This week, I've been turned down by two credit agencies.
I have never had a loan, never had a credit card, never had a mortgage. I've always paid my bills on time, and I've kept a checking account active and paid off any overdrafts in a timely manner since 2005. Either I have been turned down due to my parents' poor credit history, or because of another reason.
My name is on file with a collection agency.
I was once conned into getting magazine subscriptions from a small company called Omnipresent, and I quickly decided afterward that I didn't want the magazines I'd subscribed for. I asked to cancel, but they told me that there was practically no way to opt out. I then canceled the debit card they had on file and returned all of the magazines that came to my door. I checked them on the Better Business Bureau, they had an unsatisfactory record. They also told me they had a website, but I did a thorough search, and found no such site.
I avoided phone calls from them, because I felt (and still do!) that my rights as a customer were being violated. They had gotten me into a situation that they had provided no way out of, even though there should have been. (They told me I couldn't cancel, but I could switch which magazines I was subscribed to, which made no sense at all.)
Anyways, in October 2007, I got a notice from a collection agency asking me to pay a $300 settlement or a full $525. I did not respond, and have not heard anything since. I have checked for Omnipresent's status on the Better Business Bureau again, and they weren't listed. (Heh...)
Still, I'm guessing that's left a nasty mark on my credit record.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Digital TV is mine...
Well, I now have one of those Digital TV converter boxes. Yaaayyy... Now I can watch television in almost DVD quality on my analog set. Woot... I often say I don't watch TV, but there are some shows I tune into about once a week, though if I miss them, I'm not apt to care about it. Only problem is, I need a new antenna, because with the one I have now, the video lags and gets corrupted. Just like digital video on a slow computer...
I turned on "Don't Forget The Lyrics," and they have three women and three girls singing Christmas songs. WELL-KNOWN Christmas songs, like "Jingle Bell Rock." This is stupid. This is no challenge at all.
But anyways... You know what movie they should make? The Legend of Zelda! From all of the great games Nintendo has churned out, there is definitely material for an epic feature film set in Hyrule. I just don't think the audience would respond well to a mute hero. (But that can be changed.)
I turned on "Don't Forget The Lyrics," and they have three women and three girls singing Christmas songs. WELL-KNOWN Christmas songs, like "Jingle Bell Rock." This is stupid. This is no challenge at all.
But anyways... You know what movie they should make? The Legend of Zelda! From all of the great games Nintendo has churned out, there is definitely material for an epic feature film set in Hyrule. I just don't think the audience would respond well to a mute hero. (But that can be changed.)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Movies...
Quite a few months ago, I watched the Star Wars trilogy. Not the prequel trilogy (I saw the first one of those shortly after the VHS release, and did not care for it at all), the original trilogy. I rented them through Netflix, and, for any of the dorks out there who care about these things, I managed to see the original versions.
I thought the first one was an all right movie, good story, plenty of adventure and action, a fun movie, but the next two get so wrapped up in this universe, I lost interest. Not really fun to watch at all. Am I a Star Wars fan people have asked? Before I saw them, no. And now that I have, no.
This happen to you? When you were a kid, you saw a movie, you loved it, you thought it was great, so you scrape up enough money somehow to buy a video tape version of it, which you watch several times, then the tape gets misplaced or put away, and you've seen the movie so many times, you just don't worry about it.
Then, years later, you find the movie on DVD, and think, "Oh, I loved that movie!" So you buy it. Eventually, you pop it in and watch it for the first time in a few years, and think... "What did I see in this movie?" That for me, is The Indian In The Cupboard. Good books, though.
A very different case was the Back to the Future series. When I was a kid, my oldest brother had the first movie and we watched it quite a few times, then one day, my parents rented the other two and we watched all three in succession. (Yes...) And that was about the only time I'd seen them all... For years! Until I rented the first one from Netflix earlier this year, and discovered just how good they were.
And there's also the case of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I probably haven't seen The Return of the King since 2005. About 2 months ago, I did see The Fellowship of the Ring, but was rather overwhelmed with how much it reminded me of old friends of mine who were also Rings fans that I've lost contact with. Last night, I did watch the first half of The Two Towers. (I have the original Theatrical Edition DVDs, widescreen of course, the Extended Editions, and the Limited Editions, and all of the discs that came with the gift editions of the Extended Editions. That's twenty-seven discs I rarely watch but don't want to get rid of.)
There's some movies and franchises I think need remade or re-booted. Here you go...
The Indian In The Cupboard series: they only made a movie of the first one, but the other four books in the series had some very cinematic moments. Though, considering how book 3 only has a light plot, and book 4 is mainly exposition, I think they should be combined into the other three stories.
