Car status update

Well I dontated my 1992 Honda Civic to the Kidney Foundation. They came and picked it up and sold it for $550. The repairs she needs mechanically are more than she is worth. And I dont think she has much left in her. My friend Rob and others have said that I have been driving on borrowed time. Ive had her for over 12 years, 255k miles.

Im currently driving an 88 jeep wrangler that a coworker is selling for $3500. He is really cool and let me borrow it, even tho Im not going to buy it now. I have to put $60 worth of premium gas in this baby every 3 days. Its real fun to drive cuz its been raised 7 inches, has the 32in tires on it and is wide open. A jeep was always my dream car and for $3500 - this thing would be a good deal. But the gas guzzlin is a deal breaker. LOL.

So I was looking at a used TOYOTA Prius (hybrid) $10k. Its 4 doors and sips gas at about 50mpg. And a lot more practical. But it has too many miles. The battery system ($6k) is only warranteed for 8 years or 100k miles. The Subaru 2000 Forrester is $9k* EPA Mileage 21/28 - Rob recommends the newer/lighter trunk model. 2001 Honda Insight - $11k - but its only a 2 seater. I have a Vespa that is being repaired in the shop. That will be my ideal commute vehicle. http://www.hybridtraderonline.com

I like the Honda CR-V at the moment. For the price, value, etc - I think it best suits my needs. But this Civic aint bad either.

Dreams

112605 - I had a dream last night that I ran into some up and coming movie actor, bonded, started running around town - and we busted into Jennifer Annistons place. Brad Pitt was there. They were heading to dinner and invited us. We suggested that they invite more of their friends. We goto the restaurant, eat drink and be merry - and start to head out. Paparazzi were everywhere. I sneak around and take them out, one by one. It becomes a game with Pitt and Anniston give hand signals, pointing out others, running, laughing and going to another public location. There the game continues as I take out more Paparazzi. They decide to call it a night and go home. I wish them well. It seemed as tho I inadvertantly got them back together - if only for a night.

Rousseau, Thoreau, Mill - cared a lot more about your well-being

...stock-market capitalism is today's coin of the realm, consumerism its handmaiden, and technology is the great enabler. You think technology benefits you because it gives you an easier row to hoe? Bollocks. The ease it provides is illusory. It has trapped you, made you a slave to things you don't even need but suddenly can't live without. So you rot in a cubicle trying to get the money to get the stuff, when you should be out walking in a meadow or wooing a lover or writing a song.

Look around. Our collective humanity is dying a little more every day. Technology is killing life on the street -- the public commons, if you please. Chat rooms, text messaging, IM are all, technically, forms of communication. But when they replace yakking over the back fence, or sitting huggermugger at the bar or simply walking with a friend -- as they have for an increasing number of people in "advanced" societies -- then meaningful human contact is lost. Ease of use is small compensation.

The street suffers in other ways, too. Where you used to buy books from your local bookseller, you now give your money (by credit card, with usurious interest rates) to Amazon.com. Where you used to have a garage sale, you now flog your detritus on craigslist. Almost anything you used to buy from a butcher or druggist or florist you can now get online. Handy as hell, to be sure, and nothing touched by human hands. But little shops lose business and close, to be replaced, if at all, by cookie-cutter chain stores selling One Size Fits All. The corporations have got you right where they want you.
..>http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,68742-2,00.html?tw=wn_story_page_next1

AIRTRAN & WENDY'S

A Medium drink is $1.09 (in Alpharetta GA). Buy 64 drinks from Wendy's and get a free round trip ticket anywhere AirTrans flies. A grand total to $139.52 for 128 medium drinks. Which equals 2 round trip tickets. But why not DD (dumpster dive) for free cups?

On MON I only got a total of 25 cups.

On FRI I scored a total of 79 cups from 3 locations!

I was too lazy to DD on THURS.

I went DD on WED. I scored a total of 59 cups from just 2 of the locations! At one of the locations, the fence around the dumpster was locked. So I had to crawl over the top of the wood fence.

