Hi all,
It's been a while since I've had time/motivation to write. However, I have a question for you all. I have unlimited data on Verizon, and I know if I upgrade I lose it. Since it seems to me that most communication soon will be data (skype, google chat, etc.) as well as the fact that I routinely use way more than my data quota, I'm unwilling to do this. Does anyone have a workaround/solution for that? I don't need a new phone, but I'd like the Samsung Galaxy s5 when it comes out. Can I win the argument with Verizon to upgrade and keep my plan? Has anyone successfully done that?
I've done some research for what I can buy at amazon/newegg/bestbuy outright, but the prices suck (probably because nobody does it that way).
On another note, Bestbuy pisses me off. Apparently, using their insurance policy (which I've been paying for a year now and can't get out of by walking in a store - you have to call a special number) DOESN'T GUARANTEE YOU A NEW PHONE - JUST A REFURB! Had I known this, I think I wouldn't have signed up. It's only a few dollars cheaper per month than the Verizon insurance, and I'm pretty sure that gives a new phone.
Be Frugal, be well :)
~Mark
Monday, November 4, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Not cheap, just awesome.
Hi Everybody,
From time to time, things happen in life that really make me wonder. I went on a bike ride in the woods this morning, got irrevocably lost, found multiple survivalist shelters, a bunch of great mountain biking, and eventually, my way out of the woods. I was supposed to go to a concert today, leaving sometime around 1. Instead, I got lost in the woods, found some amazing things, and was helped out of them by multiple good Samaritans.
It all began as a normal Sunday bike ride - we discussed routes, decided terrain, and then hoped for the best. The first guy we passed was a hiker who had clearly spent the last evening in the woods. He stopped us, informed us that he just had passed a bear and her two cubs, and to be careful. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SIGN. We didn't find a bear, but about 10 miles later, we were pretty lost with no real way of getting out. The ride borders a dam, and there used to be roads at the bottom of it before they flooded it. So, after a few hours in the woods and no signs of the outside world, we found one of these roads which led into the water. I saw a way around it, and my uncle said it wouldn't work. Having had a difference of opinions, he went his way and I went mine. I forded the stream, hiked up and down a steep gulley, and then noticed a path in the woods. I followed it and ended up at a survivalist hut, a la Bear Grylls or Les Stroud. It had a lean to made of pine branches, a tarp roof, a fire pit and a stocked woodpile. I took some pictures, marveling at how deep in the woods I must be, and then set out. I saw blazes on the trees, and followed them through a briar patch, ripping my poor legs to shreds. Eventually, this led me to the river, almost exactly where I started. Ugh. Maybe my uncle was right (but please don't ever let him hear that).
I followed the coast of the river through some of the best biking all day - mud and stone that had clearly been underwater in earlier parts of the spring. I was breaking new ground, having a blast, until I got to some rocks that were too bumpy to keep riding on. I walked my bike for a few minutes, and saw two blue herons that I had startled wing their way across the water - and over a bass fishing boat near shore.
As politely as I could, I said, "Sorry to interrupt your fishing, but do you happen to know how far up the next road is?" He replied in a slow drawl that it was at least 3 miles to the nearest road that he knew of, then another 2 or 3 to the paved road. From there, I knew I had at least 2 miles north, 4 miles west, and then 10 miles back down south to my house. I had long since given up any ideas I might have had about getting back to my car first.
He pulled his boat in to shore, and despite my protests, said he'd ferry me to the other shore. This saved me, by my rough estimate, at least 10, but maybe up to 20 miserable miles on top of my already epic 15 mile bike ride/hike/pocalypse. He introduced himself, talked about his kids and grandkids, and leisurely putted us across the previously insurmountable river/lake I'd been wrestling with for two hours at this point. I replied in kind, with great gratitude, and tried to help him with his docking procedure, but he waved me off. I explained that I believe in Karma and that he was certainly due a boatload of it, but again he modestly shrugged me off and wished me well.
I hopped back on my bike and sprinted the 5 miles left on my ride. Now I knew where I was going, and was determined to get back in time to help my uncle find his way out of the woods and safely home. A mile from home, I stopped and called my aunt to let her know what was going on, and while on the phone with her, my uncle rode in the driveway. Somehow, he had beaten me home! Against all odds, he had found the exact way out of the forest, gotten on pavement and beaten me home.
I learned/remembered a few life lessons today. I) Appreciate the grand beauty and power that nature offers, and how quickly it can win. II) Don't let disagreements force you to separate in the woods, and III) Never underestimate how kind strangers can be.
