Ike Blew All The Leaves Off

Yesterday was an interesting day. Perhaps not interesting; maybe just a tiny bit different.

I woke up yesterday morning expecting to witness the outside edges wrath of Hurricane Ike. You know, the wind and rain thing.

I looked out the window. Just breezy; no rain.

So I sit at the computer and do a few things. I downloaded the AVS Video Editor from "Giveaway of the Day" and then paid some bills. Isn't sad how all of these businesses hound you to visit their stores and get their merchandise. Then when you finally do it, they start bugging you for money.

Since the weather wasn't too bad I decided to go to HEB and buy groceries. Apparently Ike was on the doorstep getting ready to knock. I stepped out and the wind picked up and it was starting to sprinkle. I got in the truck and headed off to the store. By the time I got to HEB the wind was blowing pretty good. It blew my truck door closed before I could jump out. Fortunately, my foot was still safely inside the truck. The rain had picked up but I was destined to shop.

I finished at HEB and decided to head to Sam's. By now we were feeling the full wrath and fury of Ike. Okay, it wasn't really "wrath and fury" it was more like "wind and rain". It never seemed like much rain though. There was a lot of wind though. On the way to Sam's I would sit at red lights and the truck would rock back and forth. That's an awkward feeling when you drive a Chevy Silverado. Anyway, by the time I got to Sam's the rain was coming down pretty hard. I don't know if it was a lot of rain or just rain driven by the strong winds. Yeah, I know. It was both.

By now it was 11:30 AM. Now I'm glad Baylor played on Friday night.

On the way home on IH 35 there was a semi that lost control and had driven up on the concrete center median thingy. His front wheels were hanging over the top. Sort of like a puppy that was standing on it's hind legs by small fence or something of the like. Only this was a "BIG PUPPY". The DPS troopers were furiously trying to get there but had a tough time because all the traffic behind the truck was a dead stop.

It turned out to be lousy weather. But it was a great time to go shopping. No traffic and hardly any customers in the stores. The sample ladies at Sam's were hoping they could go home early since they weren't busy.

I got home and checked the mail. There was a letter from Citi Bank or some such place telling me they had $5000.00 to give me. I shredded the thing. It would be just my luck that once they gave me the money they would turn right around and start wanting it back. I also got catalogue from an outfit called Stafford's in Thomasville, Georgia. I don't know why I got it. I flipped through and found a Leather Flyswatter for $55.00. Now that's what I need because that $1.00 Wal-Mart model just ain't cuttin' it.

Geez, these people must think I have money tree. I've got news for them. Ike blew all the leaves off.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day near the bottom of the left sidebar for free software downloads daily.

I Don't Like Ike!

I don't particularly like Ike at this moment in time.

Ike has caused my brother and his family to board up their house. They are riding out the storm. I pray that they are safe and no great damage or danger shall befall them.

I also don't like Ike because he is driving up gas prices in this area. Last weekend I paid $3.40 a gallon for gas at Murphy Oil/Wal-Mart. Yesterday I put half a tank in the truck and paid $3.50 a gallon at the same station. On my way to work this morning (6:30 AM) I saw prices at $3.75 a gallon at both Pilot and the Flying J. On my way home this afternoon at 4:00 PM both stations were sitting at $3.95 a gallon. I decided to pull in to a Shell station and fill up that was selling gas at $3.63. A little higher than I would have liked but certainly better that $3.95. This turned out to be a wise decision. On my home from the Baylor football game (11:30 PM) I discovered that the Pilot station was selling at $4.19 a gallon and the Flying J was at $4.35 a gallon.

There is some good news though. Baylor was scheduled to play Washington State University here in Waco at 11:30 AM on Saturday the 13th. Because of Ike the game was moved up to Friday night with kick-off at 7:30 PM. Baylor won the game, beating Washington State 45-17. Way to go Bears and congratulations to Robert Griffin, tonight's MVP.

SIC-EM BEARS!

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day near the bottom of the left sidebar for free software downloads daily.

Earth Day 2008

So as not to waste the precious few resources that this earth has left and in honor of Earth Day 2008 I am recycling one of my earlier posts.

Here it is:

GOING GREEN

Did I miss something?

