Financial options

As you might all know or not, I recently lost my job ( about 2 months ago). Fortunately I qualified for unemployment but unfortunately this amounts to about a third of what my salary was. Due to my numerous health problems in the last year ( I've been hospitalized 5 times in the last year) my financial situation is pretty bleak. The butcher job my kidney surgeon did on me has left me with extensive nerve damage on my right side causing me constant pain. I've tried everything, nerve block, acupuncture, nerve pain medicine, opiods, etc. All of this costs me anywhere from $500-$1000 a month in prescription costs. Now, I get the news that my cardiologist is no longer going to supply me with the anti-coagulant medicine that I have to take daily to prevent clots from forming in my heart stents. This is going to add another $200 a month in prescription costs, which I'd not have a choice as this could mean life or death:( I started this blog with the Latin phrase of "seize this day" but currently it's a hard thing to do.. I guess I'm looking for some financial advice, anyone recommend a good bankruptcy attorney? and thanks for listening, that is if anyone is:)


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Location:E Mulberry St,Normal,United States

Off The Subject......

I know this has nothing to do with micro living or electronic do-dads, but i had to write it hoping to get some opinions. I don't know if anybody reads my thoughts but i want to put it on "paper" anyway. So here it is:
Thursday I had oral surgery scheduled to remove 3 teeth ( 1 was broken, dentist said "while i'm in there I might as well extract these other 2") My cardiologist would not let me go off my anti- coagulant medicine as he was concerned about clotting on my stents- Yeah, I'm 37 and have 4 heart stents, but that is for another post! Back to the subject at hand, I was supposed to be put under but due to my tolerance for pain medicine I was awake for the whole procedure, the pain medicine tolerance? yeah thats due to the fact my kidney doc cut a major nerve in my flank and now have chronic pain in my side, hip, and back-thats for another day two! So they get the 3 teeth out and send me on my way, with bleeding....surgery was at 1pm, by 11:30 pm i felt like i had lost a gallon of blood so I decided to go to the ER. By the time I get there I look like I got shot in the face, it is nice how you get immediate treatment when you walk in covered with blood! So I spend the entire night until 6:30 the next morning spitting blood- the ER room looked like a horror movie bloodbath, finally they get a dentist from the same practice that I had been to, his opinion was it was a combination of medical & surgical bleeding, meaning they screwed up and 1- did the surgery while i was still on anti-coagulant medicine therefore my blood would not clot. 2-didnt get enough stitches in to close up the surgical wounds. Which he proceeded to do in the ER with, God bless their souls, ER nurses who are not trained to handle oral surgery. Therefore I experienced pain that i did not know was possible. After finally getting it stitched up they decided to keep me for at least another day as they had to give me 2 units of blood due to the fact I spit out so much my blood count was low. I spent the next 30 hours in excruciating pain and trying to keep my sanity because of it..This leads to the question at hand, I don't think I should be financially responsible for their screw-up, so what do I do? get an attorney? What are my options???

hello again, its been a minute since I've updated this blog, had a lot of personal drama going on. but that is for yet another day! I decided to rename my blog as most don't speak Latin and I felt I wasn't reaching my audience. ALso I have decided to step away from reviewing electronic do-dads as there is SO many more established sites and blogs doing that I felt lost in the shuffle. After a lot of thought and soul searching I am going to focus more on something I am learning about due to my current living situation. I am talking about mico-living. By this I mean not only learning to live in a small space but also how to give up the unnecessary things in life that we tend to start hoarding - by this I mean trying to keep up with the Jones's. I will try and update as often as possible bringing interesting articles about micro living and my own path to minimalistic living. stay tuned..

Apple is not my big brother!!

I want to touch on the current apple crisis, I'm referring to the news that the iphone and ipad running version 4 of the IOS software has a file embedded that has been tracking the position of said devices for about 10 months now. According to the report this is accomplished by utilizing cellular towers to triangulate current positions and then the info is stored locally on the device or your computer after syncing with itunes. Supposedly Apple Inc. is not privy to this info but the information is not encrypted unless you encrypt your back ups and seems to be pretty easily accessible. Now whether or not this information actually provides much use to anyone is debatable, but perhaps it could allow a potential thief to know when someone is typically at home or not, or a potential stalker to know where he is victim is at. Either way this reeks of an Orwelllian aftertaste and something that Apple Inc. needs to come clean on and eliminate in its next update.

A case For The Ages..

