Our bulldog Bella had quite the week. Earlier in the week she tore in to a shopping bag filled with candy for our boys Easter baskets which Sandy bought at Cracker Barrel. You know some of the classic stuff like Big League Chew and Razzles and other assorted goodies. Well she ate all the Razzles and sampled other stuff so we rushed her to the vet (just to bed sure) and 50.00 dollars later they told us she would be fine. Saturday night/Sunday morning, she got into a backpack Sandy had in Stillwater over the weekend for a trip she took with her high school students. We came home Sunday morning and found this huge brown stain on our carpet in the entryway to our house. Horror was the first thought. You can imagine what was going on in my mind as to what it was.
Turns out it was hot chocolate packs stored in the backpack that she and our beagle Sidney had their way with. Upon entry into the house and hearing the first sound of disappointment, Sidney makes a beeline under the bed and Bella just tries to be cute and playful, but her face gave her away with it bellowing out the fumes of powdered chocolate, and her paws covered in it with brown footprints all over the ceramic tile next to the carpet.
Hey at least it didn't stink and wasn't what I initially feared it could be. Dogs are doing fine and the Bissells working good too. I cleaned more carpet that I needed to but once you get it out you might as well use it for more than just stains.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
March Madness
Yeah it's March so it's basketball playoffs and the hype that surrounds that is tremendous. I just returned from Kansas City and while the NCAA was having some of it's first round games at the Sprint Center just blocks from where I was, I enjoyed basketball at a different level, the NAIA playoffs located at the Municipal Auditorium. This is the oldest college basketball tournament in the country having been in existance since the 30's. 32 teams from throughout the country converge for a week of almost non-stop action. The tournament was in Tulsa for Several years in the late 90's and early 2000's and it was there that I got "hooked". I've always enjoyed basketball, both playing on a recreational level when I was younger and "lighter" and watching, but to get an overdose that is available like this is something akin to drinking a gallon of lemonade on a hot day. While it quenches the thirst, it's almost too much.
It was in Tulsa a dozen years ago that I attended my first NAIA tournament game. I was scanning the newspaper to see which game(s) I would like to take in when I noticed the alma mater of my best friends school was going to be playing. It was a school I was considering going to myself at one time, so I decided I would go to this game and root for them. So I went and sat behind the bench of this team. It was there that I met "the guys". I think I met Roger first, then the others. Just friendly guys who loved basketball. They had been going to this thing for years and I was taken in as one of there own. They ended up winning this game, so I returned the next night, and they won again. However the third time was not a charm and their team was defeated in a very close contest.
The next year they were back and we renewed our aquatance and I found myself sitting with these guys not only at their teams games but many more.
The next year it was the same.
Then the tournament moved back to Kansas City. The first two years I made the trip and got the overdose of basketball that these men had grown accustomed to. This year after about a 4 year absence (the tournament just didn't fall the same week as spring break) I decided to join these old friends (and some of them are getting up there in years) and saw over 20 games in a three day span. Whew.
So thanks Kenny, Louie, Artie, Denny and the Chaplain. It was a blast, And you guys are the greatest. I needed to get away from the routine that has been my life for the past several years.
It was in Tulsa a dozen years ago that I attended my first NAIA tournament game. I was scanning the newspaper to see which game(s) I would like to take in when I noticed the alma mater of my best friends school was going to be playing. It was a school I was considering going to myself at one time, so I decided I would go to this game and root for them. So I went and sat behind the bench of this team. It was there that I met "the guys". I think I met Roger first, then the others. Just friendly guys who loved basketball. They had been going to this thing for years and I was taken in as one of there own. They ended up winning this game, so I returned the next night, and they won again. However the third time was not a charm and their team was defeated in a very close contest.
The next year they were back and we renewed our aquatance and I found myself sitting with these guys not only at their teams games but many more.
The next year it was the same.
Then the tournament moved back to Kansas City. The first two years I made the trip and got the overdose of basketball that these men had grown accustomed to. This year after about a 4 year absence (the tournament just didn't fall the same week as spring break) I decided to join these old friends (and some of them are getting up there in years) and saw over 20 games in a three day span. Whew.
So thanks Kenny, Louie, Artie, Denny and the Chaplain. It was a blast, And you guys are the greatest. I needed to get away from the routine that has been my life for the past several years.
Monday, March 9, 2009
A Real stimulus plan
OK so it might not be a business per se, although at one time it was considered one. The IRS considers it a hobby since I showed a loss for three years in a row. I have sold stuff on Ebay for over 6 years and have a feedback rating of over 13 thousand ...and sold exclusively on Ebay until last July when we decided to try Amazon. Now we sell over 90 percent of our items on Amazon.
