Tire changin' in the rain

Yesterday, I had the tread fly off one of the tires on my car. I was on Highway 49, going north, between Magee and Mendenhall. At first, I thought I had a flat, but, upon closer inspection, I realized that the tread had started to peel off. Flapping up underneath the car, it made a heck of a noise!

While I was changing the tire, to put on the spare, it started to rain. By the time I had finished, it had almost stopped raining.

When I got back to Jackson, I went to see Frank Holman. There, they repaired a slow leak in the right front tire, and I purchased a nice, used tire to take the place of the one that had come apart. Also, Frank tightened up the wire that is holding up the tail pipe. All for twenty dollars, including tax. Not a bad deal.

I asked Frank what the squeaking sound was, which was coming from under the hood on the left front side of the car. He said that it was the ball joint. While the car was up on the rack, he showed me where the rubber part had split open. Because of that, the joint can no longer hold lubricant. He said that it would cost eighty dollars per ball joint (there are two), and the car would need to have a front-end alignment after the ball joints were replaced. I believe that the alignment would be about forty dollars.

Also, he showed me a "bubble" on the left rear tire. He said that indicated that the tread would soon come off that tire, as well. He said that I could buy a set of four tires for $215.00 to $220.00.

Tomorrow morning, I plan to go in to have the ball joints repaired. Then, I'll see about buying some new tires, or, maybe, just have the "bad" tire replaced with another used one.

Iran Defies U.N. Deadline

In a move that should suprise no one, Iran has defied a United Nations' deadline to stop enriching uranium. See story at FOX News.

Actions do have consequences

Actor Tom Cruise found out that actions do have consequences, even for him, a mega-star.

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Sanity

Mr Reid said the "challenge to all of us" means "we may have to modify some of our freedoms in the short-term in order to prevent their misuse and abuse by those who oppose our fundamental values and would destroy our freedoms and values in the long-term".

A sensible quote from a British politician.

No thanks. I'd rather just stay home.

Mother of three has been staying for months rent-free at church's house. She refuses to meet with them to discuss a reasonable rent, and she refused several job offers. Wha?

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The theft

When I got home from work, I went across the street to the convenience store and bought some gasoline. My plan was to mow the lawn, but, when I went to get the mower out of the back yard, I discovered that someone had stolen it.

Too bad. They got a piece of junk. It burned oil and fouled the spark plugs. The handle was broken. You would think that, if someone was going to steal a lawnmower, they would steal a nice one.

Now, I get to buy a new one--one that runs well. I'm not upset. Yay!

Reparations

Comment thread from fark.com: priceless

Software for the Apple Mac

A guide to OS X software for switchers. Good stuff.

Pain killers

Mother got up at 10:00 PM and took some pain killers. Her leg was hurting. She said that it was because she had been up on it a lot today. Also, she has been coughing quite a bit.

Scamming the U. S. Government

Scum of the earth.

Lawmakers expressed outrage Wednesday over a federal audit report that debit cards handed out to hurricane victims last year were used to buy such items as a $200 bottle of champagne from Hooters and $300 worth of "Girls Gone Wild" videos.

The cards -- given to people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- also bought diamond jewelry and a vacation in the Dominican Republic, according to the Government Accountability Office audit.

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, found at least $1 billion in disaster relief payments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were improper and potentially fraudulent because the recipients provided incomplete or incorrect information when they registered for assistance.

The GAO uncovered records showing $1,000 from a FEMA debit card went to a Houston divorce lawyer, $600 was spent in a strip club, and $400 bought "adult erotica products," all of which auditors concluded were "not necessary to satisfy legitimate disaster needs."

CNN.com - Lawmaker: Hurricane aid spent on jewelry, erotica an 'affront' - Jun 14, 2006

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Return to Sender

This is encouraging, but we have been disappointed by "catch and release" before. We'll see just how serious the administration is.

In a blitz that began May 26, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested nearly 2,100 illegal immigrants across the country. Officials said the raids are aimed at child molesters, gang members and other violent criminals, as well as people like Da Silva who sneaked back into the country after a judge threw them out.

The crackdown is called Operation Return to Sender.

"This sends a message," said Monico, standing outside the gray Victorian apartment where Da Silva had been hiding. "When we deport you, we're serious."

