The Life and Times of Jim
Hi, there. I'm Jim. Welcome to my phlog!
This site was written for Las Vegas, then LouisVille. Now, it seems to be about anywhere. In these phlogs, you'll see a lot of my personal notes and pictures. I like to post my observations here to remember life and celebrate it. I'm not religious. I don't pray for good fortune. I'm ecstatically grateful for the gift of life and I think our time should be remembered and not taken for granted. I'm not a writer. I think pictures tell stories so much better than words. I love just about everything in this life, and, I guess that would have to include you. So, if you've seen me, don't be surprised if your picture is in here somewhere. Of all the critters, people are absolutely the most interesting. 
<< 04/2005 < 02/2006 Calendar 05/2006 > 04/2007 >>Sign InView Other Logs
Sat 
04/01/2006 18:01:27
 Jim  Robert and Joy came over.
We watched Robots. It was a a kids movie and I just couldn't come down to that level of entertainment.
Watching Amy was more entertaining. She rearranged our furniture!
Sat 
04/01/2006 15:04:30
 Jim  Sonny and I tried to fix his heater core.
What a pain! We still haven't finished the task. It got dark.
Sat 
04/01/2006 11:11:04
 Jim  Nevada Mobile Notary
- File application with Secretary of State (http://sos.state.nv.us/notary/notforms/index.htm)
- Obtain surety bond for $10,000 to the State of Nevada. Check the yellow pages (YP) under "bonds, surety")
Tell them the date you wish to start. That will be the effective date on your notary.
IT might be a good idea to also get "Errors and Omissions" insurance.
You must take an oath, either given by the County Clerk or another Notary.
- File the Oath and Bond at the County Clerks office. They'll give you a "Filing Notice"
- Mail the application, $35 check, and Filing Notice to the Secretary of State.
- The Secretary of State mails a Certificate of Appointment to the applicant.
- Pick up a Notary Stamp from a rubber stamp vender with your Certificate of Appointment. (YP - Rubber Stamps).
Additional info: (http://www.nationalnotary.org/howto/index.cfm?text=howtoState&state=Nevada)
Sat 
04/01/2006 07:11:59
 Jim  Tallahassee, Florida
Monday, we stayed in Tallahassee, Fl at an interesting motel for $40 per night.
In the parking lot, there were kids swinging sticks around and I thought it might be unsafe...BUT, they were students studying martial arts. Their swords were dull, 12 pounders. Walking around, I found a Sasha, Tea, Coffee house with wireless internet and a belly dancer. People buy a bowl of aromatic tobacco, and smoke it for an hour in an opium pipe. Pretty strange, but it seems to work. LOL.
Sat 
04/01/2006 00:00:00
 Jim  April Fools Day
Look out!
Fri 
03/31/2006 11:11:51
 Jim  Happy 50th BDAY!!!

It's my BIG 50. I'm 50 cents short of a dollar today.
Strange, how I don't feel like an old fart at all.
Fri 
03/31/2006 08:51:17
 Jim  We watched the Great Kongster the other night.

It was pretty cool.
He kind of looks like me in the morning, doesn't he?
Fri 
03/31/2006 08:46:42
 Jim  I was right about the life of LVDude.
The technology I've added to this site is being developed elsewhere.
- The flexible menu exists in the Google Toolbar.
- The multiple search engine feature exists in Firefox.
- Its just a matter of time before easier ad placing follows suit.
Then there's the question of why my site doesn't show up in the search engines. Crap blog entries from other sites show up  before my site gets listed. I've read the Page Rankings formula. I followed its procedures. Still nothing.
Thu 
03/30/2006 13:13:07
 Jim  My home loan came in!
I'm now a rich man again...haha. I cut it awfully close this time though. I've got to watch that.
By staying over in Orlando to the end of January, it put things on a tight schedule.
But I based my decision on someone saying he thought my website could make some good money.
He never said anything good about it before, but that just his nature.
So, I stuck around for another month, and coded.
I was also worried about getting screwed by this same person.
I forget why exactly, but I'll pick my business partner better next time.
Tue 
03/28/2006 12:09:13
 Jim  Sonny is a cool guy, isn’t he
And it was GREAT of those people in front of us to give me that two for one coupon.
Then, way in the other cashier's line, they wished me a happy birthday!
