-- Brian Megilligan's Pink Blog --: Chick-Fil-A, the service economy, and your church

-- Brian Megilligan's Pink Blog --: Chick-Fil-A, the service economy, and your church

Take the long way home

I ordered something from Amazon and used Super-saver shipping.

It has now been ten days, and I still don't have my books.

Here is the route that they are taking by US Mail.  They just left Pennsylvania this morning.  They left Indiana on November 26.  Today is December 5.  (By the way, I'm ASSUMING that they will come straight to Uniontown from Pennsylvania, but that's probably a big assumption.)

I should have just offered to pick them up in Indiana.  It would have been a lot faster.

I'm not bitter or anything.  But, I was hoping to do a little reading this weekend.

Sheesh.

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Total Confusion

Chaos pours out of the skies.

Isaiah 24:19 (The Message)

Sometimes, you make really concrete plans, and they all fall apart.

This weekend, we were going to Southeast Ohio where Julie is singing at an outdoor fesitval, at three Sunday morning services, and at an three-acre indoor market with a stage for visiting artists.

This was going to be a family adventure. We knew almost nothing about the outdoor music festival, or the family we were staying with, or the church, or the indoor market. We were just going to go and roll with the punches all weekend long.

Julie and Jesse were in Nashville most of last week, and Cody was on a Mission Trip to Boston all week long. He came home last night at about 9:00 PM at our local airport.

And, that's where all the plans began to crumble.

I knew something was wrong when he was lagging behind the rest of the group, walking slowly with a blank look on his face. When he finally got to us waiting just past security, we could see that he was shivering. We could hardly even hear him talk. Cody has the flu. And, not just any flu. This flu actually sent a couple of the people on his mission trip to the emergency room last week. Let's just say, it's a "dehydrating" type of flu, and leave it at that.

So, Julie is singing this weekend IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I'm her "sound man" and her "record table guy" and I also sing on a couple of songs with her. But, one of us has to stay home with Cody, and it can't be Julie!!

So, I spent this morning training Jesse how to use the GPS unit on my laptop to get them where they are going. I also sent along an atlas and some Mapquest directions as backups. I also gave Jesse a crash course in our sound system, as well as a checklist for how to setup and another checklist for how to tear down.

Paul will be running her record table, which is something that will come naturally for him. That's his job with the Grove City College Touring Choir, so no problem there.

Then, just to make matters worse, my cell phone froze up.

Now, this may not seem like a big issue, but it is. First of all, I really want to have my cell phone while Julie and the guys are gone. That's my life-line in case something goes wrong with them or, God forbid, something goes seriously wrong with Cody. Secondly, I have spent a good portion of the last four days setting up this new cell phone with all of the features and settings, not to mention my contacts and stuff. I can sync most of that stuff onto the new cell phone, but I'm going to lose all of the settings that I spent so much time experimenting with and deciding upon. And, third, my laptop computer (the one that I sync with my cell phone) is gone with Julie and Jesse and Paul because they needed the GPS unit.

My original plan this weekend was to use my fancy new phone as my laptop, cell phone and GPS unit. I had even bragged that this is the first trip in a long time that I wasn't taking my laptop (because I had everything I could ever want on my cell phone!).

So, Julie just left, it's 2:00 PM, and I'm still in my pajamas after washing Cody's messy sheets, teaching Jesse how to setup, use and tear down the sound system, MP3 player and GPS, setting up the GPS with all the addresses they might need this weekend, checking out the van for the long trip, loading the sound system into the van, setting up my laptop and GPS unit in a convenient spot in the van, calling Verizon Wireless to get my cellular service transferred back to my old cell phone, and countless other things that I've probably forgotten by now.

What a weird seventeen hours this has been. And, it might not be over. I fully expect that I'll get a call with some kind of problem with the van, the GPS on my laptop or with the sound system.

Cody's just on the couch, oblivious that anything is even going on around him. His temperature was 102.2 the last time I checked. If it hits 103, I'm giving him Tylenol. He can't be too far from a bathroom at any time, so I can't exactly load him up in the car so I can go to Verizon and get another phone. :-) Plus, it wouldn't really help to get a new phone anyway, because I have to sync it with my laptop, which is now travelling Southeast in an old minivan on the way to some music festival at a ranch in the middle of nowhere.

This was going to be such a fun weekend.