Anne of Green Gables should get a new shot at the big screen. There was a silent flick, a movie in 1934, a BBC mini-series, an anime series, the famous Megan Follows mini-series/movie with it's sequels, and an animated television series. The Megan Follows version has been the best adaptation that still exists, but the sequels to it really strayed from the books. The deal is, after the first two, director/writer of the series got sued by L.M. Montgomery's estate for not paying them royalties, so he lost adaptation rights to the books. So, his third mini-series, and his fourth (premiering next week in Canada), as well as his animated series, were based on his own adaptations, which is rather sad, since the books have some really good stories. Only problem with a feature-length theatrical movie is how much of the book will be onscreen, and how memorable virtually every part of the books are. (Maybe extended home video versions could help there...)
And of course, I'm always up for more of L. Frank Baum's works as film versions...
I thought the first one was an all right movie, good story, plenty of adventure and action, a fun movie, but the next two get so wrapped up in this universe, I lost interest. Not really fun to watch at all. Am I a Star Wars fan people have asked? Before I saw them, no. And now that I have, no.
This happen to you? When you were a kid, you saw a movie, you loved it, you thought it was great, so you scrape up enough money somehow to buy a video tape version of it, which you watch several times, then the tape gets misplaced or put away, and you've seen the movie so many times, you just don't worry about it.
Then, years later, you find the movie on DVD, and think, "Oh, I loved that movie!" So you buy it. Eventually, you pop it in and watch it for the first time in a few years, and think... "What did I see in this movie?" That for me, is The Indian In The Cupboard. Good books, though.
A very different case was the Back to the Future series. When I was a kid, my oldest brother had the first movie and we watched it quite a few times, then one day, my parents rented the other two and we watched all three in succession. (Yes...) And that was about the only time I'd seen them all... For years! Until I rented the first one from Netflix earlier this year, and discovered just how good they were.
And there's also the case of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I probably haven't seen The Return of the King since 2005. About 2 months ago, I did see The Fellowship of the Ring, but was rather overwhelmed with how much it reminded me of old friends of mine who were also Rings fans that I've lost contact with. Last night, I did watch the first half of The Two Towers. (I have the original Theatrical Edition DVDs, widescreen of course, the Extended Editions, and the Limited Editions, and all of the discs that came with the gift editions of the Extended Editions. That's twenty-seven discs I rarely watch but don't want to get rid of.)
There's some movies and franchises I think need remade or re-booted. Here you go...
The Indian In The Cupboard series: they only made a movie of the first one, but the other four books in the series had some very cinematic moments. Though, considering how book 3 only has a light plot, and book 4 is mainly exposition, I think they should be combined into the other three stories.
Anne of Green Gables should get a new shot at the big screen. There was a silent flick, a movie in 1934, a BBC mini-series, an anime series, the famous Megan Follows mini-series/movie with it's sequels, and an animated television series. The Megan Follows version has been the best adaptation that still exists, but the sequels to it really strayed from the books. The deal is, after the first two, director/writer of the series got sued by L.M. Montgomery's estate for not paying them royalties, so he lost adaptation rights to the books. So, his third mini-series, and his fourth (premiering next week in Canada), as well as his animated series, were based on his own adaptations, which is rather sad, since the books have some really good stories. Only problem with a feature-length theatrical movie is how much of the book will be onscreen, and how memorable virtually every part of the books are. (Maybe extended home video versions could help there...)
And of course, I'm always up for more of L. Frank Baum's works as film versions...
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Christmas Shopping 08
Looks like I'm doing almost all of my Christmas shopping online this year. Due to a tight wallet, I'm just shopping for immediate family. Maybe I'll get some cards or bake some cookies for my friends. My family can't expect too many gifts, but they won't be getting trashy dollar store items, either.
I avoided Black Friday because I was broke.
The worst thing about Christmas shopping is realizing how out of touch you are with your family.
I avoided Black Friday because I was broke.
The worst thing about Christmas shopping is realizing how out of touch you are with your family.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Something that's really irritating...
Okay, so you get a phone call. We know now that phone calls are made by people or machines, notifying you of some stuff, trying to get your money or vote in an election, or a friendly chat.
In the days leading up the election this year, my phone would ring, and someone would be trying to get me to vote for their candidate. What I found odd was how low they were speaking. Eventually, I'd had enough of trying to make out what they were saying and just hung up.
Today, someone was trying to call me about a business opportunity I'd looked into and left my phone number and e-mail address for. When they called, I could BARELY hear what they were saying! I even said, "I can't hear what you're saying," and they just continued speaking in the same low tone! I hung up again!
