So, Smurfette's been fighting what started out as allergies, a sinus infection, and now bronchitis. She's doing well enough now, eating and watching TV. Today it was *me* who woke up feeling like utter crap. It felt like an elephant had kicked me in the face, where my sinsuses were just clogged, my nose stuffed up, and just felt stiff & sore my whole body over... I took some Sudafed & Tylenol to combat everything, and I'm feeling better; except for my right shoulder... It *HURTS*!
I can't even bend down and put the leash on Wickett, when I reached out to clip the leash onto his harness, pain just shot out from underneath my shoulder blade and I couldn't even move. Hell, I'm not even moving my shoulder right now with the laptop resting on my lap, and my shoulder is a constant painful ache that's not going away.
When I brought Wicket out to go to the bathroom, I was sure to use my left hand to hang onto him, but when he took off on me once, pulling me at an awkward angle, I felt the unwelcome shot of pain from my back/shoulder. I'm glad my neighbor saw me and offered to let me use the Aspercreme & Bengay she had, as it should help...
In TF-related news, I've finally broken down and decided to sell my 2002 Rhino G1 Transformers DVD's individually. I've had them available on TFW2005 for a while now as a complete set, but haven't had any takers. A reason I haven't sold them seperately before was that I didn't want to be 'stuck' with a set or two later on and decide that I wanted to repurchase them later on...
Additionally, I've picked up one of the large cardboard DVD shippers we had at The Big Blue Box featuring the 2007 Transformers movie DVD. About 2-3 feet wide, and 7-8 feet tall, depicting an image of Optimus Prime w/ the "TRANSFORMERS" movie logo over his chest. It's pretty neat, but I don't know if I'll end up keeping it or not. I may end up seeing if anyone would be interested in taking it off my hands (be it a fellow DTF or Midwest_Transfan group members), or if someone on TFW might be interested in it... Who knows?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Overdrafts, Doctors, & Strokes...
So, the day was going well Friday until Smurfette went down to check the mail, when she came back up with a thin envelope from the bank. You know it's bad news when the letter from your bank isn't a big, fat, thick one that contains your monthly statement... Apparently, my bank has changed its policy regrding pending transactions. You used to be able to use your check card the night before a deposit and be fine, as the funds would be available when the pending transfer went through... It seems that they changed that policy up so that the money comes out of the bank on the same day that the transaction was made... That's all fine & dandy, unless you don't know that it's going to happen to you...
On Thursday night, Smurfette & I had dinner plans with "J. & S.", so we stopped by and picked up a cheap bottle of wine & two little loaves of french bread. Spending a total of $16. The next day, the bank's website showed no signs that there was any kind of problem, so I proceeded to pay my bills. There was no hint that I had racked up $140 in overdraft fees!
As soon as I got the letter, verified what it said on the website, and grumbled about it for a few seconds; I called up the customer care line. They were nice enough to explain the situation, and the fact that (apparently) they sent out a note about the policy change back with our February statements... They were also nice enough to reverse a little over $100 of the overdraft fees, so all I 'owe' is a little over $30... Which I should get in tomorrow's (Monday's) mail from my mother, who was kind enough to have sent her kids each $100 from my Great-Grandparents' estate... So, I guess I have *that* going for me... Too bad I have to use it to put tabs on my car, pay for the defecit in the bank account, and the rest for gas for the week... I *was* going to use it to go see the Revenge of the Fallen... *sigh*
So, anyways... This morning (Sunday), an hour before I start getting ready for work at "The Big Blue Box", Smurfette informs me that she's calling the nurse's care line to see what they might recommend to help her throat feel better so she can enjoy her time at her cousin's graduation party. Well, they said that she should really be feeling better by now, as it's been a *week* since the symptoms started. They told her that she should come in and be seen by a doctor again, so I was forced to call into work and inform them that I would be late (sadly, this is somewhat expected). I was told it was fine, to keep them updated on when I'd make it in, and 'good luck'. :D
It was a little over an hour at the clinic, a half hour to get her new prescriptions (thankfully we had a few bucks in cash to get them!), I ran her off to her cousin's grad party, then sped on down the highway to work. I ended up being two & a half hours late for work, but I don't think there will be any problems from it, since I gave them notice that I'd be late (even if it was a little later than normally required)... I spent my time running around trying to make up for lost time and managed to complete a few little projects.
One nice thing, last week I set up a tall cardboard shipper for the Transformers DVD (to conincide with the theatrical release of RotF), and immediately put my name on it after it was complete. Today, one of the managers told me that he saved it from getting thrown out, and that it was back in the warehouse for me! So, after my shift; I carried the cardboard Optimus Prime out to my car, disassembled him, and he's sitting in the back seat of my car. Tomorrow I'll take him inside, break him down to his component pieces, then pack him away until I can do something with him... Heck, I still have the large top piece to the large cardboard shipper from the first movie's DVD release packed away!
But alas, the bad news has to do with Smurfette's cousin's grad party. It seems that her grandmother, who'd come to town from Florida to attend the family get-together; had a stroke earlier in the day, but didn't tell anyone... However, it seems that she'd had another small one *at* the party, and her kids (& the rest of the family) *made* her go to Regions Hospital for a night of tests & observation. She seems to be doing 'ok', but who knows for sure? *Wishing her the best of luck*
Anyways, I think that pretty much wraps up what I have to say for the day...
Have a good night all...
:D
On Thursday night, Smurfette & I had dinner plans with "J. & S.", so we stopped by and picked up a cheap bottle of wine & two little loaves of french bread. Spending a total of $16. The next day, the bank's website showed no signs that there was any kind of problem, so I proceeded to pay my bills. There was no hint that I had racked up $140 in overdraft fees!
As soon as I got the letter, verified what it said on the website, and grumbled about it for a few seconds; I called up the customer care line. They were nice enough to explain the situation, and the fact that (apparently) they sent out a note about the policy change back with our February statements... They were also nice enough to reverse a little over $100 of the overdraft fees, so all I 'owe' is a little over $30... Which I should get in tomorrow's (Monday's) mail from my mother, who was kind enough to have sent her kids each $100 from my Great-Grandparents' estate... So, I guess I have *that* going for me... Too bad I have to use it to put tabs on my car, pay for the defecit in the bank account, and the rest for gas for the week... I *was* going to use it to go see the Revenge of the Fallen... *sigh*
So, anyways... This morning (Sunday), an hour before I start getting ready for work at "The Big Blue Box", Smurfette informs me that she's calling the nurse's care line to see what they might recommend to help her throat feel better so she can enjoy her time at her cousin's graduation party. Well, they said that she should really be feeling better by now, as it's been a *week* since the symptoms started. They told her that she should come in and be seen by a doctor again, so I was forced to call into work and inform them that I would be late (sadly, this is somewhat expected). I was told it was fine, to keep them updated on when I'd make it in, and 'good luck'. :D
It was a little over an hour at the clinic, a half hour to get her new prescriptions (thankfully we had a few bucks in cash to get them!), I ran her off to her cousin's grad party, then sped on down the highway to work. I ended up being two & a half hours late for work, but I don't think there will be any problems from it, since I gave them notice that I'd be late (even if it was a little later than normally required)... I spent my time running around trying to make up for lost time and managed to complete a few little projects.
