May have to close my accounts

[Jirel of Joiry]

I don't know for how long or anything. Thanks to the jerks that run the city municipal electric company and their bill. You can read my screaming rampage here.

So what do keep, what do I toss? Should I sell my collections like AoS clothes and Roses? Should I sell the few event rares we have? I am at a loss, what do you do with 13 yrs worth of crap, armor, weapons, and memories? I'm upset and worried. Trying to figure out what to do.

 

[Uriah Heep]

Load up all the bank boxes with the heavy stuff...the chars can hold 125 items too, long as they stay underweight limit. Across all accts/chars be sure you combine all your ingots, woods, stackables. This should let ya hold onto some of it, it's the way I'm doing it
My little experience lately, is that with the market now on the AoS stuff, whispering roses, bells, etc., you just don't get what they should be worth.
As people leave, there's less people to want stuff. plus as peeps leave, themarket gets glutted with their stuff...and if ya hang on long enough, those 1250 1 mil checks ya have will only be 1 bank slot!

 

[Duncan McDermott]

Can you create any more characters to use as storage holding. Before I gave anything up I would use beetles and any extra guys I had or even give them all beetles and fill them up. Just a thought. Sorry to hear this and I hope it gets better for you.

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

Can you create any more characters to use as storage holding. Before I gave anything up I would use beetles and any extra guys I had or even give them all beetles and fill them up. Just a thought. Sorry to hear this and I hope it gets better for you.

Between my sister and I we have seven active accts and all have seven chars. Have three inactive newbie accts, I made em back when you had the code on the boxes for new acct with 30 days. I just realized I have 31 dollars and some change in my EA Wallet!! Two game time codes right there! Thank you for rattling my memory. Maybe I have some more forgotten funds!

I want to recognize my little sister and how incredible smart she is, she's been over here analyzing the meter readings from May 2014 to July 6, 2015. The incredible super genius that is she, was able to see the pattern of usage that correlates to the use of the A/C and the fact that this was a particularly humid June. Still gotta pay that sucker. I never say it enough she is the most brilliant person I know!

 

[Kojak]

there are alot of stories that the new meters have resulted in higher electric bills because the companies that are reading them can just easily bump up the money and noone can fight it - let's face it, they made it much easier for criminal behaviour - what did they expect

some of the biggest problems so far have been in england

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

there are alot of stories that the new meters have resulted in higher electric bills because the companies that are reading them can just easily bump up the money and noone can fight it - let's face it, they made it much easier for criminal behaviour - what did they expect

some of the biggest problems so far have been in england

I believe it. I'm in the U.S. , but I live a little hick town in Oklahoma. Our Electric Company is owned/ran by the City.

LOL I wouldn't say our city and county have corruption issues...BUUUUUT the former commissioner for our district and the current commissioner for district 2 were indited for embezzlement. Our former District Attorney was brought up on charges, and they tried to kick her out of office after she refuse to prosecute a child molestation case saying that a " 6 yr old and 8 old" consented! We got rid of her by voting her tuckus out of office. The former county clerk was suspected of embezzlement, voted her out. Oh lol Here's a good one - one of our former city managers was fired and jailed for embezzlement and then when he got out; they HIRED HIM BACK! Didn't last long though, LMAO! It seems he didn't pay taxes on that money he stole, so he went to "Club Fed".

Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if they did stick it to us, they got those new meters and a 21 million dollar water treatment plant to pay for. Nothing surprises me in this town, anymore.

 

[HoneythornGump]

There are also legitimate health concerns as well as privacy concerns with the smart Meters.

They're total BS in my opinion, and should be done away with completely.

Anyone interested should read up and watch some documentaries on Smart Meters.

 

[Nexus]

There are also legitimate health concerns as well as privacy concerns with the smart Meters.

They're total BS in my opinion, and should be done away with completely.

Anyone interested should read up and watch some documentaries on Smart Meters.

That's true, if I'm not mistaken some give off a type of radiation that's been listed as a Class 2B Carcinogen, then again so have cell phones.

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

There are also legitimate health concerns as well as privacy concerns with the smart Meters.

They're total BS in my opinion, and should be done away with completely.

Anyone interested should read up and watch some documentaries on Smart Meters.

That's true, if I'm not mistaken some give off a type of radiation that's been listed as a Class 2B Carcinogen, then again so have cell phones.

TY, both I did not know that! I will be checking into that! TY

 

[Kirthag]

hawaii sorta outlawed smart meters due to privacy concerns as most of them just broadcast information without any controls. the outfit that proposed them to us here used bluetooth tech which any bluetooth device could pick up.

