Sweet Catastrophe

I can’t believe I almost forgot my entry into Colleen’s monthly giveaway! This month she’s giving away an 80GB portable harddrive and a copy of The Wedding Singer on dvd.

I’ll take either one, but I could definitely use the portable harddrive with all my computer classes. It’s so easy to lose a tiny flash drive. This sleek portable would be amazing to have. I’d have to be careful though, don’t wanna get my drool in it!

I’ve also taken to finally getting all my pictures offline…and stealing people’s pics from Facebook as well. I really need somewhere to back those up. A new portable is definitely in my future; let’s just hope it’s in my future for free!

How can you get a shot at this baby? What happens is you get entries into the drawing for doing different things.

10 entries for blogging about it
2 entries for posting a bulletin
1 for posting in a forum
1 for Digging
1 for commenting on the blog post.

Hurry up though! Today is the last day to enter for this month, but check back, she’s got a new one every month!

Not what you think, really. I have a mini gripe and a normal gripe. First, the mini gripe!

When you write out a check, why do you write “dollars” on the line?

 See? It already says dollars on there. It’s not something that bothers me, really. It’s just one of those tiny pet peeves, and something I’ve always been curious about. I only really care when it comes down to writing checks that are in the thousands and someone is freaking out trying to squeeze it all in on the line! “But Jade!! I’ve got to write my change in there too!” Umm….so you know why you write $.34 as 34/100? That means 34 hundredths of a dollar. So if your amount is $175.34, you write, “One hundred seventy-five & 34/100,” the”dollars” is already there.

This is the one that really gets me though. Your debit card can be used as a credit card. Take a look at your card. See that little logo in the bottom corner? It usually says Visa or MasterCard. That means it’s backed by one of those companies. It can be used as credit!

I run into this problem WAY too often with people whose cards are old, and thus our system can’t read it properly. If I have to type in your number, it’ll be processed as credit. What does that mean? Not a damn thing except that, like a credit card, it’ll take a day or two before that charge will show up.

I’m fully aware that most debit cards provided by credit unions can’t be used as credit; that’s not really what I’m referring to here. I’m talking about the people that want to argue with me that this BOA debit card can’t be used as credit. Guess what? You know all those fast food restaurants and gas pumps where you’re not typing in your pin number? Those places are processing it as credit. Is that enough to convince you?

And for the record, I always ask if it’s okay to run a card as credit because I’m aware some companies charge you for using it as credit.

As a whole, I hope to see the day when people know how to use debit cards, period. At least once a day I get someone who’ll swipe their card, type in their pin number, and then strike credit and sign for it. You’re not inputting your pin number, I hope you know. If you put in your pin number, you hit enter and that’s done. You don’t need a pin number to use it as credit. *head desk*

Okay, I’ll zip it now.

..You came and you gave without taking……except for that one time

*deep sigh* My Andy is leaving me. You know Andy, right? He’s so amazing he’s even on my About page. He’s my neighbor….for another day *tear* Ya see, Andy has graduated, and it’s now time for him to fly away. He’s heading out Monday morning to tour for a month, and then who knows? Mayhaps Andy will come stay in Valdosta for a few more months, or he’ll go straight to Chicago, where he ultimately plans to end up.

I hope he comes back for a few months, but that’s my selfish side. I truly hope he ends up in whichever situation is going to be best for him.

I’d like to say Andy and I were pretty much instant buddies…at least instantly when we actually talked one-on-one for the first time. We were probably both drunk at the time, which explains why I can’t give a clearer idea of the beginning of our friendship. I know it started with a joke about there being a test when you’re 12 to determine whether or not you should be allowed to continue living. Andy, on that night, felt that Josh wouldn’t have passed.

In the short time since then, we’ve shared many jokes =) We’ve also weathered the recent tragedy together, and I don’t know what I’d have done without Andy.

Andy, darlin’, I love you! So very much and I hope the short time we’ve had together has cemented a strong enough bond to carry our friendship across the distance. I’m gonna miss you so much! Hearing that door open just won’t bring the same happiness anymore.

Just don’t forget to make trips to Valdosta. =(

Skeet was kind enough to tag me so I could play along with the Middle Name Meme. Yes, I’m fully aware I can just do memes anyway, but it’s just more fun to me if I’m officially tagged!

The Rules:

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts.

4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Shall I give you time to throw out some guesses of what my middle name may be? It’s really not hard, I promise

*waiting*

Okay I’m impatient.

J– I knew who John Mayer was waaaay before you…and he was much better back then.
A– I have severe allergies. I’m even allergic to cats, but I’ve always owned one.
D– I honestly can’t tell you how many DVDs I own, but I know it’s a ridiculous amount.
E– Ed is an old nickname of mine, for Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV.

(J was lame…I got stuck though =( )

Now to tag some others! Kristi and Catie for sure, and I’ll add two others later!

Crissy is having a 50 for $50 contest! I write 50 words about her site, and maybe she’ll give me $50. It’s a chance I’m willing to take

I’ve actually visited her site a random few times. I really like her writing style and enjoy that, like me, she varies between more personal, ‘journal’ type posts, and informative or entertaining blog posts.

She does something I’ve always wished I had the skill to do…she’s an amazing photographer, and her artwork makes me ridiculously jealous…

If I’m lucky, Crissy’s fingers will find my name in her magical hat when she does the drawing for this contest. My PayPal account could definitely use an extra $50 to soften the blow of all these course books I can’t even afford…

Okay, so there’s a new(ish) app on Facebook called Cash Cliques. Basically it works like this:

You go to the app page and click on an ad.
It opens with a timer at the top
After 30 seconds, you get a penny.
You can click 10 ads a day.
You can cash out (through PayPal) when you reach $10.

