A Smile

With the economy at a low spot, it’s nice to see that some prices are falling. It is a bit before my time, but I have seen the lines at the gas stations in the 70’s. I was quite surprised to see a line at my local Mobil last night and this morning…not because the price had gone up, but because it had gone down!

Gas was $1.89 last night and $1.95 this morning. Cars were 4 deep at every pump. It was simply amazing.

Holidays Are Coming

The holidays are coming, what are you going to do?  With the economy the way it is we may dread the sales and traveling to the stores to buy gifts for everyone.  Don’t bother buying gifts for everyone.  The point of the holiday season isn’t how many gifts you get or how much you spend.  It is about spending time with family and friends and feeling good that you are alive and another year has passed by without relative incident.  It is a time to rejoice and celebrate the times you have spent together and will do so again.

With Tuition due in January, and the cost of food going up I’m just going to be making some home made gifts of scarves, blankets, and hats for my family.  It is heartfelt and personal and we don’t care how much you spend.  Myself I am a sucker for those little pre-made gift baskets you can get for $5 and up at the stores.  Maybe it’s my backwoods coming out a bit but If someone took the time to get it, I’ll love it no matter what it is.

Home baked goodies are always a good way of saying you care as well.  Cookies, brownies, gourmet treats are a sure way to say I love you or that you care.  You took the time to bake it and that will show when you give the goodies to your family and friends.

Don’t stress over the holidays, this year.  Just because you can’t fill under the tree doesn’t mean you don’t care any less.

Groceries to Tap Your Wallett

Analysts report that groceries will hit a record 7% to 9% increase next year. The cause is not what we used to think as gas prices continue to drop with the stock markets decline. This can be blamed on the increased cost of grains and feed to feed the livestock. So the food the cows, chickens and various other animals is what is going to hit us hard. With the jump in food prices, dining out will also go up as an extra expense, that has already been going up and making many Americans eat in.

What this does is bring coupon or points sites heavier traffic. Sunday papers will be in a higher demand for just the coupons alone, and not the fine articles that may be in them. It seems that just as one high priced item goes down, there is another to take it’s place. I better start work on my raised garden beds and get them ready for next year. Fresh, free food, here I come!

FCC to look into Cable Companies

The FCC has now set letters to 11 cable companies and Verizon about their migration practices to a digital platform and a lack of reduction to pricing in their analog only service.  The FCC chairman, Kevin Martin, is concerned that cable companies are trying to make this transition and blaming it on the Digital Migration slated for February 2009, and thus confusing or misleading customers.

This will be an intersting case with a very intersting outcome.  I will be keeping my eye on it.

New President

This will be my last politically related blog.  I am disappointed in the outcome of the Presidential election.  The Democratic party had more money and were more technologically savy than their Republican counterparts.  The only thing we have to do now is wait and see if we become the Socialists that Mr. Obama proposes.  The stock market took a huge dive and dropped almost 500 points after last nights outcome.

Those who voted I’m proud of you, those who did not, I am ashamed and you lost the right to complain about whatever happens next.

Shaeen vs Sununu

One of the most controversial elections in the state of NH is that of Senate between Jeanne Shaheen and John Sununu.  Shaheen is looking to appeal to the democrats……Sununu just doesn’t care.  He has been kicking Shaheen in the teeth with his ads on television.  Exposing how she voted for Unions, voted for a State income tax, was responsible for creating the State Wide Property tax we now have.

Shaheen’s response to these ads are to run ads saying that Sununu voted with president bush for the $700 Billion bailout.  Ummm Every democrat voted for it the first time and almost every republican voted against it.  The second time around everyone voted for the bailout.  Still a mistake but hey, why not try to use it so they can get to the Senate.

November 4th is coming soon and I will be staying up until the last vote is counted and the winner is declared.  I just hope it is not a debacle like some elections of years past where votes need to be re-counted.  Hey if someone got to the voting machines, what is it going to matter unless they do a manual hand recount.  We shouldn’t be using the electronic voting machines anyway……they are so easily rigged.

