Cutter's Log - Stardate 1102.82.30
Current Song - the common drum roll
For what seems like my entire life, I've been inching a small step closer to putting up a yard sale.
I was bored most of the day today, and decided to work on this particular project. I decided to put things into particular price bins - save books, sports stuff and other large items. Turns out to be a good way to sort things.
The boxes of things are ready, and all I need to do is round up six tables and a set of colored stickers - and I'm all set.
The exact date is still To Be Announced, but it is likely I'll have it going by the summer.
Here's a sample ad:
RUMMAGE SALE
Date/Time TBA
206 17th Avenue
Sterling
Parking in front
and rear
Books, sports items and
cards; lots of knick
knacks in
5-10-25-50-75-100 cent
bins, Yamaha DJX
keyboard
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
This Year's Vacation will be ...
Cutter's Log - Stardate 1102.72.30
Current Song - It's My Life (No Doubt)
An interesting one, and nothing generic.
Next week, I will be driving up and down the Mississippi River from Clinton to Lake Itasca in Minnesota. A riverside drive, you can call it. I'll also be visiting the northern Minnesota forests before entering Wisconsin and going along the St. Croix River down to the Mississippi.
Once past the Twin Cities, the river gets a bit narrow and I can see what's on the other side a little better.
It's more of an outdoors-y kind of trip, and I prefer these over going to Florida or California or Panama, where everything's real busy. This particular vacation I'm going on is a very quiet one. I always thought a vacation is a getaway; sure Cali is a getaway from Sterling, but it isn't a getaway from everything.
I will be leaving on Monday, April 4; and won't get back until late Friday night, April 8.
Other than the path I plan on taking, I don't know what's out there. That's the fun of it. I didn't research every little stop I'll be taking. So it's a surprise even for me. There is one particular place, a casino in northern Wisconsin, that I'd like to stop by.
***
For the second year in a row I'm going on a vacation. Last year's vacation to the halls of fame can be read about HERE. The vacation to Tucson to see my grandparents can be seen HERE.
After this year, however, I won't be going on any more self-vacations for a while.
I decided that I was going to put my money toward useful things. This is coupled with the fact that I've pretty much been nearly everywhere I wanted to go and see. I'm only 24, and I've seen a lot of things.
Things I've seen up to this point:
Baseball Hall of Fame
Football Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Cedar Point
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
MoTown Museum
Canada
Lambeau Field
St. Louis Arch
Milwaukee
Route 66 in Illinois
Old Tucson, and everything else there.
Places I still want to see, and will reserve them for some other time in my life:
London
Paris
Pacific Coast
New York City
Boston
Alaska
Hawaii
Texas
Toronto/Montreal
Graceland
I'd rather spread all of this out over the course of my entire lifetime, and probably with anything she (if there ever will be a she) wants to do and go to. But really, things financially aren't going all that well for me personally. I went right on budget last year ($600 plus hotels). But that doesn't mean I won't move from this spot. If asked to tag along in a trip, I will be more than happy to.
Can't wait! About a week away!
Current Song - It's My Life (No Doubt)
An interesting one, and nothing generic.
Next week, I will be driving up and down the Mississippi River from Clinton to Lake Itasca in Minnesota. A riverside drive, you can call it. I'll also be visiting the northern Minnesota forests before entering Wisconsin and going along the St. Croix River down to the Mississippi.
Once past the Twin Cities, the river gets a bit narrow and I can see what's on the other side a little better.
It's more of an outdoors-y kind of trip, and I prefer these over going to Florida or California or Panama, where everything's real busy. This particular vacation I'm going on is a very quiet one. I always thought a vacation is a getaway; sure Cali is a getaway from Sterling, but it isn't a getaway from everything.
I will be leaving on Monday, April 4; and won't get back until late Friday night, April 8.
Other than the path I plan on taking, I don't know what's out there. That's the fun of it. I didn't research every little stop I'll be taking. So it's a surprise even for me. There is one particular place, a casino in northern Wisconsin, that I'd like to stop by.
***
For the second year in a row I'm going on a vacation. Last year's vacation to the halls of fame can be read about HERE. The vacation to Tucson to see my grandparents can be seen HERE.
After this year, however, I won't be going on any more self-vacations for a while.
I decided that I was going to put my money toward useful things. This is coupled with the fact that I've pretty much been nearly everywhere I wanted to go and see. I'm only 24, and I've seen a lot of things.
Things I've seen up to this point:
Baseball Hall of Fame
Football Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Cedar Point
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
MoTown Museum
Canada
Lambeau Field
St. Louis Arch
Milwaukee
Route 66 in Illinois
Old Tucson, and everything else there.
