They get you...

 They really get you.

I'm privileged enough that I have a Books-A-Million subscription. I've had it for a decade but there's a story behind the acquisition of it. 

About the time I moved to Florida, a cousin had a BAM card. She was using it regularly because she was buying her nieces and nephews gifts from her local store. She had been doing it for a few years and knew that I had stopped shopping at Borders (since it was permanently closed) and didn't really like going to Barnes & Noble. 

Having been spoiled by going to a local bookseller in Brookline for four years didn't help either. 

But where my cousin was paying into the Books-A-Million system for her own sprees, she gave me her rewards card. Subscribers (aka Millionaires) can save on shipping (it's free), get 40% off bestsellers and a few other perks. 

I've used her extra card off and on since she gave it to me. She still pays the yearly membership even though she stopped using the service and I only shop there once in a blue moon. Yes, it's kind of wasteful, but the sporadic times I've used the site, I've actually saved a couple dollars over Amazon. 

The example is when I bought Harold & Maude. It's currently $12.95 in both places as a paperback. The stage adaptation is $10.95 as well. Free shipping from Amazon and BAM sites (as long as you're a member). 

So far, it's a choose your weapon situation. No big loss either way. 

Now the interesting part is Amazon has a Kindle version of the paperback for $9.99, where Books-A-Million does not. The reader version doesn't seem to exist on the latter site. Win for Amazon.

However, the next step is the 10% off for being a Millionaire. This brings the total to $11.65 from BAM and if I recall correctly, I think I still paid under 12 bucks because there was little to no taxes. I don't have the invoice anymore and the website doesn't retain an order history past 12 months. I guess I ordered the book over a year ago. 

I wrote about it somewhere on here. 

Anyway, the whole point of the comparison and posting is that I got an email from Books-A-Million today about there being 15 hours left in the "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" sale this weekend. 

As we were watching something yesterday that spurred me into looking at a couple books online, I looked into the prices of the books. Again, all the same prices across the land and some have Kindle versions where others do not. The 10 per cent off will get a better deal, but after seeing the email this morning, I thought it is a better win for BAM with the freebie incentive since I'd be buying three from the same author anyway. 

Well, I thought wrong. 

I'm going through the Books site and finding what I need. My cart filled up and it says  nothing about getting anything gratis. Damnit. What the eff.

I click around some more. 

Come to find out, the sale is specific to what Books-A-Million deems free. It's select merchandise from the store and not all books are on the list, even though there are plenty of current things to choose from, it has to say "Buy 2, Get 3rd Free" in the book listing, as well as most of the books being "Summer Stock Up Sale!" ready. 

Just an example of the sale info

I think this is an end of summer liquidation, getting ready for fall and winter books, truth be told.

It's a little disheartening because I would have totally purchased the books if they were on sale, plus one more from the author and maybe looked back into the Funko arena because there have been emails about exclusive Pops that no one else has. 

If I had it their way, I'd be dropping $75 or so on four books and a possible figurine. Or not... maybe just $45 on three books. 

I don't know... maybe I'll still do it. I have way to many in my room right now to complete (including the one I'm currently reading.. and almost finished with). 

At this moment, I'll wait it out. 

Which is again, why having a subscription may be wasteful. When I was in Barnes & Noble, they wanted me to buy into the $25 a year membership. I had done research on it and I saw loads of topics that said you need to spend $250 in that one year to make back the 25 because it accounts for sales, their own percentage off and other random things. Someone online compared the need to buy "9-17 books in one year" to make up for the membership, and that's including the fact the books may range from "$15-28" before any discount. 

I don't buy 5 books a year, let alone upwards of 15 or more. My collection is sporadic - things I've picked up from other markets over the years. The last time I purchased something from B&N in store was two and a half years ago. I had a gift card to use (there was little on it as it was a freebie thing) and decided to pick up the Elton John autobiography. If I recall correctly, it was already on clearance for $15 and it was published four months prior. I went home that day and was telling a friend about it. Turns out, Amazon at that moment had it for ten bucks, when every retailer has it for over $30 normally. 