:-(

PS. I forgot to mention that our cat killed a rabbit this morning, and it's out on the front porch for me to dispose of. I think I'll wait until I get my shower and get dressed.

This is like a bad dream.

Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God's people should be bighearted and courteous.

Titus 3:1 (The Message)

This post is for anyone having trouble syncing their smartphone with a Toshiba Satellite laptop. I hope it helps someone. If so, please leave a comment.

I just bought a "smartphone." It's a Motorola Q9C. It's a great phone, but I wasn't so sure for the last 48 hours. It refused to sync with Outlook on my laptop, which was the main reason I bought the phone. My laptop is a Toshiba Satellite, model M35X-S311.

The computer would start to synchronize with the phone, then it would just freeze and say "looking for changes." Then, sometimes, the phone would connect with the computer, then disconnect repeatedly.

Today, I went to Verizon and got a different phone, brand new, same model. They reloaded all my stuff on the new phone, and I went home hoping that the new phone would communicate with Outlook on my computer.

No.

After two full evenings of trying to get this phone to work, and very nearly wanting to scream, I finally found the solution.

I went to the Toshiba website, and I upgraded my BIOS to the latest version. As I was reading through all of the possible downloads on the Toshiba webpage for my computer model, I discovered that there was a BIOS update SPECIFICALLY because USB ports would connect and disconnect repeatedly for certain devices. Also, I was getting a message that I should plug my device into a USB 2.0 port, which I was already doing. That is another thing that this BIOS upgrade fixed.

It might be my imagination, but it seems like my computer is running much more smoothly overall with this new BIOS update.

Anyway, I've tried to include as many specific words as possible in this blog entry so that someone might stumble upon it and save some time. (Like the 8-10 hours I spent trying to fix this little problem!)

So, here are some specific words that might lead someone to this post:
smartphone
Motorola Q9C
USB 2.0
cannot sync
synchronize
looking for folders
looking for changes
ActiveSync
Toshiba Satellite M35X-S311
freezes

Trees, Mosquitos and Cats

Then God said, "I've given you

every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth

And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,

given them to you for food.

To all animals and all birds,

everything that moves and breathes,

I give whatever grows out of the ground for food."

And there it was.

Genesis 1:29-30 (The Message)

I haven't blogged in over a month, but I've got three random thoughts dealing with God's creation.

First, it occurred to me the other day that we take trees for granted. I handled a claim for a customer in which a tree fell during a storm and almost cut their travel trailer in half. (Don't worry...it wasn't occupied at the time.) My father-in-law, my sons and I cut down trees once in a while. Do you even know how HEAVY trees are? And they just stand there. And, most of the time, even in the highest winds, they just keep standing there. If an architect tried to design something that tall and heavy, the architect would have to really concentrate on the design of the foundation. Or, use guy-wires (no relation). The tree just grows roots.

Second, please pray for our cat. We really doubt her salvation. Oh sure, she's all nice and everything when she's in the house with us, but she turns into a different cat when we let her outside. I watched her stalk and pounce a tiny little bird today, then walk around all proud with it in her mouth. She leads a secret life, and I'm pretty sure she's destined for kitty hell unless she finds the Lord. We're going to talk to her about a "catch-and-release" program.

Third, Julie (and I) have started the photography for Julie's new CD. We're working with a long-time friend and fellow State Farm Agent who is a superb photographer. Check out his work here. Last night, we took some outdoor shots near our home. We spent half the evening in a field of oats (yes we got permission from the farmer). The other half of the evening we spent in an open field of clover. What (hopefully) won't show up in the photos is the fact that we were being swarmed by mosquitos all night. I'm covered in bumps today. I'm sure Scott can Photoshop all the mosquito bites off our faces. Let's hope so.

Just as I expected...

I didn't get much reaction at all (other than Brian Megilligan's joke about slurpees) to my last blog post.

That blog post was actually an experiment.

And, just as I expected, once people read just how little the increased price of gas really affects their budget, they yawned.

But, if you read CNN.com, you would think that the terrorists have attacked on our soil again.

Stirring everybody up about nothing.

I admit that even $1 can put a strain on many people's budget. On the other hand, the majority of Americans will not even change their Starbucks habits or give up premium cable because the price of gasoline went up.

Here's a great read from Dave Ramsey, a guy I like a lot. I wish I could "digg" it or do one of those other cool things, but I don't know how. It's hard to admit it, but I just haven't gotten into "digg" or "squidoo" or that stuff. (Although I did post it on my Facebook profile!)