Places I still want to see, and will reserve them for some other time in my life:
London
Paris
Pacific Coast
New York City
Boston
Alaska
Hawaii
Texas
Toronto/Montreal
Graceland
I'd rather spread all of this out over the course of my entire lifetime, and probably with anything she (if there ever will be a she) wants to do and go to. But really, things financially aren't going all that well for me personally. I went right on budget last year ($600 plus hotels). But that doesn't mean I won't move from this spot. If asked to tag along in a trip, I will be more than happy to.
Can't wait! About a week away!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Turn the Page?
Cutter's Log - Supplemental
I made a post about my brother earlier today. Somewhere in the midst of things, a couple of things coincided in my head. First, was the constant frustration I'm getting at work; the second, was a low point in my life.
Summer 2006 - I had spent a lot of time writing feature stories for the website, relating to conference changes. That's all I was doing. I was on the computer 24-7 doing these things. I didn't have a job. Sauk was on summer break. I had no income. I had no car. All my friends had gone away. All I had was the website, and that wasn't going to get me anywhere.
I wanted to be a sportswriter at a newspaper. Nothing was open. So I had to look at "other" things. I didn't like doing these other things. There was a third-shift jon opening at the BP station. I knew nothing about running a cash register and caring for a gas station, and thus I didn't want to do it. This was with all corners closing in on me, and I still didn't want to do it.
What got me to change my mind was something my dad said. He told me that I would meet new people, and I wouldn't be so shy all of the time. With that advice in mind, I applied and was hired. I spent 19 months at BP before leaving for the Shell gig I have now.
I spent 15 months on the overnight shift, 12 of those as overnight lead. The remaining four months were spent on evenings and weekend mornings. I worked just about every shift out there, during every day out there, and during every time of year and every holiday. The best thing about overnights was that people pretty much talked with you out of sheer boredom. This eventually carried over to the times that I worked outside of the overnight hours. I transitioned into the other shifts well, and so did my conversation skill.
I liked to go to work, except on those days with a heavy chore load or a work dispute. This was because I enjoyed the interaction.
I wasn't there to make money for Manjit Singh or Jay Patel. I was there to learn about people and make friends. I did. I got to meet a lot of people. Even when I moved to Shell, the people I met there have been so kind. The greatest honor for me is when I see these people outside of the gas station, like when I'm at Wal-Mart, or a high school sports event, and they take the time to say hi to me.
Because I've been able to meet and interact with people I know from the gas station, I have tried to be able to interact with those certain people that share the same high school sports interests as me. I have three website contributors that I talk to once in a while. No longer was I the shy young kid at times when covering something. A lot of the interaction I do with my colleagues comes as a result of being able to communicate well with customers at the gas station.
This was the main reason for working at gas stations, along with the money. While money at times has been low, the interaction has been great. I feel as if I am breaking this barrier in my life. Money can be earned anywhere, but this important life skill could only have been learned by the work I have been doing for the past five years.
Five years. That's a long time.
While the interaction has been great, the work has sometimes not. There are those that I get along with well, and those that create some sort of logistical disturbance inside me.
Several frustrations have added up lately, from drive-offs to busy lines and mass confusion. I can't go into detail on these, but all I can say is that they are getting to be too much for this mind to handle. I just don't like getting kicked around by these moments of confusion. I have great co-workers and bosses and all, but there are several moments in the job process that bother me. Burnout, you can call it.
I've already accomplished a plus, so perhaps it's time to draw up an escape plan. I've always wanted to do something with NISB, and make it into something of a small business - but not in the small-business style of my first employer (that turned out to be a mess). Since I know where the line has been crossed with my first employer, I can try to avoid it.
Here's hoping the venture turns into the new job for me.
I made a post about my brother earlier today. Somewhere in the midst of things, a couple of things coincided in my head. First, was the constant frustration I'm getting at work; the second, was a low point in my life.
Summer 2006 - I had spent a lot of time writing feature stories for the website, relating to conference changes. That's all I was doing. I was on the computer 24-7 doing these things. I didn't have a job. Sauk was on summer break. I had no income. I had no car. All my friends had gone away. All I had was the website, and that wasn't going to get me anywhere.
I wanted to be a sportswriter at a newspaper. Nothing was open. So I had to look at "other" things. I didn't like doing these other things. There was a third-shift jon opening at the BP station. I knew nothing about running a cash register and caring for a gas station, and thus I didn't want to do it. This was with all corners closing in on me, and I still didn't want to do it.
What got me to change my mind was something my dad said. He told me that I would meet new people, and I wouldn't be so shy all of the time. With that advice in mind, I applied and was hired. I spent 19 months at BP before leaving for the Shell gig I have now.
I spent 15 months on the overnight shift, 12 of those as overnight lead. The remaining four months were spent on evenings and weekend mornings. I worked just about every shift out there, during every day out there, and during every time of year and every holiday. The best thing about overnights was that people pretty much talked with you out of sheer boredom. This eventually carried over to the times that I worked outside of the overnight hours. I transitioned into the other shifts well, and so did my conversation skill.
