A Place To Write About ... Anything

CNN Fires Jewish Reporters

2012-02-12T05:36:00.000-08:00

CNN had, in the past, managed to display some semblance of non-biased reporting of events in Israel by sending both a Jewish and a Muslim reporter out on stories. Now, the slant of CNN stories from Israel will be totally questionable. With the excuse of having to downsize due to financial issues, CNN fired its Israeli bureau's four Jewish reporters and retained the four Arab reporters.

The media scandal that you are about to read was revealed to us by a totally reliable source.

It is likely to provoke a wave of shock and indignation within the North American media industry, and it certainly will not calm down the controversy over the pro-palestinian CNN treatment of the conflict.

We learned today that the Israeli branch of CNN, located in Jerusalem, is downsizing to cope with reduced income from less advertising.

What goes beyond good management is that CNN has fired four Israeli Jewish journalists (out of a crew of 8), and has retained only Arab journalists. Where, until now, CNN always sent a Jewish and an Arab journalist to cover information, now there will be only an Arab journalist. The local chief editor of the News Chanel is now Arabic.

This is a conflict where information is central to public opinion, and it weighs a lot on diplomatic decisions. Furthermore, it is no secret that Arab journalists cannot freely publish what they want without risking for their own lives when traveling to Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Judea Samaria. Thus, CNN decision to fire all Jewish journalists from its Jerusalem office is of particular concern, because the general public is unaware that they will be receiving biased information from CNN.

You can republish this article as long as you mention the source with the link below:
© Jean-Patrick Grumberg for www.Dreuz.info

The Ultimate Gift for Valentine’s Day

2012-02-07T02:43:00.000-08:00

With red the color of Valentine’s Day what could be a better gift for your best girl than the ghd Scarlet Collection. This is a new and limited edition of the ghd Gold Classic styler, transformed with bold red accents and celebrating the glamour and glitz of the 1920s – this winter’s alluring and enchanting trend. Inspired by the loud and wild roaring 20’s, the new slick ghd flat irons styler offers women the opportunity to create the most alluring look of the decade and is available as two luxurious gift set options.

Available for a limited time, the two limited editions are presented in an indulgent art deco gift set. The Scarlet Collection includes a beautiful heat resistant red satin styler roll bag, holding perfectly the limited edition red plated stylers, 2 sectioning clips and a protective plate guard.

For the frequent traveler, the Scarlet Collection Deluxe includes a compact ghd travel hair dryer and styler clutch bag, both encased in a deep red vanity case – definitely making it a perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your girl on the go.

A Caring Valentine's Day Gift

2012-02-06T05:46:00.000-08:00

It can be hard finding the perfect Valentine's Day gift, especially if you have been with your special other for a long time. So instead of that box of candy or bouquet of flowers, consider a caring gift such as Valentine’s Day glasses. Zenni Optical has beautiful glasses that can be perfect for a Valentine’s Day gift. A gift of eyeglasses is not only thoughtful and caring but also something your loved one can use every day.

At Zenni Optical you can find the perfect pair that is both stylish and affordable. As the #1 online eyeglass site, Zenni Optical offers $6.95 prescription eyeglasses. These high quality glasses are made available at unbelievably low prices. One of Zenni Optical’s sources of pride is being able to provide these extremely high quality glasses at prices anyone can afford.

Included in the price of all Zenni Optical glasses are anti-scratch coating, full UV protection, a protective case and a microfiber cleaning cloth. Shipping for entire order is only $4.95 and is free for orders over $50.00. Progressives are available from $28.90 and bifocals from $23.95. Both premium anti-glare and sunglass tint are only $4.95 each.

With an easy to use website and quick turnaround time, think about Zenni Optical this Valentine’s Day.

Customize a Family Cookbook

2012-01-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

I think this is such a cool idea. Do you have a bunch of recipes that are family favorites, recipes you'd like to be able to pass along to other family members? Well, here's your chance to do it in a beautiful published cookbook format. What a great gift this would make!

50% Discount on Pexagon Technology

2012-01-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

Looking for personalized technology and technology accessories? How about your own unique iPhone case? Flash drives with your company's logo on it? If you are looking to customize your school, company or government office technology, Pexagon Technology is the place to shop.

Express Scripts Inc. Nixes Walgreens

2012-01-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Just been made aware that Walgreens and Express Scripts have gone separate ways and through no fault of Walgreens. I decided to read a bit deeper into what occurred because my dad was a veteran and during his last years I was handling his legal paperwork, including medical claims. As a veteran he had TriCare, the defense department’s pharmacy benefit. This was administered by Express Scripts which meant I had personal dealings with them.