Wow,
I have truly slacked in my writing responsibilities lately, perhaps its my preoccupation with trying to find a paying job:) anyhow, today I would like to review something that has zero bells and whistles but yet makes my "want meter" kick into high gear. I'm talking about the MacBook Pro cases by the guys at Blackbox Cases out of Golden, Colorado. These guys are handmaking cases from red oak and now bamboo to fit the MacBook pro's sleek designs. Nothing screams custom fit like a case hewn from our natural resources.These are sure to be a head turner and not something you are going to see on the shelves @ Best Buy! I have spoken to my woodworking guru and we are going to attempt to costruct something similar but unique to try to add to our ever changing inventory of sales possibilities. Its nice to see a company thinking outside the proverbial "box" and constructing something so basic as a laptop case into what I consider truly a work of art.They come in 13,15, and now 17" sizes, and they have also released a case for the iPad2. Kudo's to these guys and here is a link to there site.http://www.blackboxcase.com/

im sorry if I have missed a post or two, I've been preoccupied with setting up a back linking network, anywhooo I would like to discuss the new port technology issued on the latest MacBook Pro's the Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt technology gives you two channels on the same connector with 10 Gbps of throughput in both directions. That makes it ultrafast, and ultraflexible. You can move data to and from peripherals up to 20 times faster than with USB 2.0 and more than 12 times faster than with FireWire 800. You also have more than enough bandwidth to daisy-chain multiple high-speed devices, without using a hub or switch. For example, you can connect several high-performance external disks, a video capture device, and even a Mini DisplayPort display to a single Thunderbolt chain while maintaining maximum throughput. Some are saying this will supersede USB 3.0 but from my understanding Intel is attempting to work right alongside USB 3.0 to give the consumer more flexibility when it come to data transfer. This being said the amount of current devices supporting this technology is slim at best, but down the road we will be transferring data between devices faster than we ever thought possible. As we all know time is of the essence...

Why everyone should have the iPad2

Trust me, I know the title might sound a little over the top but I truly believe that the computers of yesterday have pretty much met their collective match. Granted, you cant do everything on an iPad that can be accomplished on your desktop but pretty darn close. I have spent about a month with the newest incarnation of Apple's iPad and I have to say- Im sold. I purchased the first iPad soon after its release and thought, " how can this possibly get better?" Well, it has! the iPad2 is lighter, faster, and now has 2 cameras enabling Facetime video and a decent camera to shoot video as well. I used to lug a laptop with me everywhere I went, not wanting to be out of touch from my email & internet- like I couldn't survive without either:). Now, Ive pretty much ditched the laptop in favor of my shiny new toy, a 32GB white iPad2 with the leather smart cover. This thing is fast! and the wow factor you get from most people is priceless.. You would think Im an alien from another world showing off unimaginable technology to the frightened masses, I'm not kidding, thats the reaction I often get- one of utter disbelief and amazement. Not to say I wasn't a bit inspired when I first held it as well, its just cool to watch the faces of people as they experience it for the first time. Now some say tablets will replace laptops or desktops in the near future, I just don't agree. Sure, I can get my email, surf the web, even write this blog post, but I believe there will always be a place for the home computer, where else am I going to store my massive music collection and years of Jersey Shore episodes, the iPad2 maxes out at 64GB...

What Can a $6,400 Toilet Do for You? [VIDEO]

What Can a $6,400 Toilet Do for You? [VIDEO]

dropin' into the box...

I decided to write today about one of my favorite pieces of software right now called DropBox. This allows to store up to 2Gb of data on a cloud to access anywhere. All you have to do is install the software on any computer you use and then start droppin'! the beauty of the software is the ability to open a document, edit it, and then drop it in your "box", then it is updated automatically on whatever other computer that has your Dropbox on.You can also have shared folders so you and a good bud can collaborate on the same document with out worrying that each guys doc is different. Imagine collaborating on a article for your website while one guy is on a beach in Florida and the other chap is freezin his ass off in Central Illinois ( REALLY glad I'm the Florida guy) I personally work between 2 different computers all day and the ability to seamlessly share documents with out having to find a shared folder and make sure they are both the same is brilliant! All I can say is go download it and see how droppin' simplifies your life!