I'm always impressed when I travel with how much nicer people seem to be, but it's not just that they're nicer. It's that I have to ask them for things, and they almost never disappoint me. People are almost always nicer than you think they are, if given the chance to be and asked respectfully. My take away in terms of my daily life is that I should ask for help more often - needed or not - because it gives others a chance to shine, and reminds me how good people can be.
From time to time, things happen in life that really make me wonder. I went on a bike ride in the woods this morning, got irrevocably lost, found multiple survivalist shelters, a bunch of great mountain biking, and eventually, my way out of the woods. I was supposed to go to a concert today, leaving sometime around 1. Instead, I got lost in the woods, found some amazing things, and was helped out of them by multiple good Samaritans.
It all began as a normal Sunday bike ride - we discussed routes, decided terrain, and then hoped for the best. The first guy we passed was a hiker who had clearly spent the last evening in the woods. He stopped us, informed us that he just had passed a bear and her two cubs, and to be careful. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SIGN. We didn't find a bear, but about 10 miles later, we were pretty lost with no real way of getting out. The ride borders a dam, and there used to be roads at the bottom of it before they flooded it. So, after a few hours in the woods and no signs of the outside world, we found one of these roads which led into the water. I saw a way around it, and my uncle said it wouldn't work. Having had a difference of opinions, he went his way and I went mine. I forded the stream, hiked up and down a steep gulley, and then noticed a path in the woods. I followed it and ended up at a survivalist hut, a la Bear Grylls or Les Stroud. It had a lean to made of pine branches, a tarp roof, a fire pit and a stocked woodpile. I took some pictures, marveling at how deep in the woods I must be, and then set out. I saw blazes on the trees, and followed them through a briar patch, ripping my poor legs to shreds. Eventually, this led me to the river, almost exactly where I started. Ugh. Maybe my uncle was right (but please don't ever let him hear that).
I followed the coast of the river through some of the best biking all day - mud and stone that had clearly been underwater in earlier parts of the spring. I was breaking new ground, having a blast, until I got to some rocks that were too bumpy to keep riding on. I walked my bike for a few minutes, and saw two blue herons that I had startled wing their way across the water - and over a bass fishing boat near shore.
As politely as I could, I said, "Sorry to interrupt your fishing, but do you happen to know how far up the next road is?" He replied in a slow drawl that it was at least 3 miles to the nearest road that he knew of, then another 2 or 3 to the paved road. From there, I knew I had at least 2 miles north, 4 miles west, and then 10 miles back down south to my house. I had long since given up any ideas I might have had about getting back to my car first.
He pulled his boat in to shore, and despite my protests, said he'd ferry me to the other shore. This saved me, by my rough estimate, at least 10, but maybe up to 20 miserable miles on top of my already epic 15 mile bike ride/hike/pocalypse. He introduced himself, talked about his kids and grandkids, and leisurely putted us across the previously insurmountable river/lake I'd been wrestling with for two hours at this point. I replied in kind, with great gratitude, and tried to help him with his docking procedure, but he waved me off. I explained that I believe in Karma and that he was certainly due a boatload of it, but again he modestly shrugged me off and wished me well.
I hopped back on my bike and sprinted the 5 miles left on my ride. Now I knew where I was going, and was determined to get back in time to help my uncle find his way out of the woods and safely home. A mile from home, I stopped and called my aunt to let her know what was going on, and while on the phone with her, my uncle rode in the driveway. Somehow, he had beaten me home! Against all odds, he had found the exact way out of the forest, gotten on pavement and beaten me home.
I learned/remembered a few life lessons today. I) Appreciate the grand beauty and power that nature offers, and how quickly it can win. II) Don't let disagreements force you to separate in the woods, and III) Never underestimate how kind strangers can be.
I'm always impressed when I travel with how much nicer people seem to be, but it's not just that they're nicer. It's that I have to ask them for things, and they almost never disappoint me. People are almost always nicer than you think they are, if given the chance to be and asked respectfully. My take away in terms of my daily life is that I should ask for help more often - needed or not - because it gives others a chance to shine, and reminds me how good people can be.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
A Cautionary tale to those wanting to save on their electric bill
Hi all,
So, Connecticut Light and Power. They're greeeat. You know, not a monopoly at all. So, when I got a cold call from a company offering to reduce my bill, I thought it was a great idea. I signed up. Then CL&P stopped sending me bills, the new company never sent me their first bill, and CL&P cut off my power. WTF? Because of their lack of communication, I lose my power? It coincided with a thunderstorm, so I figured that was the problem. It took me a couple hours to realize that it was that the company cut my power!
So, in an effort to save 30% on my electric bill (approximately $35) a month, I ended up paying $35 to reconnect my service, and I have $250 in escrow until I pay my bill on time for a year. How freaking embarrassing. Especially since I didn't do anything wrong; it was the middleman electric company who didn't pay my bill!