Based upon what I read, our current military personnel, plus our veterans, will no longer be able to use Walgreens to fill their prescriptions. So how did this happen? Digging deeper I found that Express Scripts wanted a contract that not only gave it more control over defining what is and is not a generic but would also reimburse Walgreens at a lower rate than the national average.

If you have been a Walgreens and Express Scripts client and want to be able to still use Walgreens to fill your prescriptions, make your voice heard. Contact your local media. Support Walgreens by liking Walgreens on Facebook and follow Walgreens on Twitter. In the meantime, save money on your prescriptions by taking advantage of a special annual membership discount on the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens .

Movie Sword-Fight Master

2012-01-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

I just read the obituary of Bob Anderson who was the master of many movie sword fights. He was 89 and had been an Olympian and movie sword master, not only staging many sword duels but sometimes stepping into the roll.

Who knew that he became Darth Vader? Apparently not very many people. He worked for over five decades, with actors from Errol Flynn to Antonio Banderas.

He was 89 when he died and seems like he will sorely be missed.

(For the full story, click the link above.)

Review: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

2011-12-27T05:11:00.000-08:00

I went to see the American version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I have read all the books in the series. Rented through Netflix, I've also watched all three of the Swedish movies.

I thought the Swedish movies were fantastic. We watched it with English subtitles rather than the dubbed version. (I tend to find dubbed versions distracting as I watch the movie and the words don't match the lips.) Watching it on DVD at home gave us the ability, of course, to go back if we missed a few words. Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace are fantastic. Noomi, in my opinion, became Lisbeth. The movies closely followed the books and, I expected, would be a tough act to follow.

So I went to see TGWTDT with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara and, in my opinion, it did not live up to the hype. Side stories that were ignored in the Swedish version, such as Mikael's relationship with his editor, were given time in this version and, to me, distracted from the main plot. The ending was changed in the search for the missing Harriet, an ending I thought was particularly touching in the book and, of course, the Swedish version.

BTW, if you go to see this new version, be prepared for extremely 'dark' titles. Certainly meant to set the tone of the movie, I found them unsettling and closed my eyes until the movie started. Might seem strange considering what goes on in the plot. That gives you an idea how dark it really is.

Long story, short version: If you loved the books, watch the Swedish movies and skip the Craig/Mara version.

Internet Access Is Slow

2011-12-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

My Internet access has slowed to a crawl. It is taking forever to open some windows. Forget watching a video.

Everyone is home today (unless they are shopping, of course). There is no question in my mind that the bandwidth in my area is not large enough to handle the traffic when it reaches a certain point. It's frustrating for someone like myself who needs to check multiple websites for writing assignments.

Which, I admit, aren't too many around the holidays. So I think I'll just grab a book, plop onto the couch, and read.

It's Been A While

2011-12-24T05:55:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've written here. I have a very good excuse.

I do freelance writing and I got an assignment. I received twenty titles and had to write 300-500 words for each article and complete the assignment within a week.

The subject of all the titles had to do with federal income tax. The job took a lot of time and a lot of research. The pay was excellent but I definitely earned it.

So everything else went by the wayside, including posting to this blog.

Anyway, the assignment went well and I might get some more titles next week. Looking forward to it. The pay is good.

A Great Way to Get Into The Holiday

2011-12-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

Is this fantastic or what?

I was reading about the K-Mart shoppers who are paying off the layaway for complete strangers. What a fabulous way to share the holiday spirit.

You can read the complete story here:

Anonymous donors pay off Kmart layaway accounts

Bait and Switch Tactics

2011-12-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Actually, it would be bait and switch if there was something to switch to. This time it was only bait.

Saw a Target ad today for a laptop. Price was really good but small print said limited quantities and no rain check.

Figuring they wouldn't have any, I went out, anyway, to my local Target.

Of course they didn't have any but I wasn't prepared for what the salesman told me. He 'thinks' the only store that had any was another location and 'that was a few weeks ago."

And yet it was in today's ad!

Retail Anyone?

2011-12-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

I have often thought about the possibility of having a retail store. I know exactly what kind of store I would have (to remain a secret for now). While not something that will happen in my immediate future, I have given it a lot of thought including whether or not I would accept credit cards.

It is hard being in business today and not accepting credit cards, Yet deciding which credit card processing company to use can be difficult. First is the question about whether or not I would really need this type of service. If I decide I do, how do I narrow all of the choices down to just one.

From being in business before I know there are a lot of things to consider. Of major consideration is the processing fee. I know that the credit card company takes a percentage of every sale. Obviously I would want that percentage to be as low as possible. And not only does the card company take a percentage, but often there is also a transaction fee on top of that. There could be a startup fee which is fortunately only a one time charge. There could be a monthly minimum fee, a statement fee, verification fees and the list goes on and on.