One nice thing, last week I set up a tall cardboard shipper for the Transformers DVD (to conincide with the theatrical release of RotF), and immediately put my name on it after it was complete. Today, one of the managers told me that he saved it from getting thrown out, and that it was back in the warehouse for me! So, after my shift; I carried the cardboard Optimus Prime out to my car, disassembled him, and he's sitting in the back seat of my car. Tomorrow I'll take him inside, break him down to his component pieces, then pack him away until I can do something with him... Heck, I still have the large top piece to the large cardboard shipper from the first movie's DVD release packed away!
But alas, the bad news has to do with Smurfette's cousin's grad party. It seems that her grandmother, who'd come to town from Florida to attend the family get-together; had a stroke earlier in the day, but didn't tell anyone... However, it seems that she'd had another small one *at* the party, and her kids (& the rest of the family) *made* her go to Regions Hospital for a night of tests & observation. She seems to be doing 'ok', but who knows for sure? *Wishing her the best of luck*
Anyways, I think that pretty much wraps up what I have to say for the day...
Have a good night all...
:D
Friday, June 26, 2009
Piddly Paychecks and New Applications...
So, I got paid today, and it was all of $150. With what little bit Smurfette is bringing in, we're scraping the bottom of the well... Pretty soon it will have run dry completely!
As the building we're living in is Income-based, I contacted the person in charge of our building and spoke to her on the phone. Sue was very helpful and understanding, and said she'd have the paperwork for me to sign faxed over to the building today, so it's in my hands on Monday when the building caretaker arrives. She asked me to get copies of my last 6 pay stubs, which shouldn't be an issue, as it's all electronic, and available for printing off at work.
I'm not thrilled by this, but having gone from Full-Time down to Part-Time, down to between 4 (yes, FOR THE WEEK), 9, or 12 hours a week aren't cutting it anymore. What little money we had saved up is now long gone... No extra 'spending money', no money to go out to eat, enjoy our Anniversary (which was yesterday, btw!), etc... It's just getting too hard to pay off the rent, bills, & pay for food/Smurfette's prescriptions...
I also contacted my Auto Insurance company to postpone my latest payment, and my State Farm agent was more than happy to help us out. As long as the payment is made on my next check, we *should* be ok...
So, after I got in touch with Sue & my State Farm agent, I put in an application at Cub Foods via their website. I plan on calling them sometime in the near future (ie- next week) and see what comes of that... I have a couple good references that work there (3 in fact), so I have hopes there... Not to mention my father drives truck, hauling their trailers to and from Super Valu for them; so he knows a few of the night managers and what-not...
*Crosses Fingers*
Additionally, I mentioned applying for unemployment before... This last week was a "One Week Waiting Period", so I should be able to request an actual payment next week. I'm not thrilled about it, but at least it'll help us get food for the apartment. I don't plan on being on this for long, or at least that's the plan! I think if we can just get through the next couple weeks, we should be fine.
It might mean that we won't be seeing the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen anytime soon, but at this point; it's the least of my worries. I'll live off other peoples' reviews and thoughts until I get the opportunity to see it for myself... *sigh*
Anyways, as I mentioned somewhere up above, yesterday was Smurfette & I's 4th Wedding Anniversary! Not having any money to do anything, we were bickering a little bit; not really knowing what to do. I mean, we didn't really want to stay at home by ourselves, especially in the moods we were in regarding the 'not being able to do anything" bit... But we ended up calling and heading over to our friend's place who we helped move over the last week. You know what? I'm getting tired of not calling them by name, so let's call them "J." & "S."... Very original, just using a letter for each one, but I can't think of any (appropriate) nicknames for them... Anyways!
"S." works evenings at a liquor store, so being able to hang out with her is a little rare. Their place looks great, even though they still have a few things to finish (like putting up the wall hangings, putting away the last of the boxes, and bringing the cutlery over -as they apparently still have a little of their dishes at the old place...). We brought over a few things to add to their Tater tot Hot dish, we picked up a (cheap) bottle of wine for Smurfette & a couple loaves of bread. All-in-all, dinner was nice, the company was great, the Beagle got along with their neighbor's Boxer, I played a good game of golf on Tiger Woods 09 on the Wii, and we hung out until pretty late last night... "J." ended up crashing around 11:30 or so, as he had to get up pretty early, I think I decided to crash on their living room floor around midnight, while Smurfette continued to B.S. with "S." & the neighbors until about 1:30am... We came home, and we both crashed...
As the building we're living in is Income-based, I contacted the person in charge of our building and spoke to her on the phone. Sue was very helpful and understanding, and said she'd have the paperwork for me to sign faxed over to the building today, so it's in my hands on Monday when the building caretaker arrives. She asked me to get copies of my last 6 pay stubs, which shouldn't be an issue, as it's all electronic, and available for printing off at work.
I'm not thrilled by this, but having gone from Full-Time down to Part-Time, down to between 4 (yes, FOR THE WEEK), 9, or 12 hours a week aren't cutting it anymore. What little money we had saved up is now long gone... No extra 'spending money', no money to go out to eat, enjoy our Anniversary (which was yesterday, btw!), etc... It's just getting too hard to pay off the rent, bills, & pay for food/Smurfette's prescriptions...
I also contacted my Auto Insurance company to postpone my latest payment, and my State Farm agent was more than happy to help us out. As long as the payment is made on my next check, we *should* be ok...
So, after I got in touch with Sue & my State Farm agent, I put in an application at Cub Foods via their website. I plan on calling them sometime in the near future (ie- next week) and see what comes of that... I have a couple good references that work there (3 in fact), so I have hopes there... Not to mention my father drives truck, hauling their trailers to and from Super Valu for them; so he knows a few of the night managers and what-not...
*Crosses Fingers*
Additionally, I mentioned applying for unemployment before... This last week was a "One Week Waiting Period", so I should be able to request an actual payment next week. I'm not thrilled about it, but at least it'll help us get food for the apartment. I don't plan on being on this for long, or at least that's the plan! I think if we can just get through the next couple weeks, we should be fine.
It might mean that we won't be seeing the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen anytime soon, but at this point; it's the least of my worries. I'll live off other peoples' reviews and thoughts until I get the opportunity to see it for myself... *sigh*
Anyways, as I mentioned somewhere up above, yesterday was Smurfette & I's 4th Wedding Anniversary! Not having any money to do anything, we were bickering a little bit; not really knowing what to do. I mean, we didn't really want to stay at home by ourselves, especially in the moods we were in regarding the 'not being able to do anything" bit... But we ended up calling and heading over to our friend's place who we helped move over the last week. You know what? I'm getting tired of not calling them by name, so let's call them "J." & "S."... Very original, just using a letter for each one, but I can't think of any (appropriate) nicknames for them... Anyways!
"S." works evenings at a liquor store, so being able to hang out with her is a little rare. Their place looks great, even though they still have a few things to finish (like putting up the wall hangings, putting away the last of the boxes, and bringing the cutlery over -as they apparently still have a little of their dishes at the old place...). We brought over a few things to add to their Tater tot Hot dish, we picked up a (cheap) bottle of wine for Smurfette & a couple loaves of bread. All-in-all, dinner was nice, the company was great, the Beagle got along with their neighbor's Boxer, I played a good game of golf on Tiger Woods 09 on the Wii, and we hung out until pretty late last night... "J." ended up crashing around 11:30 or so, as he had to get up pretty early, I think I decided to crash on their living room floor around midnight, while Smurfette continued to B.S. with "S." & the neighbors until about 1:30am... We came home, and we both crashed...