Apparently the color of choice has changed. I have always liked the color blue. The new color of choice is GREEN.

We got the April 2008 Country Living magazine in the mail recently. Green; REUSE; RECYCLE; REFRESH; The whole thing. On the inside it had The Country Living Green Guide; 50+ Ways To Make A Difference. I like #17 - Bulb Basics. It suggests that you drop the incandescent and go with the Compact Fluorescent. I've done that in part of the house. I don't like it. I turn 'em on and what do you think they do? They splutter and flicker and start out dim and have to warm up to get brighter. For an old man that makes it hard to see right away. They cost so much I feel like I need to use them instead of chucking 'em and starting all over again with the good old fashioned, heat throwing incandescents.

Same thing with the April 2008 issue of Metropolitan Home. This time Renovation Goes Green. They purport to have advice from top eco-experts. I don't know. I didn't read it. It wasn't my cup of Green Tea.

And now to top it all off I saw an ad from Wal-Mart touting Campbell's Tomato and Chicken Noodle Soup for Earth Day as being green and good for the environment. The label is green and the ad informs us that the can is recyclable; like it wasn't before? The ad also tells us that it costs less in packaging and to ship it because it is condensed. ????

It's always been condensed. So isn't it really the same as before?

I suppose that green is the new gold and if you advertise that your product is green then everyone will flock to it.

Sounds good to me. I think I'll try it!

For the rest of this week this blog is going GREEN in an effort to REUSE, RECYCLE, and REFRESH. By doing this Horst Household Happenings will now be eco-friendly, it will cost less to package and ship, and best of all save all coastlines of the world by keeping the polar ice caps frozen. Somehow the color green does this. I think it has to do with the way the heat energy from the sun is absorbed or something by the green instead of focusing it's deadly powers on the polar ice caps.

PS: Let me know by Saturday if you think I should keep the blog green or revert back to my tacky energy wasting ways on Sunday.

© 2008 Barry T Horst This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day at the bottom of the page for free software downloads daily.

I told you I was recycling today. I picked up the whole thing and dropped it right in here, credits and all. Cool huh?

© 2008 Barry T Horst This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day at the bottom of the page for free software downloads daily.

The $20 Free $40 Coupon

Coupons are good. Saving is good. Saving $40.00 is even better. One problem though. The $40.00 coupon ended up costing me close to $20.00. Go figure! I guess coupons are just like that.

My $40.00 coupons for the digital-to-analog converter box came in yesterday. It was really interesting. They actually look like credit cards; although they take great pains to stress that they are not credit, debit, or gift cards and you can not get cash for them. The card comes with a list of qualifying converters and the locations and names of local stores where the consumer can purchase the boxes. I did some checking and I found that most boxes cost $59.95 and the coupon is for $40.00. I did find boxes at Wal-Mart though that cost $52.97 and $49.87. I endedup getting mine at Radio Shack. I had to get a cell phone charger for the truck anyway and thought that I would "kill two birds with one stone", so to speak. I could have gone to Best Buy or Circuit City also. The converter box at Best Buy was the store brand, Insignia. The others I looked at were Magnavox, RCA, Zenith, and DigitalStream.

Important note: The receipt from Radio Shack reminds you that if you return the box you can't get the full amount back; only the actual amount you paid. Tough luck if you buy one and then don't like it and want to get a different brand.

© 2008 Barry T Horst This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day at the bottom of the page for free software downloads daily.

Digital TV- The New Horizon Beckons

I was talking with one of the teachers at school yesterday. She mentioned that she and her husband bought a digital television converter box at Wal-Mart this weekend. She said that her husband had applied for the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box coupon that the government is sending out to consumers. The purpose of the coupon is to allow consumers to buy the boxes at a reduced price. The coupon is valued at $40.00. I suppose that this is another example of our tax dollars at work. The box at Wal-Mart is made by Magnavox and costs $52.97. That makes the box $12.97 + tax after the coupon. She also said that the TV they used it on has a much better picture on it.

I decided to check it out on-line. I applied for my coupons several months ago. It turns out that the site has a link to check the status of your application. I checked and mine is supposed to be in the mail soon. The web-site Digital Television has all the information you need. This is a government web-site and it has the link on it that takes you to the Coupon application page. It is off-site so you have to go through a confirmation page first. Here is the direct link to the coupon application page. PS: It is still a government page; just not the FCC. If you have already applied you can go to the status page to check the status of your application.

Remember, if you have cable you do not have to buy a box. The cable company already converts the digital signal and makes it analog for the older TV's. BUT, if you want to ditch cable and use an antenna you need to have the converter box in order to watch TV after February 17, 2009. Also, if you already have and HDTV with an HDTV tuner you will not need a converter box.For more information on digital tv and converter boxes check out Digital TV Facts.

© 2008 Barry T Horst This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day at the bottom of the page for free software downloads daily.

What A Saturday, Wal-Mart T&L No More

Here I am, Back to my same old energy wasting ways. I am no longer green. You can see this because the print in the blog is now black again. Apparently there are not enough eco-friendly, green loving, quality of life conscious blog readers that read and enjoy my blog. I only got one response to my "GOING GREEN" post. They said they liked the regular posting better. In fact they said they liked blue better. I think I'll switch to a shade of blue for awhile.

This was a spur of the moment decision. I will search CSS code for a better shade later.

Now, to the doings from yesterday. Uhhh, that would be Saturday. I woke up bright and early. My agenda included getting the oil changed, washing the truck, rotating the tires, and getting the groceries procured. Upon later reflection these plans seemed rather optimistic.

First, I head out of the house on my way to get my tires rotated at Wal-Mart Tire & Lube (T&L). When I get there the man tells me that there will be about a 2 hour wait. Since I had other plans I tell him I'll leave and come back later. Away I go to my next destination.

I get to Genie Car Wash and get in line for an oil change. They get right on it and have ready within 30 minutes. Genie is great. You get a free car wash with each oil change. I'm certainly up for free. After I pay for the oil change I head back to Wal-Mart T&L. BIG MISTAKE!

Back at Wal-Mart T&L I pull up to the line again. The guy acts like he never saw me before. I reminded him that I was the tire rotation from earlier. (Now this is where it starts to go downhill!) I didn't really like the attitude or his way of talking to me. Anyway, I start giving him the information for the truck. Then he announces that he needs to look at the tires to see if they are OK. He pokes around on the tires, mutters to himself, and tells me they don't look good. They are worn on the edges. Now I think to myself, "That's why I want the tires rotated." He wants to look at the other tires. Then announces that this must be done because, "...it's my job and my family on the line." OK! He looks at the other tire on the front and said it doesn't look good either. Now he wants to get the "tire man". I suppose the tire man is a super hero of some sort; you know like Superman or The Tick or whoever. Anyway Tire Man comes over and he joins in on the chorus of doom and gloom. By now I am learning among other things that the tires are no good, they have dry rot, the tread will peel off if I drive 60 0r 70 mph, the side of the truck will be ruined, I will die, there are chunks missing from the tires, it's their job and their families on the line. I suppose they plan on sending their family with me somewhere next time I plan on driving 60 or 70 mph. ???

I tell them the tires have only 22K miles and 2 years on them. They can't have dry rot. They proceed to show me the tell tale evidence of dry rot. I tell the two men that if the tires have dry rot I will return to the dealer; after all, they only have 22K miles and 2 years on them. I am told that the dealer won't cover it. I begin to see what they see-$$$$$. I believe they want to sell new tires not a rotation. I move on and leave Wal-Mart T&L. In fact, I instructed my daughter not to take her car there for any automotive work.

I now take the truck to the dealer who performs the requested work and does a fine job on top of it. While at Allen Samuel's Chevrolet I discuss the problem of Wal-Mart T&L with the director of the service department. He came out and personally inspected the tires and listened to the dire reports had received earlier. He announced that tires "do not" have dry rot. The wear on the outer edges are evidence that the tires need to be rotated. DUHHH! Why couldn't Wal-Mart T&L figure that out. He said that the small chunks missing are from gravel, glass, and the softer rubber used in these tires. As mentioned earlier they performed the rotation, balance, and alignment. The only down side was I was without the truck until 4:30 PM.

I then go to the grocery store, HEB, and start on the groceries. I forget to go to the pharmacy and pick up my prescription. I go one night with out the prescription. I woke up this morning and was relieved. I was still the same person with no apparent ill effects of missing my medicine last night. No the medicine isn't for that. I take Metformin for my blood sugar. It was 115 mg/dl this morning. Not bad for missing my dosage last night.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day at the bottom of the page for free software downloads daily.

GOING GREEN

Did I miss something?

Apparently the color of choice has changed. I have always liked the color blue. The new color of choice is GREEN.

We got the April 2008 Country Living magazine in the mail recently. Green; REUSE; RECYCLE; REFRESH; The whole thing. On the inside it had The Country Living Green Guide; 50+ Ways To Make A Difference. I like #17 - Bulb Basics. It suggests that you drop the incandescent and go with the Compact Fluorescent. I've done that in part of the house. I don't like it. I turn 'em on and what do you think they do? They splutter and flicker and start out dim and have to warm up to get brighter. For an old man that makes it hard to see right away. They cost so much I feel like I need to use them instead of chucking 'em and starting all over again with the good old fashioned, heat throwing incandescents.

Same thing with the April 2008 issue of Metropolitan Home. This time Renovation Goes Green. They purport to have advice from top eco-experts. I don't know. I didn't read it. It wasn't my cup of Green Tea.
And now to top it all off I saw an ad from Wal-Mart touting Campbell's Tomato and Chicken Noodle Soup for Earth Day as being green and good for the environment. The label is green and the ad informs us that the can is recyclable; like it wasn't before? The ad also tells us that it costs less in packaging and to ship it because it is condensed. ????

It's always been condensed. So isn't it really the same as before?
I suppose that green is the new gold and if you advertise that your product is green then everyone will flock to it.
Sounds good to me. I think I'll try it!
For the rest of this week this blog is going GREEN in an effort to REUSE, RECYCLE, and REFRESH. By doing this Horst Household Happenings will now be eco-friendly, it will cost less to package and ship, and best of all save all coastlines of the world by keeping the polar ice caps frozen. Somehow the color green does this. I think it has to do with the way the heat energy from the sun is absorbed or something by the green instead of focusing it's deadly powers on the polar ice caps.
PS: Let me know by Saturday if you think I should keep the blog green or revert back to my tacky energy wasting ways on Sunday.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day at the bottom of the page for free software downloads daily.

It's A Deal-Sort Of

I'm sure this is not news to anyone. But oil closed at another new high yesterday. According to Bloomberg.com energy prices, West Texas Intermediate closed up $2.75 / barrel at $107.90 / barrel. Also Reformulated Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending (RBOB) futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange closed at $2.7099 per gallon. Add to that about 40 cents plus for taxes and profit and you're looking at unleaded gas hitting $3.20 or more per gallon. This is not good news.

I did find a good deal last night though. I was nearly on fumes and desperately needed to refill my tank. I stumbled upon the local Wal-Mart and discovered they were still selling unleaded for $3.05 a gallon then you get a 3 cents discount per gallon for using their card. I ended up spending $75.00 for gas last night. That was for me and Julie's car. Afterwards, I couldn't believe the words I uttered, "Gee, $3.02 for gas was a good deal!" Even the truck stop nearby the house was $3.09 a gallon.

When I started driving years ago I paid 30 cents a gallon. I also got paid $1.00 an hour. I guess it's all a wash.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

FREE, FREE, FREE-2nd Installment

I don't know how many of you spend much time on the internet. I have found a lot of useful things in my time. I have signed up, joined up, and who knows what else.

Many years ago I found a couple of places on the web that let you answer surveys in return for receiving points that could be redeemed for merchandise and sometimes cash. They were Bonus Mail and My Points. A couple of years ago both of these sites merged and they're now called My Points Bonus Mail. Original! Anyway, Chris and I both have an account. In return for giving them a little of my information I get e-mails to read. I get points for each e-mail. If I take advantage of the offer in the e-mail I get even more points. It's not that bad. Since I have signed up we have received about a total of $200 in gas cards from Shell, Exxon, and BP; $150 in gift cards from JC Penney; and $200 in gift cards from Circuit City. The cards from Circuit City helped me get my HDTV last fall. Not Bad! If you shop and purchase from certain retailers on-line you also get points. Check them out here: MyPoints.

