Sunday, August 12, 2012

3 different hmmmmmmm

            Grammy Camp is over.  The girls are back in Lubbock.  This was a short Grammy Camp because their parents stayed here through Monday taking the three to Six Flags.  While here we:
made leather goods engraved; went to a Planeterium - locally - presentation was not exciting but the gift shop was okay;  road the boat; colored and painted by numbers; (Megan==>) sent txt messages to friends back home - I assume they were home friends and not some guy being held in prison wanting her to be his "pen" pal;  watched TV unsupervised in the sewing room - that may not seem like a big deal; but, Roger has only the one big TV in his living room - when push comes to shove, they watch what the parents like, not stupid teen-age shows or cartoons [not that Roger doesn't like cartoons.  I think he does]; went swimming at local pool (little Kayla is doing a front flip off the low board);  made striped sugar cookies; ate cake;  that is close to the bottom line.
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            Before the girls got here this week - that would be last week then - somebody north of us had a storm.  We had the power outage.  It seems we have power outages regularly.  Might add that we have power outages usually when the computer is turned on.  We all know that puters must be turned off properly, and I do that - unless there is a power outage.  My last computer use to put a little message on the screen that was obviously written by some hack to embarrass me and harass.  This machine is nicer to my feelings.
              While girls were here during a 2 day span, we had three (3) power outages.  Each outage lasted less than a second but long enough to shut off computer, TV, all electric clocks.   It is really starting to get to me.
              I had a vision.  When we have a crowd here, the PC runs most of the day.  In addition I turn on my laptop.  Normally the laptop may stay off for over a month.  So so so It had like 128 updates to install.  {I made up that number.}  It downloaded and reconfigured for a good half day.  When all is updated, you must turn the laptop off / on to finish the process.
             We had a power outage.  All I have to do now is to turn it back on and all is updated.  Right?  Right?  Wrong.  The laptop has a battery.  It never shut down - not bothered by the power outage.   Yes, I had a vision.  Battery backup.
              As we returned from delivering the precious few, stopped at a Best Buy.  I truly love Best Buy.    Surely they make a backup for a PC....surely (as they say, don't call me Shirley).  I figured this would be another couple hundred dollars - too much for my budget at this time.   Such a nice young man guided me on my search - wife at my elbow, watching, learning, remembering our budget.  Bottom Line:  how much?   I figured $200 to $250.   I was ready to forget the whole thing.
             Well I was wrong, bat breath.  Cheapest $29.95 up to $200 plus.   The wife had a vision.  Her sewing machine is a computer basically that does wonderful things.  We bought  two battery backups  - one for the computer and one for the sewing machine.  Now we wait.  C'mon power outage, we be waitin' fer ya.   My prediction is that we will never have another power outage  - ever.  ever.  ever.
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                While I have your attention { and I must or you never would have last through the battery episode }.   I found this interesting - never had thought about it.   I have a place here in town on I-45 where I get refills for my 44 oz drink _ I call all 44 oz drinks Big Gulps ... different company here - purple Styrofoam cup instead.  My refills are 30 cents plus 2 cents tax;  i.e., 32 cent big gulp.   That is cheaper than buying a 12 pack of cokes at the store and drinking a 12 oz can of diet coke.  Do the math.
                When I have the chance, I pull in - refill my purple cup - slap my 32 cents down - and enjoy my slurps.  We are leaving town yesterday to deliver above named wonderful precious children back into their parents grasp.  Pulled into coke place and filled my cup with Diet Coke - one of the few drinks allowed me in my sugary predicament.   I slide up behind this young girl who is buying two bottled Sprite drinks, a couple of scratch off tickets, and misc. stuff.  She is low 30s or upper 20 yrs old....alone, no children in tow.  What do I know about age?  Everybody looks young to me now.
                    She starts to pay and stops saying, "Oh yes, I need a couple rolls of quarters."   Say what?   2 sprites,  scratch offs, misc sweets, and now two rolls of quarters.   The hired help didn't flinch, he went to the machine and took out two rolls of quarters.   Then I noticed her bill increase more than $20.   Yes, she had paid extra to get 2 rolls of quarters.  That made no sense to me at all.   She left, and I was up next.  
                   As I paid for the big gulp (all 32 cents), I said, "  You sell quarters?"  When I ran video arcades, I was selfish with my quarters.  They are Mine Mine Do you hear me?  Mine.   Politely he explained.  Go ahead and guess before the next paragraph.
                  It seems that this station is on the direct route to Huntsville, the State Prison.  People buy quarters to take to the prisoners since all drinks etc. take quarters in the Pen.   Banks don't like to hand out quarters, so two different stations in Corsicana have taken on this task.  They sell rolls of quarters for a profit.  What a business.  Therefore, it is safe to assume this young lady with her two rolls of quarters clenched in her fist was headed for the State Pen to see some young dude who waits weekly for his quarters.   Never would have crossed my mind.
                I have more but it will have to wait. 
                Take care and save those quarters.  You just never know.....
mtz

  






















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