Then there is the decision to make about which credit cards to accept. Everyone seems to accept Visa and MasterCard. Are there additional costs for accepting Discover and/or American Express. And how will I accept the card information. Will I actually have a terminal in the store? Will it be part of my POS terminal? And how long will it take from the time the credit card is swiped until the funds are in my business’ bank account?

Fortunately there are web sites available that can assist in making this decision. With information on items such as rates and fees, account terms and account features, these sites, such as Elephant Review, provide a matrix of information. Whether it is a card company’s cancellation terms, technical support rating or total overall cost, information is available to assist in narrowing down the choice of processor until I find the one that will just right for me.

Make Money Online With GPT Sites

2011-12-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

My online money making started a bunch of years ago with GPT (Get Paid To) sites. At the time, I was making about $100 per month. There were a lot of sites and a lot of forums devoted to making money this way.

Then things changed and a lot of sites fell by the wayside, leaving many members unpaid (including myself!). So off I went looking for other ways to make money online and I haven't paid attention to GPT in quite some time.

As I previously posted, a lot of the sites I belonged to are now gone. But as I start going through my Roboform list of saved sites and passwords, I am finding that some of these GPT sites are still around and still paying.

Here are a few you might be interested in checking out:

I Got A Call from eBay

2011-12-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

Actually, my husband got the call because I wasn't home.

They had a special offer for me and wanted to know if my husband could get into my eBay account so they could 'help' me out.

My husband has no clue about my eBay account and, even if he did, there is no way he would pass that information along to anyone.

He was told to tell me to watch my email for a special offer.

Of course I haven't received any email from eBay about a special offer. Just for the heck of it,I even went online to my eBay site and there is no message waiting for me there.

So I'm sure this was just a scam.

Be careful!

Calgary Teddy Bear Toss

2011-12-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

What an absolutely fun and uplifting idea!

Fan of the Calgary Hitmen hockey team come to the game well prepared. At the first goal scored by a Hitmen member, thousands of teddy bears begin to rain down on the ice. All the bears are then donated to Alberta Children's Hospital.

Here is the link to this year's event ... and be sure to watch the videos. I loved listening to the children giggle.

Feedburner

2011-12-05T06:11:00.001-08:00

FIXED!

Thank goodness!

Making Money On Line Sites - GONE!

2011-12-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

I use Roboform to keep track of my log in and password information. I love it. It really helps me because I have submitted my blogs to lots of sites as ways to make money from them. With Roboform, I don't have to remember the sites, the log in or the passwords. All of it is saved by the Roboform software and logging in a easy.

Anyway, I belong to a ton of sites. Every now and then I click on a site's Roboform info to log in and check things out. Plus, I've got two new blogs and I'd like to add them to some of these money-making and traffic sites.

What I am finding is that a bunch of these sites no longer exist, such as Bloggereview and Bloggerwave. I was really surprised by the disappearance of Blogger Review. It was a tough site to get a blog accepted at. They had very high standards for blogs and writers.

Based upon my current experience, the high standards still exist but a lot of advertisers no longer want to pay anything near a decent going rate. One freelance writing site I monitor had advertisers offering less than a penny a word. I don't write for those advertisers unless I can wipe something off in a few minutes. I feel my time and my writing is worth more than that.

Oh well...back to working my way through my Roboform list to see what other sites no longer exist.

What happened with Feedburner?

2011-12-02T19:32:00.001-08:00

I use Feedburner to create feeds for my blogs. Feedburner is also the way my readers can subscribe to my blogs. And Feedburner tells me how many subscribers I have to each blog. The highest number of subscribers is to my travel blog ... not a heck of a lot ... mostly in the 40's range but over the past month the number has gone over 50 a couple of times.

I get very excited about this upswing in subscribers .... except when I looked at my travel blog tonight and saw that I had NO subscribers. WHAT?

Going to my Feeds page I discovered that NONE of my blogs have any subscribers which I know is not right. So where are they? I haven't a clue! I just hope Feedburner is having a minor hiccup and didn't lose my subscribers. That would make me REAL upset!!!

Here's hoping that by tomorrow everything will be back to normal.

Are Restaurants Required to Change Tablecloths?

2011-11-19T08:34:00.001-08:00

We ate out last night at a restaurant we've eaten at several times before. Typically it is not very busy.

Not so last night. It was a bit over half full and we were glad to see they were doing well ... until I saw diners leave and a waiter go over to their table to reset it.

