There will be time at the end of this post to throw rotten tomatoes at me for my long absence. Here's what has transpired since I last posted.
(((Deep Breath)))
Bob and I were married on May 30, 2009. I still haven't found a teaching job. I became desperate and fell back on an old ambition to join the US Navy. I dang near did it and was training heavily for it. At some point I realized that I just couldn't see myself being happy away from everyone I loved for long periods at sea and had to re-think it. Immediately after I sort of fell off the exercise wagon. I'm getting back into it now. I did get a position last Fall as an after-school teacher for Guilford Co. Schools. I then spent the entire Fall sick with one thing or another (2 strains of Flu, Bronchitis, and then Pneumonia) In February I was transferred from the school I worked at, and loved, to another school. It was tough at first but I've settled in nicely and the kids are behaving very well. I love it. And that brings me up to the present day...
(((PHEW!)))
I'm sorry that I haven't written in so long..this is seriously overdue. I did move my blog around and even had a blog about my journey to get fit for the Navy. That was fun, and sometimes I really miss it, but the Navy just isn't going to be a good fit for me. If I weren't married and didn't have my beloved dog, I'd probably do it.
For today's post I wanted to share something that I've been thinking about recently. It seems like, lately, I find myself saying; " That turned out to be a really good investment". So I thought I would create a list of things that I have purchased that turned out to be an excellent investment and some things that absolutely bombed..
Good Investment: HTC Eris Droid phone with Verizon Wireless service. Under $100 for the phone and around $100 for my plan.
The Pros:
Apps- This phone has apps just like the iPhone and there are about a gazillion free ones available and more being added all the time. My favorite apps are: Facebook, Pandora, Mabilo Ringtones, and Steamy Window. With Mabilo I have NEVER had to purchase a ringtone. Steamy Window is this ridiculous app that fogs up your phone screen as if you've blown on a windwow in the cold. Then you can draw on it just like a real window. You even see condensation rolling down as you do it. When you want to start over you blow into your phone and it fogs back up! Isn't technology ridiculous?
- Great graphics and touch screen.
- The Cons-
Sometimes the "smart" phone thinks its smarter than you. If you mistype a word be careful because it will replace it with whatever it thinks you were trying to say. You might tell someone you're watching "Hooters" instead of "Hoarders"...Yikes...
- I've had a couple of instances where the phone seems to have frozen and I have to take the battery out and restart. But only a couple of times.
Bad Investment: Motorola Razr with Cingular (Now AT&T) service
What can be said? This phone was EVERYWHERE when it first came out. It was the have-to-have gadget that year. I think my husband had Cingular which is why we decided to go with that. We did try to get hooked up with T-Mobile because they were the only ones (at that time) offering the "Fav Five" plan. Unfortunately we weren't able to get through to any real human beings, and after several attempts decided that it would be a disaster if we got that service and actually needed some help.
The phone was mediocre at best. It froze constantly like a computer. No apps and the internet browser was a joke! It was like trying to play Madden football on an Atari. haha
Cingular turned out to be a nightmare however. They showed coverage where I was living at the time, which was student housing when I was in college. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case. I literally had to exit my building all of the time or tell people to call my apartment phone because I wouldn't be able to keep them on the line. Cingular's answer? "Well just hold tight because a tower is being built right near you and will be up in August"...which turned into March, then May, then never... Eventually I got on with an agent and after explaining what had been happening he said that I had the option of cancelling my contract at no charge. I must have asked him to repeat that I was
not going to be charged 3 or 4 times before cancelling. Shortly after I did I started to get calls from other agents saying that Ineeded to pay a cancellation fee. Apparently, homeboy didn't note any of our conversation, so they came after me. I told them that it would "be a cold day in hell before you get a dime out of me. I don't owe you anything. You didn't hold up your end of the contract and therefore it is null and void." I ended up getting all sorts of threatening letters and was told I had been sent to collections. They never actually did anything but it was a NIGHTMARE!!
Good Investment: Metal Prong Collar for my dog
Pros:
- He's being walked by ME and not vice versa! FINALLY!!
- The trainer I worked with recommended it to me.
- He's eager to have it put on because he knows it means he gets to go out.
Cons:
- It looks like a medieval torture device
- I have to make sure and put it on above his collar or it won't work.
- Its sometimes tough to get it off of him because it gets caught in his long fur.
Bad Investment: The "No-Pull" Harness and the Gentle Leader
The no-pull harness seemed to work well at first. Despite the fact that I
never gave him gentle corrections, he eventually got used to the restriction and pulled harder and harder. The last straw came when a lady in a bordering neighborhood came over to talk to me on our walk and he became so excited to greet her that he
literally pulled me over and dragged me down the sidewalk. I was embarrassed and hurt...NOT cool!
- The Gentle Leader never worked. In fact..I purchased it twice. The first time was when he was a puppy. He was a puller from day 1 and I wanted to start him early. He fought it so much that I decided to take it back. The second time I purchased it on the advice of a friend who has one for her Golden. She walks like a princess and I know that it took a lot of work to get her there, but it never worked for Guinness. No matter how much I worked with him he fought it. I was told that the dogs who fought it the most were the ones that needed it the most. So I kept working with it up until the time we entered training. At that point it became apparent that it was so distracting that training was not going to work with it. He would thrash his head from side to side, roll around in the dirt trying to push or paw it off, he would even stand on his hind legs and try to paw it off. It was terrible. The trainer had a time restraining him herself and she told me to leave it at home the next time and to purchase a prong immediately. What a blessing! Folks, don't believe what you hear..none of these devices work for EVERY dog! PLEASE...Do not use a Choke or Prong Collar unless specifically instructed to do so by a trainer or knowledgable Veteranarian and then only if shown how and when to use it. It goes along with training and if you aren't willing to use it right, it will be useless and your dog could become injured.
Good Investment: Knock-Off Burberry handbag.
The Pros:
I bought my bag off the streets of NYC. You can find fantastic knock-offs there. I don't know how they did it and I'm not sure I want to! :)
- I paid around $35 and we talked him down from well over $40. A real bag is going to cost you at least $300.
- Its held up remarkably well. If you get one off the streets make sure you do some comparison shopping for price AND value. I really examined a couple of other bags and spotted weak spots where they would come apart. I haven't had ANY probs with mine.
The Cons:
- If you open up the bag the lining is obviously not Burberry.
- For under $40 I didn't get a very big bag so I do find myself cramped on space.
- The strap on mine is stiff. Thats the best way I can describe it. It stands straight up and its supposed to. Also the material is not soft but it looks NICE.
Bad Investment: Real Vera Bradley Bag
What can I say? I loved it when I had it, but it got dirty easily and after a few washes showed signs of wear and tear. There were frays and holes. They're not made for lasting long. I paid over $100 for my bag and a nice billfold to match it. In the end they were stolen out of my car and the pattern is retired now. I might buy another in the future but I'd have to think long and hard about spending that kind of money on it.Well , I hope this has been helpful in some way. Please, I would love it if you would share some of your stories about good investments and those gone wrong. Please post these in comments or share a link to your blog where you've written a similar post.
Happy Saturday!
-Gina
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