FYI: I Dropped Cable TV ~ AKA "Cutting the cord"

Here is my story about dropping Spectrum Cable TV!

I cut the cable but I can still watch more TV than I have time for.

And... I'm saving over $100 per month!!!

Here is what I am now paying:

• $51/mo for 100mps Internet
• I have over 50% more Internet speed
• The hardware (modem/router) is included.
  
• $23/mo for Spectrum TV app
• I have my BayNews9 channel.
• I have local broadcast stations with no need for an external antenna.
• 
  

FYI: Book Review, Writing

I picked up two books about writing, and the underlying message was that writer's must have discipline!

• "Write Where You Live | Successful Freelancing at Home Without Driving Yourself and Your Family Crazy" by Elaine Fantle Shimberg (c1999)
• "A Writer's Time | A Guide to the Creative Process, from Vision through Revision" by Kenneth Atchity (c1986)

For What It's Worth: This is 2018, so these words were written 20 and 30 years ago. The Internet and the success of print-on-demand (POD) self-publishing are new since those books were written, but I felt these books have perspectives and lessons that are still relevant today.

FYI: Blog = Essay

This post started as a book review but it took an interesting turn when I realized the books I am reviewing were 20 and 30 years old. I was comparing/contrast writing then and now when I realized that...

Personal: Dating Again

I've discovered an interesting website, Date Like A Grownup, written by Bobbi Palmer. It's written as a dating guide for women.

In the 1980s, between marriages, I would occasionally pick up a woman's magazine to read the advice the magazines offered on "how to meet men." Then I'd make it a point to be there!

Here's an article Bobbi wrote titled "26 Things To Do To Meet Single Men."

Now, nearly 40 years later (and hopefully wiser) I'm in the singles market again. Here's my take on Bobbi's 26 ideas:

Fun: A Cat Named Cassius Clay

In the 1980's the cat in my life was named Cassius Clay, but mostly I referred to him as "Cash."

Cassius gave me a lot of companionship, and a wealth of memories to share...

FYI: "If you win the morning, you win the day"

From the personal Quotes Of The Week section of my personal diary: "If you win the morning, you win the day..." (Tim Ferriss)

This is something that showed up on my radar several months ago.

Today. I Googled the exact quote...

FYI: Genealogy and Historical Context

My mother was born in 1925. On the back cover of her memoir she points out that this was only 6 years after women were given the right to vote. That gave me a first glimpse that history is not so ancient, after all.

 I had thought that genealogy was the dry presentation of names and dates: born, married, died, etc.

As I investigated my own genealogy, I discovered much more information was available.

Personal: "A Kentucky Schoolteacher's Doggerel"

This is a book that's now available:  it's a re-release of my Grandfather's poetry!

Visit www.AKentuckySchoolteacher.com to order a copy.

Personal: Parkinson's Law Redux?

My first Parkinson's Law articles were written in August & September, 2015.

It's now February, 2018 ~ 29 months later.

FYI: Book Review ~ CreateSpace Publishing

I found a book through the Safety Harbor library titled "How to Self-Publish Your Book The CreateSpace Way," (2012-2013 edition) by Blake Webster & Steve Boga.

I needed somewhere to save my notes, so I'll do that here and add a review for you:

ABCInc: My store at Amazon.com

Wikipedia says a "perfect storm" is an expression that describes an event where a rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically.

Now, at age 68, I begin to search for my fortune. Again:

Fun: The Traveling Ice Scraper

Anyone who has lived where frost routinely covers windshields quickly invests in a sturdy ice scraper.

When I lived in Atlanta during the 1990s, I purchased a plastic scraper that had a blue handle and a thick clear blade. There's something reassuring about having the right tool for the job.

🌝 The story begins when I moved from Atlanta to Key West in 2002...

FYI: Free College!

Any Florida resident over the age of 60 can attend a Florida state college or university tuition free!

I've done that, and I'd like to share my experience at St. Pete College...

Fun: Both of his grandmothers were my ex-wives...

Both of my grandsons have graduated from high school, but I'd like to share a story from 1999 about my first grandchild's first birthday..

FYI: Rix Reading List - Updated 8/2/2017

I find a lot of articles that I want to blog about, revisit, or recommend to someone. This is a compilation of what I've found online:

Fun: My Walker, From 40 years ago

When I was in my twenties, age 30 was considered "over the hill." So, if this was going to happen to me, I planned how I could go over the hill in style:

Personal: Father's Day ~ 2017

FYI: Robots & AI

A quick review:

"Hidden Stories: How AI will Advance Careers, Not Steal Them" By Xander Kotsatos. The blog was originally posted on RocketFuel.com, but I found it through Linkedin.

Finally, something positive not a sky-is-falling write-up!

FYI: Robots, Journalism & Writing | Updated 3/7, 3/22, 4/6, And 6/1

In his article The 5 Jobs Robots Will Take First, CEO Shelly Palmer puts Journalists & Authors 3rd on the list of occupations in jeopardy! He wrote:

Personal: A Stent in Time Saves...Me?

{Groan: a trite title} ~ A Purely Personal Post ~

Yesterday I had a "procedure" that is both life changing and life saving: I had a cardiac catheterization that ended with a stent inserted into an artery on the surface of my heart.

I'm still processing it in my mind.

ABCInc: "Runway" Cash Flow ?!

I've learned a new term after many years of being involved in business start-ups: ~~ "Runway" ~~ It is a measure of how long a new business venture can last with the existing cash on hand.

FYI: Fiction Workshop class at St. Pete College

I was invited to talk to Professor Johnson's Fiction Workshop class at the Tarpon Springs campus of St. Petersburg College. This article is for those students...

FYI: Writing for CreateSpace

Create Space makes self-publishing really easy. I've released 3 books, have 2 in progress, and ideas for several more. And I'll help you with yours...

Personal: Bayshore Townhomes new Board of Directors

Our Homeowner's Association voted in a new board in October, 2016.

They suddenly became very secretive... They made a major decision without an official Board meeting.

Personal: Price Change: Gloria Jaggers Autobiography

I helped my mother publish her autobiography in 2010. The price is now $9.95, and is available from Amazon.com and CreateSpace. You can find it here: Gloria Jaggers.com