What. The. Shit.

I wasn't going back to B&N and ordering on Amazon. I did that once before for a bigger product, but not for this. The price in gas alone would have been the five dollar differential. So I kept it. 

Right now, Amazon has it for $17.09 while B&N has it for $26.99 (that's with 10% off). As a side note, BAM has it for $30. Win for Bezos' former company with this one. 

Two and a half years though... at 25 dollars a year... only buying one book. I don't know what my cousin pays for Books-A-Million, but if the latter can be cheaper on some things, I'd rather go there than try my luck at B&N. Or even Amazon. It's a crap shoot, really. 

But yeah... get the piles of books down to a manageable size, contemplate buying more, but don't get anything crazy. 

Cheers;

"When the neighbors shout Turn it up some more"

Okay, so I'm not bumping Armin van Buuren's Turn It Up or watching This Is Spinal Tap, but I was on Pinterest the other day, posting reminders of what podcasts I've listened to.

Or attempted to remember what I've listened to. 

Because I've listened to way too many things over the last 4 years to remember what I've subscribed to and then unsubscribed from. Some seem to have ended abruptly, thus making me delete it from my history while others were so boring, that I needed to stop the brain bleed before it got worse. Anything in between is fair game and I have patiently anticipated multiple seasons of things yet it remains unsuccessful. 

According to my board, I've got 19 different things listed. A couple haven't been heard because there is a TV show based on the radio play.

As I am linking here, I'm looking for others.

Note: most are links to Audible. But you catch them in most podcatchers. 

New England - 

• Greater Boston (this link goes to GB's site).
  
• Blackout
  
• Bridgewater
  
• The Commonwealth (these are short form... like under 10 minutes but I haven't heard them yet. Link to Sounder)
  
• Crimetown (link goes to Gimlet's page.. for Spotify or webpage listening)
  

Political - 

• Slow Burn by Slate (this link goes to Slate's site and is marked as Season 1, Watergate)
• The Problem With Jon Stewart (I've seen this commentary as the Apple TV+ Show)
  
• Crimetown Presents: (this link goes to both season 1 and season two. Season 1 is the RFK tapes and season 2 is the Ballad of Billy Balls. As it's one link, it'll stay in political)
  (NOTE - this is unrelatedly related to Crimetown listed in the New England podcasts. Same guys wrote these but they are not the same. It's produced by two different companies and one can be seen as the umbrella for the other)
  
• Gangster Capitalism (I can't decide if this series is True Crime or Political so I'm sticking it into the Politicks category)
  

The Strange and Unusual -

• Unobscured
  
• Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities
  
• Strange Arrivals
  
• The Monster Hunters (this is so cheesy, it hurts)
  
• Lore
  
• iNTO THE FRAY RADIO - An Encounter with the Abyss that is the Paranormal
  

True Crime - 

• The Casual Criminalist (I haven't heard this one yet but it sounds interesting)
  

History... of sorts -

• American Shadows
• Revisionist History
  

Miscellaneous - 

• Headlong: Missing Richard Simmons
  
• S-Town
• Akimbo (this goes to the actual site)
  

Music - 

• Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond
  

Again, there are so many more, but I just can't keep up. I know I've posted somewhere here another list, so if you can find that and cross reference, maybe something new has popped up. 

Today I ate my lunch in an empty office because there was an event taking over the employee break room, so peons couldn't eat in the space. 

So in this little area, there were plenty of wall decorations, including motivational artwork. 

One in particular was "Don't think outside the box. Think like there is no box".

Interesting? 

Of course I went to Amazon tonight to see if there was anything official as wall art. As it's really an odd quote (and obviously hand painted), I found that there are some decals but mostly journals with this as the cover. 

I would probably buy the print and get some sort of floating frame around it. But that's just me. It is a nice reminder to be creative and think differently. Question everything. 

Until I can remember what else I'm grooving to, I think it's time for bed.

Cheers;

Happened again!

 After a week or so of not seeing the stickered Mitsubishi, I saw them again this past Friday. Around the same time and place I had previously seen it. 