FOXNews.com - U.S. Immigration Officers Arrest 2,100 Illegal Immigrants

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Michelle Malkin: "The Fear-Mongers Fail"

Ha, ha, ha! A large majority of the American public actually appreciate the National Security Agency trying to protect our security, much to the chagrin, no doubt, of the legacy, i. e., so-called "main stream," media.

Legacy: a ... system ... that was created for a specific purpose but is now outdated; anything left over from a previous version of the [system]

A ride in the country

April 10, 2006 8:53:27 AM - Got up late (again!). Fixed a cup of coffee and am drinking it now.

For lunch, I had a Southwest Taco Salad from the Wendy’s Restaurant on High Street. A week from today, they are scheduled to open in their new location (right next to their present location).

After lunch, I drove down to Crystal Springs, to make a delivery to Bank of the South. It was just so beautiful, today, that I wanted to go for a ride in the country.

For dinner, I had one-half cup of yogurt, one-half cup of cottage cheese, and one cup of milk. Right now, I’m drinking a diet soda.

Tonight, I’m going to try going to bed earlier than usual, to see if that will make a difference in how much I eat. I notice that I snack “after hours.”

Errands and chores

I got up shortly after the alarm on my Palm PDA woke me up at 8:30 AM. I fixed myself a cup of coffee with canned milk. I had already had my breakfast, of two pieces of bread, when I had gotten up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

I surfed the Internet, looking at news and the CompUSA sales, then lay back down, pulling up the covers, since it was fifty-one degrees at 10:00 AM.

We listened to the Galloway church service from eleven o'clock until noon. The sermon was about Jesus riding on the donkey into Jerusalem. I emailed the pastor telling him that I enjoyed the sermon.

We ate lunch at noon. I had two eggs (egg substitute, actually) and water.

At one o'clock, I took Mother to do her errands: pharmacy (where we saw Mildred McGrew), the post office (where I received four pieces of mail), and the grocery store. We have switched to doing our errands on Sunday, instead of Saturday, because the grocery store offers a senior citizens' discount on Sunday (Wednesday, too, but Sunday is more convenient, because I don't have to work on Sunday).

I tried to telephone to Bill, twice, while we were out, but, both times, I got his answering machine, although I didn't leave a message either time.

At two o'clock, I mowed the front and back yards and pulled some of the branches, which could have scratched my car when I pull into the driveway, away from the street.

After I finished mowing the lawn(s), Bill called. They had been out, and, when they returned, they saw, from their caller ID unit, that I had called them.

Haircut, errands, eating out

I got up just before 6:00 AM and took a few photographs of my hair, before going to get a haircut. Then, I had a cup of coffee and played an April Fool's joke on Mother. I told her that I didn't sleep a wink last night, and she believed it. Then, I said, "April Fool's!" Hah, hah!

I got to the barbershop at 7:33 AM and was back home just a few minutes after 8:00 AM. Mr. Graham said that someone had broken into his shop and stolen the money out of the gum ball machine, which had been placed there twenty-five to thirty years ago (when he first moved there) by a local Civitan club.

After I got back home, I reheated and finished my morning cup of coffee. Then Mother and I went to the post office and the grocery store. On the way, I telephoned Bill and asked him what kind of soda pops they would like for us to have ready. He said Classic Cokes. They had not left home, yet.

It is now 9:53 AM, and I am waiting for 10:30 AM, when Mother and I will leave to pick up one of her prescriptions at the pharmacy, go to the Piccadilly Cafeteria for lunch, and the Home Depot to buy some more rocks for the driveway.

At the Piccadilly, I got the roast pork loin, broccoli casserole, macaroni and cheese, and a piece of garlic bread. I ate only the pork and brought the rest home for dinner.

When we got home from the Home Depot, I poured the rocks into the water puddles in the driveway. Then, I took out the garbage and the old newspapers.

I watched television, for a while, but there was nothing on that held my interest. I ate the piece of garlic bread that I brought home from the Piccadilly.

It is now 2:30 PM, and I'm sore, I guess from hauling those heavy bags of rocks.

No cash for you

I was panhandled, again. The last time was on the twenty-second of this month, only nine days ago. The company secretary says that the panhandlers find me wherever I go.

I had ducked into a local Walgreen’s drug store to buy a twelve-pack of diet Cokes, in preparation for this weekend’s visit by my brother and his family. As I was leaving, a black guy approached me.

Him: “Can you do something for me?”

Me: “What can I help you with?”

