My family is a family of musicians. Music has been the family business for at least four generations now. My grandfather used to play the piano for the silent movies, and he was the conductor of his own professional orchestra. In the 1960s my grandparents and my parents were part of a travelling minstrel show that would go up and down the east coast. I can remember as a child attending the shows, and the rehearsals. One of the most fun parts of being in such a family was the ability to have access to all of the family musical instruments and try to play a tune on them. My older sister was pretty good on the left handed guitar, and I was pretty good on the piano. I miss those days; they were good times.
Musical memories
January 20th, 2012What do you think?
January 20th, 2012I was just reading a fellow blogger’s blog post about nomorerack reviews and was surprised that she was typing about a nomorerack scam where people were complaining about slow shipping. To be perfectly honest I had not heard of the website at all until a couple of weeks ago when my sister sent me an email about it, telling me to check it out.
Since then I’ve bought a couple of items because they were really good deals; too good to pass up! And with a lot of family birthdays coming up really soon, I can certainly use the help of some really nice presents for really low prices! One of the problems of today’s society, in my humble opinion, is the deeply entrenched desire for instant gratification. We have turned into an instant gratification society. And that, my friends, is probably the biggest reason why so many of us are deeply in debt. When we see something that we want, we want it NOW, we refuse to WAIT.
I can remember when I was younger, I would drive to work every day past a house that was only the foundation. A family was actually living in that foundation. I remember driving past that foundation for many years, feeling sorry for the family that lived there. I would think that the family that lived there must really be dirt poor if they were forced to live in a foundation only. And then, after about fifteen years of driving past that occupied foundation I saw a little bit of construction going on. Within a week there was an entire big house framed up on top of that foundation, and within a month it appeared that the family was now living in a really nice completed cape cod style cottage complete with raised dormers on the second floor.
Apparently the family that was thought to be so incredibly poor that I felt sorry for them were putting off their desires for instant gratification and were living in the foundation while saving their money until they had enough to build the entire building, without having to apply for a mortgage! What an accomplishment that was!
Well, I’m trying harder now to delay my gratification and shop smarter, getting the best bargains possible. I think that this nomorerack website is one way to shop smarter and get more bang for the buck. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think!
I want to scream
January 18th, 2012One of the things that drives me crazy here at home is how everyone seems to know how to turn on electrical things but no one seems to know how to turn them off. Frequently I will be in the media room, working on my computer, hearing the noises of other people watching television shows, or listening to music. Often I am not very happy about hearing those noises, but in the interest of keeping the peace I hold my tongue. Eventually I end up having to leave the room to take a much needed break and I will walk past (or through) the room that is the source of the noise, only to find lights on, television on, and not a single living soul in the room. This aggravates me to no end! I am working a couple of jobs trying to make ends meet and the family is wasting my money on electricity that no one is benefiting from. It makes me want to scream!
Flat tire in the parking lot
January 17th, 2012There is never a good time to need roadside assistance services, but if you are going to have a flat tire, finding out about it in a store’s parking lot is a lot better than out in a rural area where you know you will have to wait several hours for a tow truck to come and help out. Now I know you are thinking “why doesn’t she just change the tire herself?” The answer to that, my friend, is this – the lug nuts are always screwed onto the wheel too tight and I can’t loosen them – even with a crow bar! At least, having a flat tire in a store’s parking lot you can usually go into the store and browse for a while until the tow truck arrives, instead of waiting in the dark by the side of a dark country road, feeling vulnerable to any nut case that comes along!
Happy 16th birthday
January 16th, 2012Today is my niece’s 16th birthday! Hard to believe that she is that old already! Her mother has been asking people to volunteer to teach her how to drive, but so far I have not seen anyone stepping up to the plate! Several months ago I went to the DMV and picked up the study guide that she needed to study to prepare for the test to get her learner’s permit, but to the best of my knowledge she has not taken the test yet. I wonder what is holding her back from that. I got my driver’s license on my 16th birthday – it’s hard to imagine a 16 year old that isn’t anxious to get their license to drive!