This is an interesting alternative to shopping with a credit card (since I have no credit cards other than my Visa debit) or using paypal (because some people have horror stories), you can use ebillme. I heard about it when I clicked a link for buy.com coupons. Apparently, the way it works is you make your online purchase utilizing your bank account. Only, via an intermediary. So you make your purchase and an invoice is emailed to you, then you log into your bank account to pay the bill. This cuts down on you earning interest on your credit card from that Monday morning hate-to-be-back-at-work impulse buy, and enables you to spend cash… electronically.

I think it’s a good idea. I’ll keep it in mind when I’m back in Christmas shopping mode, which usually kicks in during the month of August.

Have any of you used this? I’d love to hear about your experience.

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Good gravy but my scooter ride home today was beastly hot. Oh, sure, it’s been hot for weeks, but today seemed even hotter. Blech. Red lights (I caught all of them) were brutal as I dripped sweat. But even when I was moving, the breeze was super hot and not at all refreshing, though certainly better than sitting still in the sun.

Other things that would be beastly hot this afternoon:

Why, yes, I am just looking for excuses to post more pictures from my brother’s visit!

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Here’s the aftermath of CAL’s fall:

Owie! That looks like it hurts. And doesn’t even take into consideration the pain he surely has inside his mouth, what with completely knocking out one tooth and cracking two additional teeth. Gosh, that smarts just looking at it. Poor kid.

Neverless, let us try to find something positive in this situation: CAL has good skin and is clearly not in need of any fancy schmancy acne treatments. Hopefully that trend continues throughout his teenage years.

I had good skin as a teen, but my older brother did not. Of course, now that I’m in my thirties, my skin has been slightly less than perfect. So annoying.

I hope CAL heals quickly and with no scars.

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I can’t imagine the stress my dad and Lukie must be feeling over the CAL situation (mentioned in the previous post). I think the stress of an injured child completely counteracts any positive effects garnered from the best wrinkle creams. I’m just a step-mom, and I know how stressed out I get worrying about my kid’s health and safety. How much moreso when it’s your flesh and blood suddenly injured, with an ambiguous cause.

I’m be sending so many happy thoughts in CAL’s direction.

Scary stuff, that.

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My little brother is 13. Inexplicably, he passed out last night at youth group while walking across the parking lot and fell, landing on his face. He remembers walking one moment and then waking up on the ground with his face hurting.

One tooth came out whole and was shoved back in by an emergency dentist.
The two front teeth are loose. Maybe cracked?
Only time will tell if the three teeth will survive.

CAL is in a lot of pain, as can be expected when one lands on their face.

My dad and Lukie do not have insurance.

I’m certain they’re concerned not only about the dental issue, but that their son inexplicably passed out.

Please send happy thoughts to the northeast, or pray, or light a candle, or do whatever it is you do in times like these.

Thank you.

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When my niece and nephew were here a few weeks ago, they went to Jetty Park over there near Cocoa Beach. It was their first ocean experience. They were fearless!

Ellie kept crawling toward the waves, and was not scared at all when the water splashed her face. Although I don’t think it tasted good!

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They increased the cost to apply for a passport a week or so ago. It was a significant price increase. Sadly, we didn’t have it in our budget to get our passports before the fee increase. So, whenever we get around to applying for our passports, it looks like it’ll cost something like $135 each instead of $100. That’s a heck of a price hike.

Who was I talking to about rfid blocking wallets? Is that the type of wallet that keeps the little microchip hoojamajobit (technical term) from being able to be scanned until you’re ready to be scanned? Whenever we get our passports, I’m going to make sure we have something safe to keep them in while traveling. I’m very much opposed to the thought of someone scanning my information without my knowledge. Passports have those scanning chip thingies (technical term) now, right?

It’s creepy.

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When I logged into time-suck-facebook this morning, I had more than 20 notifications, all concerning a photo I had been tagged in. I clicked, and discovered this horrid piece of the past:

Best guess, summer 1992. Although my hair is permed? Which would have to make it 1993. But the time capsule was burried the year of the camp’s 50th anniversary, which commenters put at 1991 or 1992. And I’m 99% certain this was the summer before my senior year of high school.

I’m on the left, Jason is on the right, sporting his Oakley sunglasses.

Is it bad that I don’t remember these people at all?

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I was talking to my mom last night who, you’ll recall, is training to do her first half marathon with me. We are talking daily to keep each other accountable in our training. I’m so proud of her. Anyway, I encouraged her to take measurements of her body for comparison at the end of her training. I tend not to lose weight, but I do lose inches, which is more important to me anyway. (I’ve ranted before about weighing myself.)

Mom said she was also going to eat healthier. I laughed! I told her I run to enable me to eat crap! LOL! But, hey, if she wants to change her diet, more power to her. Heck, she could take Lipovox if she wants to. Although I tend to be skeptical of all diet products.

I’m going to try to get a run in tonight since the gravitational pull of my bed was strong this morning. My goal is to avoid running on Fridays at all cost. But I need to get in one more run this week before my Saturday run. So, running in the mid-nineties heat looks unavoidable.

Mom is using a treadmill in air conditioning. I wonder what that’s like? I’ve never really used a treadmill before.

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Who watches Top Gear on BBC America? I think it airs on Monday nights, which means I missed it this week. We tend to watch it after the initial air date anyway. The other day, we saw an episode in which Jeremy, Richard, and James are given the task of building their own RV, and are sent off on a road trip to go camping. Naturally, because they’re building their own creations, there were stops on the side of the road for rv repairs and such, but the funniest thing was that Jeremy’s creation was three stories tall, and wouldn’t fit under the roof at the petrol station, and barely cleared overpasses on the highway.

I can’t find clips of this right now on you tube. But I’ll keep searching, because it’s just too funny. Andy Garcia was the guest star on that episode, perhaps I should include his name in my search parameters. Hmmm… nope, but there’s this funny clip:

This show constantly has me cracking up. That recent episode where Jeremy was driving a three-wheeled vehicle that flipped over every time he attempted to navigate a turn! LOL! And then, their tame racing driver, the Stig gave it a go the following week on the race course and promptly flipped it.

Seriously, if you’re not watching this show, you should. It is super funny.

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