 

[HoneythornGump]

That's true, if I'm not mistaken some give off a type of radiation that's been listed as a Class 2B Carcinogen, then again so have cell phones.

Not sure if your being facetious....

I imagine cell phones, much like cigarettes, we will see warnings as people become ill in the next 10+ years from prolonged exposure. I predict in the not so near future consumers will be advised not to talk on cellphones for long periods of time, or hold them close to your head, similar to "Don't smoke", "Don't drink", and "Don't do drugs" campaigns we've seen growing up. Keep the cell phone at least 3-5 feet away from you etc....

As for SMART Meters anyone interested should check out this documentary.
There was zero due diligence in terms of safety on the part of the Public Utility companies.

It's worth researching, especially those of you with kids. Find out where your smart meter is, what kind it is, and make sure it isn't on the other side of the wall, where you or your children are sleeping right next to it, and getting prolonged exposure.

 

[Captn Norrington]

Cleaned this thread up a bit, please keep the thread on topic and do not insult each other.

 

[Vor]

Hope you can get it sorted.

 

[Flutter]

So are you going to just not have electric?

 

[Nexus]

Not sure if your being facetious....

You mentioned health concerns, I just brought up one that's been mentioned in connection to the Digital meters.

 

[MalagAste]

I can say this for certain... ANYWHERE I have EVER lived I don't live there long before they put in a "new" watermeter that instantly tripples my bill. I've actually bitched about this at City Hall before.

I don't really use that much water. I don't drink much water at all mostly buy the bottled stuff if I do. I don't do much dishes since I honestly don't eat at home much, I take a short 10 min shower, don't use the tub and only do laundry once every two weeks... so my water usage is minimal at best. And no matter where I've lived they think instantly that something is "up". I don't wash my car or water my lawn like most folk.... so hell... I know exactly where your coming from.

It has happened to me in every town I've ever lived... I've only won the argument once. And before I moved into this place I warned the Landlord about it and he put his foot down and wouldn't let them do it here. But it sure pisses me off that they get away with installing these meters that IMO are designed to tripple or double your supposed usage. I know damn well that I don't use that much water.

It's one of those things I've always hoped that they would do a special 20/20 investigation on. I often feel bad for anyone moving into somewhere after I've lived there. Must really suck to be someone that uses a lot of water and having to pay tripple the amount for it. I wonder if they ever come back and replace the meter again.

 

[Gamer_Goblin]

The money sucking tactics are getting out of hand. And to hear they're forcing the elderly into talking about it when they clearly have a family member there handling it just gets my blood boiling. The whole setting of processes and rules down on paper and not using common sense is ruining this world. Not just the country.

Reminds me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy and the race that needed forms and papers to do everything.

 

[Goldberg-Chessy]

I don't know for how long or anything. Thanks to the jerks that run the city municipal electric company and their bill. You can read my screaming rampage here.

So what do keep, what do I toss? Should I sell my collections like AoS clothes and Roses? Should I sell the few event rares we have? I am at a loss, what do you do with 13 yrs worth of crap, armor, weapons, and memories? I'm upset and worried. Trying to figure out what to do.

What am I missing? You don't have a mortgage to pay correct?
You live with your mom and you can't afford to pay for a couple of UO accounts?
I think that you have bigger things to worry about than your few event rares no offense

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

So are you going to just not have electric?

It's not that simple. I'm just going to have to tight my belt. I guess college will be put on hold, while I go to work. Ugh! then those student loans will kick in.

What I will do for certain is the very best I can for me and my parents.

 

[Zosimus]

Donate plazma. I did it in college for extra drinking money but in your case it be for the electric bill.

I cant remember if they paid for blood at the college campus or not. lol

Maybe turn off some unneeded stuff that isn't really being used. You know if you leave a phone/ipad charger plugged in even if it isn't charging anything it is still using electricity.

I did some research for you and for 10 bucks you can build a portable ac unit that uses way less electricity than a AC or forced air unit.

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

The money sucking tactics are getting out of hand. And to hear they're forcing the elderly into talking about it when they clearly have a family member there handling it just gets my blood boiling. The whole setting of processes and rules down on paper and not using common sense is ruining this world. Not just the country.

Reminds me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy and the race that needed forms and papers to do everything.

Volgons, thats the race your thinking about. Yes, I've encounter this before. It was worse when I helped care for my Grandma, they didn't want to speak to 25 yr old granddaughter. I'm much older now, its my parents and I still run into.

This Municipal Electric they don't offer an averaged bill like PSO. PSO offers rebates if you get a new energy efficient a/c or other major energy saving appliance. PSO also offers rebate to people who are building a home for energy saving stuff they do. Our Municipal Electric offers squatt, will not work with anyone and does not care if a customer has a serious medical condition that turning off their electric would exacerbate.