I liked to go to work, except on those days with a heavy chore load or a work dispute. This was because I enjoyed the interaction.
I wasn't there to make money for Manjit Singh or Jay Patel. I was there to learn about people and make friends. I did. I got to meet a lot of people. Even when I moved to Shell, the people I met there have been so kind. The greatest honor for me is when I see these people outside of the gas station, like when I'm at Wal-Mart, or a high school sports event, and they take the time to say hi to me.
Because I've been able to meet and interact with people I know from the gas station, I have tried to be able to interact with those certain people that share the same high school sports interests as me. I have three website contributors that I talk to once in a while. No longer was I the shy young kid at times when covering something. A lot of the interaction I do with my colleagues comes as a result of being able to communicate well with customers at the gas station.
This was the main reason for working at gas stations, along with the money. While money at times has been low, the interaction has been great. I feel as if I am breaking this barrier in my life. Money can be earned anywhere, but this important life skill could only have been learned by the work I have been doing for the past five years.
Five years. That's a long time.
While the interaction has been great, the work has sometimes not. There are those that I get along with well, and those that create some sort of logistical disturbance inside me.
Several frustrations have added up lately, from drive-offs to busy lines and mass confusion. I can't go into detail on these, but all I can say is that they are getting to be too much for this mind to handle. I just don't like getting kicked around by these moments of confusion. I have great co-workers and bosses and all, but there are several moments in the job process that bother me. Burnout, you can call it.
I've already accomplished a plus, so perhaps it's time to draw up an escape plan. I've always wanted to do something with NISB, and make it into something of a small business - but not in the small-business style of my first employer (that turned out to be a mess). Since I know where the line has been crossed with my first employer, I can try to avoid it.
Here's hoping the venture turns into the new job for me.
A whirlwind of emotions right now
Cutter's Log - Stardate 1102.22.30
Current Song - Turn it on Again (Genesis)
The tail end of the chapter. I have been there before, and it was a sad one. Six years ago I was at the tail end of my high school life, when the road of my own was being walked on for the first time.
My youngest brother is at this point of his life. What has defined his high school career was his involvement with the boys basketball team. That has ended. High school hasn't. There is this intermission.
I chose to walk down a path of my own after high school. I didn't listen to what other people told me I should do. This was evident during my senior year when I first ran NISB - I was seeing "other teams" on a regular basis, and because of that kind of felt abandoned by those that walked the halls with me. At certain times, I was chastized for doing what I wanted to do. I wanted to learn more about high school sports, and that required stepping outside the box that was Sterling High School. I was thought of to have no pride in my own school, and was sometimes called a traitor. I was used to that with the certain loyalties I had to the other school across the river.
Danny had been the baseball manager at SHS during his junior year. After that was over with, he enrolled in the school's service learning program. He became a janitor at Lincoln School during the fall, and liked getting a check (money for cappuchino!!) at the end of the week. Then when basketball season started, he went back to managing the basketball team.
After that he made a decision to remain with Lincoln School instead of manage the baseball team. He really enjoyed his job with the school, and there were times last year when he felt a bit uncomfortable in his role. One of the biggest issues he had last year had to do with the choice of music played during games.
Danny has always like different kinds of music, and at that stage he was real big into country music. He felt because of that, rap music was supposed to be despised. The players were real big into rap music, and obviously this would cause a problem for Danny. The players (I think only a few were on the basketball team) would agitate him by changing the music on him. If this ploy were done to someone other than Danny, he or she would probably rub it off.
I don't really know for sure if this was a reason he chose to stick with the Lincoln job, or a deciding factor. He obviously feels really comfortable with his job.
And without him, the baseball team continues to play their own music, which is fine. But Danny seemed a bit perturbed, even though he is not on the team anymore. The reply? I don't even want to imagine it. I just don't want him going back down in flames.
This great debate is something that really both sides (the rap likers, and Danny and the country likers) do not fully understand. Since I carry some of the same unique mental workings as Danny, I know what's going on.
Danny: "I like country."
Friend: "Country? Rap is where it's at!"
Danny: "No it's not."
Friend: "What? Come on, man! Rap (blah, blah, blah)"
Danny: "I just like country, okay?"
The friend tries to tease him by getting him to change his mind. Since there are several friends, and only one of Danny, this conversation comes up with different people. This agitation has been going on for a long time. That's because they just don't fully comprehend that Danny takes these things seriously. The friends simply do it for agitation. Danny is unable to see it that way.
This is really a problem that should be brief. However, both sides carry it on. Danny continues to fire back, unable to detect agitation. I'm sure he's been told before that they are only teasing him. Danny can't get that through his head when the next agitation comes because there is no one to remind him that the friends are only teasing. And the friends know how mad Danny gets in this debate, and people continue to debate him.
