The room is - allegedly - rented.  The man that came over 2 days ago to look at it called yesterday - late and said he wanted the room.  Find out sometime this morning, he’s supposed to stop by with a check to hold it for him.  He originally wanted me to hold it for him until next month.  Not a happening event, it’s still the beginning of February for all intents and purposes, I need and want the money for the room now.  Not only that, but I simply don’t hold rooms anymore  unless a non-refundable, cash deposit is made for it. 

I have held rooms for people only to find out they neither want it nor bothered to call and tell me that they had changed their mind, hence the now-strict policy of - no holding rooms.  If he doesn’t show, I have 3 other people lined-up behind him.  One person was very insistent on getting the room, but the more I listened to her talking, the more I was convinced that she most certainly would not make a good fit in my house and I ended that conversation quickly. 

I am surprised at the large amount of interest in the room and the relative ease of getting it rented this time.  Several times in the past it has taken weeks to get a room interested and not a lot of response, really. 

Superbowl Sunday has arrived - though my team or secondary team isn’t in this game, it really (hopefully) should be a good game.  I’m rooting for the Saints just because I don’t like the Colts and am not a big Manning fan anyway.  I dunno why they always have to have these Superbowl games starting so late in the day, but that’s what they do. 

The guy wanting the trailer is showing up pretty frequently now and spending some serious time in starting attempting to get the project going and completed.  It is going to take a while to finish all of that, is all  I can say.  I figure to let him live here for a few or several months and then move the unit to a small trailer park that has very cheap monthly rates.  He can stay in it - I just don’t think I’m going to want that thing parked there permanently.  The monthly rental rate at that park is $150 last time I heard anything about it, plus utilities.  This guy does odd jobs all over the place, that shouldn’t be too terribly difficult for him to come up with.  As it is, he has been staying in a “motel” - if you can call it that - at $20 per night.  Yes, it’s real motel, but it’s skank and the renters are mostly filthy, dirty people that refuse to take showers.  I know this because I know that area and this guy was telling me about it.  The area is a total homeless world of people wandering about pandhandling, sleeping in a park, doing whatever they can to - exist. 

I’m not quite sure I like the idea of simply existing.  I have to have a purpose in life - without it, it would get awfully boring, mundane and really, what reason would there to be to live?  Helping people has been my life-long forte and I will continue to do so as much as I can, when I can.  Money is always the issue in such endeavors, but I remain steadfast in doing such simply because I believe the Lord would have me engage in such.  Yes, this has to do with God more than anything, not that I’m going to start preaching here, but never-the-less. 

I made my 5th payment on the “modification” that is already a done deal on-time.  If, by some chance, mortgage rates are way down there 7 months from now and I can make all 12 payments on-time, I would be able to qualify for a refinance.  I’ve been hearing of people getting 2 and 3% interest rates, which would be phenomenal - until you look at the details.  It’s a 5-year program.  After 5-years are up, your rates go back up to whatever they are before you got the loan mod.  That really wouldn’t appeal to me, at all.  My mod has no such inclusions, it’s 5.25% for the life of the loan, period.  I’m guessing they believe in 5 years the economy will be back on track and people will be able to pay through the nose again in interest rates.  Yeah, who wants to do THAT? 

I still have a sense of fore-boding - it has been with me for a little while now - that I haven’t been able to pinpoint what the source of it is.  I can’t even identify whether it’s for myself, or something that’s going to happen, I have no idea.  I’m not walking around in fear or a panic, in fact, I would like to rid myself of this feeling - whatever is going to happen, the bomb drop and get it over with.  Yes, that sounds strange, can’t help it or anyone else.  I have learned over the decades to listen to things insdie of me that are trying to tell me whatever - call it instinct, gut feeling, whatever - I tend to give it whatever amount of priority it needs until the situation, event - again, whatever - has passed. 

As for today - if the guy shows up again, I will be buying some materials to keep that project moving along.  I asked my neighbor yesterday if he wanted to sell some plywood he has outside of his house, he said no, but he would take me to where he got it and it’s free.  Just packing crates for shipped materials is all it is.  Got that - and as the conversation progressed while we were together, he continued to harp on the guy next door to him that started all that trouble with the girlfriend of his.  It led to a conversation about wireless internet - he was getting it from his neighbor - not for free, though - he didn’t want to pay to have internet installed cause’, as normal for him, he’s leaving in a couple of months for his home in Michigan and doesn’t want to get involved with a contract.  So, I offered mine in exchange for use of his old, beat up pickup truck.  Looks like heck, but works great.  I need to transport some materials for the trailer, I don’t have a pickup. 

Well, the deal is done.  It took me a while to figure out how to use Windows Vista, which is what is installed on his computer, and figure out how to get the network extended to him on his computer and enter the password.  All good and well, but the signal doesn’t reach inside of his house.  He has to take his laptop outside to use it.  He has a 40 foot 5th wheel RV trailer sitting next to his house that is blocking the signal.  I mean, there IS some signal strength in the house, but not enough to get the internet to work.  So, today, I am going to Fry’s Electronics and purchase a booster antenna and see if that works.  HE is paying for it, however, not me.  I was looking up ways to try and boost the signal, this was the cheapest method.  There are devices sold that receive the signal and then retransmit from another location - but they are very expensive.  The signal travels fine inside the house, don’t need such.  It has taken me quite some time to become familiar with wireless networks and figure out how to set one up and get it working on everyone’s computer.  I am not a computer geek, such things do not come naturally to me and sometimes I find myself getting VERY frustrated with computers to the point I want to pick the tower up, take it outside and smash it into very small pieces.

Fortunately, those feelings don’t occur very often anymore as I have worked through all kinds of problems on Windows and pretty much can deal with anything that occurs to it at this point.  However, wireless networks are not self-explanatory and the only way I was able to learn was to get in there and spend however many hours it took to finally get a grasp of it.  Yes, it’s probably an easy thing for you, after all, how difficult could it be?  Well, I didn’t grow up with computers, have not taken any classes on them and I can only say at this point that I am happy that I have been able to learn as much as I have without use of schooling.

Anyway, this entry is the ever-lasting one and I am going to end it.

G’day, folks.

ben