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. 
<< 07/2007 < 06/2008 Calendar 08/2008 > 07/2009 >>Sign InView Other Logs
Thu 
07/17/2008 21:07:05
 jim  Fremont Experience
Thu 
07/17/2008 21:06:16
 jim  Vegas,NV-Fremont Canopy
Thu 
07/17/2008 19:31:58
 jim  Ford does it again !
I took my Mustang in to Gaudin Ford yesterday to get an extra key and remote made. The sales rep says $24 for the key, and about $40 for the remote. $64 dollars so far, right?
He mentioned my Universal Belt needed replacing, and I asked him how much.
He said $80 with labor. I said okay. I'm thinking, with taxes, its $150 tops.
So, he writes me up an estimate for $190.
I told him, man, thats high for what you said. He said, we write them higher than they will be.
We waited for three hours, and they arrived with a bill for $380. I'm serious!
He said, well there's taxes and all. And said "NO", there is a problem, and I started getting loud. Your estimate says $190, and he said, no, that says $290. It had a suspicious looking 1 on it. I said, THATS STILL WAY TOO HIGH!
He said, oh, wait, there is a problem, and he comes back with a bill that says $310.
He said "There, its right at my estimate, I think I did a good job".
I said, "Man, you know didn't do right".
The last time I was in Vegas, Ford County screwed me.
I took my F150 in for its Air Conditioner not working. They put a charge in it, and gave me a bill for $400.
- Maybe, I wouldn't have minded if they didn't use inferior refrigerent.
The stuff they used didn't even have leak detector in it. I can't even find where you get bottles of refrigerent like that.- Maybe, I wouldn't have minded if when I took it back in again, they didn't quote me $1,200 for a new compressor.
I eneded up having to buy a $10 bottle from Auto Zone, and charging the system myself.
And then there was the time we went to buy an $8,000 car off their lot.
With the paperwork, the car came up to $30,000.
I LIKE FORD VEHICLES !
But if you have one, you'd better be willing to fix it yourself.
Thu 
07/17/2008 19:31:58
 jim   (Reply)..Ford does it again !
Honda's are mighty fine vehicles.
I wonder if all Ford Dealers hustle their customers. I was hoping/thinking it was a Vegas thing.

Not much has happened on the job search. I'm not giving an all out effort on it yet though.
Thu 
07/17/2008 12:41:02
 jim  Vegas,NV-Gabriel Sonny WakingUp
Wed 
07/16/2008 13:26:08
 jim  Gabriel,NV-Mustang,Becky
Mon 
07/14/2008 16:23:24
 jim  Stormy Vegas Days
Robert and Emily's Wall Pictures
Mon 
07/14/2008 16:06:37
 jim  Vegas,NV-Becky,Jen,Robert
Mon 
07/14/2008 05:17:49
 jim  ..So what does one do in Vegas ?
Nothing much has happened on the job front. Someone called me about a job in Minnesota.
I couldn't understand him, so I asked the guy to send me an email.
I got emails from Nandita, NanSuresh Babu Malli, and Dharani Rham all about the same opening. I also got emails from two different people from svsservices about Florida. Hopefully, the only openings I've submitted for is RJ, LordT, and Chev.
Finding a contract can be gloomy work if you try to make it happen. 
Mon 
07/14/2008 05:17:49
 jim   (Reply)So what does one do in Vegas ?
If they don't drink, gamble or have money for the shows ? This I've wondered often while living in Las Vegas.
I think I've seen most of what this desert has to offer.
I've camped  out everywhere, seen the hotspots, and even have my own secret 4x4 places.
It would take months to visit all of the casinos in Vegas.
In those months, more casino's would have been built, while the ones you visited would have been remodeled. 
Since we've been travelling, within a few blocks
- the Cannery (a high rise casino) was built
- The Nevada Palace was leveled.