Why can't these friends respect the fact that Danny likes country? Why can't Danny respect the fact that these friends like rap? Looking at Danny's Facebook wall kind of gives us an answer. Danny likes to post country-related items on his wall, and the friends are commenting back that rap is better. However, Danny doesn't comment on any wall posts from friends about rap.
It seems like a problem. However, this will all be looked at as true fun. Certainly more fun that I ever had in high school. Boy this post turned into an awkward positive turn. Here I looked at it as a problem, but it is what keeps him the person he is.
He get his picture taken with girls, hangs out with a lot of people, and the whole nine yards. I could never accomplish that in high school. One would detect jealosy on my part, but I'm glad his high school days have been so well.
This turnaround kind of shows how quickly my mindset changes. I kind of think of Danny as the "what could have been" version of myself. See, he did things that I would never do when asked. I would never do the worm in the gym. He did.
And he graduates in two months. I'm so proud of him.
Current Song - Turn it on Again (Genesis)
The tail end of the chapter. I have been there before, and it was a sad one. Six years ago I was at the tail end of my high school life, when the road of my own was being walked on for the first time.
My youngest brother is at this point of his life. What has defined his high school career was his involvement with the boys basketball team. That has ended. High school hasn't. There is this intermission.
I chose to walk down a path of my own after high school. I didn't listen to what other people told me I should do. This was evident during my senior year when I first ran NISB - I was seeing "other teams" on a regular basis, and because of that kind of felt abandoned by those that walked the halls with me. At certain times, I was chastized for doing what I wanted to do. I wanted to learn more about high school sports, and that required stepping outside the box that was Sterling High School. I was thought of to have no pride in my own school, and was sometimes called a traitor. I was used to that with the certain loyalties I had to the other school across the river.
Danny had been the baseball manager at SHS during his junior year. After that was over with, he enrolled in the school's service learning program. He became a janitor at Lincoln School during the fall, and liked getting a check (money for cappuchino!!) at the end of the week. Then when basketball season started, he went back to managing the basketball team.
After that he made a decision to remain with Lincoln School instead of manage the baseball team. He really enjoyed his job with the school, and there were times last year when he felt a bit uncomfortable in his role. One of the biggest issues he had last year had to do with the choice of music played during games.
Danny has always like different kinds of music, and at that stage he was real big into country music. He felt because of that, rap music was supposed to be despised. The players were real big into rap music, and obviously this would cause a problem for Danny. The players (I think only a few were on the basketball team) would agitate him by changing the music on him. If this ploy were done to someone other than Danny, he or she would probably rub it off.
I don't really know for sure if this was a reason he chose to stick with the Lincoln job, or a deciding factor. He obviously feels really comfortable with his job.
And without him, the baseball team continues to play their own music, which is fine. But Danny seemed a bit perturbed, even though he is not on the team anymore. The reply? I don't even want to imagine it. I just don't want him going back down in flames.
This great debate is something that really both sides (the rap likers, and Danny and the country likers) do not fully understand. Since I carry some of the same unique mental workings as Danny, I know what's going on.
Danny: "I like country."
Friend: "Country? Rap is where it's at!"
Danny: "No it's not."
Friend: "What? Come on, man! Rap (blah, blah, blah)"
Danny: "I just like country, okay?"
The friend tries to tease him by getting him to change his mind. Since there are several friends, and only one of Danny, this conversation comes up with different people. This agitation has been going on for a long time. That's because they just don't fully comprehend that Danny takes these things seriously. The friends simply do it for agitation. Danny is unable to see it that way.
This is really a problem that should be brief. However, both sides carry it on. Danny continues to fire back, unable to detect agitation. I'm sure he's been told before that they are only teasing him. Danny can't get that through his head when the next agitation comes because there is no one to remind him that the friends are only teasing. And the friends know how mad Danny gets in this debate, and people continue to debate him.
Why can't these friends respect the fact that Danny likes country? Why can't Danny respect the fact that these friends like rap? Looking at Danny's Facebook wall kind of gives us an answer. Danny likes to post country-related items on his wall, and the friends are commenting back that rap is better. However, Danny doesn't comment on any wall posts from friends about rap.
It seems like a problem. However, this will all be looked at as true fun. Certainly more fun that I ever had in high school. Boy this post turned into an awkward positive turn. Here I looked at it as a problem, but it is what keeps him the person he is.
He get his picture taken with girls, hangs out with a lot of people, and the whole nine yards. I could never accomplish that in high school. One would detect jealosy on my part, but I'm glad his high school days have been so well.
This turnaround kind of shows how quickly my mindset changes. I kind of think of Danny as the "what could have been" version of myself. See, he did things that I would never do when asked. I would never do the worm in the gym. He did.