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Value of Fond Memories...
So, a few days ago Papa Smurf handed me an old camera that he'd purchased in Japan back in 1970 before coming back from Vietnam. It was a Yashika Electro 35, and he had the case & extra lenses for it. He asked me to call National Camera Exchange and see what it was worth. -He had said someone at work had told him that they could be worth some decent money because some of the old cameras had brass in them apparently...
Well, I got the answer that I was expecting to hear... No, the camera isn't worth anything, and that the battery that it required is no longer being manufactured! It's a shame apparently, as the camera itself was a lovely piece of engineering. Nothing top-of-the-line, but quite a step above the other cameras in it's price range. Doing a little research on the topic of the battery, I found out that there *IS* a work-around for the lack of a proper battery. It appears that a current 6-volt battery will work perfectly well in the camera, presuming you *ALSO* purchase a simple metal spring, as the new battery isn't as long as the original one was...
The 'new' battery works perfectly in the camera, even though it's voltage is slightly higher... So, if Papa Smurf isn't interested in keeping the camera, I might be interested in toying around with it myself someday...
Well, I got the answer that I was expecting to hear... No, the camera isn't worth anything, and that the battery that it required is no longer being manufactured! It's a shame apparently, as the camera itself was a lovely piece of engineering. Nothing top-of-the-line, but quite a step above the other cameras in it's price range. Doing a little research on the topic of the battery, I found out that there *IS* a work-around for the lack of a proper battery. It appears that a current 6-volt battery will work perfectly well in the camera, presuming you *ALSO* purchase a simple metal spring, as the new battery isn't as long as the original one was...
The 'new' battery works perfectly in the camera, even though it's voltage is slightly higher... So, if Papa Smurf isn't interested in keeping the camera, I might be interested in toying around with it myself someday...
Blood, Sweat, an old Playskool Transformer, & the Watchmen... ?
So, tight on money; I'd decided that the $50 that the second plasma donation would be a good thing to have. I popped down to the ZLB site around noon, handed them the little "buck the line" pass they gave me last time...
I didn't have to wait long in the lobby, and was 'rushed' through the waiting area, and plopped down into a chair, and stuck in the arm... The next hour was enjoyable enough, they had "The Love Guru" playing on the tv's, but I was smart enough to bring along my Watchmen trade paperback.
I spent the hour with a needle in my arm reading the portion w/ Rorchach & Nite Owl in the Owl Ship sitting on the bottom of the river through to their (near) arrival to Ozymandias' Antartic Compound. I have to say, as much as I enjoyed the Watchmen film, I have to say that I'm enjoying the novel quite a bit better. That's not to mean I won't be snapping up the movie when it's released on DVD, far be it in fact! I plan on adding that to my (miniscule) DVD collection as soon as I am able. I'm just holding out on seeing what kind of special features will be available on the DVD releases (Tales of the Black Freighter, which is available seperately from the Wachmen movie, is available on DVD now, but is rumored to be reincorporated into the film on one of the DVD releases).
Afterwards, before heading back home; I stopped off at the local Goodwill and found a vintage Playskool "First Transformer" for all of $1!
I was pretty happy to find another vintage Transformer, and I never thought I'd see one of these Playskool "First Transformers" from 1986! -Especially for only a buck! Now, if I can only figure out his NAME!
So, as it was after lunchtime, and neither Smurfette or I had eaten yet; I stopped off at Burger King to grab some grub & check out the new Kid's Meal toys. Unimpressed with them, I just grabbed a Whopper for Smurfette and a chicken sandwhich for me. Afterward, I spoke to the Store Manager when she handed me my food, and she offered to hang onto the Transformers display for me once they finished the promo in a couple weeks! (Thanks for that idea Weasel!)
After I got home and we finished eating, I got a phone call from "Gopher", asking if I'd be willing to climb up a ladder to help install an air conditioner. Knowing it was hotter than Hell outside (and probably INSIDE their apartment as well), I told him 'of course'! I was feeling o.k. at this time, although as the day proceeded, the heat began getting to me, to the point where I had no appetite when dinner was ready. I was hot, sweating, felt drained & weaker than normal. It probably had to do with the heat, the fact I'd donated plasma earlier in the day, and that I had been drinking water, probably just not enough for the conditions...
We stuck around there for a while, I helped them get their Wii set up online (and downloaded the firmware update, the Check Mii Out, Everybody Votes, & Nintendo (demo) channels. Smurfette had grabbed the copy of Mario Kart we were borrowing from a neighbor, but when I opened the case, I discovered she'd left the DISK in our Wii at home... Which was alright, as Gopher & played a couple rounds of Boom Blocks!
Finally tuckered out around 9pm, Smurfette & I headed home; but that didn't last long. Smurfette wanted us to check in on our friend's who've been moving into their new place, and see how their children (who were coming back from their grandmother's for the weekend) were taking to their new surroundings. Gladly, they were pretty happy with them, and we ended up staying over there for a while, as it had cooled down considerably outside by then... We ended up coming home rather late, as we'd been outside with our friends, BSing with their neighbors outside for most of the evening. Now really tuckered out, we headed back home, and I crashed pretty hard for the night, waking up around 10:30 or so... It's been a nice morning so far, it's cool outside and supposed to rain later today!
All good so far, I hope the rest of the day goes as nicely...
I didn't have to wait long in the lobby, and was 'rushed' through the waiting area, and plopped down into a chair, and stuck in the arm... The next hour was enjoyable enough, they had "The Love Guru" playing on the tv's, but I was smart enough to bring along my Watchmen trade paperback.
I spent the hour with a needle in my arm reading the portion w/ Rorchach & Nite Owl in the Owl Ship sitting on the bottom of the river through to their (near) arrival to Ozymandias' Antartic Compound. I have to say, as much as I enjoyed the Watchmen film, I have to say that I'm enjoying the novel quite a bit better. That's not to mean I won't be snapping up the movie when it's released on DVD, far be it in fact! I plan on adding that to my (miniscule) DVD collection as soon as I am able. I'm just holding out on seeing what kind of special features will be available on the DVD releases (Tales of the Black Freighter, which is available seperately from the Wachmen movie, is available on DVD now, but is rumored to be reincorporated into the film on one of the DVD releases).
Afterwards, before heading back home; I stopped off at the local Goodwill and found a vintage Playskool "First Transformer" for all of $1!
I was pretty happy to find another vintage Transformer, and I never thought I'd see one of these Playskool "First Transformers" from 1986! -Especially for only a buck! Now, if I can only figure out his NAME!
So, as it was after lunchtime, and neither Smurfette or I had eaten yet; I stopped off at Burger King to grab some grub & check out the new Kid's Meal toys. Unimpressed with them, I just grabbed a Whopper for Smurfette and a chicken sandwhich for me. Afterward, I spoke to the Store Manager when she handed me my food, and she offered to hang onto the Transformers display for me once they finished the promo in a couple weeks! (Thanks for that idea Weasel!)