He took a wet cloth napkin and wiped spots off the table. He then reset it. He did not change the tablecloth. Thinking it might have been overlooked, I carefully watched as other diners left. Only one table, where a child had made a mess, had the tablecloth changed. Otherwise it was just brushed clean.

It was all I could do to get the rest of my dinner down. In retrospect we should have just gotten up to walk out of the restaurant, telling the wait staff why. All I could think about was what might be in/on my tablecloth that my eating utensils were sitting on.

If the restaurant used paper mats, that would be different. But new places were set with serving pieces right on top of the same, used tablecloth. Aren't restaurants required to change clothes between diners? I'm thinking about calling the county Department of Health.

Make Money Tutoring

2011-11-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

If you have expertise in an academic area, you can make good money by tutoring.

One of the best sites to register as a tutor is WyzAnt. The site makes it easy for you to get your credentials 'out there'.

When you register as a tutor you pick the subject, you determine your rate and you decide how far you are willing to travel. WyzAnt takes care of the marketing and all you have to do is personalize your profile with your background information.

WyzAnt provides more job opportunities than other tutoring websites or agencies and most of their tutors find over half their business through WyzAnt.

All Natural Hand Made Soap on Sale

2011-11-15T08:15:00.000-08:00

Looking for a great stocking stuffer? Or maybe you need a small gift for someone at the office or a house gift for that holiday party you are attending?

Check out the soaps by Sudstress on Etsy. I have personally used these soaps and they are GREAT!

Right now a bunch are on clearance because they are getting close to the end of their shelf life. They might not smell as strong as when first made but I just bought a bunch anyway because the soap is wonderful. The soaps on sale are $3.25 each and if you can do without the fancy wrapping they are $3.00 each. I bought 8 which fits into a USPS envelope and ships for a flat $5.00 rate.

If you want to buy some of the clearance soaps, don't wait to order. I'm sure they'll be gone soon.

Funny Pictures - UberHumor.com

2011-11-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

Based upon the email I get from my sister, and what I see on my Facebook page, people love to share funny photos, pictures & videos. It is definitely a way to get a day started off with a lift and I have to admit I even pass along some of those emails.

Problem with this is that I have to wait for the emails to be forwarded to me. Or I have to wait until one of my Friends posts something funny on Facebook. I figure there has got to be an easier way to get my daily chuckle.

Enter the web site uberHumor.com. On a daily basis they search the Internet, looking for those funny pictures and videos. The pictures are funny although I have to admit they can sometimes be sexy and/or shocking. But they are almost always funny enough to keep site visitors coming back on a regular basis.

So for your daily chuckle check out uberHumor.com. Start your day off with a lift and a laugh by checking out the site on a daily basis. Help push some of the daily stress and anxiety behind you and start your day with a smile on your face.

Big Topic on Our Recent Trip: Memory Card Backup Devices

2011-11-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

Our recent trip to Churchill, Manitoba was specifically a photo trip so, of course, that was a big topic of discussion.

My husband is of the philosophy that one should never delete a photo. He says that he never knows what he will learn in the future that will allow him to take a picture that is not very good and turn it into a great one. Of course, he loves to fool around in PhotoShop and other digital imaging software.

Still, for the rest of us, the idea of never deleting an image works great until we have a chance to back up the memory card. While my husband and I are on vacation we have enough memory with us so that we do not have to reuse a card. If my laptop is with us, the images get backed up to my computer and then my husband cuts a DVD of the pictures. He also downloads the pictures to a memory card back up device.

He uses a unit made by Wolverine. We never go on vacation without it, whether I am taking my laptop or not. As far as my husband is concerned, one can never have too many copies of their pictures until they are safely stored at home.

Where in the world have I been?

2011-11-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted something to this blog. It's because my husband and I were away.
We are just home from a visit to Churchill, Manitoba, the Polar Bear Capital of the World, to see and photograph polar bears in the wild.

At this time of year, polar bears gather on the south shore of Hudson Bay, waiting for the water to freeze so they can return to hunting their primary food source, ringed seals.

We spent three full days out on the frozen tundra, traveling in polar rovers, in search of wildlife to photograph. We had a wonderful trip taken with Natural Habitat Adventures.

Indiana identical twins give birth on same day

2011-10-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

This post title is copied from my Yahoo! homepage. It is also the same as the headline for the article from the Herald Times. It has been on Yahoo!'s front page for two days now. So it is really important, right?

Important? No. Did I find it interesting? At first.

Then I realized that the sisters have the same last name ... as in they are not married. One gave birth naturally, the other had a C-section. Wonder if that C-section was really necessary or simply a way for both women to deliver on the same day. (Article doesn't give any details on the need for the C-section.)

