homealone

When we were on the first stages of buying the Camry Hybrid, we called the nearest toyota dealerships around our area and asked them if they wanted to participate in the bidding process. After we got the interested parties’email addresses, my husband sent out an email telling them what we want, and that we know the price of the car, so give us their best offer. Unfortunately, my husband didn’t really bother to change the wording on what is basically a template letter used by my sister and what was said on our “bible”. We received the offers, but there was this one salesman who wrote back saying he had seen exactly the same email, word for word. And he went on accusing us of lying, of working for somebody, of being inconsiderate of his family that he needs to feed, etc. etc. In short, we was a jerk. I told my husband to just ignore it and do not even try to offer him our business. I thought he was being an ass. But the husband wanted to get as many offers as possible so he gave this guy another chance and explained to him that we were legitimate buyers, that we use what other people have used, etc. This guy did not even apologize but we did get some really good offers from him. He was actually beating the other offers but there was this other guy who, according to my husband, was really nice and sounded sincere and willing to help. Of course, they want to sell a car. As the end of the bidding draws near it comes to the jerk giving the  best offer, but we were really hoping the nice guy would beat his offer. One more phone call and the nice guy offered to take another 100 dolllars off the price. He beat the jerk by $35. So, eventhough the nice guy’s delearship was about 15 miles farther than this jerk’s dealership, we decided to go to the nice guy. It was a pleasant experience dealing with him. Then my husband emailed the jerk and said that somebody beat his price and we went with him. This jerk still had the nerve to email us back, true to his jerkness, his email was filled with anger and sarcasm. He said he hasn’t, in his 25 years of being a car salesman, lost a sale for $35. And that his experience with us will be added to his book, a memoir that he’s writing, and that if we found out that we were not satisfied with our dealer, we shouldn’t feel embarassed to go to him. What an effin asshole this guy is. I was so pissed, I told the husband to send an email to this guy’s boss and tell him that this guy’s attitude just cost their dealership a sale. We wrote something mean to send to this guy, but of course, we did not send it. Let him wonder what he had done wrong. Give him time to write his memoirs. I think he’s the reason why a lot of people don’t like car salesmen.

So we just bought a new hybrid car and we got it for a really good price. We got it about $300 below Invoice price! The finance person (i don’t know what they’re called) at the delearship couldn’t believe it. SHe said a couple of months ago, hybrids were non-negotiable, meaning you pay the sticker price. I think it’s because of the economy, nobody’s buying cars. But we needed to get a new car, that’s why we bit the bullet and got it.

So, first thing we did was to borrow my sister’s book which she also used to when she bought a new car. It’s called the “carbuyer’s and leaser’s negotiating bible”. It was a very informative book, and we got good tips on when to buy (the days before new year), how much to pay, where to get the info (for the invoice price). We did all that and it worked. The biggest tip that we got was how to make the dealers bid for the price. We basically auctioned off our business and of course, dealers what your business so that was pretty easy. We sent out emails or faxes to dealerships who agreed to participate and we told them what we want, and asked them to give us their best price and we did! The power of competition works.

I did some online shopping as soon as December rolled in. I always try to do most of my shopping online because it is very convenient and some times tax free. I needed to get some children’s toys for the kids in the family so I went to Target online. That day it said free shipping so I thought I was getting a good deal. I bought 3 items, and decided to have it shipped to our house since we’ll be seeing the kids on Christmas anyway, we thought it would be better to give the gifts to them ourselves (we usually have the gifts shipped to their house).  The next day, I received sale confirmations from target. And then the following day, i checked my credit card for the transactions and that’s when i noticed that the amount charged were much larger than what I purchased the toys for. Turned out 1 toy purchse is one transaction. And I got charged shipping per toy! So for a $25 purchase, I got charged $33. That’s almost 25% more than the original purchase price. And to think these toys weren’t really *that* heavy! Man, I felt ripped off. Learned my lesson. Read and double check the charges before submitting your order! Not gonna buy from the online Target store. That free shipping wasnt free at all. Very misleading. Amazon and Overstock did pretty good with shipping.

Here’s another one of those stupid lawsuits in America, the land of lawsuits. Seriously, really?!

“LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A judge has thrown out a Nebraska legislator’s lawsuit against God, saying the Almighty wasn’t properly served due to his unlisted home address. State Sen. Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God. He said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused “widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants.”

Chambers has said he filed the lawsuit to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are rich or poor.

On Tuesday, however, Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk ruled that under state law a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a lawsuit to move forward.

“Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice,” Polk wrote.

Chambers, who graduated from law school but never took the bar exam, thinks he’s found a hole in the judge’s ruling.

“The court itself acknowledges the existence of God,” Chambers said Wednesday. “A consequence of that acknowledgment is a recognition of God’s omniscience.”

Therefore, Chambers said, “Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit.”

Chambers has 30 days to decide whether to appeal. He said he hasn’t decided yet.