It was so weird because part of the reason for the lack of sight is that I know I have been running late this past week, subsequently getting to work late. Therefore, I had been missing the opportunity to see the crying animal. But when I was "on time", I had seen it. 

I wonder how many people run into my car on a daily basis and say the same thing about me - they keep seeing my bumper stickers and we are all in the same area at the same time. Yet, there have been times already that I've only seen a real slight handful of same people driving. Some cars are so recognizable, that you swear you see them every few days. 

Take one of my neighbors, for example. Although I currently don't have a picture to corroborate my story, I can tell you they drive a Pepto Bismol Pink Dodge Charger. I haven't seen them drive around the city, as the car usually sits in the driveway every time I see it. BUT... it was MIA for at least two months recently. Somehow it got replaced by an electric lime green SUV type vehicle. That boxy car was hanging out in the drive for the duration the Charger went missing. Once the low rider came back, the bigger car went away. 

There is a guy who works at the place I am currently at... he too, has an unusually colored Charger (it's in the green family). Dodge must have a thing for pop colors on their small cars. 

Everyone says "when I buy a new car, I'm getting X color so I can find it in a parking lot". They then buy the bland paint and every one around them has the same one. It's the people who choose to stay out of the normal spectrum where you know they've got the perfect example of finding their ride. I had an uncle who had a "bumble bee yellow" car back in the day and he always said he could find it because no one else had any kind of yellow car. He was right, but I think today, if he put it next to the people who drive the bright cars, he'd be hard pressed to think he were original. 

More reason people tag their bumpers with sayings or logos. They try to be original with concept art but end up being part of a pack. Like body modifiers (piercings, tattoos and otherwise), you stand out for the moment but once your little circle gets bigger, you're not alone in being noticeable. The lack of somethings get to be the unnoticed.

Crazy how these things happen and you start looking for stuff. Just another day in keeping my eyes peeled for random events as I continue on my winding path.

Stay cool because it's going to be hotter today than it was yesterday.

Cheers; 

Cos I gotta have faith!

No, not in the religious or relationship realm (much to the disadvantage of one George Michael or John Hiatt... which the former was the one that popped in my head first), in the context of "trust what the thing you buy is doing".

Last week during Prime Day, I ordered six things (seven if you count one as 'quantity - 2'):

• E-Z Ink (TM) Compatible Ink Cartridge Replacement for Canon PGI-250XL PGI 250 XL to use with PIXMA Printer (Large Black) 4 Pack
  
  
• E-Z Ink (TM) Compatible Ink Cartridge Replacement for Canon CLI-251XL CLI 251 XL to use with PIXMA Printer(Black, 4 Pack)
  
  
• Autism Awareness Heart Puzzle Car Window Decal Sticker 4" Wide
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Dare to Be Yourself Autism Awareness Sticker - Sticker Graphic - Waterproof - Fade Resistant Die Cut
  
  
  
  
  (I edited out a barcode on the top right corner.. why it scanned funny)
  
  
• 508 Roots Massachusetts Area Code MA Vinyl Decal Sticker White CarWindow Bumper 2-Pack Premium Quality UV Resistant Laminate
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Massachusetts State- Where My Story Began- Die Cut White Vinyl Window Decal/sticker for Car or Truck 4"x7"
  
  
  
  
  

As pictured with the links, I've received all the decals. I'm waiting on the ink. They scanned in crooked, but you get the point.

I do have to say, they are just as expected with the exception of the "Dare to be yourself" decal. I like it, don't get me wrong. It's something new and different for raising awareness, but I wasn't expecting the color saturation to be a smidge off with it. Close up, it looks like the outlines of the skeletons plus the color of the one dabbing seems as if they had a smaller image file and didn't convert it to the 6x6 size they needed. Picture quality isn't the best on it, as well as the background is white while the sticky back is grey. I was thinking it would have been transparent like the other ones I purchased (notice they are all white with a blue background? The blue background is the sheeted transparency back, while the white decal can show through it. The white decal is the peel off part). I didn't think this one through. I'm still going to put them on my car when the time comes, but I think I'm going to need to read through the descriptions better the next time I order something I'm not used to. Especially since the film the Dare one is printed on, seems flimsy as well. 