So let's give front page coverage to unmarried twin sisters who both managed to get pregnant and deliver on the same day. Whoopie doo ... not exactly front page news in my opinion.

Using The Internet For Consumer Research

2011-10-23T08:05:00.001-07:00

We were away on vacation during the month of June. When we came home, we discovered that our refrigerator had died during our absence. Not exactly the welcome home we were expecting.

So after throwing the dirty clothes into the washer, we booted up our computers and started to do some research on refrigerators. We checked out reviews on various makes and models. Once we were able to narrow it down to a few select models, we then were able to research where they were sold and what the current prices were. It was amazing the amount of information available to us, letting us do most of our shopping right from home.

As I researched a new refrigerator, some other links attracted my attention. I discovered the big wide world of Consumer Rankings. Not only was I able to find sites reviewing consumer appliances, there are web sites that rate online dating services, web hosting services, VoIP and web design services. Other help includes sites such as the federal government recall resource listing, with information on cars, cosmetics and food.

It certainly seems that no matter what a consumer is looking to purchase, it is possible to find online reviews and assistance.

When Blogger's Options Don't Work

2011-10-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

My relationship with blogger is a love/hate relationship. I love how easy it has made it for me to get my blogs online. Yet there are times when it drives me crazy and I hate it.

See the 'share' buttons at the bottom of this post? I have another blog where I also want the share buttons to display.

Displaying the share buttons should be easy. I click on Design, then click on Edit within the Blog Post box and check the box next to the share buttons option. Easy. Or so it should be.

For whatever reason the share buttons do not display on my other blog. There is nothing unusual about the blog. I have used a standard blog template and have custom designed it using only blogger's template designer. So tell me. Why doesn't the share buttons work???

This is the part of my hate relationship.

Where to Find Cheapest Book Prices Online

2011-10-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Want to buy a book online? Wondering where you'll get the best price?

You could check pricing at Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Powells or half.com. But there is a quicker and easier way to find the best price. Use one of the book pricing search engines.

I just ran a test using bookfinder.com, bookfinder4u.com, booksprice.com and the cheapestbook.com. All say they scour online bookstores to find the lowest prices available.

And all did exactly what they said they would do but cheapestbook.com didn't do as well as the other three sites. The other search engines found books at lower prices than cheapestbook.com, from book selling sites such as half.com, ebay, and superbookdeals. I can only guess cheapestbook.com doesn't scour those sites.

In general, the absolute best (and cheapest) returns were found using bookfinder4u.com.

So next time you are looking for a book online, new or used, check pricing first using one of these search engines. After all, don't you want to buy your book at the best possible price?

Long Posts or Short Posts

2011-10-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

I was just reading a travel blog. I ended up on the blog by following a Lonely Planet link. The blogger is a freelance travel writer who happens to also write for LP. I figured, great, let me see what this guy does. I would love to write for Lonely Planet too. Maybe if I could get paid for my travel articles I could deduct my travels as a business expense. Wouldn't that be nice. But I digress ...

His post about getting started writing a travel blog had to do with how he writes 'funny shit.' Then he goes on and on about writing 'funny shit', so much so that I figure this must be a keyword he has researched and has figured out that lots of people do a search on 'funny shit' and therefore if he writes the words often enough, searches on those words will bring traffic to his blog. He even says how writing f.s. got him into the Lonely Planet writing pool.

Then he goes on and on and on about how to write f.s. Personally, I don't think any of it is funny. There's another post about how to set up a travel blog. It too goes on and on and, IMHO, isn't particularly helpful. Actually, there are a whole bunch of not very helpful posts that just seem to go on and on and on.

Finally, trying to find out if there is anything worthwhile on the blog I did turn up some helpful items. One had to do with being an LP freelance writer and what it entails. He does a great job of detailing the really not-so-pretty stuff about being an freelance LP travel writer such as the research, deadlines, and formatting requirements. He also has some very long detailed posts filled with helpful information (restaurants/ accommodations / etc.) about places he has visited.

But in between the helpful stuff are long posts of garbage, stuff that is hard to read and, I guess, that he feels is funny. It is definitely not a blog I would want to subscribe to. When I started writing my blogs, CW was that I had to catch the writers attention within just a few seconds or my site visitor would be off visiting another site. So I've tried to keep my posts short and to the point. I like to think they are easier to read and will result in my site visitor wanting to read more. Yes, I know this post isn't very short. Yet it is one-third the length of the f.s. post I didn't find very funny.

Whale or Mermaid?

