Q: Getting a lower interest rate is usually just a matter of negotiating. To be successful, all you have to do is come prepared. Know how much money you want, how much interest you'd like to pay, and what rate is going to be too high for you to make a deal before walking in or calling up. Financially stable people with decent (650+) credit scores have the best chance to negotiate rates. Call up your credit card company and let them know that you've found better rates on other cards. If you're a regular customer who pays on time, they will likely try to keep your business. Talk to your banker about the lowest possible rate they can give. Research other options so you can point to other offers. Be wary of variable APR or interest -- it may look appealing at first, but these "deals" often turn into exorbitantly high interest rates after 1-2 years. The accrual rate determines when interest is added to principal. So, if it is really high (such as daily) it means that whatever interest is unpaid at the end of the day gets added to principle. This means the next month's interest payment will be even higher since you have a higher principle. For example, note how a $100,000 loan with a 4% interest rate is compounded three different ways: Yearly: $110,412.17 Monthly: $110,512.24 Daily: $110,521.28 Remember that interest is taken as a percentage of principle. Simply said -- the more you owe, the more money you pay in interest. If you can pay off some of the principle every month along with the interest, you may not lower your rate. But you will definitely lower your payments. Interest can be thought of as the cost of borrowing money. Either you pay someone for it, or your bank pays you to "borrow" the money in a savings account. Either way, you should know the rates before signing any paperwork. Auto: 4-7% Home: 3-6% Personal Loans: 5-9% Credit Cards: 18-22% Payday Loans: 350-500% . The safer an account is, like a savings account, CD, or bond, the less money it usually returns in interest. That said, this sort of guaranteed, but slow growth, can be powerful when saving for retirement. Other accounts with higher interest rates will make you more money, but with more associated risk or stipulations attached. Savings Accounts: 1-2% CD 1-2% US Bonds (over 30 years): 3-4% 401k & IRA: 6-10%
A: Talk to your bankers to negotiate a lower interest rate. Choose a less-frequent accrual rate to pay less in interest. Pay more than your interest whenever possible, no matter the interest rate. Monitor common interest rates before getting a loan. Know the interest rates on any investments to money wisely.

Q: In general, stream-of-consciousness writing is tied to a particular character, as it is intended to illustrate the inner thought patterns of that character. For the character's thoughts, you could choose a multitude of topics, related or unrelated. This could include people, events, dreams, emotions, activities, items, or anything else. It's sometimes easier to start with a broader topic if it's the first time you've written stream-of-consciousness. Literally any topic will do, as long as you have something to say about it even if it doesn't seem like much at first. Using this method, you can connect topics that seem unrelated. For example, you could begin discussing a certain character who loves roses and then immediately switch to a childhood memory of your mother's rose bushes. This is the way thoughts often work in our heads so it is also a great way to show how a character thinks and connects ideas in their mind. You don't need to capitalize, punctuate, or even spell correctly. If necessary, make up a word to suit your needs. The point is to get your creative juices flowing, not to focus on line-editing what you write or how you are portraying your character's thoughts. Remember that the point of this style of writing is to mirror how thoughts naturally flow through our heads, and people don't typically think in complete sentences with perfect grammar. Ignore sentence structure. You could do an entire page of adjectives, verbs, or nouns related to your topic. Or you could do short phrases, or whatever else comes to mind, as long as it illustrates the character's thought patterns in a pointed, methodical way. Spend some time away from the writing so that you can look over it with fresh eyes. Think about what you wrote and if it seems to be accomplishing the goal you set out to achieve. Go through several drafts if you plan to use your writing for a formal paper or reorganize your ideas so they make cohesive sense. Switch tasks for a little while before coming back to your writing. It doesn't matter if it's a few hours or a few days as long as you come back to your writing with a fresh outlook. This type of writing can allow you to provide interesting insights or connections that people normally wouldn't see. It's valuable to save this work for future reference to look back over what kinds of connections you made between ideas. Even if it's weird or bad, make sure you save your writing. You may want to come back to it at a later time or include it elsewhere in your work. Stream of consciousness writing is often used to display the interior monologues of characters in stories. This form of writing is meant to replicate the fast-flowing, free-associating way our brains automatically work when we are thinking inside our own heads. So the inner monologue is a stream of often disconnected thoughts, ideas, or subjects. Many famous authors have implemented this strategy in their writing including James Joyce, William Faulkner, and Virginia Woolf. One of the best ways to master any given style of writing is by reading examples where it is done well. If you find yourself struggling, spend some time reading some texts that focus on the stream-of-consciousness style. You could try reading "Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf, Ulysses by James Joyce or As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.
A: Choose a character or topic. Forget conventional grammar. Revise. Illustrate inner thoughts and feelings. Read other examples of this writing style.

Q: Use a slightly larger (by 2mm or so) drill bit than your bolts; this gives us a margin of error in case we position them slightly wrong later on. This will take rather a long time.
A:
Drill these holes out.