len_mullen

Another Amazon delivery, another disaster for me. This is THEIR picture. Both boxes were unsealed. The bottom one was clearly damaged on the lower left corner. Obviously gently handled. That box happened to contain body wash -- bottles floating around in the box with no seal over the cover you press down to open the bottle. There were a total of six 'bubbles' of packaging -- one busted. I consider myself fortunate that only the seltzer, tide pods, and other bottles of Axe were spilled on. And that is ONLY because I noticed the boxes a half hour after delivery. Still excited about Black Friday being mostly online?

How T-Mobile Became the Second-Largest U.S. Carrier https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/08/13/how-t-mobile-became-the-second-largest-us-carrier T-Mobile is the network of Consumer Cellular * Unlimited data * No contracts * Advertised price includes all taxes and fees * 'Best network' (whatever that means) * T-Mobile Tuesdays * 5G not happening for anyone in the next two years * With two or more lines on an eligible plan, you can enjoy Netflix on Us Best phone carriers of 2020 https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-phone-carrier When it comes to the best mix of data plans, coverage and perks, T-Mobile is the phone carrier to beat. The Uncarrier has spent years upending the wireless business, forcing its rivals to follow suit on generously priced unlimited data plans and aggressive promotions. But T-Mobile always seems to be one step ahead of the competition. T-Mobile offers the best unlimited data plan in the business, with its $70 Magenta plan that bakes taxes and fees into the cost of the plan and also lets you use your data when you're overseas (albeit at slower speeds). Hearty discounts as you add lines also make Magenta the best family cell phone plan. And if you don't need all that data, T-Mobile's 2GB and 5GB prepaid plans are among the cheapest you'll find. In our network testing, we found T-Mobile's LTE download speeds were fast, even if Verizon and AT&T both finished ahead of the Uncarrier. Third-party testing firm OpenSignal says that T-Mobile has the best upload speeds in its most recent report. As for 5G, T-Mobile was the first carrier to offer nationwide coverage, with service now reaching more than 7,500 cities. T-Mobile's 5G speeds have been only a little bit faster than LTE in our testing, but that's changing as the carrier works to incorporate Sprint's 5G network into its own. What really sets T-Mobile apart is the perks it extends to customers. Weekly T-Mobile Tuesday giveaways include prizes and benefits like free trial subscriptions to Tidal Premium and Google Stadia Pro. T-Mobile's Team of Experts program also provides excellent customer service to subscribers. To deal with the scourge of robocalling, T-Mobile is adding a free Scam Shield service that offers call blocking and enhanced caller ID that identifies verified numbers; you can also get a second proxy number to weed out robocalls and keep your real phone number private.https://www.t-mobile.com/offers/deals-hub

You are a good wife. He is a lucky man. If I could ever have had my wife simply document her healthcare expenses, I would have been in Heaven. I hope you don't plan to get rid of the chest. I have two refrigerators -- the one we bought with the house and the one I bought when the one that replaced the one we bought with the house crapped out -- and a chest freezer. Everything comes into the chest freezer (in the basement). I rotate the older stuff into the freezer above the old refrigerator (in the basement). Stuff that I have opened or use on an ongoing basis goes into the freezer above the new refrigerator (in the kitchen). As a bonus, the frig in the basement is loaded with beer and seltzer plus leftovers. The first place I shop for groceries is my basement.

My first time working Thanksgiving was a Zayre's department store. They asked a bunch of us to come in to help set up for Friday. I think it was double time and a half. We didn't have to come in until after dinner -- no time, just get in when you can. I was surprised to see people shopping. The manager said, "If we're going to be here, we might as well sell stuff." I was more surprised that people tried to get in the store. In the wee hours of the morning, they sent us across the street for breakfast -- on the company. By the time we headed out, it was light, lots of people were in the store, and we were exhausted. I don't think I got out of bed that Black Friday.

This would not make sense. It must be from detection until 14 days after symptoms are gone. Otherwise, daughter could be infecting others while waiting for the symptoms to go away.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/09/amazon-wants-to-use-jc-penney-stores-as-fulfillment-centers---report.html Might as well let non-prime customers pick up their stuff there, right? And open a Whole Foods or Pantry next door.

I cannot remember the last time I got an Amazon order that wasn't crushed, torn, or wet. Right now, I am pouring olive oil out of a can that is crushed on one corner. USPS crammed a bag containing a too big box of k-cups in my mailbox. Two cups ruptured and made quite a mess. I'm really starting to wonder how essential these people are

All the time. I paid $229 for my 1t/four tuner unit. I've seen it for less than $200 and the two tuner unit for less than $150 -- just last month as a matter of fact.