Later, I got an e-mail from the person saying that I obviously wasn't interested.
While these two items are very different, the same reason applies... If you're not willing to communicate CLEARLY what you're trying to say, apparently, you don't believe in it that much, and considering all the scams in politics and business, I can't afford to take risks. If your candidate, opinion, or business is so great, SPEAK UP!!!
In the days leading up the election this year, my phone would ring, and someone would be trying to get me to vote for their candidate. What I found odd was how low they were speaking. Eventually, I'd had enough of trying to make out what they were saying and just hung up.
Today, someone was trying to call me about a business opportunity I'd looked into and left my phone number and e-mail address for. When they called, I could BARELY hear what they were saying! I even said, "I can't hear what you're saying," and they just continued speaking in the same low tone! I hung up again!
Later, I got an e-mail from the person saying that I obviously wasn't interested.
While these two items are very different, the same reason applies... If you're not willing to communicate CLEARLY what you're trying to say, apparently, you don't believe in it that much, and considering all the scams in politics and business, I can't afford to take risks. If your candidate, opinion, or business is so great, SPEAK UP!!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Quick blog...
So, most of you heard about the unfortunate case of the Wal-Mart employee who opened his store on Black Friday last week. I just posted a comment about it on a video on YouTube, and I said this...
It is all the shoppers' fault for trampling the guy. I find it odd that they killed him in a rush to buy gifts that we use to celebrate a season of love, Peace on Earth, and Goodwill to Men...
Have some goodwill as I crush your skull is more like it...
Best Christmas Rant Ever...
Heh... This is the best rant I've ever heard regarding Christmas or "holiday" celebrations in America.
TRANSCRIPT:
Dear Santa, or Guy Known For His Beard,
This letter is from Foamy with squirrelly cheer.
Most people would start by asking for stuff,
But not this little squirrel, I have more than enough.
Though this year I ask for a simple request,
I know you're just Santa, but give it your best.
As seasons go by we grow greater complaints,
Of seeing icons of Jesus and statues of saints.
This Christmas I would like to enjoy it once true,
Without liberal schmucks burning pictures of you.
Some don't like Christmas and I can't really see why:
We get to eat turkey, get presents and pie.
(PETA might not like the turkeys of course,
But gifts for the masses! How is that wrong?)
Folks who hate Christmas scream "Tolerance for all!"
But intolearate difference when it's right out their door.
They bitch and complain about Christmas in town,
While menorahs and Kwanzaas are on the school grounds.
It's a known double-standard both simple and true,
So I've devised a solution, especially for you!
I know you give coal to those who are naughty,
But may I suggest something more sporty?
I would lace candies with minty fresh poison,
And give them to morons, so they can enjoy them.
What better way to put this issue to rest
Than to get rid of those whiners with CANDIES OF DEATH?
So forget all the toys and stuff on my wishlist,
I just want to have an enjoyable Christmas!
(But of course if you find room on your sleigh for a treat,
Cream cheese is good and bagels are neat!)
That's all from the Foamy, and I'll see you real soon,
And make sure you bring candies, I have morons here, too!
TRANSCRIPT:
Dear Santa, or Guy Known For His Beard,
This letter is from Foamy with squirrelly cheer.
Most people would start by asking for stuff,
But not this little squirrel, I have more than enough.
Though this year I ask for a simple request,
I know you're just Santa, but give it your best.
As seasons go by we grow greater complaints,
Of seeing icons of Jesus and statues of saints.
This Christmas I would like to enjoy it once true,
Without liberal schmucks burning pictures of you.
Some don't like Christmas and I can't really see why:
We get to eat turkey, get presents and pie.
(PETA might not like the turkeys of course,
But gifts for the masses! How is that wrong?)
Folks who hate Christmas scream "Tolerance for all!"
But intolearate difference when it's right out their door.
They bitch and complain about Christmas in town,
While menorahs and Kwanzaas are on the school grounds.
It's a known double-standard both simple and true,
So I've devised a solution, especially for you!
I know you give coal to those who are naughty,
But may I suggest something more sporty?
I would lace candies with minty fresh poison,
And give them to morons, so they can enjoy them.
What better way to put this issue to rest
Than to get rid of those whiners with CANDIES OF DEATH?
So forget all the toys and stuff on my wishlist,
I just want to have an enjoyable Christmas!
(But of course if you find room on your sleigh for a treat,
Cream cheese is good and bagels are neat!)
That's all from the Foamy, and I'll see you real soon,
And make sure you bring candies, I have morons here, too!
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