Mr. Mike & the Clockwork Peril$
It's going to be a week for packages.
We're getting replacement phones today, the Samsungs we have having lasted longer than four years. I may get hit with a few dollars for shipping, but otherwise these are freebies in exchange for us re-signing for two years to the same plan we've been on anyway. If that goes well mine will be waiting for me tonight, when I can swap the SIM from the one in my pocket into the new one, and shouldn't have to re-enter any info. As the other three quarters of the household are both at leisure and anxious to get their hands on the new tech I should have the advantage of three experienced users to brief me on the new features tonight.
Late yesterday I received email notice that the case of Avengers I'd pre-ordered back at the start of the month from a spot in Illinois had shipped, and that's scheduled for delivery tomorrow, the same day Mike T. will be bringing in the brick I'd pre-paid for what seems like a couple months back. Mo' money, mo' money, though not in the right direction.
A replacement keyboard for my wife's computer is also on its way and likely to arrive by the weekend.
Today or tomorrow I'm expecting a package via USPS of clix that I'll be selling off for a friend in need, which will be giving me a good kick to finally post other auctions for clix I'd wanted to sell off to help make my ongoing habits (clix and comics) more sustainable and generally start to pay down the considerable debt that has been accumulating in the 21st century. My wife's rocky move into disability, its attendant costs, Rx and related outlays, vehicle repairs, emergency dental work for one of the kids (something which I see, unfortunately, resonates in some other places Where Children Roam), it's all folded in to help build quite a heap on a credit card over time. Along with this is higher-interest debt not strictly in my name, but "for better or worse", etc. is a mighty anchor chain.
Checking with my bank and one other source for the best rate on a debt consolidation loan seems to be the ticket to getting this under control. At least it's an option to explore. The psychological boost of seeing the cards technically paid off (and half of them physically destroyed immediately afterwards), and having that debt in one spot with an average lower rate, should help considerably.
Oh, I know, I know... there are Responsible People out there screaming some variation on "Just stop spending!" but I tried that. What happens? If I don't spend some of it (and, really, my clix and comics don't amount to much over the course of a year, especially compared to what the hobbies and recreations of many others do) on some things that are more than just subsistence, dark forces sniff out the surplus and Something Big arises to eat the cash. Apply it to the cards so that it's not there? Something Big forces me to hit a card to cover it. It may smack of superstition but from where I sit it's just an accumulation of empirical evidence.
Undoubtedly I'll post more on the auctions themselves as we hit the weekend, which is when I'm expecting to launch them.
It's going to be a week for packages.
We're getting replacement phones today, the Samsungs we have having lasted longer than four years. I may get hit with a few dollars for shipping, but otherwise these are freebies in exchange for us re-signing for two years to the same plan we've been on anyway. If that goes well mine will be waiting for me tonight, when I can swap the SIM from the one in my pocket into the new one, and shouldn't have to re-enter any info. As the other three quarters of the household are both at leisure and anxious to get their hands on the new tech I should have the advantage of three experienced users to brief me on the new features tonight.
Late yesterday I received email notice that the case of Avengers I'd pre-ordered back at the start of the month from a spot in Illinois had shipped, and that's scheduled for delivery tomorrow, the same day Mike T. will be bringing in the brick I'd pre-paid for what seems like a couple months back. Mo' money, mo' money, though not in the right direction.
A replacement keyboard for my wife's computer is also on its way and likely to arrive by the weekend.
Today or tomorrow I'm expecting a package via USPS of clix that I'll be selling off for a friend in need, which will be giving me a good kick to finally post other auctions for clix I'd wanted to sell off to help make my ongoing habits (clix and comics) more sustainable and generally start to pay down the considerable debt that has been accumulating in the 21st century. My wife's rocky move into disability, its attendant costs, Rx and related outlays, vehicle repairs, emergency dental work for one of the kids (something which I see, unfortunately, resonates in some other places Where Children Roam), it's all folded in to help build quite a heap on a credit card over time. Along with this is higher-interest debt not strictly in my name, but "for better or worse", etc. is a mighty anchor chain.
Checking with my bank and one other source for the best rate on a debt consolidation loan seems to be the ticket to getting this under control. At least it's an option to explore. The psychological boost of seeing the cards technically paid off (and half of them physically destroyed immediately afterwards), and having that debt in one spot with an average lower rate, should help considerably.
Oh, I know, I know... there are Responsible People out there screaming some variation on "Just stop spending!" but I tried that. What happens? If I don't spend some of it (and, really, my clix and comics don't amount to much over the course of a year, especially compared to what the hobbies and recreations of many others do) on some things that are more than just subsistence, dark forces sniff out the surplus and Something Big arises to eat the cash. Apply it to the cards so that it's not there? Something Big forces me to hit a card to cover it. It may smack of superstition but from where I sit it's just an accumulation of empirical evidence.
Undoubtedly I'll post more on the auctions themselves as we hit the weekend, which is when I'm expecting to launch them.
Comments
Anyway, thanks for all the help. Things may be looking up here... there are nebulous prospects, anyway. More on that when and if.
Hmmm, the Wikipedia article says the UMTS equivalent is called a UICC, but we've always only called them SIM cards as well.
Mr. Mobile Phone Guy (specifically, Mr. UMTS Guy)
Thanks for the correction, Tim. I'll be changing it in a moment.