And he graduates in two months. I'm so proud of him.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Morals vs. Reality vs. Needs
Cutter's Log - Stardate 1102.41.30
Current Song - That's All (Genesis)
I had a horrible time at the State Tournament this weekend. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't write. I couldn't shoot. I couldn't ask questions. I couldn't follow by itineary, and I could barely drive to and fro. What's worse, I left my camera and home and couldn't use it on Friday. I had to borrow Bill's.
Right now I'm writing this longhand at work. I didn't have enough energy to write the story when I got home. I really need a laptop. however, laptops cost money, a lot of money, which I do not have. Oh, and a Wi-Fi card, which also costs money.
I was so poor over the weekend that I could only budget $40.00 for the weekend. That's not enough for a hotel room. I had to drive home on Friday night to get my camera and type and post stories. Four hours sleep.
What's remarkable about this is that I had Bill's help for the 1A grind. The only think I was doing during Newark's run was shooting pictures. Bill had been having camera problems lately, and I told him I'd try to fix his. So that was the ONLY good thing I was able to accomplish over the weekend.
I had mine for when Newark won State. Here's where my day got worse. I couldn't get good pictures of the awards ceremony. My team picture had to be taken at an angle because there were so many parents and family in the center -
Morals vs. Needs vs. Reality - Respectfully, I should let the families have their moment, without me butting in and distrupting their moment. The moment is about them, and not me getting that picture. That's the morals. The needs is the perfect picture. As this great debate is going on inside my head, time is passing by. We all had to be off the court at a certain time. The result of this is a team picture that is slanted, facing right.
I am extremely disappointed that I didn't get a good picture. This pained me for the duration of Saturday night. My head was in scrambles. Oh, and that promise of that bet, we didn't eat at Hooters because the place was too packed. So that threw off plans. But saved me $20.00 - kind of, because I had to drive back and forth one more time than planned. The money went toward fuel.
I'm still writing this longhand at work (it's being typed at home presently) and can't wait to get home and write that story!
I felt like a pinball in a machine after the final game I covered. When I got back to my car, I couldn't even muster a "Whew!" because my brain was still a scramble. I could only make it to the rest stop on Route 40 near Camp Grove (the one with the old truss bridge) and napped there for 2 hours. When I woke up I was really cold, and my blanket wasn't much help. So much for sleeping in my car overnight.
I don't ever want a weekend like this again. However, there is a good chance that I'll have to do this again. Rock Island and Auburn may advance.
Over the course of the weekend, cue the Duel of the Fates music.
Current Song - That's All (Genesis)
I had a horrible time at the State Tournament this weekend. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't write. I couldn't shoot. I couldn't ask questions. I couldn't follow by itineary, and I could barely drive to and fro. What's worse, I left my camera and home and couldn't use it on Friday. I had to borrow Bill's.
Right now I'm writing this longhand at work. I didn't have enough energy to write the story when I got home. I really need a laptop. however, laptops cost money, a lot of money, which I do not have. Oh, and a Wi-Fi card, which also costs money.
I was so poor over the weekend that I could only budget $40.00 for the weekend. That's not enough for a hotel room. I had to drive home on Friday night to get my camera and type and post stories. Four hours sleep.
What's remarkable about this is that I had Bill's help for the 1A grind. The only think I was doing during Newark's run was shooting pictures. Bill had been having camera problems lately, and I told him I'd try to fix his. So that was the ONLY good thing I was able to accomplish over the weekend.
I had mine for when Newark won State. Here's where my day got worse. I couldn't get good pictures of the awards ceremony. My team picture had to be taken at an angle because there were so many parents and family in the center -
Morals vs. Needs vs. Reality - Respectfully, I should let the families have their moment, without me butting in and distrupting their moment. The moment is about them, and not me getting that picture. That's the morals. The needs is the perfect picture. As this great debate is going on inside my head, time is passing by. We all had to be off the court at a certain time. The result of this is a team picture that is slanted, facing right.
I am extremely disappointed that I didn't get a good picture. This pained me for the duration of Saturday night. My head was in scrambles. Oh, and that promise of that bet, we didn't eat at Hooters because the place was too packed. So that threw off plans. But saved me $20.00 - kind of, because I had to drive back and forth one more time than planned. The money went toward fuel.
I'm still writing this longhand at work (it's being typed at home presently) and can't wait to get home and write that story!
I felt like a pinball in a machine after the final game I covered. When I got back to my car, I couldn't even muster a "Whew!" because my brain was still a scramble. I could only make it to the rest stop on Route 40 near Camp Grove (the one with the old truss bridge) and napped there for 2 hours. When I woke up I was really cold, and my blanket wasn't much help. So much for sleeping in my car overnight.