A couple of years ago our lovely electric co. turn off the electricity on an elderly woman who was on OXYGEN! She nearly died. Her daughter was livid, I believe there was a mix up in the bill. Anyway the daughter raised hell and the local paper shamed them. The poor lady got her electric turned back on.

Mix ups with that bunch is no surprise. They turned off my parents electricity once for non-payment, BUT my mom had paid it that month. She checked with the bank, the check had cleared and they even printed her a copy of the cancelled check. Mom confronted the electric co and they kept arguing. She showed them the cancelled check and said WTH did you do with my money? They started looking and the IDIOTS had applied the payment to the WRONG account. I don't trust them any farther than I could throw em. It wouldn't surprise me if they were jerking with the electricity.

All I can do is the best that I can and take it one day at a time(even if I do like to plan ahead).

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

Donate plazma. I did it in college for extra drinking money but in your case it be for the electric bill.

I cant remember if they paid for blood at the college campus or not. lol

Maybe turn off some unneeded stuff that isn't really being used. You know if you leave a phone/ipad charger plugged in even if it isn't charging anything it is still using electricity.

I did some research for you and for 10 bucks you can build a portable ac unit that uses way less electricity than a AC or forced air unit.

I hadn't thought about blood!! I pick up aluminum cans and sell em. There's lots of them out here because these goobers come out to the boonies, drink and dump their beer cans. I just walk up and down my road and bag them up. I'm gonna check and see which place pays, I know Red Cross don't.

 

[Zosimus]

When I was at Pitt University they had a clinic on campus that paid us at the time. I didn't donate blood. My blood was probably more alcohol than blood at the time Price of an education and all

 

[GarthGrey]

I"m sorry for offering very little to this thread, but is the bottom line, you're cancelling some UO accounts because you can't pay your electric bill ? I read your other thread too, just curious.

Nevermind, just saw your "pick up aluminum cans" post..nevermind.......

 

[GarthGrey]

I've lived here for 14 years and never heard of any house burning due to a smart meter fire. That would be an astronomical lawsuit and MLGW would have to change its name to the last person that sued the s**t out of them.

 

[Aran]

It's not that simple. I'm just going to have to tight my belt. I guess college will be put on hold, while I go to work. Ugh! then those student loans will kick in.

What I will do for certain is the very best I can for me and my parents.

You could always get a part time job and still go to school.

 

[MalagAste]

Yes find somewhere to Donate Plasma. You can do it fairly often and they do pay... sometimes dependent on what type of blood you have they pay more. My son and his friends think about doing it all the time.

Cans and bottles are certainly another good way to earn a few bucks and it helps the environment! Up here at least in the spring/summer you can earn money bean walking, rock picking and detassling. Though I hate detassling. I did that ONE time... won't ever do it again. Was always good money. Sometimes you can get money bailing hay. Rock picking I'd never heard of till I moved up to the north part of the state... but apparently up more north near Minn. the old glaciers during the ice ages dropped a ton of larger rocks in this area which eventually work their way up through the topsoil to where they do significant damage to the farm equipment and in the spring after the thaws farmers hire folk to pick them up out of the fields.

 

[Merlin]

Hopefully you're going to school and studying something useful... not some BS like art history, theater, gender studies or other liberal arts crap major.

 

[Zosimus]

May as well say it....

I'm a republican and yes, I do care about the environment, so picking up aluminum cans is good for the environment and adds a little cash to your purse. Hopefully the city you lives in recycles plastics and papers and I hope you contribute to it. So there is a republican that does care about global warming and our environment

Do so odd jobs for the neighbors if you can. In summers between school and football practice I would mow yards and work the concessions stand at the city park.

You could always work part time as a waitress. They make good tips if it is a good place to eat. I was standing in line at the grocery store one day and a woman was talking to another woman about working a double shift at Olive Garden and made 849 bones. Now of course I thought she may be exaggerating but she was still in her uniform and pulled out this huge amount of money to pay for her food. I know I tip good when I go out

 

[Captn Norrington]

Hopefully you're going to school and studying something useful... not some BS like art history, theater, gender studies or other liberal arts crap major.

Not all Liberal Arts majors are bad, they just have to be used in a very specific way to become profitable. For example, with a degree in "art history" as you mentioned, the person would have the chance to become a professional art historian and work for a museum being paid big bucks to identify and categorize paintings. Assuming they are really good at what they do at least.

