I'm sorry to hear about the car problem. I'm not a big car person, but I was wondering if you can share some of the specific problems you're having with your car. That might give you a better shot of getting good advice from our other readers. =)
But what if you showed up with a puppy wearing a string bikini? Eh?
You know, I bought my car with the completely misguided notion that a new car payments would be cheaper than than fixing an old car that I already owned completely. So TOTALLY NOT true, btw.
But as for fixing an old car cheaply, I'm pretty sure that your best bets are DIY or knowing someone. Unfortunately.
Did you go to a lousy technician the first time around?
I gave up cable about 5 months ago and I don't miss it because I watch all my favourite episodes online and/or end up in hotels most of the time watching free cable in the rooms (which end up being reruns most of the time).
But when I went to go do it, my cable service was almost crying on the other end, begging me to stay. They offered to drop it down by 50% for the next 6 months and a bunch of other things. But I told her that 50% of $50 is still $25 more for a service I don't want because I'm never around to use it.
;)
Try it with phone companies too. Some will buckle, but the VOIP ones won't...
I've never been savvy enough to apply for scholarships, so I tend to forget about them. Thanks for pointing that out. And good luck with your studies! I love Arabic, but had a heck of a time with the grammar. Chinese grammar is, thankfully, even easier than English grammar. But Arabic takes some adjustment. Mind you, it's all about having a good teacher, too.
I'm studying Arabic now and it's amazing how in-demand that language is! There's way more demand right now than there are people who speak it (What's the anecdote? There are only 12 people in the US Embassy in Iraq who can speak any Arabic and only 4 of those are fluent?). It would definitely help anyone who's interested in a government job.
There's a new scholarship I've just discovered that provides almost-free language and cultural training in "critical languages" (Arabic, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish and Urdu): https://clscholarship.org/home.php
I work with study abroad students and it never ceases to amaze me how many Spanish majors head off to Spain each year, when Latin American language and cultural knowledge would be so much more valuable in the long run.
And as has been explained before (by you?), it costs them more to gain new customers than it does to keep the old ones. No matter how much of a discount they give you.
It works because the cable companies know they are losing customers left and right to satellite. Most people love Cable for On Demand, but it won't be long before satellite figures out a way to do that. And then I'm sure we'll all see a big drop in cable prices.
I LOVE doing that. I call Comcast every time they up my rates and do the whole "I'm switching to Qwest" thing, which I would never do, because I hate Qwest with the passion of a million burning suns. But they drop my bills back to the ol' promotional rate every time. Mine you, I only have internet. But that's $30 for promotional versus $60 (including taxes) for a regular rate.
I work at Best Buy, and TRUST me I am NO advocate for the company, ask anyone who knows me, including my supervisor, and they will tell you that me and Best Buy DO NOT belong together, we don't agree on ANYTHING, but they pay my bills so anywho....BUT I will say that the website was COMPLETELY real up until recently, now there are two different sites in the store, one with local prices, and the other with national, and yes there is a difference, if you want to order something from the store MAKE SURE they check both, I work with cds and dvds and I personally have see $10 differences, so I can imagine if there is a difference on laptops, you MAY want to know about it. Buy my problem lies with the video, YES the company is crazy with rules, and videos and trainings, and honestly the closest thing I could compare it to is a cult....but it is not NEARLY as bad as the video tries to make it seem, even if it is a parody, it still doesn't represent the facts, no matter how bent they are in the name of comedy....once again Best Buy is bad but NO WHERE near that bad!
I would recommend Rice Krispie Treats made with Peeps instead of marshmallows...slightly more sugary than the normal blend, but in technicolor! I bought a couple boxes on clearance several years ago just to try it out and it was well worth the effort!
I can only imagine how dangerous it can be to microwave Peeps. I'll bet that the sugar on the outside could burn fairly easily, too. I'd recommend caution when nuking those little guys.
I seriously didn't know they were called Peeps because I don't like sweets and I don't celebrate Easter. But at my first official Easter dinner last night, my friend told me that she used to sandwich the peep between two graham crackers and microwave it, making a s'more kind of treat. Only thing is they poof up really fast so some experimentation may be necessary.
The thing that I love about acting is the ability to completely transform into another character for a while, to do and say things that I wouldn't normally. I can't think of a way to apply that to technical writing, except perhaps to speak in am Irish accent while interviewing SMEs or faint dramatically during an investor presentation. Now, sleeping through investor presentations, I've got that down.
I actually remember the exact moment in which performing lost its joy for me. I was a senior in high shcool, doing the voice-over for Peter and the Wolf at the local children's museum, with our city's orchestra. In fact, it was just as I was introducing the musicians that I felt all the love of the work just leave my body, like a fever breaking. I barely made it through, and I'm embarrassed now to think of what a lousy job I must have done.
I mentioned it, not to disprove your point, but to mention that I had a dream of something that I still like to think about, but honestly don't want to pursue, yet I enjoy thinking about it, because fantasies like that are fun.
My other dreams (book deal, travel) are still in the works, so there's no worry that I'll never be happy in my work or anything. :)
Or other sort of celebrity. See Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, etc. Though even they make their money outside of the drinking and passing out. I think.
I have a friend who worked with actors for years and she can tell the best stories...lots of drama. Andrea, I can't help but wonder if you use the things you love about acting in the work you do, or if you would be happier if you did. Does that ring any bells for you?
I don't think that video has any bearing on this article whatsoever. It seems to me it was made by a jaded ex-employee who probably lost his job over something ridiculous like discount abuse. As a former employee, I can attest to the fact that Best Buy's policies towards associates are not even remotely close to that. Unless that associate worked under Hitler, it's a gross exaggeration and has no tie in to the in store/in home .com pricing. The purpose of the in store intranet was to aid customers who were unable to be helped by an associate so they received the same information a sales person could give them. The original intent was not to mislead, but to my knowledge, Best Buy has corrected this.. and at least in the store I worked at, NO ONE ever made a fuss if a customer thought they saw a different price online. The associates would just find a computer in which they could access the commercial site to verifty the price and then match it.
Actually, this is a really interesting idea. Ever since I was a little, little kid, I was sure I would be an actress. I would perform in front of the mirror, put on elaborate plays for the neighbors, pose for headshots that my poor dad was forced to then shoot. It's a fantasy that I always return to, at least in my head, whenever I need a lift. I no longer take photos of my mug, though.
However, I spent some time doing theater when I was a teenager, and I came to the conclusion that I hate working with actors. Some of my friends are actors, but there's no way in hell that I can imagine working directly with them. The drama! Really. Lots of drama.
Maybe we should instigate some kind of I.Q./personality test before people can leave comments on Wisebread. Nothing way over the top, but enough to weed out the classless, undignified, rude and moronic. As I say, just a thought.
There's only one person on this comment thread who needs to refill their prescriptions, and it isn't me. Trying to formulate a connection between legitimate fears and the glass ceiling is incredibly disingenuous. That's all I'm going to say, since I'm trying out a new policy of not feeding the trolls.
Those of you interested in the topic female bloggers and the incoherent, generally sexist rants against them might be interested in Joan Walsh's blog on Salon.com, which discusses the recent Kathy Sierra brouhaha.
Oh my God someone was tailgating you AND YOU'RE A SINGLE WOMAN!!!!!11 Police officer should have been fired for not realizing you are a single woman YOU DESERVE BETTER.
Are you in therapy now for this horrific ordeal? You should sue the state to pay for your Xanax prescription, too.
Re-read your post and then call it to mind the next time you want to complain that there are few women at executive levels in business or politics. Maybe this neurotic dread of everything and totally insane menstrual overreaction to the slightest risk is the reason. "I should have raged at him like a hysterical shrew!" Yes, you should have. Then he could have charged you with something that would stick and you'd be boo-hoo-hooing about that, too.
Also, follow Rebecca Johnson's advice, traffic court works just like TV law dramas, actually isn't everything in the world just like TV? HA HA HA!
I'm sorry to hear about the car problem. I'm not a big car person, but I was wondering if you can share some of the specific problems you're having with your car. That might give you a better shot of getting good advice from our other readers. =)
But what if you showed up with a puppy wearing a string bikini? Eh?