2011-10-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.
They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.
They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and hhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifave fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.
We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.
Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself:

"How amazing am I ?! "

Click here to see more photos of amazing French plus size beauty Tara Lynn

Straight Talk

2011-10-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I see lots of cell phone plans advertised on television. Unlimited plans usually go for $80 and up. Ridiculous!

With Straight Talk you can get an unlimited plan with everything you need, Hook, line and sinker , for $45 a month. Unlimited! Unlimited calls, text, web and picture messaging.

Imagine how good it will feel having that extra money in your pocket. Not only that, but there is no contract. Why have a cell phone contract when you can get everything without one?

With Straight Talk there are no contracts, no credit checks and no surprise bills. You get nationwide coverage with excellent reception and you can choose a phone from major manufacturers like Kyocera, Nokia, LG, Motorola and Samsung.

Straight Talk even offers less expensive plans such as the “All You Need Plan’ with 1,000 minutes, 30 MB of web data and 1,000 texts. There is no charge for activation or termination fees.

If you need to call international long distance, Straight Talk also offers a flexible prepaid service that allows you to call internationally not only from your cell phone but also from your home or office phone. Whether you need to Call a friend on the other side of the world, or have relatives in another country, Straight Talk has a plan for you.

You can even save on the cost of the cell phone with reconditioned phones, loaded with extras, available from only $10.00. Want a new phone? No problem. If you want, you can even get Android on Straight Talk .

Check Engine Light On? One Quick and Easy Fix

2011-10-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was driving on the expressway, using cruise control, when all of a sudden I noticed that my Check Engine light was on. Not only was that light on but my VSC light was blinking and the anti-skid traction light was on.

At the next exit I pulled over and tried to figure out what was wrong. Finding nothing, and just happening to be about 10 minutes from the dealership I use, that's where I headed.

The service manager looked at the car and wanted to know if I had filled the gas tank recently. He said that sometimes the cap does not seal properly when set and when the car does a self check, the pressure is not right. Since I had filled the car two days previously, I undid the cap and reseated it. That made no difference so I made an appointment to bring the car in for service (I was told as long as the light was steady and not blinking the car was safe to drive).

I was off to meet up with some friends when one of them told me she once had the same problem. And simply re-seating the gas cap does not necessarily solve the problem ... might have to drive the car a bit and build up pressure and give the car a chance to so another self check.

Sure enough, on the way home, I noticed the lights were gone. Car is now fine, acting normal and I cancelled my service appointment.

Free Shipping Opportunity

2011-10-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Free shipping gives women a great opportunity to try some of the highest quality cosmetics available online.

Until October 15, 2011, Cosmetic Cosmos is offering free shipping on orders of $40 or more. Simply enter 'freeship' in the promo box at checkout.

Cosmetic Cosmos offers high quality cosmetics at a significantly lower price than you would pay for comparable items at a department store. Plus, you can do your shopping from the convenience of your home.

With free shipping available until October 15th, now is a perfect time to give Cosmetic Cosmos a try.

(Cannot be combined with other promos or discounts.)

Is 'blessed' a Christian word?

2011-09-30T12:09:00.001-07:00

I saw a sign today. It said "Have a blessed Rosh Hashanah."

(For those who are unfamiliar with Rosh Hashanah, it is the Jewish New Year and the Hebrew words mean, literally, 'head of the year.')

I did a double take when I read the sign. I certainly appreciated the sentiment behind it but somehow a 'blessed Rosh Hashanah' didn't work for me. I have always associated the word 'blessed' as being used by Christians, specifically born again Christians. So I came home and decided to do a little research.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines it as 1) 'held in reverence' giving as a sample usage 'the blessed saints' and 2) 'honored in worship' giving as an example 'the blessed trinity'. Several sources mention that 'blessed' is used in the Roman Catholic Church as a title before a saint's name.

Again, I appreciated the sentiment behind the sign but it seems my gut feeling was correct, that 'blessed' really doesn't work when sending good wishes for the Jewish New Year.

Update:

Based upon the feedback I've gotten, both public and private, blessed is used by both Jews and Christians. I guess because it has become a part of daily language through use of 'blessed day' by born again Christians, I just associated it with being Christian when the fact is that it really is non-sectarian.

Digitizing the Dead Sea Scrolls

2011-09-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

I think this is so neat. Through Google technology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are on display in Jerusalum, can now be seen worldwide. Plus, it is possible for the viewer to click on a section and bring up an English translation.

I think this is a wonderful use of technology.

Here's the link to the full story:

From the desert to the web: bringing the Dead Sea Scrolls online

Brain Dead?

2011-09-27T08:30:00.001-07:00

I tell people I am a freelance writer. At this point in time, though, I'd be lying.

