the working room: April 2008

Safety versus Gas Price
Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Around my area the price of gas has risen to as much as $3.75 a gallon. That's the slightly higher grade of gas my car requires.

The summer driving season hasn't even started yet! I'm reading reports that per barrel "experts" predict prices as high as $200!

Thank goodness I don't have far to drive.

I've noticed that the dealers nearby have removed all of their big trucks and SUVs for those new, fuel efficient and amusing golf carts.

I believe in fuel economy, yet I value my life more. I'd rather pay more for gas in a full sized automobile that will protect me from bodily harm. My car has air bags everywhere, and one of those crash zone impact frames what-have-you.

I live in the state with the worst drivers in America. I care about careful driving and evading car accidents, not high gas prices.

Labels: automobiles, fuel efficiency, gas, high gas prices, oil, safety

posted by GoldenAh

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New York Auto Show 2008 - Slide Show
Sunday, April 27, 2008

Labels: automobiles, cars, new york auto show

posted by GoldenAh

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I Am An Unforgiving Consumer
Wednesday, April 23, 2008

At times, I am a really slow shopper. Good shopping is like a hobby, or enjoying a good snack. It's to be done without haste, and with much leisure.

I browse, looking at nearly every item of interest to purchase. I can linger for long periods of time in hair, skin, makeup, and especially pain / cold remedy aisles. I like to look for particular products, check the prices, ingredients, and the smell.

Does that make me a criminal? Or is it because I am a black woman?

Are these the most shoplifted items? They must be. I can only surmise this from the behavior of store clerks. I wonder where they think I can hide these items on my body? Apparently, these geniuses need to pass directly in front of me a million times, or linger closely without so much as a "Hello, can I help you find something?"

Guess what I do? I'll abruptly put down the basket chock full of items. I head for the exit. My money stays in my wallet. (Yeah, I carry a wallet, not a purse.) And I am out. I am not coming back. Ever.

There's too much competition for my money. I don't need these clowns, they need me.

I want to shop without some minimum wage nitwit shadowing me. I want to toss my 12 oz hair conditioner at them. I want to read the ingredients without someone breathing down my back. I should be able to check that this item is on sale without the sudden store clerk traffic coming my way.

If you cannot respect my shopping habits: Adios. I will never return.

Labels: angry shopping, customer service, CVS, Rite Aid, store clerks, Target, Walgreens, Walmart

posted by GoldenAh

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A Bitter April 15th
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Flat Tax

Why wont this stupid government pass a flat tax and be done with it? Let me pay what I owe once. Don't tax me every time I touch my own bloody money.

Nothing angers me more than when I have to pay a second tax and third tax, after an income tax, on money I had in savings. Why is this okay? Why is this even permissible?

I don't expect much in the way of the electorate demanding simplicity, but couldn't a brave, and hopefully intelligent, politician see the way? Couldn't one of these elected geniuses offer some kind of two-track tax plan? There should be one for tax payers who love paperwork, and a one-time, once per year tax only on income. And that's it!!

Why must there be thousands of pages just to pay taxes? Is the purpose of these byzantine tax laws to ensure a domestic works program for financial planners, accountants, lawyers and their ilk? A flat tax would certainly reduce the demand for these "professionals." A better course of action would be to pass the flat tax, then have all these accountants auditing government spending on entitlements, domestic programs and defense.

Bitterness

Forget about the opiate of the masses, excessive taxation is legalized slavery. If the government has its citizens in debt to pay taxes, there is no moral difference. It is indentured servitude.

Just what do my taxes pay for? Here's an example: a "stimulus" check, where the same money we sent, is returned to the taxpayers. How about not confiscating so much in the first place?

If you want to talk about a bitter citizen, then I am your woman. I haven't embraced guns yet, but I'm almost there. 'Cause right now all there is to cling to is God.

Labels: bitter, debt, flat tax, IRS, taxes, US

posted by GoldenAh

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When a Computer Dies
Tuesday, April 8, 2008

My file server just had to die on me. It's an old box - over 7 years old, which I use to print, scan documents, grab additional disk space via my external hard drive for the other computers I have. The file server is not critical, yet it is necessary.

Procrastination caused this mess: that might as well be my middle name.

I make backups, but the files I have on my backup drive are not the most recent. It's been over a year and a half since I copied files to the backup drive.

Damn.

Fortunately, I don't erase files off of my camera's SD card. I usually copy the files from my SD card directly to the backup drive. Yet, lately I was solely using the file server.

Why!?!

I wish I knew. This thing has been screaming in high pitched death throes for over three years. Lately, there was a burning smell, which I thought was one of the printers. I didn't know it was the file server.

Duh.

I sent it off to be repaired. I know the power unit was what died. I only hope that was the worst of it. The machine runs on Windows XP Professional. I don't want a new box with Windows Vista. I'm not in the mood for that kind of time wasting agony.

Labels: backup drive, backup files, file server, windows vista, windows xp professional

posted by GoldenAh