The best part is that I sent a $100 payment to CL&P when they contacted me. Want to know what they shut off my service for? The $3 balance. They would have needed $103.19 to make the payment and keep my service on, and my $100 just wouldn't cut it. You've gotta love big corporations and their degree of empathy.
I'm thinking I need to go to the better business bureau to get some of my money back. By my calculation, I am owed a day of electric service, an hour and a half of cell phone minutes, the money in escrow, and the $35 reconnect fee. So, $5, $10, my $250 back, and $35 is about $300.
What do you all think? Can I fight the big electric company?
~Mark
So, Connecticut Light and Power. They're greeeat. You know, not a monopoly at all. So, when I got a cold call from a company offering to reduce my bill, I thought it was a great idea. I signed up. Then CL&P stopped sending me bills, the new company never sent me their first bill, and CL&P cut off my power. WTF? Because of their lack of communication, I lose my power? It coincided with a thunderstorm, so I figured that was the problem. It took me a couple hours to realize that it was that the company cut my power!
So, in an effort to save 30% on my electric bill (approximately $35) a month, I ended up paying $35 to reconnect my service, and I have $250 in escrow until I pay my bill on time for a year. How freaking embarrassing. Especially since I didn't do anything wrong; it was the middleman electric company who didn't pay my bill!
The best part is that I sent a $100 payment to CL&P when they contacted me. Want to know what they shut off my service for? The $3 balance. They would have needed $103.19 to make the payment and keep my service on, and my $100 just wouldn't cut it. You've gotta love big corporations and their degree of empathy.
I'm thinking I need to go to the better business bureau to get some of my money back. By my calculation, I am owed a day of electric service, an hour and a half of cell phone minutes, the money in escrow, and the $35 reconnect fee. So, $5, $10, my $250 back, and $35 is about $300.
What do you all think? Can I fight the big electric company?
~Mark
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Being positive despite some dumb poopenschticken
Hi all,
So, Karma's a bitch, as they say. But it's also nice to you if you pay into it. I frequently fix peoples' computers, bikes and other stuff for free, and give stuff away because I just don't need it anymore. I like to think that this means good things for me. Now, it doesn't mean I get ipads or samsung tablets falling out of the sky for me, but I did win a kindle fire last year :)
So, I've decided that when my one man, sucking at guitar band goes viral this year, the title will be "Smiling at Strangers." because it works. I just wrote a letter of recommendation for a coworker, and one of the most positive things I said was as follows: "She makes those around her happier just by smiling at them every day, for no particular reason other than that she is happy to see them." Now, she's not exactly a stranger, and full on beaming at random folks tends to freak them out. However, a gentle, contented smile tends to win people over and improve their day.
Now, what does this have to do with technology, you say? Well, not much. But I don't have another blog for karma (yet).
Have a good day, and recycle your old electronics. Maybe a samsung will fall out of the sky for you :)
~Mark
So, Karma's a bitch, as they say. But it's also nice to you if you pay into it. I frequently fix peoples' computers, bikes and other stuff for free, and give stuff away because I just don't need it anymore. I like to think that this means good things for me. Now, it doesn't mean I get ipads or samsung tablets falling out of the sky for me, but I did win a kindle fire last year :)
So, I've decided that when my one man, sucking at guitar band goes viral this year, the title will be "Smiling at Strangers." because it works. I just wrote a letter of recommendation for a coworker, and one of the most positive things I said was as follows: "She makes those around her happier just by smiling at them every day, for no particular reason other than that she is happy to see them." Now, she's not exactly a stranger, and full on beaming at random folks tends to freak them out. However, a gentle, contented smile tends to win people over and improve their day.
Now, what does this have to do with technology, you say? Well, not much. But I don't have another blog for karma (yet).
Have a good day, and recycle your old electronics. Maybe a samsung will fall out of the sky for you :)
~Mark
Monday, June 17, 2013
Using my smartphone to increase productivity during training.
Hi all,
It's summer, so now I have time to use my smartphone in earnest once again. I hope no one has been missing my posts too much :) I'm currently sitting in a professional development on how I'll be rated by my principals next year, and I'm having a hard time focusing. So instead, I'm writing this blog, using my Motorola bluetooth keyboard. The presenter tried to get our attention by asking us 3*10. We're on slide DD. WHY, oh WHY would we call a slide, any slide, that? It invites terrible comments. Breast feeding was mentioned. Anyway, I have to go before I get caught. But hopefully your summers are already started. I can't wait to join you on Wednesday for full, unadulterated celebration of the season.
~Mark
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