I hate to make it sound like I regret this purchase, because I don't. It's something new and different for what I want to support and it's just me being nitpicky and looking for something wrong. Someone else could say it's the most amazing thing and they're ordering an allotment more. 

The thing that got me worried though.. was when everything was marked as shipped. I received tracking information for four out of the six items I ordered. I had contacted the sellers of the decals regarding this, as most of the items are third party sellers, I wanted to make sure there was some sort of notification on someone's end that it was sent and delivered. I got screwed once over a lost package because of no tracking number. Over a year later, the item is still lost in the mail. I don't want that happening again. However, when I contacted one of these decal sellers, they not only responded back quickly, they gave me a perfectly good reason for not having tracking (I'm paraphrasing and adding my own opinion into this): In order to keep their costs down to create fabulous products, they don't supply tracking information. Tracking can be costly, and if it's a <$5 item, the price will be raised substantially to make sure we all know every step of the product's destination. It's something I can agree with.

When I contacted the other seller about the shipping information, they were a little more generic. They stated how it's coming and in what kind of envelope. Still got to me earlier than the expected date, but it would have been nice to have a formal answer like the other seller. 

It's okay though, I got everything I ordered, minus the ink. I'm not too afraid of that, as I've ordered enough times from them, I trust it'll be here. I just need to make sure it'll definitely fit my printer. I checked, cross checked, and read some more. There's a label on the inside of my Pixma that has the cartridge information on it for when it's time to reorder new Canon inks. As I've had no problem with the "off brand" previously, the new product information on the box has thrown me. I needed to question it myself to make sure it'll be okay. Again, if there is a sticker on the printer that says what to look for, and this new packaging says it's compatible with that number, I'm taking it for truth. Only because I can reference both items and I've bought from the seller before. 

That's about it for now. I'll do an update on this post when I receive the ink (should be Monday). 

Otherwise, stay cool, stay hydrated, stay out of the rainstorms.

Cheers;

Smell the salt, taste the salt.

I haven't seen the crying opossum car lately, but the other day I saw a white Kia Soul with a Stormtrooper bumper sticker on it. I nearly pissed myself laughing on my way to work because it's completely fitting to have that decal on the back of the car since the automobile looks like a helmet on wheels. Seeing those two things together is (so far) once in a lifetime, so I didn't get a picture of it. If I see it again, I'll try to snap a photo.

I bought a 24 count of Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier - Lemon Lime - Hydration Powder Packets at one of the big warehouse stores (ok, Costco) last time I was there. I figured "summer's coming, the humidity is going to be a real pain on me and I need something to flush the heat away without making me feel gross every time I'm pulling a table around campus". 

So I snagged the (very expensive) bag without trying the powder first. 

Well, here I am now trudging though them and I'm not at that job any more.

First impression: 

You open the main bag and you can smell the sodium wafting from the sticks.

There must be an open packet somewhere...

Once you open an individual tube, you smell it worse. Put the light blue powder in water and you can feel your ankles swell after one little sip. 

All 500mg of salt is detected in both scent and taste before you finish a 24 ounce glass of water. Add an Emergen-C packet to it, and you've got yourself a few steps closer to the daily dose of Periodic Table #11. 

Outside of the salt problem, there's an odd "this seems familiar" flare to it... when it is in water, it's more pronounced. The sweet sugar smell mixed with the electrolytes plus sodium, equal this powder is a Gatorade knockoff. Since it's lemon lime, the additives (or whatever the hell it is) make it worse - we all know what the Gator's favorite drink tastes like... imagine it now in a powder and someone else's name. 

I'm so mad at myself for buying this. I've had no problems with the Liquid I.V. Energy Multiplier | Energy Powder Drink Sticks and even though its green color mixed with the orange vitamin c packet looks like sludge, it isn't that bad of a drink. No off putting smell, no after taste, just a simple refresh of lemon ginger mixed with the super orange sick drink. I've probably purchased at least a dozen bags of this specific mix over the last two years and have had no problems with it. I actually thrown in a lemon slice some times and end up refilling my tumbler more for the residue of the powder than "I need to stay hydrated... yay H2O!". 

