Daily Doings at the Line of Death Bar & Grill

Let's face it. Being broke sucks. Banks and other institutions charge additional fees for those who don't have a certain balance in their accounts, for transactions. It's like they're punishing people for being poor. Where's the logic in that? Or is it strictly a heartless thing to do?

This past Saturday, I was supposed to help my friends Jon and Cassie shear some sheep. I never got a hold of them. So I ended up at Brother Bear's Coffee in Yellow Springs. I thought I had enough in my checking account to cover the $2 cost of a cup of coffee. The transaction went through. The next day, I checked my account. I was in the red, and I thought, "Oh, shit!" The next business day, I was charged a $37 NSF fee, just as I would be charged for an overdrafted check

So I just paid $40 for a cup of coffee.

Yes, I did opt in for overdraft protection. I can go in the red somewhat if I need to. But if I make a series of transactions, I get dinged for each of those transactions. Money-grubbing bastards.

This weekend was another trip to Buffalo NY to check on mom and visit friends, and to feast of the foods I can only get in Buffalo.

Mom's still doing OK. The weather was mostly chilly and overcast all weekend. I'm glad I had the foresight to pack a light sweatshirt and jeans.

Fri 6/10: I was hoping to leave early (oh-dark-hundred early). But I was up until 2 AM the previous evening doing some PC work. So I didn't end up leaving until 10:30am. Roads were good, the weather was dry and clear. Stopped at the Tucky's in Mayfield Heights for lunch: a Chicago dog, a Cleveland dog, and a bottle of Boylan's diet root beer. Arrived in Tonawanda around 7:00pm.

Sat 6/11: Took mom to Headmasters East in Cheektowaga, so my mom could get a permament. This shop is owned by my cosuins, Rose and Joseph. Spent time visiting with them while Mom was in the chair having her hair done. Had lunch at Mighty Taco and drove along the East Niaga River shore. Had dinner at Jack's with longtime friends Liz and Louis, followed by coffee at Coffee Culture.

Sun 6/12: Had dinner with my aunt Angie. One of her sons had previously brought over a black kitten, who was very playful. I showed my aunt Angie how to discipline the kitten with a spray bottle filled with water. I then had coffee and conversation with my friend Sal at a Denny's in north Buffalo.

Mon 6/13: Took my dad's car to a local repair shop for the annual safety inspection, an oil change, and a tire rotation. Then paid one of my mom's medical bills. Since I was out that way, I had lunch at Charlie the Butcher's in Cheektowaga. (I think it's the best place in town for beef on weck.) Took the scenic route back home -- I-190 to the Skyway to route 5, which parallels the eastern shore of Lake Erie. Had dinner with dagonell and cigfran_cg at Zebro's in Barcelona Harbor, just south of Westfield. (dagonell wrote a review opf the restaurant here.) Stayed overnight at the Microtel in Erie, PA.

Tue 6/14: Left Erie around 10:15am. Lunch was a Burger King in Medina. Arrived home in Dayton around 4:45pm.

Ganked from autographedcat: Post a comment, and I will reply with a reason why I think you're great. In return, you have to post this same meme on your blog and comment for other people.

[Updated 00:30 14-Jun] Backstory: I posted a link to an article on yuricareport.com which talked about the rise of Dominionism in America. And one person on Facebook took exception to it.

This response has become so long that I want to make this a LiveJournal entry for posterity.

Over on Facebook, Patt Huttsell wrote: "Jim, it seems you are the one dispensing hate and discontent against Christians of late I have other friends that are Wickens and they have NEVER attacked me for what the past has christians have done nor are you posting the persecution of Christians by the Romans. so what is your real beef with us?"

( You got questions. I got answers. )

Those of you who know me know that integrity is one of my core values. How do I define integrity? When my head, my heart, and my gut all align. There is another form of integrity -- more like a code of conduct.

Anyway, I was reading this article on paganwiccan.about.com titled "Because Christianity Doesn't Own Faith", and it mentioned a site called Blogging With Integrity. So I checked it out.

Over the years I've been here on LJ, I've tried to treat people and their opinions fairly and with respect. I've welcomed both agreement and disagreement. Granted, there have been a few exceptions, but I'm human and sometime make mistakes.

