The Death of Electronics

Sometimes it seems that I'm plagued with dying electronics. It seems like it's always happening. When I think about it though, I suppose it's more of a law of averages. After all--I have a lot of electronics, and when you have a lot of anything, that's just more chances for something to go amiss.

The latest victim? My Dell Axim PDA. I haven't had it very long, but it was used when I got it, so I guess that's just the way things go. It didn't fry or go dead, so it's not quite like the way most things die. Instead, the power button suddenly stopped working. It won't turn off or on with it. The only way to make the unit come on is by plugging it into its cradle (it comes on automatically when you park it), and the only way to turn it off is to take the battery out.

Before the Axim died, the most recent victim was my cable modem. Actually, it wasn't quite a victim because it was still working, but something wasn't right about it so I replaced it.

Another ongoing battle I've been having is with my wireless router. It works then it doesn't work. It may work fine one day, then the next day it drops the signal constantly. I don't notice it here at this machine because I'm plugged into it with a cable, but downstairs I do. I have two laptops down there that use it--One is the "coffee table machine" that we use to surf things while we're downstairs, and the other is the one I have permanently plugged into my stereo receiver to play internet radio (nonstop music with no ads). Those will constantly lose the signal on some days.

I tried "hot-rodding" the router yesterday. I found an online community that has built and supported a hack that turns a standard $50 router into a the kind you would normally find powering a wifi "hotspot" somewhere. Basically, it "unlocks" features that the router is already capable of. I thought that if the router was already dying what did I have to lose? Well, the hack worked fine, but the router still drops the signal intermittently like it did before. Nothing really gained there.

Sigh. I wonder what's next? Time to do some buying and selling I guess...

A Day of Deals

It seems like it was all around us yesterday. Everywhere we looked, we were doing something thrifty or getting a deal on something. For the sake of pointing them out, I'll put the word "deal" with them to point them out.

The first thing I did after we got up was to get a haircut from Suzie. (Deal.)

After I got out of the shower and cleaned up I made some calls about changing the wheels and tires on my truck. The idea was to have my current tires remounted on wheels that I bought from a guy on Craigslist a couple weeks ago for only $60 (deal). After many calls, I ended up out at our local "junkyard alley" the next town over, where the tire shop at Budget Auto Wrecking said they would mount and balance my 4 tires for 10 bucks apiece. When I drove out there, it was wall-to-wall people, all apparently waiting for their turn to have some sort of tire/wheel work done. Disgruntled, I drove around a little and reluctantly decided to go back and get in line at Budget. Instead, I noticed a Tire Shop sign right next door at AAA Auto Wrecking. I didn't even know they had a tire shop. Anyway, they were the same price and there was only one customer there at the time. The tire shop was run by a wisp of a woman about my age that was working her butt off. She did the changeover for $40 cash with no tax (deal). She also threw in, for free, a baggie full of black plastic lug nut covers the hold the center caps on my wheels (deal).

While I was out doing this, Sue was out hitting pawn shops, checking their jewelry offerings. She wasn't sure how I'd take the fact that she was more interested in wearing used jewelry (and getting more bang for her buck), so she was doing investigative research. When I got back to my place, she was back there already. I had no sooner gotten home when Steve rode up on his Harley. He was there to drop off a special little Compactflash/Ethernet port card that would work in my PDA. He had gotten two of them on an Ebay deal and only needed one of them. Knowing that I had the same PDA as he does, he gave me one (deal). I may never need it, but hey--Free is free.

During his visit, he mentioned this coming year's Spring Opener motorcycle run, which was held in Toppenish last year. He said that it was in Goldendale this year, and also mentioned that he had made reservations for it already. Right after he left we got online and found the motel he was staying at and negotiated a good price on a stay there with my AARP membership (deal).