- A Super Walmart has opened
- The neighbors that wanted to move got stuck, the ones that didn't got foreclosed on
- The roads that were under construction, with the cones and equipment, haven't been touched.
There's always something going on in Vegas.
Sat 
07/12/2008 17:58:43
 jim  Vegas,NV-Cantina-Robert,Em,Becky
Tue 
07/08/2008 11:43:22
 jim  Vegas,NV-Gabriel WaterSoftener
Mon 
07/07/2008 20:25:46
 jim  The Strip - 2008
Mon 
07/07/2008 20:08:11
 jim  Vegas,NV-Strip View
Sat 
07/05/2008 08:50:45
 jim  Family Spots
Family differences can be hilariously funny.
Growing up, in my family, when you sat somewhere, you stayed there.
If you got up, you came back to the exact same spot.
If someone offered you their spot, they were being polite. You would reciprocate by graciously turning them down.
You would say "Thank you, that's very nice of you, but that's okay, I'll just grab a chair.". 
That was our system of manners and respect. You didn't take advantage of someone elses generousity.
Spots were a big thing in our family.
For years, all of us had a spot on the couch (it was an 8' wide, homemade couch).
- Mom had her spot on the couch on the end
- I had mine near Mom
- Sonny and Dad sat further away at the dining room table. If they sat at the couch, they had an issue to resolve.
- Linda, Grandfather, Grandmother, and various guests had their spots at the end.
- Kelly was a spot stealer, she never chose a spot. She would either stand in front of us, or sit in the middle of the cushons, to take up two spots.
You wouldn't believe how many arguments having a spot picked out, resolved with a family of six living in a very small house.
But all families are not created equal.
I noticed at a BBQ yesterday, that everyone who left the living room came back to sit in a different spot.
There was an easy chair in the living room, and almost everyone sat in it.
One person left their spot in the easy chair to get some pie.
He had to sit on the floor, because in the minute he was gone, someone had taken the easy chair.
In our family, that would have meant WAR !
At the BBQ I had my spot on the couch in the living room.
It was marked by my camera, and my sunglasses, and by golly, if someone took it, that would have met the wrath of Jim.
"HEY, GET OUT OF MY SPOT !".
Someone offered me her spot at the table
I wouldn't take it. Neither Sonny or I will do that. We pick our spots. That's was just our family's way.
No, I didn't slide over because Dustin and Becky got up.
No, I didn't take the easy chair when Gma, Paul, and Emily got up. Robert may have sat there too. lol.
And most of all, NO, It didn't mean I'm a pervert who wanted to cuddle up to the 13 year old, budding, Jennifer.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
It simply meant, I was not taking some else's spot.
And by the way, thank you all very much for reading this. You have been very kind.
LOL.
Fri 
07/04/2008 22:24:36
 jim  Vegas,NV-Robert,Jen,Em,Jim,Becky
Fri 
07/04/2008 21:36:16
 jim  Vegas,NV-ArroroPark Fireworks
Fri 
07/04/2008 21:28:18
 jim  Vegas,NV-ArroroPark Fireworks
Fri 
07/04/2008 21:26:32
 jim  Vegas Fireworks
Fri 
07/04/2008 21:00:56
 jim  ArroroPark,NV-Fireworks-Robert,Amy
Fri 
07/04/2008 18:32:53
 jim  Fireworks in Vegas
Fri 
07/04/2008 16:07:01
 jim  Vegas,NV-Gmas,Jen,Becky,Robert,Em
Fri 
07/04/2008 16:06:11
 jim  Emily
Fri 
07/04/2008 15:53:52
 jim  Gmas,NV-Robert,Amy,Jim,Jen,Paul
Thu 
07/03/2008 12:02:01
 jim  Vegas,NV-SkyLine stitch
Wed 
07/02/2008 20:23:34
 jim  Vegas,NV-Venetian,The Strip
Wed 
07/02/2008 20:14:46
 jim  Vegas,NV-NYNY,The Strip
Wed 
07/02/2008 19:58:59
 jim  Vegas,NV-AppleStore,Strip,Becky
Tue 
07/01/2008 12:10:02
 jim  Vegas,NV-BackToVegas CA I15
Sun 
06/29/2008 16:46:12
 jim  Ocean Beach - Hodads
Sun 
06/29/2008 15:42:27
 jim  Mission Beach
Sat 
06/28/2008 15:05:52
 jim  San Diego - Sea World
Fri 
06/27/2008 19:29:42
 jim  La Jolla - Friendly People
Thu 
06/26/2008 19:29:48
 jim  Old Town
Thu 
06/26/2008 18:41:56
 jim  Fiesta Island
Tue 
06/24/2008 20:57:55
 jim  George Carlin Died
George Carlin (my hero) died a couple of days ago.