I don't ever want a weekend like this again. However, there is a good chance that I'll have to do this again. Rock Island and Auburn may advance.
Over the course of the weekend, cue the Duel of the Fates music.
Monday, March 7, 2011
How's This for Frugal
Cutter's Log - Stardate 1102.70.30
Current Song - Opening Act (Prevue Channel)
A while ago I mentioned in this Blog about my friend who won a bet between us regarding a basketball game. I ended up losing the bet, which had lunch at Hooters on the line.
Lunch at Hooters (in Peoria) is coming up this weekend, and I'm a bit short on cash. Rather than put it off until later, I'll try to scrounge around to make good out our promise. Even if that means reading more literature.
Last weekend during the girls basketball and wrestling state tournaments, I experimented with peanut butter sandwiches to curb any hunger attack I had. It worked out on Friday, but it didn't on Saturday. I wasn't allowed to bring outside food into U.S. Cellular Coliseum for the wrestling meet. I starved inside for 12 hours, telling myself not to eat the expensive concession stand food there (they didn't even feed us there in the press room, and I had to steal pop from the official's room - for the second year in a row). The sandwiches got cold, and I had to get something at McDonald's for the ride home, which I shouldn't really do.
This time I thought a little harder. One of the "frugal tips" in my book says to plan meals using coupon flyers. Even coupons these days are boring, as you usually have to buy more than one of that item to get the savings.
Walgreens has a flyer that has things I would normally buy. This weekend they had a pack of Orbit gum for $0.69. It's $1.39 at the Shell station. They also had a 2-for-$3 deal on a pound can of Campbell's Chunky stew. There was also a 2-for-$4 deal on a Jimmy Dean packaged breakfast - which was knocked down to 2-for-$3 with a manufactuer's coupon.
One breakfast bowl down on Friday, one chunky stew up on Friday. One breakfast bowl down on Saturday, one chunky stew up on Saturday. Unlike the sandwiches, nothing gets spoiled. Plus, I'll bring my cooler with me in the car, which has bottled water already in it. It seems weird, but I bought a can opener when I was traveling to and from Freeport for school ... just in case I was snowed in or had a late night at the copy desk. I used that can opener for beef stew, and the Highland cafeteria had a microwave. There are gas stations that have microwaves, like Casey's.
That's $7.00 for food, not counting the friend's UNKNOWN meal at Hooters. I'll just take an appetizer. Less eatie, more ...
Current Song - Opening Act (Prevue Channel)
A while ago I mentioned in this Blog about my friend who won a bet between us regarding a basketball game. I ended up losing the bet, which had lunch at Hooters on the line.
Lunch at Hooters (in Peoria) is coming up this weekend, and I'm a bit short on cash. Rather than put it off until later, I'll try to scrounge around to make good out our promise. Even if that means reading more literature.
Last weekend during the girls basketball and wrestling state tournaments, I experimented with peanut butter sandwiches to curb any hunger attack I had. It worked out on Friday, but it didn't on Saturday. I wasn't allowed to bring outside food into U.S. Cellular Coliseum for the wrestling meet. I starved inside for 12 hours, telling myself not to eat the expensive concession stand food there (they didn't even feed us there in the press room, and I had to steal pop from the official's room - for the second year in a row). The sandwiches got cold, and I had to get something at McDonald's for the ride home, which I shouldn't really do.
This time I thought a little harder. One of the "frugal tips" in my book says to plan meals using coupon flyers. Even coupons these days are boring, as you usually have to buy more than one of that item to get the savings.
Walgreens has a flyer that has things I would normally buy. This weekend they had a pack of Orbit gum for $0.69. It's $1.39 at the Shell station. They also had a 2-for-$3 deal on a pound can of Campbell's Chunky stew. There was also a 2-for-$4 deal on a Jimmy Dean packaged breakfast - which was knocked down to 2-for-$3 with a manufactuer's coupon.
One breakfast bowl down on Friday, one chunky stew up on Friday. One breakfast bowl down on Saturday, one chunky stew up on Saturday. Unlike the sandwiches, nothing gets spoiled. Plus, I'll bring my cooler with me in the car, which has bottled water already in it. It seems weird, but I bought a can opener when I was traveling to and from Freeport for school ... just in case I was snowed in or had a late night at the copy desk. I used that can opener for beef stew, and the Highland cafeteria had a microwave. There are gas stations that have microwaves, like Casey's.
That's $7.00 for food, not counting the friend's UNKNOWN meal at Hooters. I'll just take an appetizer. Less eatie, more ...
Friday, March 4, 2011
Gas Prices
Cutter's Log - Supplemental
With gas prices going up once more, it's time to get out the gas price listing on the Internet. There are websites that have gas prices listed, submitted by anonymous users with a handle (like message board posters).
