Thursday, March 22, 2012

PAYING ONLINE

Thanks for the guest post by Esteban Vinson

I have started to pay most of my bills on-line using my clear wireless santa clara internet connection. Last month, after the price of stamps went up again, I decided that I was going to bite the bullet and start paying things on-line. I used to be totally against paying all of my bills on-line. I preferred the old fashioned way of writing a check and mailing it in. Then, you didn’t have to worry about confirmation numbers and such. Some of the places that I have been paying bills to for years have done away with paper bills and you have to check your account status on-line, just another reason for me to switch. I am still getting used to it and I run into a problem because each site I have a different user name and password for. I have started to write down all of my user names and passwords and keep them on a sheet of paper. Hopefully next month I will not have to change the user names and passwords to everything that I own!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Little Rock

A quick stop at Little Rock, Arkansas, brought some interesting surprises, on St. Patrick's Day!

We toured the State Capitol, which was located at a quiet part of town. The building was majestic and beautiful. We had a need to use the restrooms, and they were decorated like the bathrooms in a house. Instead of rushing out of them, as we usually did at public restrooms, I felt like curling up with a book on the homely bench in the powder room! The front doors to the Capitol Building was made of bronze, but shimmered like gold in the distance. My kids spent some time playing with their reflections in the doors, and trying the door knobs, which wouldn't open, of course!

The statues on the Capitol grounds were of historical significance. It was interesting to read about their origins, and marvel at the courage of, and initiative taken by ordinary people which helped build what United States is today. The other side of town was home to restaurants/pubs, the junction bridge, and parks. It was St. Patricks's Day, and every where, we could see people downing glasses of green beer. There were a few guys dressed in kilts too, some merrily drunk, some remaining sober to in order to impress the pretty ladies dressed in all shades of green hanging on to their arms. There were block parties going on, just green upon green, everywhere we turned.

For just a dollar for adults, we got to ride the trolley, which went over the Arkansas River. We could see paddle boats, and a submarine docked at the river. It was pretty interesting! We also walked across the river on one of the bridges. It was a long bridge, too long for the little legs of our little one, who was already exhausted by the long drive. Anyway, it was an interesting, short tour.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Branson

Branson was one of the places struck by the tornado just before our Spring Break. Since we had already reserved our lodgings, we decided to go ahead with our trip.

It was a long drive, but we made it, without the kids doing too much whining. On the way to our condominium, we could see parts where the tornado had hit. Sometimes buildings lay in ruins in between whole ones, completely missed by the tornado. It was sad to see motels being torn apart, exposing rooms with curtains fluttering in the wind! Shops, restaurants, and museums were damaged, and boarded up.

However, Branson was still a beautiful place. Fortunately, there were enough entertainment places left untouched by the powerful tornado to entertain the Spring Break crowd. On days when we didn't have plans for any paid entertainment, we took the trolley, which didn't cost a penny, and toured the old shops in Branson. The trolley also made a stop at Branson Landing, which was home to "new" shops, restaurants, hotels, and a musical fountain. We spent some time browsing the shops, ate some delicious ice-cream, and just sat and watched the fountain, and activity on the river.