Those that do this have different ways of finding items to resell and I've used many ways to locate what can ultimately turn a profit. For me it has been primarily Garage Sales, but I've found "stuff" at thrift stores, estate sales, libraries (the Tulsa one has a room in which they sell discarded books), surplus stores, dollar stores, and even regular retail outlets if you can get outragious deals.
Well it's been slow going for a couple of months due to the season (winter is lousy for garage sales) and the lack of time or energy. But we've had three great finds the last week or so and it has boosted our inventory and re-energized us a little bit. Our goal is to use the money we make to pay down what debt we have and now it's made me more focused on that.
First.......last week-end we found a garage sale that was selling books for a quarter and 50 cents. Eighty dollars later, I'm going home with a car load of books. It took a few hours to get them all listed, but it added about 150 items to our inventory and we have already made back our initial investment plus some.
Last Wednesday, while wasting some time waiting to pick up Ty at church, I found some clearance items at Borders and went in line to pay for the two items 75% off and was expecting the bill to be about 6 bucks. The cashier told me it would be 2.17 incl. tax...........(ringer went off in my head)........as I know that Borders will mark their items to one dollar as a final clearance price. I went back and bought over 50 more items.......increasing my inventory again........these items priced over 1000 dollars retail........... It says I saved 1,016 dollars on my receipt. One book retailed for 75.00 although when I later tried to list it on amazon, I found it only sold for a penny.....go figure......
So that's what makes it fun. I once found a first edition Think and Grow Rich signed by Napolian Hill. I paid .50 for it and it sat in a box in my garage for months until I listed it on Ebay and it ended up selling for 212.00.........another time I found a CD of Dizzy Gillespie Live on French Riviera for a dollar at a garage sale and it was bid up to 133.00.......and the people who won it were thrilled. They said that they played the LP on their honeymoon continuously so the music had extra special memories.
All I remember about my honeymoon is The Love Boat being on the TV on our wedding night. I don't have any idea what the story line was. We went to Knotts Berry Farm and traveled back to Oklahoma. Since then it's been "All Good" :)
Those that do this have different ways of finding items to resell and I've used many ways to locate what can ultimately turn a profit. For me it has been primarily Garage Sales, but I've found "stuff" at thrift stores, estate sales, libraries (the Tulsa one has a room in which they sell discarded books), surplus stores, dollar stores, and even regular retail outlets if you can get outragious deals.
Well it's been slow going for a couple of months due to the season (winter is lousy for garage sales) and the lack of time or energy. But we've had three great finds the last week or so and it has boosted our inventory and re-energized us a little bit. Our goal is to use the money we make to pay down what debt we have and now it's made me more focused on that.
First.......last week-end we found a garage sale that was selling books for a quarter and 50 cents. Eighty dollars later, I'm going home with a car load of books. It took a few hours to get them all listed, but it added about 150 items to our inventory and we have already made back our initial investment plus some.
Last Wednesday, while wasting some time waiting to pick up Ty at church, I found some clearance items at Borders and went in line to pay for the two items 75% off and was expecting the bill to be about 6 bucks. The cashier told me it would be 2.17 incl. tax...........(ringer went off in my head)........as I know that Borders will mark their items to one dollar as a final clearance price. I went back and bought over 50 more items.......increasing my inventory again........these items priced over 1000 dollars retail........... It says I saved 1,016 dollars on my receipt. One book retailed for 75.00 although when I later tried to list it on amazon, I found it only sold for a penny.....go figure......
So that's what makes it fun. I once found a first edition Think and Grow Rich signed by Napolian Hill. I paid .50 for it and it sat in a box in my garage for months until I listed it on Ebay and it ended up selling for 212.00.........another time I found a CD of Dizzy Gillespie Live on French Riviera for a dollar at a garage sale and it was bid up to 133.00.......and the people who won it were thrilled. They said that they played the LP on their honeymoon continuously so the music had extra special memories.
All I remember about my honeymoon is The Love Boat being on the TV on our wedding night. I don't have any idea what the story line was. We went to Knotts Berry Farm and traveled back to Oklahoma. Since then it's been "All Good" :)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Bull Husky
My family has an opportunity to adopt a English Bulldog/Siberian Husky mix. As you can tell it's quite unique looking. What we're trying to decide is if we want to be a three dog family again. We were for 10 years and at times it was challenging. It would make a great companion for Bella and it is unique. The downside is Bella is not house broken yet and we're not too sure we want two dogs making accidents. The other concern is health related. I'm not sure what this mix could bring as far as deformities and such. The mother had three puppies and two of them died the first week. She sure is cute in her own special way though.
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Government sure loves incentive pay
Because the wonderful school I teach in had such a good result with testing scores from last year, we were each presented recently with a nice bonus of 2,000.00 for being the second most improved in the state for Elementary schools with 500 or more students.
