This week I went to a real running store and bought some better running shoes, with the help of a knowledgeable shop owner. I have been wearing size 10 since high school. He measured my foot and was certain that I need a size 11. So that's pretty interesting. It also explains why so many of my dress shoes feel a bit snug. My waist line has expanded since high school, so why not my shoe size too? Perhaps it's time to throw out a lot of my old shoes and buy some size 11's to replace them.
I am hoping that spending more money on shoes, and having an expert help me select them, will decrease the pain I have in my Achilles tendons. Next month I will be running a 5k, so I will find out soon enough.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Good news and bad news
I recently switched away from the $30/month "secret" plan from T-Mobile prepaid, and switched to the $70 postpaid (normal) plan with T-Mobile. While I was waiting for the new SIM card to arrive, I still wanted to use the WiFi capabilities of my Nexus 5. For some reason I decided to turn off mobile data. Well after my prepaid plan was done, my phone was no longer able to connect to the T-Mobile service at all. I took my phone to the T-Mobile store in my neighborhood, and there was a guy names Charles who gave me lots of help. He helped me for a couple of hours before giving up, but then he helped my find the number to call Google and get help from them. They set me up with a warranty order, and I received the new phone the next day.
I'm thrilled with both T-Mobile and Google for the great service I was given. It was a pain to go through the experience, but they were both so helpful that it made it almost pleasant. I was very impressed!
I'm thrilled with both T-Mobile and Google for the great service I was given. It was a pain to go through the experience, but they were both so helpful that it made it almost pleasant. I was very impressed!
Friday, March 14, 2014
So much for the secret plan
Due to the discovery that I get a 10% discount on T-Mobile through a program at work, and also the fact that I want to add data tethering to my phone, I am finally going to switch back to a post-paid plan. I liked the low price of the $30 plan, but with only 100 minutes I feel somewhat isolated. Right now I don't have a roommate, and as an extrovert I really need to be able to reach out and talk to someone, on a regular basis. Without the cost of DSL or Cable internet, it's easier to justify the $70 T-Mobile plan. I didn't realize that I'd need a new SIM card, so I actually won't have a phone for a few days. I'm planning to skate by with my old FreedomPop hotspot to deliver my texts and emails to me. The SIM card will cost me $10, but then my monthly plan will only be $63 after the discount. I'm pretty happy with that.
Monday, March 3, 2014
CenturyLink cancellation dance
I have (almost) always received a great deal from CenturyLink. But to get those deals, I have always had to be in the position of calling to cancel my service. I don't even remember the initial offer I received, it's something my old roommate negotiated on my behalf. He was doing a lot of SEO work, and needed bandwidth. So when he saw a special price for 40 Mbps service and a chance to get away from Comcast (about which I had been whining a lot), he contacted Qwest (who was later acquired by CenturyLink) and got me a sweet deal.
Well after that offer ended they jacked my price up to something that I was not willing to pay, so I called to see if I could negotiate something better. When I did that, their Customer Service department told me there was no way to continue the special offer, so I told them I wanted to cancel. Then when I got to the department that handles cancellations, they told me they actually could continue the offer. I think that covered the first two years. But now the interval seems to be getting shorter every time I call. Also the last time I called I had to downgrade to 20 Mbps service.
I currently don't have anyone renting from me, and my own personal use is just for Facebook, email, and the occasional Hulu video. Video streaming uses a lot of data, but I normally record the shows on my DVR anyway. It's not like there will be a large void in my life without that. For the low data use, I still have my FreedomPop hotspot which gives me 500 Mb for free every month. Also being in grad school means I spend a lot of time at the library and various coffee shops, where they have free WiFi.
The vast majority of my personal internet use is on my mobile phone. I can add tethering for $15 per month. That would suffice for now. Whenever I rent out my extra bedroom again, I will consider Comcast and CenturyLink at that time. The only reason I would need tethering would be for streaming video. Since I have 5 GB of data available to me each month, I could watch a couple of videos here and there, but it's not really worth $15 to do that. I actually opted out of Amazon Prime for Students before I was charged, so I'm not going to be streaming that. If I sign up for Netflix again, it would mostly be for use on my phone anyway, but I am not planning to do that in the near future either. I really don't have time for anything more than the shows I record on my DVR and the occasional Redbox rental anyway.
This blog is just me venting about my experiences. I plan to call CenturyLink during my lunch break, so I guess I will soon know what they are willing to offer me this time.
***UPDATE: After calling them and waiting on hold for 20 minutes, I was allowed to cancel. Perhaps it's because I never brought up Comcast. I told the rep that I was planning to use my cell phone, but I never mentioned the $15 tethering fee. Perhaps he would have counter-offered if I had mentioned a dollar amount. But I really am tired of having to watch my bill like a hawk because of the way they jerk me around on the price. So for now, it's goodbye and good riddance. I can live without DSL until I find a new renter.***
Well after that offer ended they jacked my price up to something that I was not willing to pay, so I called to see if I could negotiate something better. When I did that, their Customer Service department told me there was no way to continue the special offer, so I told them I wanted to cancel. Then when I got to the department that handles cancellations, they told me they actually could continue the offer. I think that covered the first two years. But now the interval seems to be getting shorter every time I call. Also the last time I called I had to downgrade to 20 Mbps service.
I currently don't have anyone renting from me, and my own personal use is just for Facebook, email, and the occasional Hulu video. Video streaming uses a lot of data, but I normally record the shows on my DVR anyway. It's not like there will be a large void in my life without that. For the low data use, I still have my FreedomPop hotspot which gives me 500 Mb for free every month. Also being in grad school means I spend a lot of time at the library and various coffee shops, where they have free WiFi.
The vast majority of my personal internet use is on my mobile phone. I can add tethering for $15 per month. That would suffice for now. Whenever I rent out my extra bedroom again, I will consider Comcast and CenturyLink at that time. The only reason I would need tethering would be for streaming video. Since I have 5 GB of data available to me each month, I could watch a couple of videos here and there, but it's not really worth $15 to do that. I actually opted out of Amazon Prime for Students before I was charged, so I'm not going to be streaming that. If I sign up for Netflix again, it would mostly be for use on my phone anyway, but I am not planning to do that in the near future either. I really don't have time for anything more than the shows I record on my DVR and the occasional Redbox rental anyway.
This blog is just me venting about my experiences. I plan to call CenturyLink during my lunch break, so I guess I will soon know what they are willing to offer me this time.
***UPDATE: After calling them and waiting on hold for 20 minutes, I was allowed to cancel. Perhaps it's because I never brought up Comcast. I told the rep that I was planning to use my cell phone, but I never mentioned the $15 tethering fee. Perhaps he would have counter-offered if I had mentioned a dollar amount. But I really am tired of having to watch my bill like a hawk because of the way they jerk me around on the price. So for now, it's goodbye and good riddance. I can live without DSL until I find a new renter.***
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