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Scrubbing The Tub

I've actually been doing a lot of cleaning--I scrubbed my tub, the bathroom floor, cleaned the toilet, and just finished washing the shower curtain, in addition to washing clothes.

I also put new sheets on the bed. I only had two sets of sheets up until yesterday--one for winter (flannel) and one for summer. I decided I was tired of having just one set of regular sheets, so off to Bed, Bath & Beyond and the bed-in-a-bag section. My waterbed's queen size, but I went for king-sized sheets (and the comforter that came along with it) because I've always had a difficult time keeping the queen sheets tucked into the waterbed.

Now, for imagination purposes, my waterbed's not a firm one, meaning if you get in it, you'll slosh around until you find your resting place, then you're all right. My parents used to have a waterbed that acted like a real, solid mattress. Not me.

it might sound strange that my waterbed is heated, especially when it's 90+ everyday in the summer, but it doesn't bother me because a) it's not like I'm wearing much, if anything to bed when it's warm and b) I like being warm.

I've had instances where I didn't turn off my AC before going to bed, and then I'd wake up and feel like it was January instead of July. I need to be warm, so ultimately, I don't care what I look like or what it takes to achieve the desired effect.

Anyway, the new sheets and comforter are gray (actually multiple shades, I think), with small black and white streaks in it

I've still got plenty of cleaning to do. Vacuuming, another bathroom to scrub, dishes. But it's nearly 1 a.m. and I think I should get some sleep.

What Happens When The Press Upsets Wal-Mart; Or, Why The Press Won't Report Anything But Feel-Good Wal-Mart Stories

Now, I'm not going to tell those inclined to shop at Wal-Mart to stop, but breathe an ill-word about Wal-Mart in the media and you risk this:

"I like Wal-Mart prices the same as the next shopper, but there's a downside, too. Many Wal-Mart employees lack the fringe benefits and insurance that makes the difference between existence and a good quality of life. Yet, we customers pay a surcharge from a different pocket — subsidizing health care for Wal-Mart employees who can't afford it."

Mark then described how Friedman's book pointed out that more than 10,000 children of Wal-Mart employees are in a Georgia health-care program, which costs the state's taxpayers nearly $10 million a year. Mark also pointed out that a New York Times report found that 31 percent of the patients at a North Carolina hospital were Wal-Mart employees on Medicaid.

Mark's column really wasn't about Mr. Walton's store, but about Pensacola and how we're becoming a Wal-Mart kind of town, "cheap and comfy on the surface, lots of unhappiness and hidden costs underneath."

I'm also not going to say Wal-Mart can't, and doesn't, do some good things. And those things should be supported. Nothing is as black and white as it appears. Just like the column implies--surface views can be deceiving. However, and Wal-Mart's certainly within their rights to do this, they can make life more difficult for those that seek to report--accurately--what is going on, particularly in Wal-Mart's culture. It's also why, I'm sure, there's many a media outlet who won't write a remotely-negative Wal-Mart story because they've blurred editorial with advertising, and money's going to win out over truth.

UPDATE: Wal-Mart, apparently, has reversed itself and will allow the newspaper back into its store there.

Insurance

Just found out I may have to dig into my own pocket for health insurance starting in September, as Kaiser said they wouldn't provide insurance coverage for our company because they say we now work outside their coverage area.

Technically, my boss does but I don't, but it's all semantics anyway. They say they have optional individual coverage. Boss says he's paying $100/week to provide for our coverage now, and with no new business coming in, he can't afford to continue doing that. He said he's asked them about keeping the company's coverage and seeing what they can offer that's more affordable, but it's likely that I'm going to have to find something on my own. He said the company would pick up half of the premiums, which means I'd be on the hook for the other half. It's not as if I've used the coverage a lot now, but still, I can't be caught without health insurance either. But still, that's just another bill I'm going to have to account for, and it'll mean I'll have to do my own cutting back--again.

I've already cut a few things out now--cable, dial-up instead of DSL, fewer trips to the grocery store (and am buying less at that), and I've got my landline phone in use for very local calls only (I use my cell almost exclusively). I'm also not running the AC but for limited periods. I could easily run it all day, especially since the next 3 days are supposed to be over 100 degrees. And I'm trying to cut down on extra trips when I can. The only extracurricular I really allow myself is going to watch soccer matches, which takes up considerable gas at $2.30/gallon, so I may have to reconsider some of that as well.

Without new business, I can count on not getting a raise anytime soon, which means I'm going to have to watch my expenses even more. And any new job for me, if I choose to go full-time into sportswriting, will mean an almost guaranteed paycut too. it's a lose-lose situation at the momemt, but I still have a lot, so this is more of a lament, and not really an outright complaint, but still, it's a bit frustrating. I've got to figure out something to improve this situation, and soon.

Saturday Smithsonian

I'm taking a soccer break Saturday to go to the Smithsonian with my sister and 9-year old nephew. We're heading back to the American History and Natural History museums, which are next door to each other on the Mall. I notice at the Natural History museum there's an IMAX film on sky diving.