Right after that Suzie told me about her wanderings into the local pawn shops while I was out with my truck. She said I needed to "broaden my horizons" as she put it, and look other than new jewelry stores. To explain, she told me all about her findings at the pawn shops. The prices, selection, and the 30-day return policy. After we talked about it, I assured her that I would not be the least offended should she find a ring she liked better in a pawn shop. We decided to go to the nearby stores of the Super Pawn chain, which is the store that impressed her the most. At our second one, we found a ring for her. A ring that she totally loves! It's a full carat total weight (not to mention more gold) and we got it for the same price as one of the two 1/5-carat rings I bought her at the jeweler. It was marked at $999.95 at the pawn shop but we got it for $350 (deal). I must say, it's a beautiful ring all right. We both think it's great! The other rings ended up going back to Fred Meyer Jewelers.

I must say, it was a day of feeling good about the deals we scored. Neither Suz or I could stop checking out her new ring... It's a beaut! We both agreed that we are indeed lucky that we both recognize the benefits of shopping used. It's much better to have quality used than substandard and new, and besides--If you save in one area, it affords you the luxury of spending your savings somewhere else right?

Friday Tidbits

Boy, Suzie sure is fired up these days! To say she is excited is an understatement. She is to the point where if she wakes up early: Forget about going back to sleep. Her mind won't let her. She is totally pumped with wedding-planning fever.

I still haven't told everyone in my family about our getting married. I know--I'm bad. I've still got to tell my brother in Atlanta and my sisters. I guess I don't feel as connected with members of my family as other people do with theirs. I don't know what instilled that way of thinking. It was apparently something in the way my parents raised us because everyone else in my family is the same way. Anyway, I'll get em all contacted in the next day or two I'm sure.

Denis dropped by last night and we yakked for a couple hours. He dropped off a box full of Harley stuff that he was getting rid of. Magazines, books (nice ones), memorabilia, and even a Harley phone. He's been out of work for a while now, and he's been doing a lot of housecleaning. He's been selling stuff on Craigslist and making runs to the Goodwill.

Work actually hasn't been bad this week in the absence of Bruce. I feared the worst. I guess he timed it pretty well because we haven't had a lot of turmoil and crazed running around that tends to happen there lately on busy days.

This is a time of year that makes it hard to ride the Harley to work. You know it's going to be warm in the afternoon, but it's totally frozen in the morning at 5:30 when I leave for work. Basically, it's "No pain, no gain" as far as riding goes. I suffer in the morning if I want to enjoy the ride home this afternoon. Oh well... It just reinforces the image that I'm a real biker I guess.

Yeah, right...

A Major Announcement

Ricky and Suzie are officially engaged to be married!

Yes, it's true-- She wears an engagement ring. I think both of us knew way back when that this would come--We just "click" too well for it not to. The events of the past year have taught us about one another: The good, the bad, the likes & dislikes--There are so many things we've explored and learned about each other. We even had one "breakup" a couple months ago, and that lasted about... I dunno... One day? We were miserable, and I think it just reinforced our bond.

We love and need each other, and we intend to keep loving and needing each other.

The biggest hurdle we face at this time is the actual physical fitting of me into her household. While I don't have a lot of stuff, there really is no room for me at this time. Fortunately, we're not getting married this instant so we'll have time to work the logistics out before that takes place. Her house isn't a giant one by any means, and at this time she still has two boys living at home. Only Dane, her 20 year-old is actually living there. Keith, her 18 year-old, does have a bedroom there, but spends most of his time at his dad's house (we think). The bottom line is that Dane is shopping to move out as soon as possible (and has been for some time). Keith? Who knows. He's a very quiet young man and it's hard to communicate with him. He may end up rooming with her daughter Rachyl.

As I said, we don't have a date. What we have agreed on is we'd like it to be a back yard wedding at her house (she has a nice setting for it). We're discussing the possibility of having some sort of a Medieval aspect to it as well. You know, the way people dress for the Renaissance Faire when they have them? We're not sure yet about all that. We just know one thing: We want it to be a FUN wedding--One that people won't be in a hurry to leave from. Wedding and party all in one place.