Lawyers or Not Lawyers

This year’s presidential election is going to come down to this:  Who can get the most people out to vote?  Based on the number of fliers I have been receiving in my mailbox, the Democrats are really quite worried.  I have not yet had a Republican knock on my door asking me to get out and vote, but have been woken up numerous times by Democrats wanting me to vote for Obama/Biden.  Commercials indicating that (republican) candidates vote with Bush X% of the time try to get people to think that Democrats NEVER voted with Bush at all…ever!  Democrats voted first to pass the Bailout fiasco…Republicans were against it.  Democrats voted with Bush about Iraq as well, now they are complaining about it.  Come on, suck it up and deal with it and stop complaining.

For me the decision about who is going to get my vote in the White House, is who is most qualified.  There is just something about Obama that I don’t trust.  Biden I just don’t like at all.  Maybe it is because both of them are lawyers.  Nobody likes Lawyers and who wants them running the country.  I don’t.  McCain and Palin are not lawyers and never purported to be ones.  They are just plain honest (as honest as any politician is) people who want to make a change and a difference.  People I have spoken to are concerned that McCain is too old.  And others are concerned that Obama is too young.  If McCain dies Palin takes over (the first woman president).  If Obama gets assassinated (there has already been an attempt) then Biden is president.  Who do we want running the country?  Biden, a blowhard and a proven liar.  Or Palin a basic unknown but has proven that she can lead by being the Governor or Alaska.

You decide, but no matter who you vote for, get out and Vote Tuesday!

HD TV

Good Evening everyone.  I’m sitting in front of my new 46″ Samsung HDTV watching the other half play Call of Duty 4 and can’t get over the graphics and the difference size really does make.  Our previous TV, before it went to TV heaven, was a 32″ HD CRT TV.  The picture was very good, clear, and defined.  It weighed a good 150 lbs and was difficult to move if not impossible.

This new Television is an LCD Flat Screen and it connects to our DVR using HDMI.  Now I never understood the hype of HDMI, probably because I didn’t have a TV that supported it.  I had to connect the new TV using component until I could go to the local service center and get an HDMI cable.  The picture was great with Component, beautiful and full of detail.  Or so I thought.  Then I connected the HDMI cable and everything became CRYSTAL clear…Wow did it ever become clear.  It’s like watching events unfold…being immersed in the moment of it.  It really doesn’t look like a picture or anything anymore, the detail is that great using HDMI.  It’s great too because it’s one cable in the back, not 5.

I have to say, this was one of the best purchases we have made next to the MacBook Pro.  PS…it took me about a week to get over the feeling of nausea every time I watched the huge screen.  I really was disorienting at first to have so much to view, my eyes tried to go everywhere instead of concentrating on one thing.

Comcast has Speed

I apologize for my lax in posting lately.  I have been playing with my new Internet speed from Comcast which is 22mb down and 5mb up.  Of course with power boost I’m getting way more than that initially.  I am so happy to be surfing at such high speeds   At least this way when my other half is blowing things up in Call of Duty 4, I can be doing something else Internet related and not be stuck watching him.   Ok…got to run for now.  It’s getting chilly here in NH and the political ads are getting more profuse and brutal.

Local Elections

It’s almost time to vote and I don’t know about you but I keep getting multiple fliers deriding one candidate or another or praising one or the other.  But one campaign sticks to mind.  That of the opponents of Jeanne Shaheen.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am not voting for this scumbag piece of work.  She makes Tony Soprano look like a school kid.  As long as it was lining her pockets,  Jeanne Shaheen voted for it.  She voted for Unions that knowingly discriminated agains women.  As Governor she attempted to implement a State Sales tax of 2.5%.  Kind of defeats the motto “Live Free Or Die”.  No, Jeanne Shaheen is not getting my vote in November.  She does not have any of NH’s ideals or morals and is simply a crook.