Apple's future in the clouds

I was reading an article today posted on one of my favorite apple know it all web sites, appleinsider, which claimed apple was stocking its shelves with personnel to put reality into the cloud computing future. Now we all knew Apple had this up there sleeves its just a matter of how it is going to affect our use of their services and if we can finally do away with bogging down our precious hard drive space with episodes of Jersey Shore, just kidding who the hell would put that on their computers:) Any way back to the subject at hand- cloud based music/video. This is an exciting concept, one in which amazon has already jumped on the band wagon with (I have not had a chance to check out their version, but I will and get back to you soon with a review) here is what I would like to see Apple's version accomplish, perhaps my wants are greater than they are willing to give but here it goes: 1-dont just put the metadata for the music on a cloud, let us ACTUALLY put the music/video on there. Otherwise we are still forced to keep a version on our hard drive and this defeats my main objective of freeing up hard drive space.2- allow us to put any ripped cd or video on our account, not just itunes purchases. Most people are probably not like me and have a life savings worth of itunes music/ video on their computers, I would imagine a lot of people's library consists of some itunes tracks and or videos but a whole lotta ripped music. I dont want to be limited to remote access of only the tunes I HAD to download off itunes, I want access to my 10k plus library at all times anywhere. that brings me to #3, and this is unfortunately might be the deal breaker for most. Make us pay a little something for this.I know i might have just lost my audience on this point but this might help keep the riff-raff from uploaded entire years worth of jersey shore episodes which will undoubtedly cause the servers- no matter how massive the farm is- to be bogged down and not perform as im dreaming they will. Also I have grown accustomed to giving Apple some money every year for mobile me so if they incorporate that into the cloud, i wont even notice having to cough up a little to have what I truly consider one of the coolest things that will come to fruition in the next few years. Everyone hold onto their hats or they might just be blown into the clouds:)

The Winners & Losers of Social Networking [INFOGRAPHIC]

The Winners & Losers of Social Networking [INFOGRAPHIC]

a new blog direction, take 2...

in the pastI have kind of floundered with my blogging, not exactly sure what i was actually looking to communicate to you t,he reader. After a lot of introspection and rambling I have decided to bring to the table a daily review of some form of new electronic hoomi-doomi that I feel deserves a place in your life. I will scour the web, endlessly looking for that piece of technology that will somehow improve your way of life. I promise......

A new blog direction..

Another tues..

Another tues...
Another tues has come, I feel like all my days are running together. I spend most of my days in front of the computer, either working on my eBay store, web page or applying for jobs. Why is it every site that will let you upload your resume still expects you to fill out the endless form of your life in detail. ITS THE SAME AS MY RESUME!! Today I was contacted by ADT to do residential sales in the Peoria area. I initially expressed interest in this as the security field( I.e. cool electronics ) always interested me so I told the manager to call me tomorrow and we would talk more. after researching online how horrible the job is- commission only, unrealistic sales goals, expecting you to work 80hrs a week, a great deal of stress and pressure,etc. I decided it was not so appealing..I guess I'll keep looking just not used to sitting around on my laurels. Perhaps I will just go back to painting- if my body will allow it- otherwise I'm not sure what the future brings.. Hope this doesn't sound too depressing, doesn't mean to be:) just bored as hell...


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Location:Brickyard Dr,Bloomington,United States aka Panera Bread

What I like about sundays

Finally the gps locator got me in the right area! Once again sitting in the sauna doing my daily update. I watched a 20/20 program last night on the IFB church. Brought back alot of memories for me that I worked really hard at blocking out. When
I was young the IFB church I was involved with was ultra conservative and literally beat into our heads that it was " their way or hell". I of course being of sound mind and body decided to question their beliefs and was therefore outcast and treated as if I was the devil incarnate. Spare the rod spoil the child was one of their favorite quotes and boy did they take that to the extreme. I could probably write a book about my experiences( maybe I will some day...) anyway I find it kind of humorous how they always said " God said this or that was wrong, therefore you can not do it. ( go to movies, dance, girls expose their knees, etc.) Well, evidently God must have changed his mind as the rules for the church and school are alot more lax than they were when I attended. I'm sorry did I miss a biblical revision?
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Location:Currency Dr,Bloomington,United States

Saturday is just another day...

I've found I do some great writing as I sit in the sauna, releasing toxins or whatever they say these things are good for. I think you just sweat, but just my opinion. Not sure what today will bring, the weather is not looking too conducive to riding, so I may have to spend my time working on the website or something else creative. Have been replying to alot of job postings online, just not sure what I want to be when I grow up:) I plan on pushing the social media management portion of my consulting business a great deal as I truly believe there is a market for this and I think it's something that I could utilize my creative skills to help business market themselves through the maze of social media websites. Am I rambling? It seems that this has been stuck in my brain for a bit so I catch myself repeating sometimes. I also plan on starting my book relaying my experiences with modem medicine and how it has affected me. I'll keep you posted as I think I'm going to try and publish this in an ebook. Ttyl!


