What Made you Smile/What Ticked you off Today?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I just got a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone
I just got a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone

I've never had a smartphone and never wanted one. I see so many couples out to dinner or waiting in line for a movie where they are both just locked into their phones and not communicating. I've seen people who never seem to detach from the internet, even when they go out. I've seen people increase their amount of multi-tasking. I've seen people that can answer any e-mail anytime/anywhere so often that people now get upset if you don't reply within the hour. I've seen people get excited about apps that are just crappier version of what a laptop can do better. I've seen astronomically high phone/text/data bills.

And now I'm one of those people. :/

(I know, 1st world problems, right?)

I own a smart phone, and I'll have you know that owning a smart phone doesn't immediately turn you into a social-networking zombie.

Whenever I go out to eat, I usually end up talking to brick walls. A few of my friends and I have an oath that we all have to put our phones face down on the table while we eat. If any of us pick up our phone, we pay for the entire table's meal. Seems to work pretty well.

[elmagicochrisg]

My phone costed me €15 new.

You can call people, and send text messages with it.

And it has a built-in flashlight. Very handy... ^^

[Stark]

Smile: Surgery went super well for Charlotte! Her eyes already look like they are tracking properly, such an amazing procedure. I found out the name of the surgery and was able to look it up if anyone is interested: http://www.allaboutvision.com/condition ... urgery.htm. Another amazing thing is she may not need glasses now. It will be crazy to see her without them after a year or so of wearing them. Anyway I took a before picture and will post it once I get an after one here in a week or so (her eyes need to heal first.)

[REPO Man]

If my research is right, then all my GameCube games, which I'm thinking about ditching, would get me about $180, if I sell them for the prices I came up with. Basically, I took an online price guide, lowered the price to a round number (i.e. took the $35-40 Luigi's Mansion and lowballed it to $30, and did so for my better-part-of-$10 copies of both Viewtiful Joe games and cranked them to almost half).

Basically, I'm re-evaluating how much I need most of my stuff and found out that I really COULD get rid of a lot more than I thought (especially if I mod my Wii and get flashcarts for my N64 and Famiclone of choice, the FC Twin, and if I cut my losses with those budget-priced box sets filled with public domain movies and DVDs I'll more than likely never watch again).

I'm trying to rack up as much cash as I can get, so I can get the money to move to New York ASAP, even though the place we're moving to has a one-year lease, which means it won't end until next June, which may mean finding a way out of my lease.

[cookie monster]

Ugh So tired i have moved 100lb patio blocks for the past 2 days it come up to 7300lbs plus sand i am pooped. In my spare time today i also tested and boxed 45 video game systems and still have another 20+ to do for the yard sale this week.
It seems my helper was busy playing mario kart well i guess back to work for me.

[noiseredux]

Smile: Surgery went super well for Charlotte! Her eyes already look like they are tracking properly, such an amazing procedure. I found out the name of the surgery and was able to look it up if anyone is interested: http://www.allaboutvision.com/condition ... urgery.htm. Another amazing thing is she may not need glasses now. It will be crazy to see her without them after a year or so of wearing them. Anyway I took a before picture and will post it once I get an after one here in a week or so (her eyes need to heal first.)

YES dood! That's great news man. I had you (well, actually her) in my thoughts today. Really glad all went well.

[mjmjr25]

I feel your pain, Cookie. I started a bathroom remodel yesterday. Apparently, the folks who built our house opted against greenboard, but still wanted to protect the bathroom frame, so they used....TWO sheets of 1/2" drywall throughout the room, then tiled over it, so as I went to remove the tile, I found this surprise. They then used 3" screws instead of standard 1 1/4" screws, so even when I find a safe area to sledge through, get both hands in and start to pry...it doesn't budge. Hammer, crowbar, nothing. Had to sledge the entire area, i'd guesstimate 75 loads of about 75lbs each in and out - in and out. Drywall (x2), vanity, tile, rotted subfloor, tub, etc. Brutal.

@Mitch, glad to hear all was a success and God Bless, bro.

[Retrodude]

Smile: I finally have everything I need to start making my own cartoons. The last piece of the puzzle was when I found a giant archive of creative commons music that I don't have to pay anything to use as long as I credit the artist (which I would do anyway even if I didn't have to). I've already got my first film planned out so all I have to do is put in the work to make it happen. This is gonna be fun.

[MrPopo]

I feel your pain, Cookie. I started a bathroom remodel yesterday. Apparently, the folks who built our house opted against greenboard, but still wanted to protect the bathroom frame, so they used....TWO sheets of 1/2" drywall throughout the room, then tiled over it, so as I went to remove the tile, I found this surprise. They then used 3" screws instead of standard 1 1/4" screws, so even when I find a safe area to sledge through, get both hands in and start to pry...it doesn't budge. Hammer, crowbar, nothing. Had to sledge the entire area, i'd guesstimate 75 loads of about 75lbs each in and out - in and out. Drywall (x2), vanity, tile, rotted subfloor, tub, etc. Brutal.

It's stories like this that convince me to just save up the extra money to hire a contracter for when it comes time to redo my kitchen.

[mjmjr25]

The only thing that scares me is the plumbing connections since a tub/shower is so permanent once it's in - you have to get it right - nothing worse than finding a leak a week later, after you've brought tile up to the shower frame and grouted it, caulked the tub in, etc. There are access panels of course, but not to everything, not the underneath release connection, etc.

My general rule is to get a quote on everything but if I can do it, then I usually do.

For instance - my driveway is going to be redone this year or next w/asphalt, quote was just over 4K. Now, this is something I could do, if I rented a dumpster to remove the old driveway, rented a jackhammer, spent 2-3 days chopping it up and tossing in the dumpster, and then rented an asphalt truck, or just paid to have that part done if I did all the leveling work, etc. A job like that - i'll spend 4-5 days total, another $500 in rentals, another $1,500 in asphalt / truck rental plus whatever rental fee, and definitely won't do as well as the contractor on that type of job. So for 4K, it makes sense.

For our bathroom, i'll do it for $2,500 - everything, so a week of work (horrid work) but work nonetheless and $6,500 savings.