After I got home and we finished eating, I got a phone call from "Gopher", asking if I'd be willing to climb up a ladder to help install an air conditioner. Knowing it was hotter than Hell outside (and probably INSIDE their apartment as well), I told him 'of course'! I was feeling o.k. at this time, although as the day proceeded, the heat began getting to me, to the point where I had no appetite when dinner was ready. I was hot, sweating, felt drained & weaker than normal. It probably had to do with the heat, the fact I'd donated plasma earlier in the day, and that I had been drinking water, probably just not enough for the conditions...
We stuck around there for a while, I helped them get their Wii set up online (and downloaded the firmware update, the Check Mii Out, Everybody Votes, & Nintendo (demo) channels. Smurfette had grabbed the copy of Mario Kart we were borrowing from a neighbor, but when I opened the case, I discovered she'd left the DISK in our Wii at home... Which was alright, as Gopher & played a couple rounds of Boom Blocks!
Finally tuckered out around 9pm, Smurfette & I headed home; but that didn't last long. Smurfette wanted us to check in on our friend's who've been moving into their new place, and see how their children (who were coming back from their grandmother's for the weekend) were taking to their new surroundings. Gladly, they were pretty happy with them, and we ended up staying over there for a while, as it had cooled down considerably outside by then... We ended up coming home rather late, as we'd been outside with our friends, BSing with their neighbors outside for most of the evening. Now really tuckered out, we headed back home, and I crashed pretty hard for the night, waking up around 10:30 or so... It's been a nice morning so far, it's cool outside and supposed to rain later today!
All good so far, I hope the rest of the day goes as nicely...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Rough weekend, rough start to the week...
So, on Saturday I continued to help the friends of ours who were moving over the weekend. Packed my car up with boxes & misc. items that didn't fit well into boxes and hauled them over to the new townhouse down the street. It went relatively smoothly, and they thanked us for the help by filling our bellies with Taco Johns!
On Sunday I had planned to pop over there after work (a short 6-11am shift) to help with the 'big push', loading all the larger items into a U-Haul truck to bring them over... Unfortunately, as it was Father's Day, those plans were vetoed pretty quickly. I ended up going to Papa Smurf's house when I got home. I ended up running across the bridge into Wisconsin to pick him up a case of beer & a liter of vodka, then helping Smurfette rake a 2 1/2 acre yard of all the accumulated grass clippings that piled up after he (FINALLY) cut the grass...
You see, he was having his family (2 sons, their significant others & kids, his 2 brothers & their wives & kids, and his mother (Gramma Smurf?) over for a BBQ/Get-Together, and decided that he wanted the yard to look nice... So we sweated over that for an hour or two. Afterwards, we once again popped into our friend's new place and hung out for an hour partaking of their liquid refreshment and company.
This morning, Terasa woke me up saying that her allergies were bugging her pretty badly (Hmmm... She only RAKED A YARD OF CUT GRASS THE DAY BEFORE!!!!) and that she had a Doctor's Appointment in an hour, and I grumpily got up for the day. After quickly getting ready for the day, I drove off towards her doctor's office, and noticed the Idiot Light on the dash, informing me that my fuel situation was of importance... I was running low on gas, and definitely didn't have enough to make the trip to and fro... Stopping at a gas station, I tossed $5 of my remaining $7 into the gas tank and continued on my way.
At the clinic, after her name was called and we went into the little exam room, sat down, and I proceeded to read most of a few month old Rolling Stone magazine I'd been lucky to discover in the waiting room. After about 20 minutes to a half-hour, the doctor finally came in and talked to Smurfette about her allergies, and the trouble that she'd been having with her recent allergy meds not working for her...
They eventually prescribed her a new set of pills that 'should' work, and we proceeded to the pharmacy to get her new set of drugs.
I decided to head on out to ZLB again to sell my body for money again, but when I got out there I was unable to donate! It appears that they have to contact the other local Plasma/Blood donation centers to verify that I haven't been donating more than I'm supposed to; and there's one center that's normally closed on the weekends & on Monday too... So, they asked if I was able to come back tomorrow. *sigh* So, I came back home, stopping at the gas station to fill the gas tank as it was back on "E" again... There's still money in my bank account, as it appears that I hadn't paid my electric bill last week (whoops!). So, I'm not 100% concerned about it *right now*, maybe after tomorrow if things don't work out?
On Sunday I had planned to pop over there after work (a short 6-11am shift) to help with the 'big push', loading all the larger items into a U-Haul truck to bring them over... Unfortunately, as it was Father's Day, those plans were vetoed pretty quickly. I ended up going to Papa Smurf's house when I got home. I ended up running across the bridge into Wisconsin to pick him up a case of beer & a liter of vodka, then helping Smurfette rake a 2 1/2 acre yard of all the accumulated grass clippings that piled up after he (FINALLY) cut the grass...
You see, he was having his family (2 sons, their significant others & kids, his 2 brothers & their wives & kids, and his mother (Gramma Smurf?) over for a BBQ/Get-Together, and decided that he wanted the yard to look nice... So we sweated over that for an hour or two. Afterwards, we once again popped into our friend's new place and hung out for an hour partaking of their liquid refreshment and company.
This morning, Terasa woke me up saying that her allergies were bugging her pretty badly (Hmmm... She only RAKED A YARD OF CUT GRASS THE DAY BEFORE!!!!) and that she had a Doctor's Appointment in an hour, and I grumpily got up for the day. After quickly getting ready for the day, I drove off towards her doctor's office, and noticed the Idiot Light on the dash, informing me that my fuel situation was of importance... I was running low on gas, and definitely didn't have enough to make the trip to and fro... Stopping at a gas station, I tossed $5 of my remaining $7 into the gas tank and continued on my way.
At the clinic, after her name was called and we went into the little exam room, sat down, and I proceeded to read most of a few month old Rolling Stone magazine I'd been lucky to discover in the waiting room. After about 20 minutes to a half-hour, the doctor finally came in and talked to Smurfette about her allergies, and the trouble that she'd been having with her recent allergy meds not working for her...
They eventually prescribed her a new set of pills that 'should' work, and we proceeded to the pharmacy to get her new set of drugs.
I decided to head on out to ZLB again to sell my body for money again, but when I got out there I was unable to donate! It appears that they have to contact the other local Plasma/Blood donation centers to verify that I haven't been donating more than I'm supposed to; and there's one center that's normally closed on the weekends & on Monday too... So, they asked if I was able to come back tomorrow. *sigh* So, I came back home, stopping at the gas station to fill the gas tank as it was back on "E" again... There's still money in my bank account, as it appears that I hadn't paid my electric bill last week (whoops!). So, I'm not 100% concerned about it *right now*, maybe after tomorrow if things don't work out?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The first step in a larger project...
So, I should mention that I've begun the first steps in working on the physical Animooted Hilltopper (AKA: The "Kitty Truck"). I've taken a spare Voyager Class Optimus Prime figure and have Dremeled off the actual 'light' portions of the lightbar.
As you could see in the previous digibashes, I planned on removing them from the get-go, and I'm rather happy with the results so far. Next up is figuring out what to use for the smokestacks (and how to mount them), then I will ponder how to go about doing the paintjob. (Do I dye the blue plastic black and paint the orange, or paint the whole damned thing?).