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Location:S Mercer Ave,Bloomington,United States- aka sauna @ golds

New website

I've truly found coffee bliss, Bolivian blend @ the coffee hound in "uptown" normal. This continues to bug me... Uptown or downtown? It was always downtown when I was growing up. I guess the powers that be felt that was too lowbrow, as if uptown is different? Also I thought the biggest bitch about uptown/downtown was the parking situation? Since the construction I believe we have actually lost spaces and who the hell wants to parallel park? Oh I forgot we can park in the garage, 2 blocks away for money.... At least the handicap sticker I so richly deserve gets me half way decent parking, although we handicap are only blessed with two spots. I know you are probably wondering why I'm posting for the second time today..so am I, o wait, I know, I finally got off my ass and ordered business cards as I have decided to push my consulting business into the social media foray, as I watched my former employer spend A lot of time and energy thru one of the employees ( which translates into payroll taxes, benefits, etc.) I thought.. " why not outsource this" but no one wants to pay a big name marketing firm to update Facebook, etc. This is where I step in. I will post, edit, update and do all things "social" for your business. And I'm cheap, ha! That being said business cards, a few t-shirts, and the web page is live. Check it out www.orionconsultingsales.com. It is still a work in progress, I want to add a few pages as I still feel quickbooks consulting is a viable industry and one of my fortays. More to come.....


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Location:W North St,Normal,United States AKA the coffee hound in normal

Micro living

Somehow the use and subsequent loss of collected "stuff" through eBay has been very liberating. We spend our lives collecting things we feel we need, only to be presented with a problem like my current unemployment to realize that 90% of our belongings are just that- "stuff". I look around and all I see are things that I don't really need. Perhaps this " cleansing" will be good for my soul, I hope to spend more time on the little things and less on accumulating the grand things in life. Wow does that sound preachy or what.....


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Location:E Mulberry St,Normal,United States

Randomness

Here i sit waiting to go into rehab again, cardiac not drug:) seems my days are slipping into weeks.. Trying to maintain my focus and turn my energy to a new venture. Supposed to be warmer today, plan on doing some riding to gather my thoughts if the weather permits. Ttnol
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Location:Timothy Ct,Normal,United States

This is a first, updating my blog @ 11:40 and doing it via blogpress! Finally made it to decaturs antique mall today- pretty cool place. Really got my eBay blood boiling, hope to get alot more auctions posted next week. Also ate @ o'charleys in Forsyth, excellent food; the loaded baked potato soup reminds me of the good old bennigans days... Well I just got done watching the movie Prowl ( another graboid movie) don't waste ur time. It did have a few parts that mare me jump but it was quite predictable and rather boring for a horror movie. That's my every impression for the day, I'm off to try and get some shut eye. Adios muchachos!!



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Location:E Mulberry St,Normal,United States

I know I said I would update this daily, I lied...even though I'm not working right now my days get away from me pretty quick. Been spending alot of time trying to find a way to market myself online. found elance, seems like a good fit with my skills set, I'll keep u all posted- I'm sure your sitting on the edge of your seat in wild anticipation daily to read my updates. Also been working on developing an eBay presence. Had pretty good luck selling some home electronics that I had laying around not being used. I could see doing that for a living as well, other than standing in line at the post office can be like standing in the line to get to hell.I'm waiting to meet my former business partners in the lead inspection business to figure out how we are going to dissolve the company due to the theft of a major piece of the puzzle, please don't get me started on this drama in my life- I don't want to bore you anymore than I already am:) well this all I got for today is that enough to keep you all interested? Please give me some grace as I'm typing this on my iPad which is not always the friendliest or most accurate:)

Location:E Mulberry St,Normal,United States

Boy each day presents new options, I've been toying with eBay recently- posting some gadgets I have laying around the house just to see how the process works and if it is something I could be passionate about. I'm hooked! I've made almost $300 this past weekend selling things I haven't used in a long time. and since I'm a pack rat who is determined to simplify his life and minimize the crap sitting around my house being unused I have a pretty good stock of stuff to sell. I'm also thinking of putting together a small side business of offering things for others at a cut.. I think I could do this! Well i gotta go- cardiac nurses are giving me dirty looks... Gotta start exercising.... More to come!

this is day 10 of being unemployed and trying to figure out what direction my future holds... im leaning towards trying to help small business owners organize and maintain their financial information to streamline their books and to help them realize if they are making money or not. Ive learned a great deal over the years about what works and what doesnt when it comes to running a small to medium sized business. i think I have alot of knowledge to give- just hope someone is willing to pay for it! LOL. Also thinking about doing some volunteer work, the hospital has been a home away from home for me for a few years and it would feel good to give back to that scene. I plan on spending some time healing both my mind and body as the stress and health issues ive faced for years now have been tough on my mind body and soul. Hopefully i can update you all with some more interesting info in the coming days and weeks...