Where as the Hydration Multiplier, I refill my cup enough times to make sure I flush out all the milligrams of surprise and not keep more than I need. Sure, there's 120mg less in the green stick, but I'll take it over the other one any day.

Until I can find something new to drink, stay cool.

Cheers;

Row, row, row your car, slowly down the street...

 ... Keep it higher than sea level and your bat'tree ye shall keep.

Okay, so I mangled the song. But I have every right to. I could have needed to buy a new car this weekend.

My 9 year old Hyundai Accent would have been a little wet for wear if I went through more than one overly flooded road on Friday.

We had one of those monsoon storms in the afternoon and I should have known better when I looked into the parking lot at work and my tires look deflated.

Yes, the corner lot I have an assigned spot in, was getting to be underwater. And my hub caps wanted to reach out and touch dirt. 

By the time I got to get in my car, the deluge had stopped enough for the lake to go down a couple inches. Little did I know that the first street I'd turn on to, to go home, would be a full lake.

The route I go home has me turn right at a smallish intersection and the road is 2 single lanes: one car in each direction. The street is surrounded by a lot of grass, some random parking lots and odd places to be able to turn around on short notice. So the whole stretch isn't the best as it dips in places and not every section is evenly noticeable for standing water.

I got halfway down the road and saw a puddle. There was a car coming towards me and making waves. I slowed down to let the person through as the rippling was getting intense while the spray was bigger. I inched forward because this point had really saturated grass areas and I didn't want to risk turning around. Moving slowly down the road, other cars came at me since they decided to stay in their lane. The spray off my car went onto their cars, theirs onto mine. It was like all the 4 wheeled tin cans had a beach day. All the while, the battery light on my car kept flickering on. The electricals were getting wet and my battery wasn't hearing any of it. 

As I progressed, the water seemed to be getting higher. My light flickered on a few more times and a couple minutes later I was at the end of that street, waiting at that intersection light to turn green. 

Well, I'd probably still be waiting as not only that light, but the next available (major) intersection light was down. It was chaotic because no one was following any type of rules to let others go. 

Rain was starting to come down again and people were honking at each other. I heard yelling around me from a few cars. The entire scene was mass confusion and come to find out (later that night), that whole area was under water. There was a flash flooding warning for those streets and sure enough, people were wading through it. 

By the time I was able to get my car past that chaos, the rest of my ride was a hell of a lot drier than the beginning of it. All roads were passable and the stop lights were running. I got home in total panic and very anxious, seeing how I didn't know if my car would be able to run Saturday and Sunday. I did have a water line around the outside of the car. Proof of what type of dirt I drudged up and through, but so far, luckily, I can maintain the vehicle as mine. With the heat and humidity Saturday, Sunday and today, I'm hoping everything continues to dry out and I can find another route home come tomorrow. I think if I can just get turned around on that first street out of the parking lot, I could be fine, but it's a matter of not knowing if the main streets are under water. I guess I'll find out over the next couple weeks, as no one at this new job informed me the place is in a flood zone.

Yes, I've got a new job. I've left my old one of moving furniture and setting up AV, to now being a house plant. I sit indoors, on the computer, drinking water all day. I file paperwork in a mailroom setting. It's not really doing mail jobs every moment. It's more document scanning and document import to various files. Not what I expected and I don't know exactly how to define my role. I'm still too new there to make sense of it all.

So anyway, all the water around my car got me worried that I'd need to look for a new car. I don't want to, by any means, especially since the Accent isn't even 10 yet (it will be in January). My mom suggested getting a higher-off-the-ground vehicle if push comes to shove. That way I wouldn't have to worry so much. My problem is, the new cars, no matter what they are, have the big navigation screen in the center of the dash board. Some are the size of iPads. I can't have that, because of my hearing and sight problem. It's too much of a distraction. Trust me, when I went car shopping in the beginning of 2014, the cars were just starting to come out with the enormous screens. I test drove a Ford where the navigation was so big, all I wanted to do was push it down and get it out of the way. I've got to really figure out what my exact needs are and what car can give me that before I jump into anything. Or, I just stop driving all together... which isn't the best idea since the city buses seem far and few between around here. It's not like Brockton where there seemed like a bus passing you every 15 minutes. In Fort Myers, you're lucky if a bus passes by you every 45 minutes. 

