A new Academy

Last Thursday I got a mailer saying that Academy was having the grand opening of their Eagle Pass store on Friday October 17th.  At first, I was a little green with envy as I am a firm believer that Del Rio with the Amistad National Recreational Area and all the hunters that converge here would make an excellent location for the store.

Then I got happy because Academy is one of my favorite stores especially during Chili Cook-off time and driving to Eagle Pass beats driving three hours to San Antonio.  Besides they included a $10.00 coupon and I considered that gas money.  Speaking of gasoline prices they were a lot higher in Eagle Pass than in Del Rio.

There were a lot of people there.  Usually that highway does not have much traffic but there were a bunch of cars many with State of Coahuila ( I presume from Ciudad Acuna) license plates all headed there.  Was funny when we all turned in to the same parking lot :D

Had been a while since I had been to Eagle Pass and it has certainly grown by leaps and bounds.  It is obvious the oil activity in the area has contributed to said growth.  They are even getting a new Walgreens :(

For you city folks an Academy or a Walgreens is no big deal but to us in these parts of the state it is a big event.

Eagle Pass has a Popeye's something we don't have in Del Rio as well as a Lowe's.  Was going to go back and eat there but spotted a Luby's and decided to have lunch there instead.

I am a little behind on my postings both here and in Walter's blog but the WIFI is kind of slow this afternoon and it has taken me quite a while just to post this.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Checking In

Hi guys just a quick post to thank you for all the comments I received in my prior post.  Wanted to clarify that in Del Rio we do not have a Verizon store.  The reason being that Verizon has been the only landline provider for residential as well as business telephones for years.

It wasn't until last year that Billy Bob who boondocks in the area was finally able to pick up an Internet signal from them.  I will probably look into a hot spot device but with Sprint or AT&T...as they are only ones who offer it here.

Val Verde County library is undergoing an addition and the whole block is barricaded.  That along with limited parking does not make it a good option for going online.  I am currently at the dealership getting my car serviced and decided to bring my little netbook.  It is a little hard to type on but what the heck I have free internet access.

Wanted to clarify that I do not plan to quit my blog. October is the busiest time of the year for me as I am getting ready for my annual trip to the desert.  In a way disconnecting my internet service at this time was a good move as I would not have been able to blog much anyway.

I hope to find a new service provider after I return from Terlingua.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Pulling the plug

Well folks, I have decided to pull the plug on Time Warner Cable.  Since I was given so little notification and I do not want my bill to be pro-rated at the new outrageous price...I am going to go turn in my equipment as soon as I finish this post.

Will try to go to the library at least once a week until I find a more suitable alternative for going online.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

More calm and collect but still hating on TWC

I am more calm and collect but I am still hating on TWC and I am not referring to my yet to meet Tall Weathered Cowboy!

Last night I decided to bypass the 800 number (1-800-222-5355) thus avoiding the language and/or hearing issues previously experienced.  I opted for Time Warner Cable's website and tried my luck with the Chat function.

I am glad I did as I chatted with a very nice lady named Audrey.  After looking at my records she determined that an error had been made in my account but that she could not fix it...I would have to call in the morning and speak to another department.

Sorry for going into detail but as you know this blog also serves as my Cyber Journal.

Called said department this morning and asked why I was scheduled for an appointment I never requested on Saturday.  Was told that it was because the first idiot girl I spoke to had signed me up (without my authorization) for 300 Channels, Turbo Internet and telephone service!!!  WTH?  I was about to loose it but Jaime the guy that was helping me was very nice and apologetic for this imbecile's mistake.

Was it really a mistake or did she want a fat commission?  If you need to call Time Warner Cable do NOT do it at midnight but if you must...if you get a girl named Gaby with a thick accent...hang the hell up!  I want the idiot fired or at least reprimanded...no wonder she never called me back! She custom designed a plan for me, but for her benefit.....grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

The best Jaime could do for me was Fat Basic Cable (their terminology not mine) and basic Internet for $85.93 before tax.

Was also given the option of removing the Fat Basic Cable and getting basic internet for $45.93 before tax.

I do not find either of these options viable but I told the guy I would have to discuss it with my family and I would get back with him.

Funny side note...I told Jaime I did not think I had Turbo internet because it was so darn slow...tonight it is the fastest it has ever been...coincidence?

Well, I wont bore you anymore with my first world problems but it is looking like I am  going to pull the plug on them.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Disgusted with Time Warner Cable

I am fit to be tied...grrrrrrrrrr!!!  Last night I opened my monthly e-bill from Time Warner Cable only to discover that my account was going to be debited for $163.45....WTH?  My monthly bill is $75.97, did they forget to debit my account last month?  I know for a fact they were paid.

I had forgotten my online password but I was so mad that it automatically came to me. The so called special I signed up for last year ends this month.  Basic cable and internet went up to $163.45 including tax.  Are they nuts? That is more than double what I have been paying...$87.48 more to be exact.