That's terrible. At least you have Walmart. I don't love them, and I don't know what Greer's is, but #6 on the price chart is not a terrible thing. Do you have a garden? Fish? Hunt? Just curious. When I was a scout, my tentmate and his dad hunted all of the deer seasons. I am a fan of venison.

Thank you. I appreciate the information.

You probably already knew this, but Aldis and Market Basket top the list of least expensive places to shop. Of these, only Costco, Trader Joe's, H-E-B, and Peapod are top 12 in quality. Top 13 in Digital include (in order) Amazon, Target, Peapod, Walmart, Sam's Club, and CostCo. Winners in Operations is topped by Market Basket! BJs, CostCo, Sam's Club, and Hannaford make the top 13. The study was last run in 2019, so the impact of COVID19 did get measured. Right now, my grocery dollars are won by... Aldi Market Basket Shaws Hannaford Amazon And there is a huge gap between Market Basket and Shaws. https://www.dunnhumby.com/sites/default/files/reports/dunnhumby-Retailer-Preference-Index-2019-Grocery-Edition.pdf Here’s the full list of winners in price: Aldi Market Basket WinCo Food4Less Costco Walmart Trader Joe’s Walmart Neighborhood Market Lidl Amazon H-E-B Peapod Sam’s ClubWhere do you shop for groceries and how important is price to you?

One of the things I have found frustrating about the COVID19 coverage is lack of specificity regarding those who are affected. To me, it's interesting that your daughter and two of the three people she had contact with were affected but the rest of your family was not. I assume that your daughter did not wear a mask while in close proximity to family members (at least you) at the time she contracted the virus. Did she wear a mask when in contact with the other three? Did any of the other two exhibit symptoms? Was the third person tested for antibodies? Were you present when she was in contact with the three? If not, do you know what they did when you were not present? As for the quarantine, if your daughter is old enough to understand, it would be best for you to let her use a separate bathroom (if possible). You can leave her meals outside her door and let her pick them up and place the dishes outside the door. If you have the means, order a pair of Echo Shows... https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Echo-Show-Compact-Charcoal/dp/B07HZLHPKP You can leave the connection up all day and talk and see each other. Good luck.

You should see the emails I have received. 'Protocols are in to ensure this never happens again!'. Pretty sure it was protocols that were the root cause of the problem.

My town hasn't been to work since March. Everyone's getting full pay, but no one shows up to work. In April, the town sent out post cards reminding people that it was unlawful to not license pets and provided instructions for doing so online. The cards were bright orange with the title, 'AVOID FINES!' across the top of the front of the card. I emailed the town's tax collector that my dog had died and asked if I needed to do something to AVOID FINES! She said I was all set. Last night, while preparing dinner, I heard a knock at the door. Local police going door to door collecting pet license fees. I offered to dig up the dog if he needed evidence of his passing. The guy was polite and apologetic. He obviously was uncomfortable with the task. This town was thoughtful enough to send out instructions for registering vehicles online -- a method that included a service charge and -- if you could not pay by ACH -- a surcharge. Same for real estate taxes. So we managed to collect auto registration fees, real estate taxes, and pet taxes without the town's tax collector, deputy tax collector, clerk, or deputy clerk going to work. Seems like we could probably eliminate at least three of those patronage positions and use the savings to offset the fees and surcharges for online payment. Government sucks.

Home a little early. Sitting at the computer in my bedroom. Windows are open. It's 86, but there is a nice breeze. For the first time this year, I am enjoying the sounds of summer -- birds, lawnmowers, and traffic. It's very relaxing.

Something really cool happened last month. I really like the Amazon Recast whole house DVR. Besides streaming and recording OTA, the Recast has a grid style program guide that integrates OTT services. Until July, those services were limited to Philo and Pluto plus Prime Channels. In July, Amazon opened the guide to Sling TV, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV... https://cordcuttingreport.com/2020/07/08/fire-tv-channel-guide/

Looks like security camera footage from a bank robbery. Maybe get one of these for the next 'shoot'?

Not really a fan of Club Memberships, but ZDNet Academy is offering a one year Sam's Club membership for $40 that includes $45 in gift cards ($25 immediately and $20 20 days after first purchase). Another bullet in the chamber for this unusual Black Friday season... https://www.cnet.com/news/pay-40-for-a-sams-club-membership-get-45-in-gift-cards/ Happy Shopping!