When gas was $4.23 at my Shell station in the summer of 2008, I used the website IllinoisGasPrices.com to map out my trips, and figure out where to go. Gas stations are forbidden to give out prices over the phone, in order to be competitive. So this website helps.
As of tonight, all Sterling and Rock Falls stations were $3.55 a gallon. This was a jump from $3.49 the day before. When I put some fuel in my car a couple of days ago, my station was $3.49 while the Shell on the north end of town was at $3.28. They were trying to compete with Kroger just down the road. That Shell and Kroger are now at $3.55. I hate paying that much for fuel, but I need fuel for the games I go to.
In the next month, I will be heading to Rockford, DeKalb, Peoria, DeKalb again and Peoria again, as well as some hardball games (if there's no snow and freezing tempratures). I'll have to give the website I try to see if there's something cheaper than $3.55 along the way.
There is a rule I use for traveling a ways for the sole purpose of fuel. My great uncle, who worked in real estate for many years, would drive to Clinton, IA - about 30 miles west of Sterling - for fuel. Iowa doesn't tax fuel as much as Illinois does. When the difference is $0.30 from Sterling to Clinton, he'll go there.
So that's roughly one cent per mile. Today, if I were to get fuel in Dixon, 10 miles east, the price of gas would have to be no higher than $3.44 to make the drive worth it. That's a penny savings. That penny will come in handy when you go that darn penny over.
Don't forget to take advantage of saver card savings - such as a couple of cents off at Kroger, County Market, Hilander, etc. - even if its not your card.
Do you have a fuel purchasing tip? Either write a comment on here, or message me on Facebook.
With gas prices going up once more, it's time to get out the gas price listing on the Internet. There are websites that have gas prices listed, submitted by anonymous users with a handle (like message board posters).
When gas was $4.23 at my Shell station in the summer of 2008, I used the website IllinoisGasPrices.com to map out my trips, and figure out where to go. Gas stations are forbidden to give out prices over the phone, in order to be competitive. So this website helps.
As of tonight, all Sterling and Rock Falls stations were $3.55 a gallon. This was a jump from $3.49 the day before. When I put some fuel in my car a couple of days ago, my station was $3.49 while the Shell on the north end of town was at $3.28. They were trying to compete with Kroger just down the road. That Shell and Kroger are now at $3.55. I hate paying that much for fuel, but I need fuel for the games I go to.
In the next month, I will be heading to Rockford, DeKalb, Peoria, DeKalb again and Peoria again, as well as some hardball games (if there's no snow and freezing tempratures). I'll have to give the website I try to see if there's something cheaper than $3.55 along the way.
There is a rule I use for traveling a ways for the sole purpose of fuel. My great uncle, who worked in real estate for many years, would drive to Clinton, IA - about 30 miles west of Sterling - for fuel. Iowa doesn't tax fuel as much as Illinois does. When the difference is $0.30 from Sterling to Clinton, he'll go there.
So that's roughly one cent per mile. Today, if I were to get fuel in Dixon, 10 miles east, the price of gas would have to be no higher than $3.44 to make the drive worth it. That's a penny savings. That penny will come in handy when you go that darn penny over.
Don't forget to take advantage of saver card savings - such as a couple of cents off at Kroger, County Market, Hilander, etc. - even if its not your card.
Do you have a fuel purchasing tip? Either write a comment on here, or message me on Facebook.
Shutdown
Cutter's Log - Stardate 1102.40.30
Current Song - Regulate (Warren G)
More power to these people who can absorb patience, and distractions going on around them. For some people, it's easy. For others, like me, patience is the virtue that I can't seem to grasp.
This is because my brain can only hold so much information. And yes, I do use only the full 20% at a time. Over my short lifetime, I have acquired so much information. Normally once something goes in, something goes out. Not the case with me.
There comes a point where my head can be too full. Instead of an older memory going on, new ones can't enter. This causes a large mental block. When there's blockage, my brain tries to churn some space open.
I can't really describe this feeling from inside. Outside, I act like a cross between a rabid monkey and a soldier under fire in a war zone. But inside, there is a video on YouTube that diescribes it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiOI365yD1Q
I was like this last afternoon. I slept in until 2 p.m. that afternoon, only to have my mother wake me up for a computer chore. I was to copy and print out a picture of her uncle Hubba, who passed away recently. She needed five copies on photo-stock paper. I was also in need of a color cartridge, and she gave me that, too.
At first I had a difficult time inserting the cartridge. The old one came off and snapped back on easily. But this one didn't budge. The confusion made me angry, and overloaded my brain. Somehow I was able to take out the black ink cartridge, and it fit perfectly in the other compartment. That meant mom bought a black cartridge instead of a color one. I got even more perturbed.