Best of all, due to the recent aquisition of ANOTHER Voyager Prime via a little trade through Seibertron.com; I have another Prime to use to either:
1)Make one for my mother (who *loves* the previous G1 Hilltopper).
or
2)Use in case I accidentally screw up the first one!
As you could see in the previous digibashes, I planned on removing them from the get-go, and I'm rather happy with the results so far. Next up is figuring out what to use for the smokestacks (and how to mount them), then I will ponder how to go about doing the paintjob. (Do I dye the blue plastic black and paint the orange, or paint the whole damned thing?).
Best of all, due to the recent aquisition of ANOTHER Voyager Prime via a little trade through Seibertron.com; I have another Prime to use to either:
1)Make one for my mother (who *loves* the previous G1 Hilltopper).
or
2)Use in case I accidentally screw up the first one!
*Facepalm* It took me all day to figure this out?
First off, I didn't even realize he DID this before he went off in the bag Smurfette was carrying!
Read on readers:
So, the morning I got him home, after releasing the Supreme Class Animated Optimus Prime from his plastic prison; I somehow missed a key feature. I figured out that if I pressed his Autobot symbol on his chest he moves his mouth and talks (says two lines), and if I push him along the floor he will make engine noises, a punching sound effect (with an occasional "ah ha!" afterwards) in one arm, and an axe swinging sound effect in the other, and makes transformation noises when I'm pushing him along the floor and he transforms...
Smurfette & I were on our way back from a friend's house after helping them move (and partaking of their friendly offer of frosty beverages), when the Cub Foods bag Smurfette was carrying started making POLICE SIREN effects!!!! Now, this might not have been a big deal any other time, but it was 2am, a little tipsy, and we live in an apartment building... whoops!
After taking the bag from her (no easy task, as I had the dog's leash in one hand, carrying his kennel with the other), Prime quieted down until we got into our apartment... After getting the dog's kennel set up so he could go to bed, I went back to the kitchen table and pulled Prime out of the plastic grocery bag he'd been carried back home in...
I shit you not, I spent about 3-5 minutes trying to figure out what it was that set off that sound effect... Of course, the simplest solution was the answer, take him in the palm of your hands and squeeze. I felt some give on either side of his head and the sound effect went off again! The buttons were disguised as the horns on the top of his cab! I'm a little ashamed that I didn't figure that out sooner, especially as I thought the lightbar was supposed to light up (as pictured on the back of his box), but when I couldn't figure it out, figured (incorrectly) that Hasbro had just Photoshopped them lit up to make the figure look more impressive...
The annoying thing to me? The Supreme Class Starscream that I keep comparing him to? He had a similar button hidden in his shoulder pylons. You'd have thought that I'd consider that? *Sigh* Kind of makes me wonder what else I might've missed out on in my other figures... XD
Read on readers:
So, the morning I got him home, after releasing the Supreme Class Animated Optimus Prime from his plastic prison; I somehow missed a key feature. I figured out that if I pressed his Autobot symbol on his chest he moves his mouth and talks (says two lines), and if I push him along the floor he will make engine noises, a punching sound effect (with an occasional "ah ha!" afterwards) in one arm, and an axe swinging sound effect in the other, and makes transformation noises when I'm pushing him along the floor and he transforms...
Smurfette & I were on our way back from a friend's house after helping them move (and partaking of their friendly offer of frosty beverages), when the Cub Foods bag Smurfette was carrying started making POLICE SIREN effects!!!! Now, this might not have been a big deal any other time, but it was 2am, a little tipsy, and we live in an apartment building... whoops!
After taking the bag from her (no easy task, as I had the dog's leash in one hand, carrying his kennel with the other), Prime quieted down until we got into our apartment... After getting the dog's kennel set up so he could go to bed, I went back to the kitchen table and pulled Prime out of the plastic grocery bag he'd been carried back home in...
I shit you not, I spent about 3-5 minutes trying to figure out what it was that set off that sound effect... Of course, the simplest solution was the answer, take him in the palm of your hands and squeeze. I felt some give on either side of his head and the sound effect went off again! The buttons were disguised as the horns on the top of his cab! I'm a little ashamed that I didn't figure that out sooner, especially as I thought the lightbar was supposed to light up (as pictured on the back of his box), but when I couldn't figure it out, figured (incorrectly) that Hasbro had just Photoshopped them lit up to make the figure look more impressive...
The annoying thing to me? The Supreme Class Starscream that I keep comparing him to? He had a similar button hidden in his shoulder pylons. You'd have thought that I'd consider that? *Sigh* Kind of makes me wonder what else I might've missed out on in my other figures... XD
Friday, June 19, 2009
So I Sold My Body For A Transformer Today...
So, as I said yesterday, a friend & I headed into St. Paul to check out a Plasma Donation Center. I figured it'd be a good excuse to check it out, as I was looking to get a few bucks to pick up that Supreme Class Animated Prime. We got there just as the doors opened at 6am, signed in on the sheet everyone else was, and waited a half hour or so before our names were called, to which we discovered that, as new donors; we had to sign in on a completely different sign-in sheet... Afterwards, we were split up to get our respective information; and when I came out of my little 'interview' room, I found the friend I'd gone weighed too much to donate (?), and he kindly waited in the car while I proceeded to a short physical and into the donation room itself...
Being stuck with the needle was nothing, and I proceeded to watch one of the many screens playing the movie "Watch out for the Zohan" (or whatever it's called). After about an hour of lying there with a needle sucking precious lifeblood from me, running it through a centerfuge, skimming off the top, and then pumping the rest back into me; I was happily released and sent on my merry way with a code for a pseudo ATM machine that spits out money for your time & plasma...
Walking back out to the car and my friend, sleeping in the passenger seat, we headed back into town and I dropped him off at home. I picked up Smurfette and wandered back over to Walmart, picked up my Prime, and she picked up a new set of Care Bear underwear. Afterwards, we stopped off at Brine's Meat Market and got a couple of sandwhiches for lunch...
I'd played around with my new toy, and am mostly impressed by it, only really disliking the fact that the lower portion of his semi/firetruck cab is blue, instead of black... The figure, much like Cybertron Supreme Starscream; is comparable to the matching Voyager figure. His 'automatic' transformation is pretty slickly implemented, although I'd wished he had more articulation in his hands (they're molded closed like the Voyager figure). All-in-all though, I'm VERY happy with him; ESPECIALLY after I only paid the equivilent price of a Voyager figure for him, and he's easily TWICE his size!!!!
After toying around with Prime, I spent the rest of the day helping a couple friends move from one townhome to another. They don't care for the new one as much, as it's a little smaller; but *I* thought it was a nice place none-the-less... I'm sure they'll grow into it! Anyways, off to shower and pop back over to their old apartment to hang out and do dinner as a "thank you" for my help so far.
Being stuck with the needle was nothing, and I proceeded to watch one of the many screens playing the movie "Watch out for the Zohan" (or whatever it's called). After about an hour of lying there with a needle sucking precious lifeblood from me, running it through a centerfuge, skimming off the top, and then pumping the rest back into me; I was happily released and sent on my merry way with a code for a pseudo ATM machine that spits out money for your time & plasma...