In this way, you could cash out after 100 days. Here’s the thing though, when you refer friends, you get a penny for every ad they click as well. So if you have 10 friends, it’d just be a little over a week before you’d earn ten bucks.

There are also bonus prizes, which I haven’t fully looked into, but I think it just goes that when you click an ad you can win up to $100. If a friend you referred wins a prize, you get 40%.

So, it’s a really simple idea, but it’s only really worth it if people sign up under you and do it as well, so in the spirit of that– my referral link.

It’s about 5 minutes of your time a day, and I’m doing it in one tab, while browsing in another tab.

I’ve read through discussions and such that yes, they’re making money doing this, but about 90% of their profit is going back out to payouts (including 10% that’s donated to charity.)

So again, really simple idea, can either be a waste of my time if no one else bothers, or a really easy way to make extra cash if other people sign up!

(Sorry for the brevity of this post, I’ve gotta get to my real job…*tears*)

It’s probably about time I posted this. The title of my blog comes from the song “Hurricane” by Something Corporate (ya know, my Andrew McMahon obsession…Jack’s Mannequin is his baby as well.) So anyway, lyrics behind the cut, I’ve also put up the song for listen as well, since the lyrics don’t read quite as beautifully as they sound when he sings them and pairs them up with the piano. Seriously, at least listen to the breakdown…that piano part is my favorite ever…

Read the rest of this entry »

AHHH! I just came back from the bookstore….*ahem* <  breakdown > I only bought 3 books. I bought my Astronomy book, my Spanish book, and my Typing book…..$368 for 3 books. $368 for 3 books, that by the prices listed, should’ve been $270……can someone please tell me how it’s okay to list a book price, and then charge MORE just because you put up a sign that says, “Prices subject to change.” How? I just don’t understand how that should even be LEGAL. Does that mean we can advertise sales, and post signs that say, “Prices subject to change” and then not give people sale prices? I honestly don’t understand…it’s not as though the books aren’t ridiculously expensive to begin with…and I’m not even complaining about that, but Jesus, can I please at least get them for the price listed?! I only had $330 to spend. I had to pull the other $30 out of nowhere…and wouldn’t you know it; I still have more books to buy. I need my workbooks for Biology and Spanish, and my Biology book!! =( That’s at least another $250 right there….GAH!

Excuse me, I need to go sell some organs.

For the most part I’ve got everything straight. About 10 minutes ago I secured my last class in my schedule. I’m relieved and annoyed at the same time. The majority of my classes are on MWF, that’s how I like my schedule. I was scheduled for my first computer class on TR 2-3:15. That way I can be at work by 4, and occasionally I can work 6-1 and then be off after class. I was really happy with that setup. Unfortunately, my computer class is the one I was having so much trouble getting into. I was able to get overrides into all my other classes so my schedule was back to where I originally had it. I found an opening in the class for TR 9:30-10:45 so I had to take it. Trust me, I’ll be checking back often to see if I can switch over to my original time slot, but until then, at least I’ve got the class!

I also picked up my iPod yesterday! It’s even prettier than my old one! All my music is on it, now I’ve just got to pick my first video to put on it! I’ll post pictures later. Right now I need to go eat and buy my books….err…the ones I can afford.

Found here:

Wal-Mart sent a shock through the health-care industry when it began offering discount prescription drugs for as little as $4.

Publix is now going $4 better than that, by offering free antibiotics to anyone with a prescription.

Carter Leidy Jr. is 19-months-old — and like a lot of kids his age, at a time in his life when earaches and colds start to make an appearance.

“He goes to the doctor every once in a while, but he’s fairly healthy right now,” said Carter Leidy, young Carter’s dad. “So we’re fortunate about that.”

And they are also fortunate that if a trip to the Publix Pharmacy is ever needed, chances are, little Carter’s parents will be able to get his antibiotics for free — as in no charge.

“Sounds pretty good to me,” the senior Carter said. “So go ahead and sign me up.”

Publix began its new program on Monday, offering seven of the most common antibiotics being used in medicine — including amoxicillin, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin, penicillin, and erythromycin.

All 684 of the chain’s pharmacies are offering the free meds with unlimited refills, for just as long as the customer has a valid prescription, and regardless of insurance or medical plan.

“I think that it’s something that can be very positive, but again it depends on how it’s addressed by the pharmacist to make sure everything is the way it should be,” said Leidy.

Publix said the typical cost of the antibiotics is anywhere from $10-to-$60 per prescription. But the move has two benefits that outweigh the cost to the company: helping customers cut their medical bills, and building loyalty among its shoppers to keep them coming back.

“Especially this one, because it’s a smaller Publix, and they all know me and they all know my child,” Leidy said.

Between Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Publix, Americans may find themselves in the middle of a new kind of war on drugs — a price war.

As for Publix, the company said it simply refused to stand by and watch as some of its customers had to decide between buying their food or their medicine. It simply made the choice for them.

I couldn’t be more excited about this. For me, this doesn’t mean much at the moment, because the prescriptions being offered are usually pretty low dollar to begin with, but it’s such a huge step in the direction of making health care here in the States just a little more bearable. It’s absolutely ridiculous what it costs to be healthy these days, and I honestly can’t imagine being a mother and having to decide whether I was going to buy the medicine to help my child get well, or food to feed my family. Unfortunately, that’s what I comes to for some people. I know I’ve only ever glimpsed it, and currently, I know my contact lenses are no longer the correct prescription, but I just can’t afford to pay for an exam right now. Maybe one day that won’t be a problem. Maybe Publix has given us that hope.