Only then did it come to me that I was to be at work in a half-hour. This is when the rabid monkey comes into the picture. Five minutes later, I looked at my checkbook for some reason, and noticed that the payment is due today. The agent closes at 5 p.m., and it is 3:30. I work at 4 p.m. I'm going crazy at this point, and somehow I manager to get half of the print job done, wrestling paper jam after paper jam after paper jam. (My printer is one that paper feeds in and rolls backward, hence the issues with photo paper).
I had no choice other than to buy 30 minutes off of work. That gave me enough time to print the photos and get my payment made. It gave me enough time to settle down. I made the payment and got to work 15 minutes late. I could easily make up for that.
Divulging all of this kind of tells you how I am when I get angry. My brother Dan gets this way sometimes, but I usually do this when there's no one around. But I still do it.
Just don't tick me off.
Current Song - Regulate (Warren G)
More power to these people who can absorb patience, and distractions going on around them. For some people, it's easy. For others, like me, patience is the virtue that I can't seem to grasp.
This is because my brain can only hold so much information. And yes, I do use only the full 20% at a time. Over my short lifetime, I have acquired so much information. Normally once something goes in, something goes out. Not the case with me.
There comes a point where my head can be too full. Instead of an older memory going on, new ones can't enter. This causes a large mental block. When there's blockage, my brain tries to churn some space open.
I can't really describe this feeling from inside. Outside, I act like a cross between a rabid monkey and a soldier under fire in a war zone. But inside, there is a video on YouTube that diescribes it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiOI365yD1Q
I was like this last afternoon. I slept in until 2 p.m. that afternoon, only to have my mother wake me up for a computer chore. I was to copy and print out a picture of her uncle Hubba, who passed away recently. She needed five copies on photo-stock paper. I was also in need of a color cartridge, and she gave me that, too.
At first I had a difficult time inserting the cartridge. The old one came off and snapped back on easily. But this one didn't budge. The confusion made me angry, and overloaded my brain. Somehow I was able to take out the black ink cartridge, and it fit perfectly in the other compartment. That meant mom bought a black cartridge instead of a color one. I got even more perturbed.
Only then did it come to me that I was to be at work in a half-hour. This is when the rabid monkey comes into the picture. Five minutes later, I looked at my checkbook for some reason, and noticed that the payment is due today. The agent closes at 5 p.m., and it is 3:30. I work at 4 p.m. I'm going crazy at this point, and somehow I manager to get half of the print job done, wrestling paper jam after paper jam after paper jam. (My printer is one that paper feeds in and rolls backward, hence the issues with photo paper).
I had no choice other than to buy 30 minutes off of work. That gave me enough time to print the photos and get my payment made. It gave me enough time to settle down. I made the payment and got to work 15 minutes late. I could easily make up for that.
Divulging all of this kind of tells you how I am when I get angry. My brother Dan gets this way sometimes, but I usually do this when there's no one around. But I still do it.
Just don't tick me off.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
When the Computer isn't THE Tool
Cutter's Log - Stardate 1102.20.30
Current Song - In The Dark (Billy Squier)
I use my computer a lot over the course of any single day. I use it to work on my website. I use it to divulge thoughts onto this Blog. I use it to type things that would otherwise hurt my hand. I don't know what I'd do without one.
It's safe to say that I spend a lot of time on it. When I'm not working (at Shell or at a game), I'm either on it, sleeping, or doing something else. Now that the winter sports assignments are narrowing down, I'm spending some more time somewhere. That something else doesn't require a computer.
You see, I don't have a computer in my Website Workshop. Located at an undisclosed location within the NISB coverage area, the Website Workshop is a place where ideas come to life or get pushed to the back of the room. I've been pretty quiet on discussing this, but not too long ago I thought "there's no point in hiding it." This explains the missing gap of time if one tries to wonder where I'm at.
This place is hidden for a reason. But I'll just let you know that it exists. So, won't you gentlemen have a pepsi?
Current Song - In The Dark (Billy Squier)
I use my computer a lot over the course of any single day. I use it to work on my website. I use it to divulge thoughts onto this Blog. I use it to type things that would otherwise hurt my hand. I don't know what I'd do without one.
It's safe to say that I spend a lot of time on it. When I'm not working (at Shell or at a game), I'm either on it, sleeping, or doing something else. Now that the winter sports assignments are narrowing down, I'm spending some more time somewhere. That something else doesn't require a computer.
You see, I don't have a computer in my Website Workshop. Located at an undisclosed location within the NISB coverage area, the Website Workshop is a place where ideas come to life or get pushed to the back of the room. I've been pretty quiet on discussing this, but not too long ago I thought "there's no point in hiding it." This explains the missing gap of time if one tries to wonder where I'm at.
This place is hidden for a reason. But I'll just let you know that it exists. So, won't you gentlemen have a pepsi?
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