I want to try to invest at least a portion of my Amazon earnings (Amazon Associates program) back into Amazon (AMZN) stock. Amazon has been very good to me. I think they are good company and will be around for a while. So hopefully I will buy a little more each quarter, if not more often.
I may also try to invest some of my Google earnings (Google Adsense) back into to Google (GOOG) stock as well, though my Google earnings aren’t anywhere near my Amazon earnings.
I finally got my Amazon payment. I placed an order for $1000 of EEM which is an emerging markets fund (ETF) from iShares. This was done in my wife’s Roth IRA, and will bring hers to the max of $4000 for the 2005 tax year. I chose EEM because it has been doing well in mine. I already have a bunch of IYR, though I will probably buy more when I start buying for the 2006 tax year. I still have some money from my Amazon payment left. I also have a few checks including one from Google that I need to cash. I may buy some more shares of something in my regular account…maybe a little more of Amazon.
These guys should have been tried a long time ago. Bastards! These guy’s and coherts such as Andy Fastow and greedy A-holes like them caused the collapse of the stock market. I did not even have a significant investment in Enron or any of the other companies that were involved in financial wrongdoing, but with money in the S&P 500 and other funds, I took a big hit anyway. My 401k which dropped to about 40% of it’s value, is finally back up to where it was. And it only took 5 years! And all of the employees of Enron, and the handfull company’s who lost their jobs and savings, while sons of bitches like these got rich. Ken Lay with those fat cheeks is going to make a nice bitch for some lonely prisoner with a name like Cletus or Bubba!
I heard tapes of some of these guys calling to have power stations taken off line to cause power shortages to drive the price of electricity up to make themselves rich all the while raping the end consumer. Now maybe Kenny and Jeffy will know what it’s like to be raped…literally! 
(from email dated 1/25 @ 6:46am)
Dear Amazon.com Associate,
It’s time again for referral fee payments to our Associates! December 31st marked the end of the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2005, and we have just sent payments to eligible Associates for the referral fees earned during the past quarter.
(from email dated 1/27 @ 9:29pm)
The following payment has been made by Amazon Services Inc.. It will be paid by bank transfer directly into your bank account.
Payment date: 30-JAN-2006
Huh? Was payment sent 1/25 or 1/27 or will it be sent on 1/30?
I just got off the phone with Amazon Associates support, and payments HAVE NOT been sent yet. Apparently payments were ‘released’ on 1/25. So when they said in the 1/25 email that “payment were just sent”, that was not true. And in the 1/27 that said payments had been sent, that was not true. He said that payments should be sent by the end of the month (either today or tomorrow). When I asked about the 1/30 payment date in the 1/27 email, he said that was not necessarily true either.
So I am still waiting for my payment!
I just scheduled to have my 2000 Honda Civic serviced. The timing belt is due to be replaced. I am going to have the water pump replaced at the same time. The labor is the same, and you are only paying for the parts. On my 1990 Honda Accord I had the timing belt replaced, but they never mentioned the water pump. The water pump failed a month and a half later. I ended up paying for all that labor AGAIN! The place should have recommended to have the water pump replaced. My other mechanic was surprised and said the water pump is commonly replaced be cause when a tight new timing belt is put on, it strains an already worn water pump. And since the water pump comes off anyway, they might as well replace it at the same time. I learned my lesson. I also have never use that service place again.
I will also get transmission fluid replaced. Brake fluid replaced, and what ever else I need to get replaced.
I am debating about a tune up. I can easily replace the spark plugs and wires, distributor cap and rotor, and fuel filter myself. I wouldn’t do any timing changes or anything. So I am thinking about letting them do the tune up as well.
90,000 miles and my car is still running great, though my milage has dropped a little lately, but I think that is simply because it needs a tune up. I have never done one since I bought the car used at 40,000 miles.