I'm not sure I'll go to the extent of renaming my blog, but it's indeed apparent that there will be a Rix Life, Part VI.

Oh, Come On... Chuckle At Least...

You have to admit--A sense of humor is a good thing. Things don't always go just the way you want to, and a sense of humor can help you "switch gears" for a second or two.

Okay, it's time to collectively say to yourself: "Man, that Rick is messed up..." Why? 'Cause I thought this was funny:


Yeah, everyone like funny stuff, but I really appreciate the unusual things. This cartoon is a good example.

Sorry... But I like to chuckle. Sue me.

How Long Can You Tread Water?

I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be living in the midst of a depression. Okay, okay--Technically it's not a depression, but rather a recession instead. Still, to be touched by and experience the chain of events that has been slowly unfolding is almost mind-boggling.

From my perspective, it seems like it started with the big Boeing strike several months back. Of course that didn't cause it, but that's when I noticed things starting to slide in our area. That's when jobs started drying up, cars started being repossessed, homes foreclosed on. It's no secret that Boeing workers here represent a huge percentage of our Northwest population. They are highly paid, and in most cases, have no idea how to manage money. When I was at Boeing I witnessed it firsthand: Every time a raise came around, they would buy something with it. Another "toy" that they couldn't afford. Although they were making the biggest money a blue collar worker could hope to make in this country, they were still in dept up to their eyeballs. They had all the best and newest of everything, but yet actually really owned very little of it. I could not believe that the Boeing machinists union voted to go on strike at a time like that. What were they thinking? The whole time they were out of work conditions worsened. When they finally did go back to work the damage was done and the water spiraling down the drain had started to reach quite a velocity.

When the strike started the ripple effect had already been in place and building, starting with the housing market slumping. People were flabbergasted that a house could actually be worth less than they bought it for in our country. The slow spiraling downhill of lending institutions that failed because of the housing market slump just made it worse. Pretty soon it was everywhere you looked. It was like the catastrophe's you hear about in third world countries where a ferry goes down or a bus crashes killing huge numbers of people because they had exceeded it's capacity. It was like a gag contest: "How many people can we fit into our mortgage loan system? Come on, hurry--There's room for more! Keep jumping on board! HURRY!" Well, as we all know, the house of cards fell, albeit in slow motion. It's still falling... With no end in sight.

Things where I work are going very well thanks to two brothers that have their fingers on the pulse of their company. The Brothers LaCroix have never overextended themselves that I know of. Every move they make is deliberate and calculated. They are the epitome of frugal (you should see the crap they have stored). Our workload is very diverse and therefore never really slumped much--Even during the Boeing strike. Now they are playing the bad economic times to their benefit: Buying things and getting upgrades performed at a time when goods and labor are at an all-time low. One of them got a new car a short time ago and the other one is looking. Our whole company is in the final stages of a complete computer system install, designed and performed by a subcontractor guy that is trying to make ends meet and probably gave them the deal of a lifetime on his labor.

I honestly don't know where things are going at this point. I'm glad I have actual cash in a bank (yes, a fair amount of it survived the stock market crashes and slides), but like everyone else, I didn't move things like I should have. There's no way I can do anything with any of my stocks and mutual funds now--I'll just have to forget about them and ride them out. Every morning when I get up and sit down here with my coffee it seems that another company is filing for bankruptcy. This is a strange time. They say that history repeats itself. While that may be true, the combination of events is rarely the same. One thing that we can still depend on though: Friends and/or family.

While we have either or both of those we'll be okay.

Internet Teevee

I love the internet. We all love the internet.

It lets us stay in our nice, cozy houses and avoid interacting with other members of the human race. It lets us shop for good deals while we're sitting in our jammies. Heck, we might even still be wearing the same jammies when the man in brown delivers that good deal right to our door. The internet lets us do lots of things.

Add one more thing to the list: Internet TV. Yeah, I know... It's been around for a while already. The trouble is, it's always been marginal at best. Either it's riddled with ads, requires you to login, or the video you watch is of barely watchable quality.

