strange neighbor

I'm confused with how to deal with this topic...
On one hand I want to appear neighborly, and on the other hand I want nothing to do with this guy...
Story: For the past 7 month (perhaps a year?) I've had a new neighbor that lives a few doors down from me (not sure exactly which apartment he lives in). He's a strange looking fella... skinny, blond hair, perhaps in his mid 50's, though I suspect he might be younger than he looks, and that his 'life experiences' have aged him prematurely. He kinda looks like an ugly version of Tom Petty (I know, that's not saying much, apologies). He has an odd habit... he walks the parking lot almost constantly with shorts and no shirt on. I'm not sure if he's on disability, but I don't think he works, and he walks with a strange limp - not to mention about 1/4 the speed of an average walking pace. Well, I've passed him in the past, and I always try to keep my distance from him. Just one of those 'gut feelings' that I can't explain that the guy's bad news. Well, about 2-3 weeks ago, I cracked... I walked out to take my garbage to the dumpster, and he was out strolling. I finally acknowledged him just by giving him a "head nod" as if to say "hey, what's up" without actually saying the words. Boom... that's all he needed for an invite. A few days later he approached me as I was headed out somewhere, and proceeded to tell me that he used to have long hair (which I do - what's left of it anyway). He went on to say that he had long hair up until one day when some strangers stopped on the side of the road thinking he was a girl - so he cut it off.
Um... great. You're telling me this why? Are you calling me a girl? Are you trying to say you're 'cooler' than me cause you cut it? I didn't get it, nor did I wish to find out. I simply laughed, nodded, then went on my way.
Tonight, he cornered me again...
He asked me what I did for a living and what hours I worked, because he noticed my vehicle in the parking lot is always out there in the morning and that I usually come home late. Yes, I said, I have odd hours (without telling him what I did for a living). Then he said, "Oh you mean you work the 'lazy a$$' second shift?" - Um... yeah I said, if you say so.
So now he's basically called me a girl, and a "lazy a$$" - how's that for neighborly?
Actually, I guess I just answered my question. I think I'll go back to ignoring him. If I just have to 'nod' and acknowledge him and leads him to insulting me - I guess the answer is pretty obvious. But I'm not that type of person, so I'll continue to fight with this internally - AND I'm also aware too that this is 'twice' now that he's spoken with me, and with each time it will get easier to bring up things to talk about. Ugh.

Vocabulary Test

A little back story first... While on twitter, one of folks I follow was talking about a FREE e-book that he just got for his Kindle. I have enjoyed his tweets, so I thought, 'it's free - why not give it a try'. I finished the book last night and I have to say it was one of the toughest books I've read in as long as I can remember. It seemed like every other page, I was coming across a word that I didn't know the meaning of! Luckily the Kindle has a "built-in" dictionary, and I obviously took advantage of that feature. In my defense... the book was written around 1911, and it was originally written in French, so some of the words have a French origin.
But I'm curious: out of these 86 words, how many do you know the meaning of?
(also, some of the words, I was able to deduce the meaning of based on the context, but even so I marked it as a word I didn't know). (also: any misspellings are from the book).
Oh - and if you're interested... you can download the book here. I found it a good read overall (the ending kinda fell apart for me only due to an increase of character names and I was getting a bit lost).
>>>
munificent
remunerated
coign
vexation
chit
copse
presentiment
escritoire
circumlocutions
pretermitted
vouchsafed
gendarme
peremptory
navvies
quietened
crapulous
monomania
paroxysms
adduce
efface
dentelated
pilules
peremptorily
képi
impassivity
fastidiousness
wen
equipage
felloes
perambulator
rushes
mien
pursy
squireens
ulster
disquisition
obloquy
deferent
abstracted
impudence
conciliate
abdicate
expiate
peremptory
throve
anodynes
unctuous
evinced
discomfited
ministrations
interminable
libations :one of my favorites
evincing
potations
unctuously
garrulity
peremptorily
brooked
alighted
jemmy :one of my favorites
vouchsafed
peccadillo
privations
adroitly
plucky
major-domo
paroxysm
peripatetic
warder
blenched
acclivity
soliloquising
vituperation
calumny
Bosh
Torquemada
lorgnettes
adducing
Proteus
perfunctorily
deprecatingly
inveterate
callow
toffs :one of my favorites
lugubrious

The Mall

Today I took a trip over to the local mall. I have not been there in quite some time so it was interesting to see how things changed. I used to frequent this mall regularly in most cases to eat at the food court. They had a big array of restaurants and I enjoyed "people watching". Well, the first change was that the food court moved. Some of the same names there, but also quite a few were missing from the lineup. It seemed like a more condensed version of how I remembered it. Now, perhaps, it was a HOT Sunday afternoon, but it also seemed very crowded. I have a feeling people were there just sucking up the free air conditioning (and it was nice and cool there, I admit). The main reason I went there is that I thought I might get my new eye-glass prescription fulfilled at the Lenscrafters (which is where I got my glasses about 4 years ago). At the same time, I wanted to see what their selection of Rx Sunglasses were and to check out the prices. Wow. That was a bit of a setback. JUST to get new lenses into my existing frames... $325!!! Suddenly I can see much better today! For a "cheap" pair of sunglasses the prices started at $119 for the frames, and went up from there. Needless to say, I walked out of there to re-think my options. I'm still not sure what I'll do now.
Back to the mall...
One of the things that struck me most about all the shops (some new some old)... MOST of the shops are geared to the younger crowd. Hard to pinpoint an age, but I'll say late teens to mid 20's. I actually started to feel 'old' as I was walking around!
One other observation... I thought while I was there, I might as well check the Apple Store there. It was PACKED with people! But as I looked around, it was packed with kids! I mean like 12-15 year old! At one point, the iphones on display were all being "played" with by little kids!? Other teens were just surfing the web, one kid was watching "ultimate wrestling" online. It was like a day care center in there or something. So throw in all the hustle and bustle, the loud music, and I just couldn't wait to get out of the store!
So maybe it is a sign I'm getting older, but I doubt I'll be headed back to the mall any time soon (unless I do decide to get the sunglasses there - but I won't be "shopping").

edit: This was just a great coincidence, I had to update this post...
As I talk about the younger kids hanging out in the apple store, I have seen this youtube clip (and soon to be internet star (if he isn't already)) popping up all over the place.
I admire this kids creativity and his ability to make a name for himself at his local apple store.
So enjoy a little "Boom Boom Pow" lip sync from Nicholifavs...

Verizon and FIOS

I'll try to keep this short.
I decided to call Verizon this morning to see if I could take care of a problem that has been annoying me. My neighborhood had FIOS installed about a year ago (perhaps longer). Almost once a week, I get a mailer (sometimes 2!) encouraging me to switch to FIOS. I can't believe the money they've wasted on these mailings to me, not to mention all the dead trees, ink, etc... I tried calling about a month ago to get them to remove my name from the mailing list. Oddly enough, the man told me he could do that, but then just after I gave him my name, I was disconnected. Irony?
I thought, well he had my name, and my phone number so he should have the right information to complete my request. No. A month later, and I'm STILL getting a mailer a week. So I decided to try again.
I spoke with a VERY nice and polite woman. I really tip my hat to her. (note: I think I got a nice person, because I called the "sales" line, and not the tech support). She agreed she could do that, and apologized for the mulitple mailings. Great!
It all went well, that I decided to take care of the next issue with her...
I signed up for Verizon DSL about 2-3 years ago. At the time, I got a price of about $29.99 if I agreed to a one year term. Fine. I didn't really pay attention to the data rate because it was the only one they had. Since that time, my friend and relative who signed up within the year, they had an option of a 1MB plan for $17.99 (which they now have raised to $19.99) OR a 3MB plan for $29.99.
Well, I've been checking my speeds and I'm only getting about 1.5MB, so I thought, I must be on an old plan.
I asked the woman all of the above, and she confirmed that she could switch me to the 3MB plan for $29.99 - GREAT! But....
Tonight I get home, and check my speeds... again, it's still at 1.5MB. I call up again to find out what happened.
Over an hour and a half on the phone, I talked to a customer service rep, who transfered me to tech support, who said there was nothing he could do, because my plan still said 3MB OR 1.5MB - and I had to take the issue back up with customer service. ugh.
I called back, and spent another 30 minutes on the phone (with another nice woman), and long story short, she says she was able to switch me to the 3MB/1.5MB plan.
Really verizon?! These are the plans you offer for $29.99?
1) a 3MB OR 1.5MB
2) a 3MB/1.5MB
Seriously?

Note the use of the plan names... it's not "up to" 3MB it's presented as an "either, or" - how can this be possible?

Verizon - you're at the top of my list now. You have made Comcast look good today. Ugh.

small rant...

It amazes me now how the time gets away from me regarding this here blog...

So a small rant I wanted to get off my chest.
My new pet peeve is companies who CHANGE their product.
I am a creature of habit. I admit that. I don't like change. I understand all the points behind it though; learning to adapt, exploring the world, growing as a person, etc...
I've gotten used to (and enjoy) the same type or flavor of Lance Crackers every morning for breakfast (except weekends). They are a Swiss Cheese flavor - though they taste NOTHING like Swiss cheese. But I enjoy them. Well, about 3 months (perhaps longer) ago, Lance crackers phased out that particular flavor! I since learned that they were introducing new flavors that involve a new "whole wheat" cracker - and big surprise - they cost more. Now I must adapt to these new flavors, which I don't like as much.
Then to top that off... the local supermarket where I get them... has just stopped carrying them! They only have a "keebler" ones which to me are horrible because their cracker parts are too sweet. So now, I have to find a new grocery store that sells lance crackers. I did notice the other day that the local "club store" carries Austin brand wheat crackers so perhaps I'll give that a try next time I'm low.
I'll throw out another one though I hope it's not too personal...
Underwear! I am picky about the type of clothes I like mostly regarding fit and fabric (I don't care "as much" as what they look like, as long as they are comfortable). When I find a brand I like, I usually stick with it. So a couple weeks ago, I went out to pick up some replacement undies, so I went back to the store I got them at last time, and picked out the same ones. I bring them home, try them on next time, and they feel different. Here, I look at the label and they are 95% cotton, and 5% Spandex!?!?! Grr. So 90's! :) So now, what do I do, do I have to start the search for a whole new brand name now? What made them decide to change the fabric percentages?!
So companies out there... don't be so quick to change products. There are such things as loyal customers.
Ok, that feels better now.

Kindle - first impressions

Yep, I got myself a Kindle! Well, with help from some recent birthday gift certificates that is...
I've been eyeing these things for quite some time now. But I could never justify the price. While I very much enjoy reading, I tend to do my reading before bed each night which means I usually only get a few pages in per night before Mr. Sandman clunks me over the head. BUT I do love books. In fact, I admire others who have or make more time for reading. I am making an effort to increase my reading time as well.

So first let me say, there are some things that trouble me regarding a Kindle.
1) I've never had an issue where I couldn't read anything because I had a dead battery.
2) I've never dropped my entire bookcase to the point where if I did, I wouldn't be able to read those books anymore.
3) I'm very troubled by the tight grips that Amazon is building into their Kindle format.
4) I don't like the high costs of the Kindle editions (on some books - other books are FREE!)

But... I received mine yesterday morning, and upon opening it, and getting to know it as the day progressed, I felt like I was holding a magical device.
It seems to be VERY nicely designed which is important for a device like this. As I was unpacking it (which the packing is really nicely done as well), I couldn't help but notice a heavy "Apple" influence. (Learn from the best).
The device is a tad heavier than what I expected, but it's certainly a good weight.
I so far have "purchased" only one book - which was a wopping ¢99! It was Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" (I started to read this book some time ago, but never finished it). I've also "purchased" a handful of the FREE books. (I had to laugh as many of the "top sellers" are FREE books - I suspect that is because people who buy a Kindle can't afford to buy books anymore!)
There is defintely going to be a price war ahead (happening now!). People are NOT going to want to spend more than the $9.99 base price. They view an e-book as not being as expensive as a paper book (I do anyway). But I'm sure in due time the prices will even out.

As far as readbility and navigation etc...
The e-ink is very nice. The only complaint is that the background is a tad too dark in my opinion. IF Amazon were smart, they would not have made the unit a stark bright white. It only emphasizes that the "paper" is about 40% gray. They should have made the unit a dark gray (abt 80% which would have given the illusion of a brighter "paper". So far though, It is very readable though (I've heard some people complain of eyestrain on long periods).
The navigation is nice, but I think it could use a little work. I'm sure though, once I get the hang of what the buttons do, I'll adapt and it won't be an issue (for example, I tend to want to use the 5-way button to turn pages).

All in all, a really nice device, and I hope to get many hours of enjoyment from it.
One last comment... this is only the "second generation" Kindle... and it's only been out for a little over a year or so (meaning the first gen Kindle). I'm aware that soon my unit will be out of date, but such is the price to pay for adopting new technology.
I will enjoy it for a long time I'm sure.
(note, I'm STILL using my second gen. ipod and like it very much!)

Oh... one more thing... the images they have while the unit is in sleep mode are fantastic! The levels of gray are enough to do justice to a black and white image.

political comment

Sometimes the web can make you feel good.

I find myself on twitter a lot. I enjoy seeing.hearing what people who I choose to "follow" are doing. One of those reasons is because I tend to pick people who I find interesting. So it's a sort of self-fulling loop.
One of those persons that I chose to follow is a republican. Not just a regular republican but a right wing republican with his own blog and his own video blog. I can't recall where I discovered this person and how I came about following him. But I enjoy keeping an ear on what "the other side" is up to. I don't comment on his tweets, and usually I don't comment on his blog posts. I feel like it's not my place to be the "troll" on his thoughts and opinions. By all means he's free to post what he believes in. But... (You knew there was a but coming right? :)
The other day, I read a post on his blog. It was (I think) by another person as it was listed under commentary. The title of the blog was something like "Why I'm through with the Republican party". It was a short post actually. Only 8 paragraphs. I read through the 7 paragraphs and they all were criticisms of the current party and basically pointing out how they are not the voice of a "true conservative" anymore. I even found myself agreeing with some of his/her points. But then... In the last paragraph, he starts with "But I will continue to support the Republican party..." (there was a vague disclaimer attached to that sentence something like if they act like how they promised on the campaign trail).
I couldn't believe it. Here was a poignant expression about how the GOP is losing it's way, and it ends with the author claiming he'll still support the party?! I couldn't help myself to post a comment. I tried to be respectful, and not use personal attacks (like so many internet comments), but I also pointed out how I didn't understand the thinking and and logic.
I went back today, to check the blog post to see if I had raised the ire of all the other Rep's on that site. I was expecting to get an earful, but much to my surprise the article is not there. Earlier today, I got an error that said the website is being re-designed so perhaps it was just a technical glitch, and once the web designer gets around to it, he'll fix the link, but for now, I can't help but wonder... did I have anything to do with the pulling of the article because they read the article and said "gee, he's right, that doesn't make any sense".
I'll try to remember to check over the next few days and see if it reappears. If it does, I'll update this post.
(note: I realize I'm being vague, and not listing the blog. I don't want to drive either other Reps or Dems and start a comment flame war.)