Hey babe, ever notice that every where we go, people smile and say nice things?
We seem to bring that out in people.
Like that guy at the car wash, watching us dance to our reflections in the glass.
He just came right over smiling, saying you guys are cool, you love each other.
So many people miss that in life.
Tue 
03/28/2006 10:35:48
 Jim  Sonny’s Ford Taurus - lessons to be learned.
We got the UBelt back on, along with all the bolts (except for one). The car is a screamer!
As far as I can see, the transmission and engine are in great shape. I'll out run my F150.
If a guy at Pep Boys said the head gasket was blown on that car, he's wrong.
The lesson to be learned is, when you take your car to a mechanic, you should already know whats wrong with it.
From my experience, the auto industry constantly takes advantage of people.
Case in point: I had a $99 coupon for a complete brake job.
I was standing in line, waiting to get my truck serviced. While in line, I listened to the people talk to the service man. None of them got the $99 special. They all had other problems that would cost over $400. The coupon was a lie.
Tue 
03/28/2006 10:32:56
 Jim  The New Orleans Buffet
I love that buffet. On Monday night, its always seafood night, and they have everything imaginable (except for lobster).
Someone in line gave me a two for one coupon, so for three people it was only $34.
Tue 
03/28/2006 10:31:00
 Jim  Hi Becky
I just wanted to tell you that  I Love You So Much
Mon 
03/27/2006 18:07:58
 jim  Vegas,NV-NewOrleans
Mon 
03/27/2006 18:07:58
 jim   (Reply)Vegas,NV-NewOrleans
Mon 
03/27/2006 10:39:59
 Jim  Almost finished working on Sonny’s Taurus
Total Time: 4.5 hours. Water pumps can be a real booger. We've still got to install the U Belt.
Mon 
03/27/2006 10:16:04
 Jim  Local Schools
A-1 Truck Driver Training 1105 Industrial Rd Boulder City NV
ALL POINTS TDA 123 WATER ST HENDERSON NV 89015
JOIN 705 E 4th St. Winnemucca NV 89445
MTA 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue Module 3 Las Vegas NV 89030
Southern Nevada CC 6375 West Charleston Blvd Las Vegas NV 89146
Western Truck School, 85 N. Edison Way #2/3 Reno NV 89502
Western Truck School 3603 Las Vegas Blvd. N , Suite 112, Las Vegas, NV 89115
Sun 
03/26/2006 16:59:11
 Jim  Condo: Items Needed
Stove: $150
Refrigerator: $400
Curtains: $200
Genie Garage Opener: $159.98
Front Door: $150
Closet Doors: $250
Sun 
03/26/2006 11:07:38
 Jim  USA Trucking
• Minimum 22 years old
• Must have 6 months verifiable OTR experience in the past 36 months
• Must possess a valid CDL with Haz-Mat endorsement in the state where you reside
• No DUI's, DWI's or any other violations involving drugs or alcohol within the last 5 years
• No more than 3 moving violations in the past 3 years.
• No more than 3 preventable accidents in the past three years.
• Truck must pass DOT and USA inspections.
• Wheelbase not to exceed 260 inches (center front hub to center last hub).
• Weight not to exceed 19,000 lbs with half tank of fuel.
• Must have truck title and proof of payment on Federal Highway Use Tax.
• Proof of insurance
Sun 
03/26/2006 02:12:04
 Jim  I should mention...
The travelling notary public that we saw was twenty four, pulling down more money than I did in programming.
It takes about 1 week to study the material. In some states, you simply just sign a piece of paper and pay a fee.
You can make $100,000 a year these days, doing loans. Its a very good business.
Sun 
03/26/2006 02:09:54
 Jim  The house is refinanced.
What to do now? Hmmm.
In this life, I'm in a never ending delusion of control and its all good.
Sat 
03/25/2006 23:23:18
 Jim  Worked on Sonny’s car.
It didn't take that long really, but we ran out of light, so we'll wrap it up tommorrow. There was no water in the oil so the guy at Pep Boys was FOS. If a head gasket is blown on it, thats not how he found out. 3 more hours, and the water pump will be finished...yahoo! Next we'll deal with the flat and the battery.
Thu 
03/23/2006 08:00:00
 Jim  Cox Cable 8am to 10am
Preferred Basic installation for 1 room.
Tue 
03/21/2006 12:45:44
 Jim  We ate at the New Orleans last night.
Strange how there were probably more people there than in downtown New Orleans. hmmm.
Monday night is their Seafood night and it was excellent.
Mon 
03/20/2006 13:19:52
 Jim  Truck Driving - Company Notes
+ Heartland Express - Pay is around 44 cents a mile. Home every week. Good things
+ Barr-Nunn - Pay is around 47 cents a mile. Home every week. Good things.
+ Knight Transportation - Pay is good. Home every week.
+ Averitte Express - Good Pay. Home every week.
+ FeEx - Decent Pay. Home every week.
+ UPS - hmmm. Good Pay. Home every week.
- CFI - Low Pay. Home every month.
- CR England - Very Low Pay. Home every month.
- Swift - Low Pay. BiMonthly
- Ozark - Home Bimonthly.
- Werner - Medium Pay. Bimonthly.
Sun 
03/19/2006 15:01:17
 jim  Vegas,NV-LakeMead Sky
Sun 
03/19/2006 15:01:17
 jim   (Reply)Vegas,NV-LakeMead Sky
Sat 
03/18/2006 15:27:26
 Jim  Bought a used stove
Bought a stove for the house for $120. It looks and works great. As usual though, the gas pipe to connect it turned out to be a royal pain. There doesn't seem to be a standard for gas fittings anywhere, so, I'm plagued with an assortment of adapters, none of which, work.
Sat 
03/18/2006 11:29:42
 jim  Henderson,NV-Jim,Becky
Sat 
03/18/2006 11:29:42
 jim   (Reply)Henderson,NV-Jim,Becky
Fri 
03/17/2006 20:28:08
 jim  Vegas,NV-Wynn
Fri 
03/17/2006 20:28:08
 jim   (Reply)Vegas,NV-Wynn
Tue 
03/14/2006 15:10:26
 jim  Vegas,NV-Stratosphere-Sonny,Jim,Becky
Tue 
03/14/2006 15:10:26
 jim   (Reply)Stratosphere-Becky,Jim,Sonny
Sat 
03/11/2006 21:50:41
 Jim  The appraiser came and went.
I talked with the dude for over an hour.
Our appraiser was more than happy to discuss how he got into his career. Things have changed.
It used to be that an house appraisers job was more like a juice job than anything. Its still, kind of, sort of,  that way now. But with the housing sales boom in Las Vegas, that attitude has relaxed. These guys go to school for 2 weeks (for $1,000), and you must be an apprentice for two years. They must have a job before they can get their license too.
Catch 22 - To get a job, you need a license. To get a license, you need a job. Hmmm. Who thinks this crap up?
He said you can expect to make $40,000 a year doing appraisals, it was easy work, and fun.
He said the best money in appraising was sail boats, and its a wide open field right now.
The things I didn't like about his appraisal:
He took pictures. And when he was in the kitchen, he mentioned we had a garbage disposal. So, I'd expect he's not going to fluff the appraisel like my last one did.
Thu 
03/09/2006 11:06:20
 Jim  The appraiser should be coming around tommorrow or
I've got to repair a ceiling today.
The loan is for $60k, 5 year fixed at $940 a month, which leaves a large margin for if I ever decide to rent this place out again. Everything is kewl.
The thing I don't like about refinancing is sending all of my information to someone. They wanted my business license and two checking statements this last time. In other words, they want to see if I have $3,000 before they write me a check for $60,000. hmmm. The logic eludes me.
Talked to Ida
She's quitting smoking. I wish her luck. She sounds like heck!
The Frontier called Sonny on his day off.
He'd fixed a food warmer switch with one his boss gave him, and the switch burned out again. They insinuated that Sonny can't fix crap. It turned out it was a faulty switch, an old one they had laying around.
I wonder how many of places do that kind of thing.
They called him at home to make him feel crappy about his work. No apologies or mention of the switch came up again.
Sat 
03/04/2006 20:47:58
 jim  VegasStrip-Ballys,Stardust,Rio,Caesars
Sat 
02/25/2006 13:21:53
 Jim  Just left the ol condo
Tim (a friend of Sonny's was painting it) and there was absolutely no place to park. And if it can happen, it will happen. Along come the garbagemen.  We had time to load up a bathtub and somekind of other stand thingy...lol.

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