Walking back out to the car and my friend, sleeping in the passenger seat, we headed back into town and I dropped him off at home. I picked up Smurfette and wandered back over to Walmart, picked up my Prime, and she picked up a new set of Care Bear underwear. Afterwards, we stopped off at Brine's Meat Market and got a couple of sandwhiches for lunch...
I'd played around with my new toy, and am mostly impressed by it, only really disliking the fact that the lower portion of his semi/firetruck cab is blue, instead of black... The figure, much like Cybertron Supreme Starscream; is comparable to the matching Voyager figure. His 'automatic' transformation is pretty slickly implemented, although I'd wished he had more articulation in his hands (they're molded closed like the Voyager figure). All-in-all though, I'm VERY happy with him; ESPECIALLY after I only paid the equivilent price of a Voyager figure for him, and he's easily TWICE his size!!!!
After toying around with Prime, I spent the rest of the day helping a couple friends move from one townhome to another. They don't care for the new one as much, as it's a little smaller; but *I* thought it was a nice place none-the-less... I'm sure they'll grow into it! Anyways, off to shower and pop back over to their old apartment to hang out and do dinner as a "thank you" for my help so far.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
MISSED OUT ON A PRIME TODAY...
So, I went to Smurfette's dad's place (we'll call him "Papa Smurf") and finished a project I'd started a few days ago. He wanted to level out the 'dirt' that had collected where his fire pit has been for well over a decade; and put in a new contained fire pit. He purchased a 3" wide (and 3" tall) metal pipe, over $100 in flagstone, and I spent the better part of a few afternoons digging in the dirt, putting a pipe in the ground, and surrounding it with the block...
It turned out looking surprisingly well, and I was paid $60 for my efforts. ($20 when I began, and $40 today). We stopped off at a little garage sale and spent a few bucks, stopped off to buy some milk, bread, & food, browsed around at Goodwill (found most of a Cybertron Mudflap for $1!), and wandered around Walmart to see what they had for cat shampoo... (Smurfette wanted to give our cat a bath, as she's been puking up furballs lately).
After discovering the shampoo (for $4), we wandered up and down the clearance isles; and I stumbled across a SUPREME CLASS ANIMATED OPTIMUS PRIME! This bugger originally retailed for $50-60; but was on clearance for $20!!!!! Too bad we'd already spent a decent chunk of money though, and I didn't have enough left to justify spending it on one kick-ass figure! I *did* stuff it behind some other items in equally-as-large boxes and inform a friend of mine of it's existance in the store, so he's going to check it out tomorrow... -I wish him the best of luck, as his wife was a little miffed that 5 minutes after seeing the commercial for the RotF movie figures, he ran off to the store and dropped $100 on Leader Prime & Megatron...
But, I've decided to head down to a place called "ZLB Plasma Services" with a friend tomorrow and sell my body for cash... -Well, at least some of the plasma I'm carrying around with me. Another friend of mine has been doing this for a few months now and appreciates the extra $60 a week he gets from doing it... So would I, since it'd be nice to be able to drop a few bucks on a Supreme Optimus Prime, or have some cash to go see a movie in the near future; since I hear a pretty cool one's coming out in a few days... Something like "Transmorphers: Return of the Risen" or some-such.
Anyways, I've gotta hit the hay.... It's already after midnight and I was planning on waking up at 5:00am....
Goodnight all!
It turned out looking surprisingly well, and I was paid $60 for my efforts. ($20 when I began, and $40 today). We stopped off at a little garage sale and spent a few bucks, stopped off to buy some milk, bread, & food, browsed around at Goodwill (found most of a Cybertron Mudflap for $1!), and wandered around Walmart to see what they had for cat shampoo... (Smurfette wanted to give our cat a bath, as she's been puking up furballs lately).
After discovering the shampoo (for $4), we wandered up and down the clearance isles; and I stumbled across a SUPREME CLASS ANIMATED OPTIMUS PRIME! This bugger originally retailed for $50-60; but was on clearance for $20!!!!! Too bad we'd already spent a decent chunk of money though, and I didn't have enough left to justify spending it on one kick-ass figure! I *did* stuff it behind some other items in equally-as-large boxes and inform a friend of mine of it's existance in the store, so he's going to check it out tomorrow... -I wish him the best of luck, as his wife was a little miffed that 5 minutes after seeing the commercial for the RotF movie figures, he ran off to the store and dropped $100 on Leader Prime & Megatron...
But, I've decided to head down to a place called "ZLB Plasma Services" with a friend tomorrow and sell my body for cash... -Well, at least some of the plasma I'm carrying around with me. Another friend of mine has been doing this for a few months now and appreciates the extra $60 a week he gets from doing it... So would I, since it'd be nice to be able to drop a few bucks on a Supreme Optimus Prime, or have some cash to go see a movie in the near future; since I hear a pretty cool one's coming out in a few days... Something like "Transmorphers: Return of the Risen" or some-such.
Anyways, I've gotta hit the hay.... It's already after midnight and I was planning on waking up at 5:00am....
Goodnight all!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
THERE'S ELECTRICITY IN THE AIR!
Literally anyways...
Turn the volume DOWN, as it's just background noise from the fans & AC (although you can probably make out Smurfette commenting on the 'severe weather').
The short video clip here was taken from my little Kodak EasyShare Camera, so it's nowhere near as cool looking as it was looking out the window of my apartment... The clouds would light up and flash like there was a party going on out there. No rain or thunder though, just flashes of light in the clouds! The camera only seemed to pick up on the actual flashes of lightning.
All the serious stuff was a couple counties south of us, and the curious thing about the weather where I am is that the clouds were all to the South & East of me, but to the North & West? Clear as can be! I could see the stars shining brightly...
I ended up heading outside to sit on the hill and watch the display for a few minutes. It was beautiful, and I remember why I like watching thunderstorms. -Now, as long as my power stays on, I'll be happy!
Well, I my application has been entered...
Not for a job though, but for Unemployment benefits. We'll see if I'm approved or not, but every little bit helps at this point. Later today (or tomorrow) I will start on the application for Cub Foods and see what my chances are of getting in there... I'd love to find something similar to what I was doing at "The Big Blue Box", but I don't think my chances are very good at finding something else like that around here.
Am I *happy* or *proud* of applying for Unemployment? No. Do I really care? -No again.
As I've said previously, I've put in shy of 5 years at The Big Blue Box, the least they could do is actually put my skills to use!
[Rant]
I don't understand what the hell is going on over there, and what the hell they're thinking having a fucking JOB FAIR to hire on MORE people if there are employees like me trying to FIND SOME DAMNED HOURS in the first place!
[/Rant]
*Sigh* Anyways, I'm going to go figure out what to do for dinner... The fact that I haven't eaten more than a half a little store bought pizza is starting to get to me. My tummy demands food!
Am I *happy* or *proud* of applying for Unemployment? No. Do I really care? -No again.
As I've said previously, I've put in shy of 5 years at The Big Blue Box, the least they could do is actually put my skills to use!
[Rant]
I don't understand what the hell is going on over there, and what the hell they're thinking having a fucking JOB FAIR to hire on MORE people if there are employees like me trying to FIND SOME DAMNED HOURS in the first place!
[/Rant]
*Sigh* Anyways, I'm going to go figure out what to do for dinner... The fact that I haven't eaten more than a half a little store bought pizza is starting to get to me. My tummy demands food!