Chambers, who has served a record 38 years in the Nebraska Legislature, is not returning next year because of term limits. He skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians. ” - breitbart
 

Last week, I got a call from  my mother asking me to call some people for her. She said that she was being charged for something that she did not receive, and it was getting ridiculously expensive. She said she ordered meat (turned out to be worth $1200 - I KNOW!) and then she was supposed to get cutlery and cookware worth $4900!!! ARRRGH! I knew she was scammed. My mother is so freakin’ trusting and naive, a senior citizen who doesn’t know a lot of things, and who is very ‘independent’ that she doesn’t want to bother her children when it comes to her decision making, etc. So obviously, a perfect target for scammers.  So I had to do a little bit of investigation and research as to what she was talking about. She said LTT meat, so I immediately did a search and added the word “scam” on the search. Sure enough, that’s what I saw. Here’s a link to a some of the things I found online:

From Ripoffreport.com  and here’s a query of all the reports posted about LTT.

From TOPIX.com

And my thing with this Jeffersion Financial is that it knows who they’re making business with (LTT) and by the way, they’re not a bank, I think they’re just collectors. They don’t have an actual address, just a PO Box in Dulluth, GA.  They call themselves financial institution, but I think they’re more of a criminal organization. I tried to call them in behalf of my mother, and told them that they’re charging for something that she did not receive and I said we will not pay them anymore. The guy on the other line, said, we’ll see. “Do what you want to do, and we’ll do what we have to do, and you suffer the consequences”.  That sounded like a threat to me.

I will try to publish as  much information as I could about these scammers, and maybe other victims can come forward.  We need to fight together to stop these bastards from operating.

Hindu and Buddhist priests appointed a living goddess in Nepal on Tuesday.Wrapped in red silk and adorned with red flowers in her hair, Matani Shakya received approval from the priests and President Ram Baran Yadav in a centuries-old tradition with deep ties to Nepal’s monarchy, which was abolished in May.

The new “kumari” or living goddess, was carried from her parents’ home to an ancient palatial temple in the heart of the Nepali capital, Katmandu, where she will live until she reaches puberty and loses her divine status.

She will be worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists as an incarnation of the powerful Hindu deity Taleju.

A panel of judges conducted a series of ancient ceremonies to select the goddess from several 2- to 4-year-old girls who are all members of the impoverished Shakya goldsmith caste.

The judges read the candidates’ horoscopes and check each one for physical imperfections. The living goddess must have perfect hair, eyes, teeth and skin with no scars, and should not be afraid of the dark.

As a final test, the living goddess must spend a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes without showing fear.

Having passed all the tests, the child will stay in almost complete isolation at the temple, and will be allowed to return to her family only at the onset of menstruation when a new goddess will be named to replace her.

“I feel a bit sad, but since my child has become a living goddess I feel proud,” said her father Pratap Man Shakya.

During her time as a goddess, she will always wear red, pin up her hair in topknots, and have a “third eye” painted on her forehead.

Devotees touch the girls’ feet with their foreheads, the highest sign of respect among Hindus in Nepal. During religious festivals the goddesses are wheeled around on a chariot pulled by devotees.

Critics say the tradition violates both international and Nepalese laws on child rights. The girls often struggle to readjust to normal lives after they return home.

Nepalese folklore holds that men who marry a former kumari will die young, and so many girls remain unmarried and face a life of hardship.  -source.

 If I were the parent of a child who was chosen to be a goddess, i think I would have a really hard time about letting go of my child. Imagine, you wont see her for years and years, and when she gets out of isolation, she’s maladjusted, and nobody would want to marry her because of fear that they will die soon after! Poor child. If my child had the potential to be the next goddess, I think i will just let her scratch anything that itches, maybe she’ll develop a small scar that would disqualify her from being chosen.

Found this floating on the web. Please study and memorize. Enjoy.

Here we go again. I am starting to hate this monthly “thing”. You know, when it’s around that time of the month. I have been doing pretty good when it comes to not worrying about it anymore. Well, ok, not worrying about it as much.  By “it” i mean getting pregnant. Well i had to check my calendar because we’re going on an adventure trip this weekend and I needed to know if I had to bring tampons or what. Well what do you know, my period’s supposed to start tomorrow! Great. Perfect timing, huh? If it’s not stressing about not getting it, it’s stressing about getting it. Does that make sense?

These are all from a visitor (who also thought she to knew everything):

1. Comet cleanser cleans everything.  (I don’t think so)
2. Remodelling a kitchen only costs 15,000.  (she’s wrong)
3. Colors react differently when you put different items next to it (true)
4. Wonder-under is going to be my best friend (I agree)
5. It is more economical to buy ready made curtains than to make your own.
6. Barbeque paint, dowel, ring tape – things I’ve never heard of before
7. It’s worth it to drive to the commissary to get things you need because they’re cheaper. (this only works for military family)
8. Clothes dried under the sun smell better (I think so, too)
9. Your compost bin should not be located near where you’re going to put your outdoor furniture (I did not know that I wanted outdoor furniture where my compost bin is).
10.  I’m sure there’s lots more but I decided to filter them all out.

Another new song that I am currently digging: The Garden by Mirah. I just heard this from a dance competition show so I downloaded it from iTunes. Can’t upload the melody but here’s the lyrics.

The Garden by Mirah

Oh oh i really wanted that thing
I just want to singmusic
I love you baby
Won’t you bring
All the flowers you
Find out in the garden
Don’t tell me the truth
That your heart has hardened

But you don’t want me anymore
How can it be
Look what you’ve done to me

Oh oh
Oh oh the bee does quickly sting
I was wondering
If you could maybe darling
Think? I’d give everything
If you’d grant my love a pardon
And all the fruits
Again would fill the garden

But you don’t want me anymore
How can it be?
Look what you’ve done to me

Oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh