My response is always the same when I get a text on my iPhone like the one shown in the screen capture — delete the message and be glad I don’t receive more of them. This time, with nothing pressing to do, I examined the message a bit more closely and considered its mission. Still, the result was the same. I’m not having dinner with 1-647-986-9649.
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If your house isn’t for sale, you might be thinking that only a few exterior photos of it, if any, exist on real estate websites and on Google Maps. Think again. The screen capture shows the photo that accompanies the listing on Zillow for my Mud Bay house — an overhead shot of the neighborhood overlaid with the label “Off market.” While a similar photo would be ideal for all off market houses, that doesn’t always happen when a home is not for sale.
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As someone in favor of using cash, sending letters by USPS, and other old-school customs, I used digital technology today to perform a task that used to get me out of the house. I installed the Bank of America mobile banking app (see screen capture) on my smartphone and conveniently deposited a check, complete with confirmation, without ever leaving home.
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I’m slow to change what other people have done. Accordingly, I end up living with thing I don’t like for years. Such was the case with the Shark vacuum cleaner at Treasure Island—a clunker I hated as much as any appliance I have ever used. Last week it died, and hate has quickly turned into love for its replacement (see photo).
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Even if the last thing the world needs is another observation about high gas prices, the Mud Bay Blog offers this post. Mostly it’s a reminder to me that the price shown in the photo is the highest I have ever paid for a gallon of unleaded regular. Hopefully it is also the high-water mark for the recent round of gas price increases. But that’s a wish not a prediction.
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It took most of April to replace my old gas stove (see photo). Along the way I hope I learned to have a bit more patience and also not to use Home Depot’s installation services for any future appliances I might buy from them.
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As a customer of two Broadband companies for years, I’m used to the annual drill. The cable company hikes your monthly bill, and you call them to find out how serious they are about the increase. Today’s call to Astound (see screen capture) was worth the effort — I ended up with a new monthly bill that will be lower than what I’m paying now.
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Yesterday I got a letter from Nielsen (see screen capture), which bills itself as a “global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, shaping the future of media.” My household has been invited to take part in the Nielsen Media Ratings. The letter was dated April 1, but that was likely a coincidence and not a prank. As an encouragement to participate, Nielsen enclosed a $5 gift with a promise of additional cash gifts in the future.
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In July when the USA celebrates its 250th birthday, my Seiko watch (see photo) will also reach a milestone—50 years under my ownership. Following a recent cleaning and servicing, it’s keeping accurate time again. Will it last another 50 years? If it does, I won’t be around to see it, but hopefully a younger family member will.
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The faded CAPT MADISON sign shown in the photo has been attached to the side of a blue house in Silverdale for decades. While photographing it during my bike ride today, I wondered yet again who or what Captain Madison was.
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