I wrote this up for a friend and wanted to share here. He was looking for alternatives to Comcast. It turns out there are some very good options... Over-The-Air (antenna)... A UHF antenna pointed at Boston/Needham would likely pull in... ABC/WCVB, BOUNCE, BUZZR, CBS/WBZ, CHARGE!, circle, COMET, COZI, CW/WLVI, DABL, Fox/WFXT, getTV, GRIT, Heroes & Icons, HSN, ION, LAFF, MeTV, Mystery, MyTV/WSBK, NBC/WBTS, NBC/LX, PBS/Create/Kids/World, qubo, QVC, Stadium, Start, TBD, ThisTV, and WHDH Adequate antenna could be hung in a south facing window... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQ4BRIG Add a Recast whole house DVR and you can watch two concurrent streams on any TV equipped with a FireTV stick... https://www.amazon.com/Fire-TV-Recast-over-the-air-DVR-1TB-150-hours/dp/B074J1GPB8https://www.amazon.com/Fire-TV-Stick-4K-with-Alexa-Voice-Remote/dp/B079QHML21 With the Recast, if you subscribe to Pluto (free) or Philo ($20/month) the channels are added to your OTA program guide. If you subscribe to Prime, you can add premium channels to your guide as well. https://help.philo.com/channel-lineup/https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-prime-video-channels-everything-you-need-to-know/ There is also something called PrimeTV... https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/epg Free/Ad Supported TV and Movies... PlexTV: https://mediaverse.plex.tv/Pluto: https://pluto.tv/welcomeRoku Channel: https://therokuchannel.roku.com/Vudu: https://www.vudu.com/ Free streamed local channels... https://www.locast.org/markets/506 You can stream 'cable replacement' services... YouTube TV: https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/ $64.99/monthfuboTV: https://www.fubo.tv/welcome $64.99/$84.99/monthHulu + Live TV: https://www.hulu.com/live-tv $54.99/monthSling TV: https://www.sling.com/ $30/monthPhilo: https://www.philo.com/login/subscribe $20/monthAT&T TV Now: https://www.atttvnow.com/ from $55/month You can try most (all?) of these on your PC. Most (all?) for free. It would be best to try all of these and decide what works best for you before cancelling COMCAST.

Not yet. Just got the new deep fryer. Tonight is her maiden voyage -- french fries. Mission is benchmarking. This is necessary because the fryer sets the temperature via a variable resister set by the operator rather than reacting to a measured temperature. While I have found that the fryer maintains a consistent temperature, that temperature does not align with the one on the dial. Also, the top temperature appears to be 350f vs the advertised temperature of 400f. A lot of my recipes call for temperatures of 375f. That said, chips and fries were excellent. The chips were just a test. We had fries with marinated steak tips and corn on the cob -- great way to end an August weekend. Lobstah and clams tomorrow. Nice way to start off an August week ;-)

I am angry on your behalf. I am angry for all the soldiers who have been let go by companies taking all the government money. I hope you get a great job so you can lift a finger towards your former employer. I am already doing that.

August 1st. Not much different than June 1st or July 1st for me. School is paid for, will be remote, and is on autopilot. Work is still pretty comfortable. I've worked from home about 1/3 of time so far this year. It's a little less now (1/5), but my commute remains a breeze, gas prices are still <$2/g, and parking is not a problem. I do not get out of my car from the time I leave my workplace until I reach the New Hampshire border. Despite not getting any stimulus handouts and losing a lot of money in my 401k, I have managed to accumulate a pile of cash this year. Retirement plans are firming up. I am now 638 days from pension eligibility and 881 days from retirement. I have finally succumbed to the mask nazis. Unlike this guy... I found a couple comfortable masks on ebay. They still impair my breathing and lower my O2 levels, but I only use one when absolutely necessary... The seller does custom masks and is making me a couple Make Breathing Great Again! masks. White print on red, of course. The girl who cuts my hair has set up shop at a new location. We've seen her once this summer. My dentist has re-opened. My son has an appointment Friday. Dentist sent a link to a new device they are using to keep us all safe... Hope the hygienist doesn't breathe on my eyes or teeth. I gag a little looking at the picture. Should be fun. And now, no t-shirts! Happy August.

You have my attention...

As long as each comes with a t-shirt!

I just told the woman I work for that she ought to accumulate 'must have' items now. Ships packed with Christmas leave China in August most years. Even if they leave on time filled with stuff made in workerless factories, it will be a challenge to get items to the shelf. Worse, shipping will continue to deteriorate.