Animooted Hilltopper concept idea...
So, I've been slowly working on a repaint idea for Animated Optimus Prime. Of course I'm going to do an Animated Kitty Truck! I've got the main concept down, but my lack of skills in Photoshop (or in my case GIMP 2.6) are keeping me from getting any more progress done on it.
As you can see in this picture, I've managed to kind of change the color scheme of the original image of Optimus Prime over to the orange & black Kitty Truck colors. My problem now is trying to figure out how to do the 'whiskers' on the truck itself...
I've got 3 options so far, whiskers based off the first toy I did, a new whisker concept that'll be unique to the Animated toy, and finally; one keeping pretty true to the original semi's paint scheme... I like all of them for various reasons. The first "Toy" whiskers would be the easiest to do from a painting standpoint, as the whiskers wouldn't have to correspond to his abdomen in Robot Mode. The second "Redline" design is something that another forum user at http://www.tfw2005.com/ proposed, since the Animated toyline is all about smooth lines; and I admit that it does look pretty slick... Finally, the final "Truck" paint scheme seems to look the best to me, as it's the closest to the actual paint scheme. I had to make sacrifices to the first repaint so I'd even be able to *do* it, so I'd be thrilled to be able to keep this as 'true' as possible... 
Now all I have to do is figure out how the whiskers (well, except for the "Toy" ones) will transfer to the Animated toy model... The toy's abdomen is obviously a bit different from the animation model, as Prime's grill is quite a bit larger; giving him a 'six pack abs' look...I've already got one Voyager Optimus to work with for the repaint, and I've actually got another coming from my Buy/Sell/Trade thread over at TFW. This time around I'm hoping to get a second one made to give as a gift to my mother, since she *REALLY* liked the first G1-based project. Heck, it was her father that drove the rig this guy's based off; and his C.B. handle is the inspiration for his name, Hilltopper!
Here's hoping he turns out well, once I actually start working on him that is!!!
:D
Is it morning already?
Smurfette's Sjogren's Syndrome is acting up, and the arthritis she has that goes along with it was (and still is) *really* bothering her... She set the alarm clock for 7am so I could call and cancel her dentist appointment this morning...
Too bad the clinic doesn't open until 8:00!
I'm going back to bed for an hour...
Too bad the clinic doesn't open until 8:00!
I'm going back to bed for an hour...
"The Real Effing Deal" about my love of Transformers!
So, I should say that I'm a big fan of the Transformers toys, comics, and cartoons. Well, maybe not all of the above, but certain ones from each line. I've got to say that the original "G1" cartoon that debuted back in 1984 is my favorite of the bunch. It's what's started my love of the characters, and still pulls me back to this day...
When I was young (or so my mother says), I had an Optimus Prime that I got from my grandmother. My grandfather was a truck driver, and I absolutely adored that toy because he was a cab-over semi like my grandpa drove!!!!!
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/Methusalen/Kitty%20Truck%20WIP/100_0758.jpg
Heck, in the last year or so, I even went as far as taking a reissued Optimus Prime (actually, he was something I'd won from the Mountain Dew "Transform Your Summer" promo they ran prior to the 2007 live-action Transformers film), and repainting him to look like 'The Kitty Truck". It turned out beautifully, everyone I've shown it to thinks it's cool as hell, and I have plans on doing a few more versions of it (assuming I ever get the money to do them).
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/Methusalen/Kitty%20Truck%20WIP/2008-04-26012.jpg
When I was young (or so my mother says), I had an Optimus Prime that I got from my grandmother. My grandfather was a truck driver, and I absolutely adored that toy because he was a cab-over semi like my grandpa drove!!!!!
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/Methusalen/Kitty%20Truck%20WIP/100_0758.jpg
Heck, in the last year or so, I even went as far as taking a reissued Optimus Prime (actually, he was something I'd won from the Mountain Dew "Transform Your Summer" promo they ran prior to the 2007 live-action Transformers film), and repainting him to look like 'The Kitty Truck". It turned out beautifully, everyone I've shown it to thinks it's cool as hell, and I have plans on doing a few more versions of it (assuming I ever get the money to do them).
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/Methusalen/Kitty%20Truck%20WIP/2008-04-26012.jpg
Now that the Transformers have come back into the spotlight, I've begun to pick up the occasional figure, both old and new. Of course, I've been picking up Optimus Primes; but my wife (hereby dubbed "Smurfette") has fallen in love with the character of Bumblebee. Everyone's favorite VW Bug-turned-Camarro. She has a few of the different figures from the recent movie line, as well as the recent Classics, Legends, and Reissue (Keychain) figures of her hero. I shit you not, in the 2007 Transformers movie ("TFTM"), she tears up and starts to *CRY* when Bumblebee is being captured by Sector 7... We've seen the film COUNTLESS times, and she *STILL* starts crying, like clockwork, EVERYTIME! -She loves her 'bug, what're you gonna do about it?
Anyways, since my lack of hours at "The Big Blue Box", I've started to whittle down my 150+ toy collection down a little bit, eliminating the figures I either:
1)Haven't displayed in a while, and have kept in a bin for the last year or more
2)Just don't have any interest in anymore
3)Don't know why the hell I even bought it in the first place
4)Think it might have a chance to net me a little bit of decent money, and I don't really need it anymore anyways... (like the Rhino G1 DVD sets I bought back in 2000).
I've been selling off a few of the figures pretty regularly through a Transformers fansite I frequent (http://www.tfw2005.com/), but I just haven't had the money to be able to pick up any of the new figures that are coming out for the 2nd Transformers movie (Revenge of the Fallen).
At this point, I'm not really planning on picking up that many figures. It looks like there are a good number of repaints from the previoius movie's toyline, which I already have, or have sold off... I would like to pick up the new Leader Class Optimus Prime, possibly the Leader Megatron since I passed on the last one, a couple of the new Bumblebee figures for Terasa, and there's one Deluxe Class figure I'd like to pick up just for the novely of it... In the upcoming movie there are two characters (refered to as "The Twins"), who start out by combining into a pink Ice Cream Truck... I laugh everytime I think about it, so I have to have him...
On a different note: I'd like to take a second to talk about something I found a few years ago, a little fan-convention in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin called "Dairycon"! I discovered it back in 2007 after another forum user at TFW2005 named FenderBender had mentioned it in passing. I thought it was pretty neat, a Transformers fan-convention based (compare to the other TF Conventions, it was relatively) close to where I lived? Pretty slick! I checked out their website, found the humor they used regarding their show to be right up my alley, and petitioned for membership to their Yahoo group (the "Dairyland Transfans Association"). Lo-and-behold, they let me in! I missed out on going to the first convention immediately after I'd joined the group, as Terasa and I just didn't have the funds (or transport) to make it out to Fond Du Lac that year, although we *did* make it to the next one in 2008! Terasa and I (as well as a couple friends) had fun, to which (most of us) agreed that it'd be fun to make it a yearly thing... We made plans to attend this last year, but money became tight, but more importantly; there was a death in the family on Terasa's side of the family...