Enter HULU.com. The internet has a new reason to justify its existence. Like most of you, I had never heard of Hulu before watching that funny Superbowl ad with Alec Baldwin.

Not only is the quality stellar, they have TONS of channels to select from. Favorite shows of all kinds. I just finished watching last night's Leno show a few minutes ago. Before that? A great version of The Family Guy. It lets you watch in full screen, lets you fast-forward (it has a cool slide bar at the bottom), and pretty much gives you full control. Sure, there are a few ads here and there (after all, they have to make money, right?) but overall it's great!

No more need for VCR's, DVR's, or any other recording device to catch your shows. Just kick back and watch them right here.

Oh, and don't forget to order some groceries online... You're going to get hungry.

Bring on the Speed

You wouldn't think so, but I wonder if it's true: Modems wear out on a regular basis? No, you wouldn't think so. After all, they're electronic--They have no moving parts.

It was August of 2006 when I went through the same thing I just went through: My internet stopping and starting. The fix then? A new modem.

After having a cable guy here to check my line a week or so ago (and finding nothing wrong), I opted to find myself another modem. I found a smokin' deal on a replacement that is virtually identical to one I'm replacing, and just like before, not only is my stopping and starting fixed (hopefully anyway) but my internet is way faster. I recall the same thing before. Apparently, over time the speed gets slightly slower and slower. You don't really notice it because it took so long to get to that point. When you hook up a new modem: WHOOSH!

It's good to be surfing at Warp 10 again.

What a Strange Thing

I woke up this morning and glanced over at my clock: 3:15. Good, not time to get up yet. The next thing I know I wake up and look over at it and it says 3:52.

Oh shit, I forgot to set my alarm!

I got up and started furiously bustling around, doing all my usual Monday morning stuff. I got the garbage all ready to go out, made my sandwich, and even got a crock pot ready to go with pork roast in it. I'm sitting up here at 4:30, drinking my coffee and reading the online news. Hmm... That's funny--There's nothing about a Super Bowl winner.

Then it hit me. I waved my mouse pointer over the date at the bottom right of my screen. Sunday!

Boy do I feel like a boob! But even better than that: I felt like sharing my humility with the fine readers of my blog. How's that?

Suzie and I had a fantastic day yesterday. Everything we did seemed to "click" for us. I usually get up before she does, and after I finished my coffee I decided it was shower time. I had just turned on the water and stepped in when I heard a slight creak sound. I turned and was pleasantly surprised to find her in the shower with me. Good thing I'm not jumpy or I would have probably screamed--She was that stealthy!

We did some junkyard visiting to start with. It is a rare woman that would even consider going to a junkyard for any reason, but yet Suzie enjoys it. She's always on the lookout for good stuff just like I am. While I didn't get exactly what I wanted, I did score something for my truck (pocket item) that wasn't really on my shopping list: I got a new Chevy bowtie emblem for the grille. The original was missing off the truck when I got it. She bought a new side mirror for her Camry. That was a good deal at $25--It was like brand new. The yard where we found that item was a recent addition to our "junkyard area" of town, having only been there a short time. While it didn't impress me with their selection of trucks, it did impress me with their selection of everything else. They have a lot to pick from and the guys at the counter were very pleasant to deal with. Most of the time the guys working those places are a surly lot--Assuming everyone in the world is out to get them apparently, or maybe pissed off at the world that they have to work at such a place. I dunno. This place wasn't like that.

After some installation of our newly acquired parts back at my house, we did a little house cleanup and headed up to her place. There was a hot tub part that I had to install. Luckily, it also fell into the way the rest of the day had been going: It installed without a hitch. Will it solve her hot tub problem of intermittent operation? Only time will tell, but we're trying to be optimistic.

We finished out the day with a visit to the sports bar up the street from her house where we both ended up pleasantly stuffed with good burgers and beer.

Now that I've had one cuppa coffee, I wonder if I can go back to sleep? Prolly not. I have to look at the bright side: At least I didn't drive to work...