As the old saying goes, "do what you love and the money will come". If a person works extremely hard at something, they can succeed and make a good living off it regardless of what it is. Not all people trying to do that will succeed of course, but that's the risk people take to pursue the degree and field of study they enjoy the most. Demeaning certain types of degrees as "less useful" than others seems wrong to me, they are each useful in their own distinct ways.

 

[Merlin]

Demeaning certain types of degrees as "less useful" than others seems wrong to me, they are each useful in their own distinct ways.

I disagree here. There are ALOT of completely BS degrees and areas of study. I bet 9 out of 10 "art history majors" end up working at Starbucks and living with their parents. These degrees and majors need to be ridiculed so those starry-eyed 18 year olds don't make the mistake of borrowing a fortune to go to school to learn something that isn't going to pay out. And frankly, many of these areas of study don't really even deserve our respect either. College debt is a huge problem for a lot of people... but I feel little sympathy for those who didn't consider the consequences of studying something more useful.

I will use myself as an example. My freshmen year at Syracuse University, my majors were going to be international relations and political science with a focus on Federal policy. Upon looking into the job market for this, unless I spoke 3+ languages or would've been willing to leave the USA for work, there wasn't going to be any real international relations jobs out there that paid more than $50,000. Too many people out there for too few jobs. And on the political side, things were looking bleak for conservatives when I was in school (2004-2008) and I didn't want to make my job dependent on a certain political party winning and losing elections. My best option would've been to earn peanuts answering phone calls for a Congressmen or doing really menial campaign work. For a $45,000 per year tuition bill, I couldn't justify taking such a huge risk and switched into accounting and finance in the business school my sophomore year. Having worked in the finance field for 8 years now, I am just on the cusp of being a one percenter. I certainly didn't pick accounting out of love, and as it turns out I missed the boat with being able to be apart of the Chris Christie team in NJ because my parents were friends with him going back a couple decades. However, that decision to change majors from something I loved to something more 'useful' was best piece of advice I ever took. Following your heart is jibberish IMHO.

 

[Gamer_Goblin]

LOL Merlin I agree with you, but wish you hadn't used yourself as an example. What kind of idjit expects to go into International Relations major and not travel or learn foreign languages? And it's always been like that in politics. (Read in a lighthearted tone, please.) LOL

 

[Merlin]

LOL Merlin I agree with you, but wish you hadn't used yourself as an example. What kind of idjit expects to go into International Relations major and not travel or learn foreign languages? And it's always been like that in politics. (Read in a lighthearted tone, please.) LOL

Haha. Fair enough - but let me elaborate just a little more then. I thought being fluent in two languages would be enough - but a lot of IR jobs needed 3 at a minimum. Some of the other students in the program who applied for UN jobs knew five languages. I just was never going to get to that level of knowledge of languages.

And maybe I wasn't specific enough about the travel thing... I wouldn't have minded traveling (I did a semester abroad in London and saw as much of Europe as I could on a limited budget), but in the IR field alot of the opportunities would've required having to travel completely on your own dime for jobs that pay rather poorly (if at all). Really... half of the internship opportunities in that field of study were unpaid and out of the country. Didn't have rich parents who could just fund me that type of $$$ and wasn't aware of this upfront. I also had no intention to basically have to take a vow of poverty to do this type of work. My love for it wasn't as strong as I thought... it was one of those starry-eyed ideas from an 18 year old who didn't know any better.

 

[Lord Frodo]

I disagree here. There are ALOT of completely BS degrees and areas of study. I bet 9 out of 10 "art history majors" end up working at Starbucks and living with their parents.

No most of them become professional athletes who can barely speak but play a damn good game of ball, how else would they stay in college with a scholarship.

 

[Slayvite]

I believe it. I'm in the U.S. , but I live a little hick town in Oklahoma. Our Electric Company is owned/ran by the City.

Not Bristow???? I lived next door in Sapulpa for 2 years

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

Not Bristow???? I lived next door in Sapulpa for 2 years

LOL Try in Rogers County! Did ya see on the local news our former commissioner indited by the grand jury! They also showed him when he got arrested doing the "perp-walk" in handcuffs. LMAO Considering there's no love loss between him and the sheriff's dept. I bet the sheriff's dept. rather enjoyed "cuffin' and stuffin' " him. Local and State politics here are better entertainment than most stuff on TV.

To take load off everyone's mind no BS degree. Bachelor's of Business Administration with study emphasis on Forensic Accounting.
I'll have plenty of job options after graduation.

 

[Aran]

LOL Try in Rogers County! Did ya see on the local news our former commissioner indited by the grand jury! They also showed him when he got arrested doing the "perp-walk" in handcuffs. LMAO Considering there's no love loss between him and the sheriff's dept. I bet the sheriff's dept. rather enjoyed "cuffin' and stuffin' " him. Local and State politics here are better entertainment than most stuff on TV.