This thrill ride of a film takes an up-close look at the world of sky diving and explores what the psychological and physiological forces behind risk-taking and extreme activities can tell us about the world of science and innovation.

It's interesting because I was talking about this with someone last night, how I we have our own walls set up for what risks we'll take. I know mine comes somewhere before sky diving, because I said I'm perfectly happy not jumping out of a plane (or bungee jumping, for that matter). How far does someone who likes to do this kind of thing have to go to find their adrenaline fix once they've done this? I hope I'll get a chance to see this, though I'm not sure my nephew will want to sit through the 40 minute film.

Finished

In one word: Wow

Leah's right. Half-Blood Prince is a great book. I just finished last night. I'll no doubt re-read it. More thoughts on it later.

A Breather

In the middle of my soccer project--13-14 games I'll be attending in the last two weeks of this month. So far I'm five games in (and have written about all five matches). The plan is that at the end of it all, I'm going to write something that, more or less, resembles a tour diary. It's tiring me out a bit, but it's been fun nonetheless. It's actually a bit of a test for a much larger soccer project I'd like to undertake.

I'll still find time for other things, of course. I'm about 190 pages into Half-Blood Prince, and Saturday, if my sister and nephew want to go to the Smithsonian, so I'll probably be going with them.

I'm feeling tired, but I'm off to a match this evening. Fortunately, this one isn't too far away from the apt., and I'm not going to any matches tomorrow, so I'm going to catch up on some sleep and HBP reading. More to come, but for now, dinner.

Halfway Home

I'm halfway to my goal of reading 52 books this year. The Perfect Mile was book 26 I've read this year. I'm a little behind schedule, but I'm confident I can make my goal. I like books like the one I just read, where it reconstructs events of the past. This one, I thought, was done well because it didn't just focus on one person (it gave insight into the main contenders, and their motivations, for breaking the 4:00 mile barrier), nor did it end when one of the three main contenders actually broke 4:00.  Well done.

I came up with another reading goal last night. The next time I undertake a challenge like this, I want to get all my books from the UK. I remember seeing so many different bookshops in London and I want to explore the titles in those. I could have easily hauled back a ton of books from my last visit. If I get the chance to do this, I'll ship most of the books home to have them waiting for me.

Other things I'd like to do (not really having to do with books, but they are things I want to achieve):
* walk the beach to the North Carolina state line
* ride in a hot air balloon
* cover a World Cup
* cover a summer Olympics
* drive cross country and back
* visit Key West
* write a book with some kind of soccer theme
* watch a sunrise on the East Coast and a sunset on the West Coast in the same day
* go camping
* travel Spain (travel almost anywhere is a given!)
* play tennis on a grass court

I'll add more to this, and eventually, put together a comprehensive list of things I want to accomplish. For now they'll appear in scattered entries.

Books On Tap

These aren't books you'll find at a bar, just ones I'll be reading next (even as I've got many more I haven't touched on my sidebar. I've still got my goal, but I haven't finished a book in over a week.

I'll get around to updating that sidebar on the weblog, but in the meantime, here's the list:

Half-Blood Mania

I don't understand the stink the publishers of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince have with books that are somehow leaked early to the public.

I've got my order, which is supposed to be delivered Saturday. I waited in line at one of those midnight madness sales for the last book, but, even as I understand how people might want to be in suspense about the book and its contents, you'd think, judging by the reactions of the publishers and the author, that stores "accidentally" selling the book early would get some kind of publisher's death penalty for having done so.

No more books for you!

Shoot, in Canada, a judge's order prevents people who "accidentally" received the book from talking about it. Or what? What law would these people be breaking? An instant law made up by one judge?

Put it this way, if I saw the book out before its release date, and it was a book I wanted, I'd buy it, and I'd talk about it too. I think the law would be on my side. I would have legally purchased the book, and I have a legal right to free speech. I don't think the Patriot Act would prevent me from discussing who dies, and other plot revelations, in the new Harry Potter book. It's not a national security issue. Sanction me? Fine me? Jail me? For what? And why would I voluntarily return the book, even if I'd get special perks as a result? I didn't do anything wrong, and I wouldn't feel guilty in the least about keeping a book that "accidentally" was sold to me before its release date.

As for the bookseller, the sanction for them won't be a legal one, at least I wouldn't think. It would be bad publicity for everyone, though the publisher would likely be less inclined to grant favor to that bookseller on future books coming to that store. I guess it's similar to when a public figure doesn't like coverage he/she is receiving. They cut off, or  severely limit access to the "offending" outlet.

For all parties involved, lighten up. It's a book. A popular one, yes, but just a book nonetheless.

Poor Poor Pitiful Me

I've been in a funk for the last week, almost two.

Several things, big and small--in my world--play into this, but I haven't been doing well in this time.

I always feel I should qualify these feelings by saying there are people going through a lot more, or that my "problems" don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, to borrow a cliche, but this is my journal, my thoughts, and so what to anyone else if I feel this way now. I know all these things, and know them to be true, yet it's my job to focus on myself.