Him: “I’m trying to feed my little girl.”

Me: “I don’t have any money, but you can have these,” I replied, on a whim, thrusting the Cokes into the somewhat surprised man’s hands. “Will these help you?”

Him: “Yes, sir.”

We parted company. As I was getting into my car, I turned and saw him at a pay phone. Maybe he was calling some of his friends, perhaps asking one to panhandle for some chips and, another, for some dip. Sorry if I sound cynical, but I am. I have been panhandled so many times, I believe that I can tell, to some degree, if the individual is sincere ... or not.

I was panhandled today. My first encounter of the new year, with someone of the panhandling persuasion. I was approached while sitting in my car in the parking lot of the downtown post office.

The man's story was that he had just arrived from New Orleans. (Isn't he a little bit late getting out?) He said that he and his family were staying in a motel on Highway 80 and that he was trying to "build enough" to get some chicken wings and a loaf of bread. There was more to his story, and I just let him talk for a while, but, in my opinion, it was just a tale invented to generate money. No matter. I gave him five dollars. He asked me to join his family for dinner. I politely turned him down.

I got up early today and cleaned out the Ford Escort. We expected Mildred to call us and then come over to look at the car. The (new) battery was dead, so I took it up to the service station where Milton Chambliss works and had them to charge it up. I also got an inspection sticker for the car. (The one on the windshield had expired in 2004!)

Mother and I went on our regular errands. An employee of McDade's grocery store asked me if Mother had gotten her "license." It turns out that Mother's state-issued identification card was in the office! Whew. That was great. Now, I don't have to take off work to help her to get a replacement.

This afternoon, I checked the oil in the Escort. (It was fine.) I cleaned the leaves out from under the hood and the trunk lid. Mildred didn't call. Maybe she went to Natchez.

Just downloaded and "installed" the free version of MacJournal. I was thinking about buying the application, but I read a review of the pay version at MacWorld, where the reviewer wrote, "[S]ome users may find the freeware version enough to meet their needs," so I decided to try the freeware version.

Mother and I ate lunch at the Piccadilly Cafeteria on I-55 North. The cashier had trouble with the gift card, again, and we got our meals for free. The assistant manager suggested that I call the toll-free number on the back of the card to try to straighten things out. I did so, but the agent couldn't help me. She suggested that I have the balance transferred to a new card, the next time that we eat at Piccadilly.

We had dinner at the Wendy's Restaurant on High Street. We each had a quarter-pound, double stack burger and a side salad with creamy ranch dressing.

Also, today I put down three more bags of gravel on the driveway. Doing so made enough of a difference that Mother could get into the car without me having to move it all the way back to the street.

My humility

Last Friday, I needed to cash a check. I only had some loose change in my pocket: no bills. So I went to the bank. It was closed. Huh! I figured that the branch I went to must have gone out of business. Maybe they didn't have enough customers at that location. So, I went to another branch. When I saw that it, too, was closed, it finally dawned on me that all banks were closed because it was Veterans' Day! Aren't I observant?

I really needed to buy some gasoline, because the last time that I had fueled my car was last Tuesday, and I take my Mother to do her errands on Saturdays. I didn't want to run out of gas with my eighty-four year old Mother in my car, and, oh, yes, did I mention that the gas gauge in my car is kaput? I asked her if she could lend me some money for gas, just until the following Monday, when I could cash a check, and she gave me a Thanksgiving Day gift of five twenty-dollar bills! Thanks, Mom!

Anyway, today, I did go to the bank, to cash the check that I had written last Friday, and I pulled into one of the drive-up lanes behind an SUV. Well, the driver obviously didn't have the paperwork, e. g., a deposit slip, necessary to conduct her/his business, because I saw the cannister come back with something in it. Then, the individual spent what seemed like an eternity filling the form(s) out, before sending them back.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that it is expected that bank patrons are to have their paperwork prepared before presenting themselves in front of a teller. As a matter of fact, I have seen signs to that effect posted in banks, beside tellers' windows. I wouldn't dream of inconveniencing somebody by making them wait while I filled out a deposit or withdrawal slip. On more than one occasion, I have parked, gone inside the bank, gotten a slip, and filled it out, before returning to my car and proceeding to the drive-up window, just to keep such a scenario from occurring.

Why can't other people be as considerate as I am? In other news, I'm extremely proud of my humility!