To take load off everyone's mind no BS degree. Bachelor's of Business Administration with study emphasis on Forensic Accounting.
I'll have plenty of job options after graduation.

I dunno, all jokes aside I don't know how much employment capital a fresh out of college ~40 year old with a decade long employment gap will have in Smalltown, Oklahoma, if you aren't willing to move away from your mother to find The Right Job.

 

[kelmo]

And this is why I no longer moderate.

 

[Gamer_Goblin]

While lurking I never did get your problem with discussions on forums. Very odd for a moderator of forums. I think Captn Norrington did admirably. Both our posts are a bit derailing though now.

Anyways, Jirel, surprise bills definitely suck. Valid or not... and your mom could always move around with you. I trained at Fort Sill Oklahoma. It is pretty barren out there.

 

[kelmo]

We left UO discussion when?

 

[kelmo]

I will go back to lurking. Ya never know how the wind blows. Come see me on the Siege forums. I still try to hang out there.

 

[S_S]

Well it's obvious you aren't packing/leaving or going anywhere, so this thread is useless now.
IBTL?

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

Well it's obvious you aren't packing/leaving or going anywhere, so this thread is useless now.
IBTL?

Well it's obvious you aren't packing/leaving or going anywhere, so this thread is useless now.
IBTL?

WTH... The accounts are paid for this month. After that I don't know. Jeez its Monday, so everybody lets go get snarky.

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

I dunno, all jokes aside I don't know how much employment capital a fresh out of college ~40 year old with a decade long employment gap will have in Smalltown, Oklahoma, if you aren't willing to move away from your mother to find The Right Job.

Decade? I left my job in 2010. Try 5 years.

 

[Captn Norrington]

Ok, everyone I completely understand that you all have a personal relationship with the old staff, but there is no need to be bashing them, they are no longer on staff, so it might be best just to let the past be the past.

Regarding the earlier discussion about on topic and off topic posts, we are very aware that not everyone who posts on gaming forums want to talk about the game 100% of the time, and we are completely fine with you guys talking about other things as long as it doesn't completely derail the thread or anything like that.

Forums are designed to be places for the community to talk with their online friends and the rest of the community, if the posters would like to talk about things that are not game related, we do not see a problem with that and it actually helps build the community since it allows people to get to know each other on a deeper level, which helps friendships become stronger.

 

[Uriah Heep]

I agree 100%! The old mods locked every thread of interest. Uhall and UOStratics became completely stale as a result not to mention a large number of forum users just quit posting and visiting UOStratics.

UOStratics is WAY BETTER since the old mods left, one in particular was absolutely horrible (horrible isn't even the right word). Thank god SHE is gone. I broke out champagne the day she was resigning as a moderator on these forums.
Thank God for that...Your not missed....at all.

Hey. I was a Kelmo fan! I like his sense of humor

 

[Kirthag]

I bet 9 out of 10 "art history majors" end up working at Starbucks and living with their parents.

Starbucks pays their people rather well...
My cousin (here to take care of her father's final expenses and such) is a barista for Starbucks. She has a bachelors' in accounting. She makes $30/hr + tips. She loves her job. Making payments on her own place, even helps to support her mother.

Flip it over - I have no college education, busted my arse to get the money to pay for certain courses and certifications in Java, Oracle and SQL, RedHat and more to became top in ecommerce development with management and corporate level experience. No one wants to hire me as I "know too much". I live on 'ohana property, helping out best I can with itty-bitty gigs and contracts; all of my money goes to the upkeep of the family estate. I love my chosen career, but am now on a DoD waitlist for trade work at Pearl Harbor.

If I moved back east, I'd have work in a New York minute making 6-figures again as a web developer (what I love) - but Hawaii is a totally different mindset and employers don't see the value in what I offer.

Every place and situation is different.

 

[Lord Nabin]

Go with glow Sticks and ice blocks for a start

In regards to the old moderators, They did a great job.

Things were much more positive back then and a lot less stupid drama.

I have nothing against our current team but it is hard to compete with those years of experience. You are getting through the learning curve

 

[Aran]

Decade? I left my job in 2010. Try 5 years.

Five years, a decade, a big gap is a big gap. I'm not trying to insult you, just put things into perspective.


We all know it'd be really obvious if I was going for insult.

 

[Lord Frodo]

I love my chosen career, but am now on a DoD waitlist for trade work at Pearl Harbor.

Hope you are ready for some sticker shock and the island is great and new for the first 6 months to a year then island fever sets in and you can't wait to get back to the 48.