Sitting on the Edge of Forever

W00t.

2009-07-15T16:28:00.001-07:00

Got a new hairstyle. FINALLY. The bob is gone. *gasp* But I like what I've got now.

Picsssss.

A bit of a rant...

2009-07-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I had to do this.

The community pool is now closed because a group of young men had nothing better to do than cause mayhem. Whether or not they anticipated the retaliation they received from one angry woman is debatable. (Okay, so it was freakin' AWESOME seeing a smaller woman totally talk down to three big, idiotic young guys. I wish I had seen the whole thing.) So these guys caused trouble, apparently followed this woman back to her apartment, were banging on doors, etc. This is what people told me yesterday as we gathered to watch these three guys get frisked by the police. Surprisingly, the Plainfield Township police acted promptly in arriving on the scene and took the time to interrogate witnesses. The last time we called them on an abusive neighbour hitting his girlfriend, it took them two hours to respond, and they went to the wrong townhouse. Anyway, the summer fun has ended, at least temporarily, for the rule-abiding tenents here in the complex -- the pool has been indefinitely closed. Whether it's to clean out the water which one of the men at least attempted to urinate in or for a reason more permanent, I'm kind of mad. I mean, most people here can't afford the beach, or they don't have the time to prepare meals to take and whatnot. The pool here is their slice of summer fun. I admit that I don't mind swimming in it when it isn't crowded, though I prefer lakes. (Chlorine bothers my eyes, always has.) Now, we can't use the pool because someone else acted like a douchebag.

I hope that those guys were arrested. There is no doubt that they will be evicted. Here, if you get the cops called on you, you're out of here for good. The office management tolerates a lot, but this is pretty extreme.

Oh yeah, one more thing, though on a different subject matter...

If you're going to be my friend, remember that actions speak louder than words. ACT like you want to be my friend. Words? You can always use actions to go back on your words or act in contradictory ways to your words. I'm highly observant. Your b.s. isn't getting past me.

(Sorry, that isn't directed toward anyone on this site. Just in my daily life. Huff, huff.)

The Sims pwns WoW any day.

2009-07-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Why do I fancy The Sims (1, 2, and 3, but most hardcore for the original and its bazillion expansion packs and glitches) over other games, such as World of Warcraft? It all comes down to one simple factor: interior design!

Okay, so I'd make a rotten interior designer in real life, but in The Sims, it doesn't matter how fugly and mismatched everything is! You can have rainbow-coloured polka-dotted wallpaper, cement for indoor flooring, and dumpy, rickety, nasty furniture. You can hang up lame-looking paintings and photographs. You can make the backyard as ugly, chaotic, whatever, as you want. And you know what? It's all good.

Never mind the fact that characters can actually wet themselves (with blue pee, WTF, are they smurfs), have wild monkey sex (visible with proper things installed), and start fires by using a microwave in which they die horrible deaths. Never mind that babies can be taken away by child protection services, Sims are fanatically obsessed with grills, and that they will bitch and moan in a made-up language that sounds like a mesh of Japanese, German, Russian, Korean, and possibly Finnish. Never mind that they can embarrass themselves on dates, in front of celebrities, or in the comfort of their own homes. Never mind that they can have totally awesome catfights a la Real World style. Never mind all that. The interior decorating part is the best part of playing The Sims, hands down.

Don't believe me? Put down the mouse a second, forgo WoW or your average Internet games, and pick up a copy of The Sims; any version will do. You will become strangely addicted and somewhat Queer Eye for the Straight Guy-esque when you design your Sims' homes. I kid you not. You will go onto every Sims download site still online, download one - nay, ten- thousand files of just walls, floors, roofs, furniture, and garden paraphrenalia. You will be addicted. You will love being the Sim-God of Interior Decor.

Damn it, now I want to play Sims...

Scam?

2009-07-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. The Internet is the easiest method of deceit these days. It's also the best way to check if you're being faced with a potential scam.

In this blog entry, I'm going to start off by discussing money-making online basics and how to avoid scam sites.

The first thing I advise my friends and family to do when they're considering joining a site that promises online money-making, such as survey sites, is to do as much prior research as possible. There are plenty of websites dedicated to debunking myths and exposing scam sites. Read through other people's posts in forums and blogs. Ultimately, you're making the decision for yourself whether or not you want to give each website a try. The more positive feedback you get regarding a particular website, the better chance you have at actually receiving payment and/or prizes.

Don't be fooled into thinking making money by taking online surveys is quick and easy. It's not. It can take weeks, months, even years of filling out surveys just to earn a sizable paycheck. These things should not be considered primary work; legitimate work-from-home sources that provide training would be a better option. If you're looking for a small, supplementary income, then a survey site might be all right for you. Just expect to take a lot of time filling out the surveys and letting your dollar amount accumulate.

Most sites have a minimum payout. I've been minimums as small as $5.50 and as high as $20. It all depends on the site. Be sure you are well-informed from the get-go about minimums and payment methods (generally by way of a mailed check or PayPal).

Generate as many referrals as you can; most sites offer incentives per referral received. Links for those can be found on each individual website. Banners for websites and blogs are also a good way to generate interest.

Last of all, expect to join more than one survey-taking site. If you're really gunning for those paychecks, one site isn't going to get it done. There are plenty of legitimate websites out there, and I will suggest a few that I have found beneficial to my bank account:

CashCrate
myLot
InboxDollars
Treasure Trooper
SendEarnings
Cashle
Opinion Outpost
TrekPay