Carpet Cleaning

The last time I called a carpet cleaning company to come do the carpets in my house, I thought I was getting a deal with a coupon for three rooms for $30. That was a bargain and that is what I expected to pay.

Of course, when the guy got here he told me that the $30 rate would not do the job my carpets needed. He recommended a lot of extra chemicals and processes that ran the estimated bull up to over $100. I told him that I only had $30 and that I would take $30 worth of the cleaning this time. If it wasn’t good enough then I would have to call them back in a month or two.

He was obviously disappointed that I couldn’t be talked into the higher charges. But he did a decent job. For $30 it is worth having someone else bring the equipment, chemicals and labor. But for $100 I could buy my own carpet cleaning machine and do the job myself every month for a couple of years for no extra charge except a new bottle of carpet shampoo once in a while.

Winter Series Premieres

This month has a few nice surprises for TV viewers. A lot of new shows on cable are having premieres. I’m particularly interested in two new shows on the FX cable channel. The first one is called “House of Lies,” a new show about PR and consulting for big business. The other one is the second season of a show called “Shameless.” It looks like a peek into the world of a drug addict and street criminal and his family living in poverty in the slums of Los Angeles.

“House of Lies” is a drama with a lot of explicit sex. I thought it looked interesting from the previews, but the show I watched was disappointing. It was like a formula of “do this, then that” with nudity and references to every hot button like gay, divorce, retired, strip club, etc. for shock value rather than writing a good story.

“Shameless” is supposed to be a drama with a tinge of comedy. The characters are pathetic and I’m not sure yet if we are supposed to laugh at them or cry for them.

How Many Fridays are the 13th This Year?

Today is Friday the 13th. I’m not superstitious but I can’t help but notice that the date is the 13th, considered unlucky by some people.

That made me take a look at the calendar. How did I miss the fact that this year is a leap year? February has 29 days this year and there are 4 months that have a Friday the 13th in them.

New Toothbrush

At my age, dental care becomes very important. The dentist says that people over 40 years old are at increased risk for gum disease, so regular checkups and treatments are very important.

So I go to my dentist every 6 months for a good cleaning. I’m glad we have not had to deal with cavities or fillings in quite a while. But I want to make sure that I keep my teeth and gums in good shape.

And I got a free toothbrush out of it. Woot!

Magazine Subscriptions

It is getting harder to buy magazines in retail stores, so I think I will start subscribing to a few that i really like. One of the magazines that I am having a hard time finding locally is called Cowboys & Indians. Its not so much about Indians, but it sure has a lot of articles on life in the West. I like their in depth interviews with celebrities, too. They have done a great article on everyone from Ted Turner to Kevin Costner.

Hard to Believe it is 2012 Already

Looking back at 2011, there were a lot of news stories and a lot of drama over the year. Between all the bad and extreme weather, like earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes and drought and the pomp of the royal wedding, it was quite a year. This coming year is going to be heavily political because of the coming elections. But I have high hopes that 2012 will be good to us. Let’s hope.