Summer 2014 July 29 Tuesday (Now, It's Part of You)

68 degrees this morning, cool weather predicted, high of 86 degrees!

“Now it’s part of you” my Oral Surgeon said as he viewed the x-rays showing the “roots” of my two new teeth.  Actually, I still have one more stage, I need to return to my Dentist and have the actual “teeth” (actually a form of a crown) “installed” on the roots.  Interesting.  Supposedly they are “guaranteed for life” and the procedure is 90% effective.  

This process actually started September 5, 2013, so, depending on when I actually complete the process, it will have taken almost a year or more than a year.  Right now, I plan on completing it around Labor Day.  Maybe I can start chewing on that  side of my mouth now!

My “mouth” has quite an investment in it, considering the implants, and the various crowns, bridges (although the implants replaced the bridges) and fillings etc.  

On the digital newspaper front, I have found my local paper has a reasonably good format on the iPad, much better than the format for the computer.  The Wall Street Journal format is better for the iPad, while the New York Times format is better for the computer at least one of the formats is better, anyway.  This could change after I get used to using the various formats, although I would still prefer to have the actual paper.

I have also subscribed to an app called “Next Issue”, where, for a fix amount per month, I can get all the magazines I basically subscribed to in various formats.  Overall I like it, and it resolves the issue of have to subscribe to the magazines and deal with the renewals.  Some magazines have started this deal about “automatic renewal”, which I really resent, unless they clearly send you notice on how to unsubscribe. Anyway, it also gives me a chance to read some magazines I wouldn’t normally subscribe to or probably even read and it is a reasonable “one flat rate” price.

We canceled our Netflex subscription.  We just never seemed to watch it much and when we wanted to search for a specific movie or documentary, it didn’t have it.  As much as we say we would like to watch movies, we rarely do, although that could change in the future.  However, the cable company we use provides us with a bunch of movie channels.  In fact, when we subscribed, we told them we didn’t want HBO or Cinemax.  I noticed we HBO and Cimemax and I tried to cancel them but was told they were “part of the package” and it would raise our bill $50 per month if they canceled it!  The strange ways of cable marketing.  I really wonder who thinks up all of there programing offers, they must really be strange.  For the most part, they are designed for maximum revenue of the cable company, not for customer service. 

We went with the electric companies “smart meter” program and wonder if this is the correct decision when we received an e-mail that our electric rate during a peak period was going to be .43 per kilowatt!  Hardly much of a way to save money, no matter what the low “off peak” rate is. I am starting to review the program, and plan on downloading the “app” that tells you “real time” what your electric bill is and consumption etc.  

It reminds me of the first time I got my own phone.  I was advised by the representative that they were “out of” the regular phones and only the “princess” phone (or something like that) was available at several dollars a month more.  I couldn’t care less about getting “princess” phone, but I had to have a phone.

The installer came out and while talking, I mentioned it to him.  He laughed and said that wasn’t true, he had a bunch of “regular” phones on his truck and the representatives were trained to lie to people and tell them they were out of the regular phones.  He said they didn’t even make an extra commission for it, they were just trained to sell the highest price product!  He installed a regular phone and I haven’t trusted the phone company much ever since.  I always carefully check my bill and it is amazing the charges that appear that they take off as a “mistake”, of course, always for some gimmick or program that they probably make a 90% profit on.

That’s it for today, Tuesday, July 29, 2014.