I went DD on TUES. I went to 3 locations near my house and within an hour, I had a total of 38 cups! I started my rounds at 11pm. All 3 Wendys drive thrus were still open. I did not park my car in the Wendys lot - just in case. The dumpster(s) were enclosed in a fenced off kinda contraption - but I could walk into all of them. I then pulled out my first bag. I turned it all around to see the cups that were in the bag. I then ripped a hole in the bag so I could reach in and get the cups. I stacked the fairly clean ones. The messy ones and the ones with liquid I set to the side. Repeated the process for the next several bags. I then used the fluid in some of the cups to rinse the messy cups. I then put all the bags back in the dumpster and picked up any other trash. I would recommend that you cover your tracks so that they dont lock the dumpster, guard it, or just cancel the contest, because of us - the innovators.

I wore a hat, just to keep anything out of my hair.
Clothing: windbreaker, and similar pants - so that any food and fluids run right off.
I recommend thick rubber gloves. But I used some
Towel and/or wetnaps. Just in case ya get messy.
I did not take my wallet.
I kept my cellphone in my car.
No flashlight needed on my run.
Its also good to document when you go, and your results - so that if you do this for several weeks - you know when and where to go.

First stop: 5297 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA
One dumpster was empty, the other was half full.
Second stop: 6130 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA
Only one dumpster, 25% full
Third stop: 1935 Indian Trail Rd, Norcross, GA
Only one dumpster, 60% full
http://www.google.com/local?q=wendy's+loc%3A+Lilburn,+GA+30047&ll=33.912950,-84.192352&spn=0.049195,0.076484&f=l&iwloc=E&hl=en

1100 N Point Dr, Alpharetta, GA
Dumpster was empty on TUES around noon.

Keep in mind they have to be mailed in a #10 envelope. So either you will fit all of the proofs in one envelope, or you will be mailing a lot of envelopes (w/ certified mail im assuming).
You still have to pay taxes (no clue how much). You have blackout dates(no clue what they are).
Rules say that you can only order 5 cokes at a time (but it doesnt hurt to try and ask for more). Today I got 10 cups just sitting at the table by the trash and waiting for people to go to discard their cups. My suggestion is to rinse the cups out as soon as possible so they don't get sticky or attract flies.
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/auto/epaper/editions/yesterday/news_34e9d6b327a9b1b4005b.html
http://www.airtran.com/wendys_offer.aspx
http://gtmcknight.com/log/archives/2005/11/01/wendys_cups_are_the_new_pudding.php
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?start=160&catid=63&threadid=535918
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=149810&page=33

House Chaos

I got new carpet installed in my house on FRI - and I wasnt really prepared for it. The house was still a mess from the painters - painting the inside of my house. But the carpet guy really wanted to do it on FRI. And they did it. Nothing was broken, but they just shoved everything out of the way. The kitchen, bathrooms, garage and back deck were filled with items that were in the house. They did leave all the heavy furniture in the general area of where it was. The place is really starting to look ready for selling.

New Roomie

So I got a new roomate! The man, the myth, the legend. Ladies and Gentlemen: Seth Joiner. Oh, and did I mention that he has some form of ESP? Just ask...

Cellphones & Carriers

Ok, you can get a Motorola RAZR & headset for $180 (free after rebate (ya have to wait 6 months in to apply)), with 2 year service agreement.
You can get this deal thru tigerdirect, buy.com, or amazon.com - and probably others. The service is with Cingular, but I think T-Mobile may be offering the same deal now - or very soon.
First, I still cant believe how long cell phones have been around - and all the interfaces that I have used still are stupid - or still have really stupid things about them. The RAZR is no exception. The interface is clunky and counter-intuitive in areas.
Second, just because your friend says they like a particular carrier (like T-mobile) - doesnt mean that its great for you. The problem here is that you need to talk with someone who you work with and visits the same geographic areas that you do around town, etc. That way you can be more sure about which carrier best suits your needs.
Third, overall - I believe Verizon may be the best one for me. I have tried Verizon, T-mobile and Cingular. Cingular also sux cuz they still make you pay for (real world) text messaging.

Local Haunted Houses

Joy, Lisa, Bernie, Sara and I went to the Nightmare Haunted House. There was another house next to it also. The cost for entry for 1 house is $15 or $24 for both. The line was short and we went right in. The costumes and various themed areas were well done. It was a warehouse-mazelike setup. The best part was when Joy pissed her pants.

I also went to The Manor with Aimee. It too had another haunted house next to it - CREEPERS. These were in theatres. Very nice and surreal as well, but I think that Nightmare Haunted House was the best freakin for the bucks. FYI - the line was almost 2 hours long on Halloween night!

http://atlanta.about.com/cs/artsentertainment/a/halloween.htm