I've been using the website/app Bounts for a little over a month now I think. I'm really liking it. I did upgrade to a paid plan because I thought I could check in to my local gym here ... but so far, that's a no go. Anyway, I've earned nearly 1000 points so far. Just need 300 more for a $10 Walmart gift card.

A couple weeks ago they had a challenge where you had to do 5 activities in one week for a bonus 50 points. Got it.

Starting tomorrow there's a challenge to do 50k steps by Friday for a bonus 50. Will do it!!

You also get 10 bonus points for working out on Saturdays, and 5 bonus points for sharing your workout status on Facebook. (Note - you can set it to post only to yourself. That's what I do for most of the apps that ask to post on FB for me ..)

If you're interested in trying bounts out, and would like to give me some referral points My referral code is: laura1828 The website is bounts.com. If you are UK based, you'll have a much wider selection of giftcards and points opportunities.

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I finally got another Pinecone survey today, so will be able to cash in for $15 by Monday probably.

I'm kind of wondering if I should have cashed out some of my stock when I was considering it earlier ... lost about $30/stock since I first considered cashing in for a house ... Oh well, I have faith it'll go back up. Eventually.

I had some woman from Madison call today asking about our shuttle service to the big game tomorrow. She spent most of the call letting me know how arse-backwards our transit system is here. How nice. :roll eyes: As if I don't get enough of that from city residents.

I had someone else call and complain because the bus was ten+ minutes late at a major transfer point. After finding out that it was coming off another route which ran late, I told that to the woman. She then starts moaning and groaning about how she was late for an appointment, and so and so was late for tutoring, and on and on. Seriously - do you really thing I can do anything about that?! Do you really think the bus is running late on purpose? Just to make your life miserable?

SO glad the week is over.

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Stepping on slight soap box ...

NE and I were talking about what Ben Carson said about what he would do if he was in a similar situation as the Oregon state students. He agreed with me that if he were in a similar situation, that he'd hope that he would find the courage to rush the gunperson. I KNOW that if I was in that situation as a teacher, I would do whatever it took ... but when it's not my students lives on the line .. I would hope that I would choose to go down fighting.

We also talked about the backlash Carson got from this statement. I think that it was kind of an unfair question for him in the first place - making him put himself in those students shoes. I also think that he wasn't saying that he thought he was better than those who didn't fight, but that he thought he would do it differently.

NE and I agreed that the mentality of lay back and take it, or negotiate, negotiate, negotiate, here in the US especially may be coming to an end as these horrible events keep piling up. Soon maybe there'll be more incidences like on the Paris train where people choose to fight.

Let me make myself clear - I am NOT blaming the victims at all. I'm just saying that I think it is the generally taught/accepted mentality of people in the US - to NOT fight. Running and hiding are good first options, but by the time you are trapped in a room with a man ordering people to stand up and state their religion ... the time to fight has come. We just have to change our mindset to do it for real.

Tripping off soap box ...