---------------------

Gasoline has gone up 26% since this time last year. SHOCKER! Since most of us are used to daily commutes, running the kids here and there for their various activities, and visiting friends and family, this price increase is affecting us. The Consumer Price Index figures say this is the number one thing that's gone up in our household budgets this year — and it's only May!

"But there's nothing I can do," some say. I say, "Oh, yes there is!"

It's time to revisit the budget.

When I tell people this, some tell me they've crunched their budgets as much as they can. Then I ask, "How much is your car payment? ... How much is your monthly cable or satellite bill? ... Is the Starbucks drive-thru a regular stop on your morning commute?"

I hate to break it to you, but new cars, cable, and Starbucks are luxuries, NOT necessities! You can easily survive with a used (and paid-for!) car, no cable reality shows, and coffee made at home. Just think of all that money you could use to pay off debt and put toward your gasoline money for the month if you did just those 3 things!

Earlier this month, an algebra teacher in Michigan sent me a great email that I read on the radio show. She wrote:

Dave, I often give my math students this calculation to figure out. A typical latte costs $3.59 for 16 oz. That's 22 cents per ounce or $28.72 a gallon! Ask your listeners if they've drank a gallon of latte lately!

HOLY COW! If that doesn't put things into perspective, I don't know what will!

First Things First
You must remember there IS a difference between needs and wants in life. The first things at the top of your budget should be your needs: shelter, food, transportation, clothing, and utilities. If you currently go to the movie theatre every weekend or have a Hawaiian vacation at the top of your list when you struggle to pay the electric bill, your priorities are out of wack. Don't sacrifice your needs to finance your wants. If you do, it will catch up with you and you'll regret it.

Plan Ahead
You can also strategically plan ahead when running errands and commuting to work. If you go to the grocery store twice a week, reorganize your list so you only have to go once a week. If you have a lot of errands to run, plan your route ahead of time so you're not retracing your steps around town. You could also organize a carpool with some of your coworkers who live near you.
June will be here before you know it, so go have a Budget Committee Meeting right now to see where you can free up some more money — because every little bit adds up when gas is $4 a gallon!

http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/newsletters/company/052308.cfm?ectid=cnl0805_05#1

Data

Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.

Proverbs 11:14 (The Message)

Just facts. Make your own decisions. This is not a rant about the price of gas. In fact, it's the information that CNN isn't giving you about the real cost of gasoline.

An average car gets 25 miles per gallon.

The average person drives 1,000 miles per month.

At $4 per gallon, the cost of gasoline is $160 per month.

• When gasoline was $2 per gallon, the monthly cost was $80. The total increase in cost to the average driver of one car is $80.
• A ten-mile drive costs $1.60 in gas.
• A ten-mile taxi ride would be what...$10? $20?
• By increasing mpg to 40, the cost of gasoline is $100 per month, saving $60 per month. That's $720 per year.
• When the price of gasoline goes up by ten cents per gallon, the monthly cost of gasoline increases by $4.
• When the price of gasoline increases by one dollar, the monthly cost of gasoline increases by $40.
• A 500 mile drive costs $80 in gasoline.
• A 1,000 mile drive costs $160 in gasoline.
• Really cheap domestic airfare for one is about $250
• Really cheap domestic airfare for a family of four is about $1,000.
• Filling a fifteen gallon tank at $4 per gallon costs about $60. Filling a fifteen gallon tank for $3.95 per gallon costs $59.25. That's a difference of 75 cents. You can afford to drive about 4-1/2 miles for 75 cents. (Let me do this one for you...driving to the next town to save a nickel per gallon is not worth it.)
• Saving a penny per gallon saves you fifteen cents on a fillup.
• You can increase MPG on your current car by driving conservatively. Accelerate slowly, stop slowly, maintain consistent speed. You get the best MPG at about 50 mph. Driving 55-65 on the highway will give considerably better mileage than 70-75. Going ten miles per hour faster on a 200 mile trip will get you there 1/2 hour sooner. Big whoop. And, the whole "driving conservatively" thing will also save on brake wear, general maintenance, speeding tickets, medical costs (!) and possibly even insurance costs.

One more thing...

The clerk who takes your money at the gas station does not control the price of gas. They make minimum wage to take your money and sell lottery tickets and slurpees. Leave them alone.