You know, I bought my car with the completely misguided notion that a new car payments would be cheaper than than fixing an old car that I already owned completely. So TOTALLY NOT true, btw.
But as for fixing an old car cheaply, I'm pretty sure that your best bets are DIY or knowing someone. Unfortunately.
Did you go to a lousy technician the first time around?
I gave up cable about 5 months ago and I don't miss it because I watch all my favourite episodes online and/or end up in hotels most of the time watching free cable in the rooms (which end up being reruns most of the time).
But when I went to go do it, my cable service was almost crying on the other end, begging me to stay. They offered to drop it down by 50% for the next 6 months and a bunch of other things. But I told her that 50% of $50 is still $25 more for a service I don't want because I'm never around to use it.
;)
Try it with phone companies too. Some will buckle, but the VOIP ones won't...
I've never been savvy enough to apply for scholarships, so I tend to forget about them. Thanks for pointing that out. And good luck with your studies! I love Arabic, but had a heck of a time with the grammar. Chinese grammar is, thankfully, even easier than English grammar. But Arabic takes some adjustment. Mind you, it's all about having a good teacher, too.
Just an FYI for the Wise Breaders out there.
I'm studying Arabic now and it's amazing how in-demand that language is! There's way more demand right now than there are people who speak it (What's the anecdote? There are only 12 people in the US Embassy in Iraq who can speak any Arabic and only 4 of those are fluent?). It would definitely help anyone who's interested in a government job.
There's a new scholarship I've just discovered that provides almost-free language and cultural training in "critical languages" (Arabic, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish and Urdu): https://clscholarship.org/home.php
I work with study abroad students and it never ceases to amaze me how many Spanish majors head off to Spain each year, when Latin American language and cultural knowledge would be so much more valuable in the long run.
And as has been explained before (by you?), it costs them more to gain new customers than it does to keep the old ones. No matter how much of a discount they give you.
It works because the cable companies know they are losing customers left and right to satellite. Most people love Cable for On Demand, but it won't be long before satellite figures out a way to do that. And then I'm sure we'll all see a big drop in cable prices.
I LOVE doing that. I call Comcast every time they up my rates and do the whole "I'm switching to Qwest" thing, which I would never do, because I hate Qwest with the passion of a million burning suns. But they drop my bills back to the ol' promotional rate every time. Mine you, I only have internet. But that's $30 for promotional versus $60 (including taxes) for a regular rate.
I was on a low budget this year so bought a ton of these things as they were on for three for a dollar! I'm going to try it with coffee. Thanks again.
I work at Best Buy, and TRUST me I am NO advocate for the company, ask anyone who knows me, including my supervisor, and they will tell you that me and Best Buy DO NOT belong together, we don't agree on ANYTHING, but they pay my bills so anywho....BUT I will say that the website was COMPLETELY real up until recently, now there are two different sites in the store, one with local prices, and the other with national, and yes there is a difference, if you want to order something from the store MAKE SURE they check both, I work with cds and dvds and I personally have see $10 differences, so I can imagine if there is a difference on laptops, you MAY want to know about it. Buy my problem lies with the video, YES the company is crazy with rules, and videos and trainings, and honestly the closest thing I could compare it to is a cult....but it is not NEARLY as bad as the video tries to make it seem, even if it is a parody, it still doesn't represent the facts, no matter how bent they are in the name of comedy....once again Best Buy is bad but NO WHERE near that bad!
I would recommend Rice Krispie Treats made with Peeps instead of marshmallows...slightly more sugary than the normal blend, but in technicolor! I bought a couple boxes on clearance several years ago just to try it out and it was well worth the effort!
I can only imagine how dangerous it can be to microwave Peeps. I'll bet that the sugar on the outside could burn fairly easily, too. I'd recommend caution when nuking those little guys.
I seriously didn't know they were called Peeps because I don't like sweets and I don't celebrate Easter. But at my first official Easter dinner last night, my friend told me that she used to sandwich the peep between two graham crackers and microwave it, making a s'more kind of treat. Only thing is they poof up really fast so some experimentation may be necessary.