I just feel like I was always seeing a bus back north. Here, it's not so frequent. Every time I am out driving, I hardly see one. Back home I probably could pass half a dozen as I'm out and about in a single time frame. 

Because it's not so walkable around here, you need to have wheels. Especially when it's 104 degrees due to humidity. It's not easy to do grocery shopping on foot given the closet supermarket would be a 23 minute trek in sneakers (one way) versus 4 minutes in a horseless carriage. Then it's a matter of buying what you can only carry and walk your frozen stuff back home. 

I know it sounds lazy to take the car, but if a bus isn't available... yes, you have to walk. Costs over an hour of your time (factoring in the actual shopping) and you're ready for a nap before your ice cream has a chance to get unsouped. 

Rambling around now, sorry. 

Getting back to the points. 

I have bumper stickers on my car. If I have to get rid of my car, I have to get rid of the stickers. Which means I need to get back on Amazon and find the ones I bought. 

Unfortunately, there is one that is not available for purchase anymore. I'm saddened to see that because I liked it. 

Although, "See all buying options" and having it clickable means it could still be purchased? I'm going to have to find out, especially since I am saving some things in my cart for Prime Day on the 12th.

I've also searched for a few more stickers. The heat and humidity haven't been nice to them, so they're cracking, peeling and colors are fading. 

Autism Heart decal here

Oval Autism Decal here

Autism Ribbon Decal here

The Autism ones are in support of family and friends who chose to live on their own spectrum. Luckily, a friend had bought me the ribbon and it was a two piece package. The heart decal and the oval decal need to be repurchased, but I think I'll hold off on the oval. I saw this one and thought it was so much cooler. So in the cart it goes. 

Other stickers on my car include another Mass based "Home" decal. 

508 Roots Decal here

The Roots came as a two pack. Money saved there. 

Red Sox circle Decal here

Pat the Patriot ("Retro Minuteman") Decal here

Red Sox B Decal here

Patriots Logo Decal here

The colors on the teams are super obviously failing and the Retro Minuteman decal didn't come with the opportunity to take the plastic square off around the Patriot. Thanks, NE Patriots store - that one was my second purchase of the same sticker. And the second time it's peeled like this. Not really recommended in the Florida heat because it looks junky for the price (both on Amazon and the Pats store). 

It is sad how quickly everything fades or cracks down here. Most of the stickers were purchased between 2019 and 2020, so longevity is not within their favor. Even the seatbelt PUSH button in the car is turning pale red. Paler than the red on the Patriots logo and the Red Sox logo. The buttons are almost white now. In nine years, my car has gone from sparkly to "yeah, things are looking more weathered... whomp whomp. 🙍😦". But I won't give up unless I have to. I don't want to get rid of my car so quick, but I will replace the pretties on it, if needed. 

Just remember:

(Similar Attitudes Decal here)

I had bought that Attitudes sticker eons ago at a holistic / spiritual shop in Easton. There's a whole stack of ones I purchased and actually had them taped to my wall in my room at one point. When I shifted things around, repainted some times, then moved, everything got boxed away. I needed a good size something to cover some damage to that piece of my car (paint scraped off... you can kind of se a touch up above it), I figured I'd tack a band aid over it. Sadly, Amazon doesn't have the specific Azuregreen sticker, but they've got others here with various search results under here and here [last 2 might be the same stuff]. Still works though. 

To end up showing how quick the water comes, the following photos were taken yesterday, while the sunny trees were taken today. After that, I will end my ramblings for this post.

Stay warm (or cool), stay safe, stay dry. Take care of yourself and enjoy the boom booms tonight. 

Cheers;