My main gripe is why did they not inform me before of this drastic increase in prices?  It was midnight but they have a 24 hour line so I called. The girl I got, I could barely understand her English and when I did understand what she was saying their darn telephone line was so poor I could hardly hear!

She was trying to make me bundle my services and offered me 200 extra channels including HBO and internet for $141.99.  I don't think so...told her she had to come up with something better than that or I would be canceling my service.  She asked if she could call me back today at 5:00 p.m. with other offers and I agreed.  You guess it...she never called.

I have not received the physical bill yet so I went online to show my mother. That is when I noticed that I had an appointment for a technician to come on October 11th...the date my contract ends.  What the heck is going on?  Did the idiot...I mean the service representative...with her poor grasp of the English language think I wanted to cancel?  I thought we were clear on that point, that is why she was supposed to call me today!

At this point I am so mad I could care less.  My mother only watches Lawrence Welk re-runs and I only watch the Weather Channel and the news.  I watch my Brazilian soap operas for free since they are beamed to the border from Mexico City and anyway my soap ended last week.

If I want to check my e-mail, I can always go to the library.  It is not a matter of money, it is the fact that they basically have a monopoly in this area and they can and do as they please.  How can they more than double my bill without any prior notice?

So if you do not see me online after Saturday, you know what happened.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Rambling

Though the recent rains were very beneficial and welcomed in this arid part of Texas they came at a cost...mosquitoes!!!

They are everywhere even inside the house.  I tried YouTube homemade recipes but they have not worked.  I remember that Avon's Skin so Soft was also fairly good at keeping them at bay but you guess it...I have no idea where it is :(

The countdown has begun...three more weeks to the cook-off. I have so many things to do, number one is set-up my Kodiak Canvas tent in the back yard so I can give it a good cleaning and going over as last year it did not make the trip. Need to do the same for my shower tent.

I do not know if it is old age, laziness or both...but as much as I look forward to my annual trip, I sure hate all the preparations involved.  Maybe I will finally meet my tall weathered cowboy with a trailer or an RV this year?  A girl can hope...:)

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

I need to be more organized

I really need to do something about creating some sort of organization system.  I am tired of going from box to box, container to container and searching through Terlita (my camping van) like a mad woman.

Alejandra.tv on YouTube has great organizational tips but she has a spacious home. The cheapest option would be a shipping container but my mother will not let me put one on her property.  I own the lot next door but I would have to hire a bulldozer to clear it and then put up a fence to keep my stuff safe.  If I have to invest that much, I would rather go with another option.

So Belinda, why are you rehashing this once more?  I lost my purse in all this mess and had a terrible time of it.  The last time I saw it was when I went dress shopping Thursday...then again I went to other stores as well and with my CRS, I was not sure if I had left it somewhere or brought it in the house.

This purse is medium size and made of nylon.  Had seen them online but found them much cheaper at Marshalls and thought it would make a good desert purse.  I never carry cash on me much less my checkbook...wouldn't you know it, I was carrying both!  I was not worried about the credit cards as those can be immediately canceled.

I tore my room apart last night and again this morning. I am already an insomniac, last thing I needed was another reason not to be able to sleep. Even my blood pressure shot up. Early this morning I went to see if I had left it at any of the places I had been to...no luck.

Checked my balance online as well as my mother's (I was carrying her credit card as well) but everything looked normal.  I really did not want to have to cancel the credit cards and get a new checking account so tried once more to find the darn purse and there it was.  Since it is made of nylon it had slipped and fallen behind one of my containers...was I ever glad to see it!  However, it is NOT going to make the trip to the desert!

I want to thank all the readers that have sent e-mails with questions regarding the Chili Cook-off...I am far from being an expert on the subject but I will be glad to answer as best as I can.  I think I will answer some in a future post as it might help other readers that may have similar concerns.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Mothers and Daughters

October is an awful busy month for me, not just because of all the preparations for my trip to the cook-off.  We have several events that we need to attend that will require I wear a dress my mother would like for me to wear a dress to.

Tired of her nagging gentle persuasion I went to the store today.  When I worked I wore dresses and suits but now I don't really like to dress up...that is in a far away chapter of my life.  I love dressing casual or in my scrubs...a look my mother does not care for.  How many women my age still dress like their mother's want them to?  The things I have to do to keep the peace :(

It's official dad's old car is flooded.  Looked at some YouTube videos on how to solve the problem...forget it...I will call the mechanic!

There are a couple of things I would like to buy but before investing in them I have been doing a little research and reading reviews.  I do not know how much credence others place on reviews but they carry a lot of weight when I make my final decision...I have therefore nixed two products.

Yesterday when I was walking over to Walter's I finally saw some Monarch butterflies.  Each year we see less and less of them.  Watched a documentary not too long ago where they blame a well known weed and grass killer for getting rid of their food source.

At first I thought I was confusing them with an orange flower that is growing inside this bush. There were lots of Monarchs but they are not very visible in this picture.

Gasoline prices have been stable this week. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.