I came across the check stub and sighed yet again.
Federal Taxes 500.00
OASDI 124.00
Medicare 29.00
State Taxes 110.00
total deductions: 763.00
I guess this is the "new era of Responsibility". So.... I can choose to focus on what I lost or what I gained. I'll choose the latter for now.
I did think I was being responsible before though.
I came across the check stub and sighed yet again.
Federal Taxes 500.00
OASDI 124.00
Medicare 29.00
State Taxes 110.00
total deductions: 763.00
I guess this is the "new era of Responsibility". So.... I can choose to focus on what I lost or what I gained. I'll choose the latter for now.
I did think I was being responsible before though.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Wild West Show
Visited the in-laws, had dinner at their retirement community, Inverness Village, then went to what was billed as a Wild, Wild, West show put on in the founders room at said location. I've been a frequent visitor to Branson, Mo and many of the attractions in that mecca of entertainment, so I wasn't expecting too much, but was hoping for something mildly humorous with some nice music attached. I sat in the last row so I could make an easy exit if it turned out to be too stupid. I wasn't expecting much.
Aparantly this is a program put on by a local churches Sunday school class. The class consisted of people 65 years and older.
It started off OK with three gentlemen singing some little ditties and I was able to take in a couple songs I wasn't familiar with. Then what followed was a collection of lip sync acts with people dressed up as certain celebrities and doing one or two of their celebrity songs.
The first act I'll talk about later. The second performer ( I use that term loosely) was a gentleman who resided at Inverness who came out as Willie Nelson. Because he lived there he was recieved nicely and did a lip sync of "On the Road Again". He had the long gray braids hanging down from each side of his head but really didn't know the song and it couldn't have ended too soon for me. After that came the Oak Ridge Boys, again looking the part, but not knowing the words it just stayed flat. Next was Kenny Rogers doing The Gamber. He at least mostly knew the words and did the best job so far but it was still lacking. He did a second song with Dolly Parton who woke up all the men in the crowd (including myself) when she made her entrance. Dolly was played be a very attractive 60 something and the duet wasn't half bad.
Next was some live songs by Elvis who came out with a cane, made jokes about his age (not funny ones but they were jokes) and sang live. He looked pretty good, sang OK, but had none of the vintage mannerisms that make Elvis Impersonaters stand out. The show ended there. A little less than an hour, so I wasn't in total misery.
The first act was a man that they billed at The Tall Texan with his backup singers the Shorty Brothers who were dressed with jeans that went to the person's knees, shirts that went from the knees to the waist, and a tall hat that encompased the top part of the body so the performer could only see out of a cut out in the hat. The song Long Tall Texan brought back memories of high school when it was performed several times by some talented classmates. I remember Jeff Wirth doing the main vocals with Jim Smith on the piano and it seems there were at least others doing back up singing. I just remember it was a lot of fun to watch and was very entertaining at the time. Man those were good memories.
Aparantly this is a program put on by a local churches Sunday school class. The class consisted of people 65 years and older.
It started off OK with three gentlemen singing some little ditties and I was able to take in a couple songs I wasn't familiar with. Then what followed was a collection of lip sync acts with people dressed up as certain celebrities and doing one or two of their celebrity songs.
The first act I'll talk about later. The second performer ( I use that term loosely) was a gentleman who resided at Inverness who came out as Willie Nelson. Because he lived there he was recieved nicely and did a lip sync of "On the Road Again". He had the long gray braids hanging down from each side of his head but really didn't know the song and it couldn't have ended too soon for me. After that came the Oak Ridge Boys, again looking the part, but not knowing the words it just stayed flat. Next was Kenny Rogers doing The Gamber. He at least mostly knew the words and did the best job so far but it was still lacking. He did a second song with Dolly Parton who woke up all the men in the crowd (including myself) when she made her entrance. Dolly was played be a very attractive 60 something and the duet wasn't half bad.
Next was some live songs by Elvis who came out with a cane, made jokes about his age (not funny ones but they were jokes) and sang live. He looked pretty good, sang OK, but had none of the vintage mannerisms that make Elvis Impersonaters stand out. The show ended there. A little less than an hour, so I wasn't in total misery.
The first act was a man that they billed at The Tall Texan with his backup singers the Shorty Brothers who were dressed with jeans that went to the person's knees, shirts that went from the knees to the waist, and a tall hat that encompased the top part of the body so the performer could only see out of a cut out in the hat. The song Long Tall Texan brought back memories of high school when it was performed several times by some talented classmates. I remember Jeff Wirth doing the main vocals with Jim Smith on the piano and it seems there were at least others doing back up singing. I just remember it was a lot of fun to watch and was very entertaining at the time. Man those were good memories.
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