I have several sites I 'work' for, picking titles and the writing appropriate articles. But for several weeks I just can't seem to get myself motivated.

I used to be able to dash off a 200 word article in no time. A 300 word article took me a bit longer. And I have to admit that I can struggle with 400 words. Still, that doesn't explain my lack of motivation these past weeks.

One would think money would be a great motivator. I get paid good money for some of the these articles ... I can make in the neighborhood of $25 per. Yet I can't seem to get myself even started on the research.

I'm beginning to wonder if it has something to do with the weather. I went back over my numbers to see if there was a pattern. Nope. May of 2010 I did over $1,000. This May I was away from home so did a big zip. I'm wondering if that is the problem. I lost my momentum being away from home so much and I can't seem to get it going again.

Maybe when the weather turns nasty again......

Demand Studios Ridiculous Titles

2011-09-24T03:39:00.000-07:00

I have been writing for Demand Studios for over a year. I was making some decent money at it, in the neighborhood of $400-$500 per month. One month I even managed to make over $1,000.

That's before the article titles became more and more ridiculous. Sure, there is plenty of stuff to write about in the $15 range but if I want to write $25 articles I am faced with choosing from stuff like this:

What Is a Tertiary Tax?

What Is a CLS Accrual Loan?

How to Make an ICL Cash Drawer Cable

Plug those titles into Yahoo! and see what you get ... Not a lot of help.

Plus the number of available $25 articles is getting less and less. Used to be over 100 to choose from. Now there are 45.

I don't think I'll be making anywhere close to $500 for September. Wonder what the future will bring.

Starbucks' $85 Birthday T-Shirt

2011-09-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

You can help Starbucks celebrate its 40th birthday by buying one of these Alexander Wang designed t-shirts for .... get this ... EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS!!!

Are they nuts????

A close look at the t-shirt shows the coffee stain morphing into the Starbucks siren logo. Like I'm supposed to pay $85 to advertise Starbucks???? I DON'T THINK SO!

If I want a 'coffee stained' white T, I can create my own with one of my husband's undershirts. Pay $85? Never!

Benefits of Switching to Straight Talk

2011-09-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Tired of your current cell phone plan? Think you are paying too much for too little. Well, you probably are. With Straight Talk you could probably cut your cell phone bill in half. Plus, you can do it with no long-term contract. Today’s cell phone users must be nuts to tie themselves into those types of contracts when they can get great plans and great savings without one.

Think about the extra money you would have in your pocket if you switched to Straight Talk. Think about how you could use that extra money. You could use it to pay other bills or treat yourself to that long awaited vacation. With Straight Talk there are no contracts, no credit checks and no surprises on your bill. You get nation-wide coverage with great reception and connectivity plus Straight Talk uses phones from manufacturers that you have long trusted like Motorola, LG, Samsung, Kyocera and Nokia.

Several types of monthly plans are available. The unlimited plan is only $45 per month and is just that … unlimited calls, texting, web and picture messaging. There are no activation fees, no reactivation fees or termination fees.

Need to call international long distance to call family or to Call a friend . No problem. Straight Talk has a prepaid international calling service that is flexible and lets you make those calls from your cell, your office or your home.

Need a phone? Straight Talk offers reconditioned phones from only $10 and they come complete with camera, mobile web access, mp3 player and even blue-tooth. Not enough for you? Some great amazing smart phones are also available from Straight Talk at amazing prices, including Android.

Straight Talk has Everything you need for your cell phone usage, Hook, line and sinker .

Garage Sale Signs

2011-09-09T05:11:00.000-07:00

Garage sale season is just about over in my area. I love garage sales but didn't get to do too much of it this year. For one, we were away for almost two months. We also had a lot of HOT weather and I don't do well going from sale to sale in hot weather.

But when I do have a chance to spend a few hours shopping, it would be SO helpful if the signs people put up would be

large enough to read!

Drives me crazy! As I drive by at 25 mph, it would be great if I could tell if the sale is today and what the hours are.

And PLEASE, when your sale is over

REMOVE YOUR SIGNS

Gas is expensive enough as is and I really don't want to burn it driving through residential tracts looking for a sale that was last week.

Make Money With "Partner With Paul"

2011-09-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've promoted Partner With Paul. I found it a real easy way to make some spare change. I get paid when anyone enters their name and email address on the Partner With Paul home page. Doesn't cost them anything and I get paid. Nice!

I started in 2009 and have made over $200. Not a lot of money but, hey, every little bit helps, doesn't it?