For me, life is all a bonus. Its not a problem. I think no problem is a problem worth disliking.
Its all fun !!!
I don't know where I'll be next.
I know I will be on a path that will lead to home. San Diego has been great ! Louisville was great !
i've made new friends that are worth more than $1,000,000's of dollars.
They are original, and they are good people.
Gosh, life has been good. And I don't ask any help for anyone. That, in itself, makes me responsible.
Once again, life is good. I've enjoyed all of it.
Sat 
06/21/2008 13:45:34
 jim  More La Jolla Beach
Sat 
06/21/2008 13:03:48
 jim  La Jolla Beach
div>
Sat 
06/21/2008 11:51:54
 jim  .Howl from SAE....
We got caught with our Fly's down..har har.
Fly's Is the Bestest...but we've been-a-beachin about everything.
I just love the beach.
It's cheap, I'm broke. It agrees with me 100%.
Life is just too good.
Wow...I just noticed these blog entries don't work right with Firefox.
Whent the heck did that happen ? lol.
Thu 
06/19/2008 08:56:48
 jim  Vegas,NV-Sonnys-SwassrDrawing
Thu 
06/19/2008 04:53:30
 jim  Energy Saving Light bulbs.
A bill passed Congress that will require people to use fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs. What's interesting about this is: they are only made in China, they contain mercury, and as such, become hazardous waste when disposed of, and if you break one, you're encouraged to call a Haz-Mat team to clean it up.
I just left General Electric.
They are spending months reinventing themselves. Can't they just stop that, and spend one weekend inventing a better light bulb? I'd think a middle school science project contestant could put something together with LEDs.
I often thought, that by simply replacing the breaker that controls the lights in a house with a rectifier and stepdown transformer, then replacing the bulbs in a house with led's, would be an incredibly simple solution. It would be cheap, the bulbs wouldn't burn out, and we could move on to the next energy issue.
I know that precooling the condensor on home air conditioners with water
can save homes in Las Vegas 30% off their power bill. I know, because I built a prototype. It hooked up to the garden hose spigot and used 1 gallon a day, and it didn't waste any water.
And how about making round tires for cars ? Have you pushed a car lately? The tires themselves provide friction just by changing shape as they roll. Try this with your car....try coasting on a level road to see how fast you slow down. You are slowing down because of all the resistance from wind and road resistance.
I'd think that could be easily be improved...again, by a middle school science fair contestant.
I'd think new cars would be shaped more like a wings than boxes.
Speaking of cars...how about powering them with water ? You could create you're own hydrogen and oxygen at home from tap water. And when the mixture burns, its only by product would be water. That could used for making of a truly unique hybrid engine that doesn't burn petroleum.
And speaking about hybrid engines Is anyone every going to come up with a battery that comes close to 100% efficiency. Most of the energy waisted by braking could be stored in it. Whenever you let off the 'gas' pedal, the battery could be charging.
These ideas are kind of brain dead solutions. Are they too simple ? Or is everybody going through life these days with a cell phone to their ear, and a gameboy in their hands?

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