I liked the site and what it proposes. So much so that I signed their pledge. And proud to display their badge here:


I encourage those of you who blog to go to the site and read what they have to offer.

Today was the grand opening of the Ollie's Bargain Outlet in Miami Twp., near the Dayton Mall. I had shopped at one in Buffalo NY last year, and was looking forwrd to the opening of this store.

Needless to say, the place was packed, and the staff members were busy greeting everyone.

There are some occupational hazards to bargain shopping. 1) Forget bringing along a shopping list; what you see in the store is what you can get. 2) Try to buy only what you need, not what you want or what can be useful someday. 3) What you see in the store may not be in stock the next time you're in the store. 4) Have a set amount of cash in mind when you shop.

That said, I headed into the store, and was greeted warmly. Some notable buys: A long-reach stapler for $10, a CompTIA A+ study guide (published 2009) for $10, a Beginning CSS book for $8, a CompTIA Security+ study guide (published 2009) for $8, a charging pad for $8. All told, I spent over my target amount, unfortunately.

This will be a nice addition to Big Lots, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Mendelson's. I'd definitely go back there. Maybe next month.

This coming weekend is Marcon, a large science-fiction convention in Columbus, Ohio. Once again, I'm not going to be able to afford to attend. Conventions have become a luxury for me., And I shouldn't be wasting money on frivolous things like science fiction conventions when things like mortgage, food, and prescriptions have a higher priority.

But it goes deeper than that. For the past several years, I've not been happy with going to conventions. I'd see my "con friends", but only in passing. It's rare that I would spend more than 5 minutes with any of them. And that makes me question the depth of those friendships. I've come to the conclusion that conventions are a lousy place for socializing, as everyone else has their own agendas --- panels, activities, the dealers' room, and so on. I often walk away, feeling like I'm a stranger.

I used to enjoy conventions. I'd meet new people, try out new things, and have a blast. But I think those days are gone for me.

It's been a while since I've posted to LJ. Life's been busy.

Fri 5/6: Went to the Day-VEST monthly business meeting. Then had lunch at Bob Evans with a friend from Columbus who needed some data recovery work done on three old IDE drives. Then hung out at Mendelson's for a couple of hours. Then worked the hot dog stand at the Dayton Dragons game. (I wasn't watching the game; I was too busy fixing brats and serving nachos.)

Sat 5/7: Drove to Amelia, Ohio (east of Cincinnati) to participate and observe the Cincinnati Beltane Pagan Pride Day. It was held at a private residence with a huge backyard. There were a few vendors, along with workshops, an ADF ritual led by the host grove (Mystic Ash Grove), and a maypole. I took the back roads to get home, as my rear brakes went out on I-275 on the way down. (I survived the big hill on route 132 near Loveland.) Then hung out at Rick's place and watched Toy Story 2 in Blu-Ray.

Sun 5/8: Called Mom. Went to UU services. Took M to Chuck E. Cheese as she wanted to go there, despite my protestations. Then we went to Cox Arboretum. Then went home and conked out while watching the final episode of The Amazing Race.

I am now getting my brakes fixed. I thought it would be an expensive job, so I cashed in a few savings bonds beforehand. I was right about the cost. The cause of the problem? A bolt that came loose and rattled around inside the brake drum. As soon as they're done, I'm headed to one of my part-time gigs.

Meanwhile, the data recovery I've been doing has hit a snag. The dd operation I did completed early Sunday morning, but the file it yielded contained no salvageable files. So I'm trying something different now. Every 64th block on the drive is bad or unreadable, slowing things down tremendously. I wonder if Spinrite is better at handling bad blocks than GetDataBack.

In the past couple of weeks, I've been getting a lot of nibbles (interest from recruiters). I've had a few bites (interest from cients) as well. This past week, I had 3 interviews, and two are on deck, waiting to be scheduled.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a data recovery issue. A friend had a Seagate FreeAgent Go external hard drive that would mount but would not display data. So I said I'd take a look at it. I ran several tests, including GetDataBack. It appears that there's a bad cylinder on the drive, as every 64th block is bad or unreadable. Right now, I'm using the Unix power tool "dd" to make a raw copy of the drive to another good hard drive, so I can do my data recovery there. The problem is, this dd operation is going to take at least 5 days.