Fred (the person who claims to be in charge :D ) was kind enough to send me a 'Non-Attendee Package", as I'd been working with him on a couple of things, had been showing a LOT of enthusiasm about the upcoming show, and was pretty devastated when we were unable to attend... (*shhhh....* Don't tell anyone, it was supposed to be kept on the 'down low'). This year sounded like a blast, and the 'exclusive' figure that came with the attendee package was pretty cool, a robotic donkey named "Ass-09". Inside the handout was another pleasant surprise as well, an old 5" floppy disc with "Optimus Prime" written on its label, a nod to the old Marvel comic books where Prime sacrifices his life because of some actions in a large VR-like video game, and the human that was running the game saved his entire memory to a single floppy disc... Just wow... I'm still curious to know if there's anything on the disc, but I don't ahve acces to such an old floppy drive! Terasa and I (along with a couple friends who WERE able to make it to the show this year) are DEFINITELY planning on making it to next year's show! (not to mention the 2011 show, as Fred has commented that he plans on using a couple of my character bios as the exclusive for that year!)
And that brings me to "The Real Effing Deal". I'll start out by saying that prior to the 2007 movie, there was a viral marketing website/Alternate Reality Game ("ARG") where they leaked information about the upcoming movie, as well as driving interest in the movie itself. It worked out rather well, and I was lucky enough to be asked to help out as a Moderator on their website... I got a neat 'thank you' from them in the way of a TFTM poster signed by Peter Cullen (the voice of Optimus Prime) made out to me...
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/Methusalen/Cullen%20Poster/100_1029.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/Methusalen/Cullen%20Poster/100_1030.jpg
So, when I heard that there was going to be another Viral Marketing site for the new film, I had to check it out...
http://www.therealeffingdeal.com/
and
http://www.gianteffingrobots.com/
Unfortunately, they started up pretty slow, and haven't had the amount of interest I think they deserve, especially after they've started to really pick up some steam! The premise behind both are each are "UFO Conspiracy" wesbites, with their respective owners posting news articles about UFO sightings, Robotics news pieces, and most recently, GIANT ROBOT SIGHTINGS!
The Real Effing Deal (TRED) is 'operated by' the main character's college dormmate; while Giant Effing Robots is 'being run' by a former Government Agent (now calling himself "Robo-Warrior") whom we've met in the first movie.
I've loved the back and forth nature of the two sites, as neither one like the other, and they each lay claim to one person stealing something from the other, etc,etc... I can't wait to see how their characters interact in the movie itself...
With any luck, I will have the funds to pay for the movie tickets for Terasa and myself to enjoy the show when it comes out... Wish me luck!
Methusalen's first rant...
So, I've finally broken down and have decided to take up a little corner of the interwebs to use to either talk about or bitch about my life. Do I plan on telling anyone in particular about it? Not really... I've always heard that it's theraputic to write a letter to someone, but then not send it; so I've decided to do that, only on the internet -where everyone can see it....
Yeah, it doesn't sound like I've thought my cunning plan through very well, have I?
Anyways, I've decided to start off my first blog post about work. -You see, nobody in particular; I have been working for "The Big Blue Box" since I started as an Occasional/Seasonal employee for the 2005 holiday season. I was lucky to be asked to stay on after the season ended, worked as a part-time employee in the Warehouse, moved to Loss Prevention, took a full-time position in Media, went back to part-time after my wife started having medical issues (to which I had to repeatedly call into work to bring her into the clinic).
Recently, however; I have been moved from the Media salesfloor back to a Merchandising position after The Big Blue Box decided they had to reorganize their staffing. Since that time, I have gone from 15-20+ hours a week down to 4-15. Yes, you read that right; there have been 3 times where I can count the total number of hours for the week on one hand. Two other weeks I can count the total hours on both hands, without taking off my shoes to continue...
If things weren't hard enough lately, the bills are starting to get backed up, the money's just not coming in anymore, and there's not a lot I can do about it. I've brought it up to my store's General Manager, but shortly after I brought it to his attention, he transfered to another store! *facepalm* I've spoken to a person in Admin, as well as my new Supervisor; but I haven't heard anything back from either of them yet, nor do I honestly expect to...
My loyalty to the company is as low as it's ever been. I was once kind of proud to say that I worked for "The Big Blue Box", as I really enjoyed helping people find solutions to either their technical problems (w/o having to drag the Geeks into anything), or getting the person the device/gaming system/software that fit their needs... People are happy if you treat them right, and I thought I was damned good at what I did.
However, I can't stay loyal to an employer who won't be loyal to *me*. Plenty of people have told me to look into Unemployment, since there's a good chance that I can collect something because of the lack of hours I've been getting lately. That might help, but I've been putting it off, thinking that the hours will pick back up... After all, the money for Payroll should be there now, right? I mean, we eliminated all those well-paid management positions, my previous (really cool) Supervisor's job position was eliminated and he left (leaving the money that they were paying HIM available for someone else), so where the hell are the hours??? Fuck if I know!
Well, tommorrow is it... I'm going to putter around on the Minnesota Unemployment website and see if I can qualify for unemployment insurance, and then start looking around to see who is hiring in my area... With luck, I just might find something I'll enjoy doing...
Yeah, it doesn't sound like I've thought my cunning plan through very well, have I?
Anyways, I've decided to start off my first blog post about work. -You see, nobody in particular; I have been working for "The Big Blue Box" since I started as an Occasional/Seasonal employee for the 2005 holiday season. I was lucky to be asked to stay on after the season ended, worked as a part-time employee in the Warehouse, moved to Loss Prevention, took a full-time position in Media, went back to part-time after my wife started having medical issues (to which I had to repeatedly call into work to bring her into the clinic).
Recently, however; I have been moved from the Media salesfloor back to a Merchandising position after The Big Blue Box decided they had to reorganize their staffing. Since that time, I have gone from 15-20+ hours a week down to 4-15. Yes, you read that right; there have been 3 times where I can count the total number of hours for the week on one hand. Two other weeks I can count the total hours on both hands, without taking off my shoes to continue...
If things weren't hard enough lately, the bills are starting to get backed up, the money's just not coming in anymore, and there's not a lot I can do about it. I've brought it up to my store's General Manager, but shortly after I brought it to his attention, he transfered to another store! *facepalm* I've spoken to a person in Admin, as well as my new Supervisor; but I haven't heard anything back from either of them yet, nor do I honestly expect to...
My loyalty to the company is as low as it's ever been. I was once kind of proud to say that I worked for "The Big Blue Box", as I really enjoyed helping people find solutions to either their technical problems (w/o having to drag the Geeks into anything), or getting the person the device/gaming system/software that fit their needs... People are happy if you treat them right, and I thought I was damned good at what I did.
However, I can't stay loyal to an employer who won't be loyal to *me*. Plenty of people have told me to look into Unemployment, since there's a good chance that I can collect something because of the lack of hours I've been getting lately. That might help, but I've been putting it off, thinking that the hours will pick back up... After all, the money for Payroll should be there now, right? I mean, we eliminated all those well-paid management positions, my previous (really cool) Supervisor's job position was eliminated and he left (leaving the money that they were paying HIM available for someone else), so where the hell are the hours??? Fuck if I know!
Well, tommorrow is it... I'm going to putter around on the Minnesota Unemployment website and see if I can qualify for unemployment insurance, and then start looking around to see who is hiring in my area... With luck, I just might find something I'll enjoy doing...
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