The thing that I love about acting is the ability to completely transform into another character for a while, to do and say things that I wouldn't normally. I can't think of a way to apply that to technical writing, except perhaps to speak in am Irish accent while interviewing SMEs or faint dramatically during an investor presentation. Now, sleeping through investor presentations, I've got that down.
I actually remember the exact moment in which performing lost its joy for me. I was a senior in high shcool, doing the voice-over for Peter and the Wolf at the local children's museum, with our city's orchestra. In fact, it was just as I was introducing the musicians that I felt all the love of the work just leave my body, like a fever breaking. I barely made it through, and I'm embarrassed now to think of what a lousy job I must have done.
I mentioned it, not to disprove your point, but to mention that I had a dream of something that I still like to think about, but honestly don't want to pursue, yet I enjoy thinking about it, because fantasies like that are fun.
My other dreams (book deal, travel) are still in the works, so there's no worry that I'll never be happy in my work or anything. :)
Or other sort of celebrity. See Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, etc. Though even they make their money outside of the drinking and passing out. I think.
I have a friend who worked with actors for years and she can tell the best stories...lots of drama. Andrea, I can't help but wonder if you use the things you love about acting in the work you do, or if you would be happier if you did. Does that ring any bells for you?
I don't think that video has any bearing on this article whatsoever. It seems to me it was made by a jaded ex-employee who probably lost his job over something ridiculous like discount abuse. As a former employee, I can attest to the fact that Best Buy's policies towards associates are not even remotely close to that. Unless that associate worked under Hitler, it's a gross exaggeration and has no tie in to the in store/in home .com pricing. The purpose of the in store intranet was to aid customers who were unable to be helped by an associate so they received the same information a sales person could give them. The original intent was not to mislead, but to my knowledge, Best Buy has corrected this.. and at least in the store I worked at, NO ONE ever made a fuss if a customer thought they saw a different price online. The associates would just find a computer in which they could access the commercial site to verifty the price and then match it.
I picked one up.
I prefer 1-800-FREE-411 (or 1-888-FREE-411)
Damn.
Actually, this is a really interesting idea. Ever since I was a little, little kid, I was sure I would be an actress. I would perform in front of the mirror, put on elaborate plays for the neighbors, pose for headshots that my poor dad was forced to then shoot. It's a fantasy that I always return to, at least in my head, whenever I need a lift. I no longer take photos of my mug, though.
However, I spent some time doing theater when I was a teenager, and I came to the conclusion that I hate working with actors. Some of my friends are actors, but there's no way in hell that I can imagine working directly with them. The drama! Really. Lots of drama.
Maybe we should instigate some kind of I.Q./personality test before people can leave comments on Wisebread. Nothing way over the top, but enough to weed out the classless, undignified, rude and moronic. As I say, just a thought.
There's only one person on this comment thread who needs to refill their prescriptions, and it isn't me. Trying to formulate a connection between legitimate fears and the glass ceiling is incredibly disingenuous. That's all I'm going to say, since I'm trying out a new policy of not feeding the trolls.
Those of you interested in the topic female bloggers and the incoherent, generally sexist rants against them might be interested in Joan Walsh's blog on Salon.com, which discusses the recent Kathy Sierra brouhaha.
Oh my God someone was tailgating you AND YOU'RE A SINGLE WOMAN!!!!!11 Police officer should have been fired for not realizing you are a single woman YOU DESERVE BETTER.
Are you in therapy now for this horrific ordeal? You should sue the state to pay for your Xanax prescription, too.
Re-read your post and then call it to mind the next time you want to complain that there are few women at executive levels in business or politics. Maybe this neurotic dread of everything and totally insane menstrual overreaction to the slightest risk is the reason. "I should have raged at him like a hysterical shrew!" Yes, you should have. Then he could have charged you with something that would stick and you'd be boo-hoo-hooing about that, too.
Also, follow Rebecca Johnson's advice, traffic court works just like TV law dramas, actually isn't everything in the world just like TV? HA HA HA!
I thought a big bell flew in from Rome?
Everyone knows that the Rabbit of Easter. He brings of the chocolate .