In an earlier blog I mentioned the many magazine subscriptions I get. I get them from FreeBizMag and from AdPerk. I have had several new magazines come in now.

If you are looking for free stuff, samples, and such; I go to Weekly Freebie. I subscribe to their e-mail and get the notice weekly. But you need to check them every Th ursday because they post a couple of other offers on the B-Side. You can also check out The Bargainer.

There are also a couple of survey sites that I belong to. In return for participating in surveys I receive money, gifts, and points redeemable for merchandise. I complete surveys for e-Rewards, MySurvey, and Synovate-Global Opinions Panel. It's pretty good. there have been times where we were involved in studies testing various products for manufacturers. We have tested cat food, dog food, shampoos, laundry detergent, deodorants, and many other items.
If you go to the Wal-Mart and Sam's Club site you can find samples. At Wal-Mart you have go to the In Stores Now tab and click on FREE Samples. At Sam's Club you have to click on the In Clubs Now tab and then look for any free samples. More free samples can be found at Start Sampling. You have to join that site to participate though.

Do you get Frequent Flyer Miles on your credit cards or from taking trips? Do you get enough to take more trips. If not try Points.com. I had several thousand AA points just laying around collecting dust. I used this site to trade them in for something useful; although, I can't remember what it was now.

These are just a few of the places on the internet that give samples, points, cash etc. I use them and have been very pleased with them. You may know of others. If so, share them.

PS--Want to make a little extra money? Write a blog like I do. I am sure that you have noticed the ads on my blog. By placing the ads on the blog the author receives payment for each ad that is clicked. The payment varies based on the ad, daily traffic to the blog, etc. I certainly will not be able to quit my day job, but it is fun. Oh, and don't forget the Blue Sunflower Collection. The stuff is not free, but it is fun to look.
© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Bummer!

I got up this morning and took a shower. Boy it was great! Nice and warm on a cold morning.

THEN!

The water didn't go anywhere. I mean it stayed in the tub. I checked the drain plug. Yep, it's open. Still, nowhere. There must be a stoppage farther down the line. I proceed to get the trusty plumbers friend, better known as "The Plunger". I plunge, and plunge, and plunge. And nothing!

Oops! There was a little something I didn't notice. The water did start to go somewhere. It's not where I wanted it to go. It started backing up on the floor around the toilet. GREAT! Now I have to abandon the tub and start cleaning up around the toilet.

In the middle of all this I realize I need to take the dog out. I don't want another mess on my hands. Well, actually not on my hands but on the floor. I take Puppy out and she was by all accounts a good girl. I come back in and get ready for Wal-Mart. I am now thinking it would be better if I buy some drain opener/cleaner.

I go back to the bathroom and the water that was in the tub is gone. No, it's not on the floor this time. It's gone. I finish cleaning around the toilet and then move back to the tub. I run the water to rinse out the tub and the water dutifully drained. I then run the water even longer and watch. The water drains.

Why does this happen to me? Does the tub have a mind of it's own?

I HATE plumbing!

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Good Mail? Bad Male?

Got home from work yesterday and checked the mail. I got a letter from my publisher. They are interested in the children's stories that I submitted to them. They are reviewing them and are considering a contract. I am told that if they publish the stories they will pay $25,000 for a signing bonus and then will pay royalties based on sales after that. The stories are about a little boy, his dog, and the adventures they have. The letter also said something about maybe going on a book signing tour and maybe even a few morning TV shows.

Gee! It all sounds too good to be true.

It is too good to be true! I made it all up. I don't have a publisher and I haven't written any books. Besides, I think the whole boy and his dog and their adventures thing has been done before. I think maybe it was Lassie.

Oh well, it's nice to dream.

I did get coupons in the mail from Shipley's Donuts though! Free donuts. Can't beat that. I won't be using them. I don't eat donuts. Too much sugar you know. There was a Wal-Mart ad, a couple of magazines, and the usual lot of waste basket filler.

Oh by the way, one day I might just write a story and I might just get a letter from my publisher and I might just get a big check and I might just go on the morning TV shows. Well, I might!!

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.