the whole “going to bed” thing. I’ve been staying up really late and sleeping till noon. This isn’t very much like me, but every night I plan to go to bed around midnight…
It’s the inertia that has always ruined my bed time. For me, going to bed takes more effort than keeping doing whatever it is I’m doing instead of sleeping. Having a go to bed alarm has really helped. I set it for ~1/2 hour before I should go to bed. When it goes off, I get up and brush my teeth etc. Now most people have more self-discipline and executive function than I do, but it is worth trying. I suggest a pretty mellow ring tone, or it defeats the purpose, and on rare occasions when I’ve gone to sleep before the alarm, it’s annoying to wake up to.
Comment by rob — June 23, 2010 @ 4:52 pm
@Rob
That’s a really great idea!
I occasionally have situations where knowing I need to get enough sleep that night gets me stressed about going to bed on time, with the result that I can’t get to sleep and waste the night checking the time instead of actually doing things.
A go-to-bed alarm would handle that nicely. Thanks!
Comment by Nanani — June 23, 2010 @ 8:31 pm
Sheila, I think that line was in response to frustration to a guy saying “If you eat cereal for breakfast - any cereal - that’s why you’re fat and are going to die. Oh, and if you eat eggs, that will kill you, too. Eat steamed vegetables.” It’s crap like that which turns people off of small changes that can make a real difference over time.
Rob, I have something better than what you’re talking about and yet I don’t use it. If I take 3mg of Melatonin, I’m out within two hours at the most whether I want to be or not. And if I actually go lie down somewhere comfortable, I’m out in 45 minutes to an hour. Every time. The problem? I don’t take the dang Melatonin.
Comment by trumwill — June 23, 2010 @ 9:35 pm
I find that being on the internet keeps me up late. Supposedly, having the light from a monitor blasted at your eyes makes you think you should be awake when you shouldn’t.
Comment by Kirk — June 23, 2010 @ 10:21 pm
Trumwill, if melatonin were better than a go to bed alarm, you wouldn’t have your problem. Really though, they solve problems that are not necessarily connected. My problem was rarely not being able to sleep once I went to bed. My problem was going to bed. The alarm jars me into getting ready for bed. I think what you need is a take your melatonin alarm.
Comment by rob — June 24, 2010 @ 5:02 pm
I think that if I tried the alarm thing, I would as likely as not forget to set it or forget to go to bed “as soon as I finish what I’m doing” after it goes off. Maybe the two can work in concert. One hour before bed, the alarm goes off and I take melatonin. After that, I won’t forget to to go sleep cause my body will start really nagging me. So it would take care of the second problem, though not the first. I suppose I could just keep the alarm clock in the living room permanently set. That thing is loud enough to be heard next door. I think it’s older than I am, and back then they really knew how to make alarm clocks.
Comment by trumwill — June 24, 2010 @ 5:05 pm