But that isn't where the real money is. The real money to be made is by working with Paul. Be sure to watch the video and watch it all the way through. The video was made in 2009 but at the end, Paul updates it with information from 2010. He is still making a ton of money. So much so that I plan on taking a deeper look at this myself .... according to Paul, money can be made working only a few hours a week.

So I'm going to sign up and see what this is all about. Maybe you should also!

Feeding to Twitter

2011-09-05T08:21:00.001-07:00

I haven't checked my Twitter accounts in ages. Don't have the time for it and, I have to admit, I still find it a bit confusing.

Lisa, owner of L&C Freelancing recently sent out an email about doing a blog post and then sending the link to social media sites. That prompted me to check my Twitter sites since I had already set that up ... or at least I thought I had.

Two out of my three sites were good but the one that received posts from this blog didn't have anything new since the spring. Why? I had changed the blog URL. Duh!

So I opened up my Twitterfeed account and set up the new feed. Also updated my blog URL in my Twitter account.

So, this is a test ... if I did things right, this post will shortly show up in my Twitter account.

Chocolate by Sandra Boynton

2011-09-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

I'm busy cleaning out my kitchen drawers. Came across a 1986 calendar entitled Chocolate. I still find the calendar amusing. Obviously I'm the same chocoholic I was in 1986. :) Some samples:

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Theoretical Yield: 48 cookies ........... Actual yield is what is left after sampling the raw cookie dough.

Carob
Carob is a brown powder made from the pulverized fruit of a Mediterranean evergreen. .... When combined with vegetable fat and sugar, it can be made to approximate the color and consistency of chocolate. Of course, the same argument could be made in favor of dirt.

Is the chocolate at its best?
As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: Any month whole name contains the letter A, E or U is the proper time for chocolate.

(Apologies to Sandra Boynton for paraphrasing some of this.)

Craigslist No-Shows

2011-09-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am livid. This morning our kitchen counter top and sink were replaced. Trying very hard to keep things out of the landfill, I posted free for the taking, the old counter top and sink in separate craigslist ads.

I got a hit real quick on the counter top, someone who assured me they could come right over. Did they? Of course not. I therefore had no choice but to have the installers take the larger piece of the old counter top away to be trashed because I had no way of disposing of it myself if I couldn't find a home for it. I still have the two smaller pieces and hope to find a someone who can use them.

I've had a ton of hits on the sink. First person I wrote back to said they would come within the next hour or so. That was hours ago. Second person I wrote to said they were really interested and I asked when they could come to get it. No response.

How annoying!

Drug Testing Welfare Recipients

2011-08-31T18:19:00.000-07:00

Seen this going around Facebook and I agree 100% ... which is why I'm reposting here including reposting on my Facebook account....

Here...let me tick some people off...,Thank you Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri, which are the first states that will require drug testing when applying for welfare. Some people are crying and calling this unconstitutional. How is this unconstitutional? It's OK to drug test people who WORK for their money but not those who don't?… Re-post this if you'd like to see this done in all 50 states!!

Blog Is Over Two Years Old

2011-08-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me what made me look. I have no idea. But I glanced at the Blog Archive in one of the right sidebars. I started this blog in 2009! So I took a closer look and saw that the first post was written 6/1/09. I can't believe I have been writing to this site for TWO YEARS!!!

Maybe it doesn't seem that long because I've changed its name a couple of times. For quite a while this was simple a free blogger blog. Then I decided to buy a domain name. I tried out several possible names as free blogger names until I decided to go with Views Reviews and More. It was hard deciding on a name because I wanted a site that would leave me wide open to write about any and everything. Guess I finally figured out something that works as my readership has been rising.

Although I admit, not as high as I would really like it ... or as I high as I would like it to be to put my subscriber numbers up on the site. I have a travel blog with very good readership and it is interesting to see the number of subscribers vary by as much as 25% from one week to the next. I can't believe I lose 25% of my subscribers and get the same amount new each week. I read somewhere, long time ago, that 'sites' subscribe to blogs and then drop them. I guess that is what is happening week to week. I look at my Feedburner numbers but I'm not very good at figuring out what it is telling me. I suspect if I understood it better I could figure out how many real people subscribe.

Anyway, belated Happy Birthday to this blog ... now 2+ years old!

Making Money Working at Home - Staying Focused

2011-08-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Officially, I am retired. During my career as a computer programmer/systems analyst, I worked for a major bank, a small company and then my own company. Now I have days to fill with other things and besides volunteering, traveling and working in my yard, I do freelance writing working from home.

It is the freelance writing that helps cover the expense of our travels. So if I want to travel more, including some exotic places (which tend to be more expensive), getting myself focused in front of my computer is important. And it can be hard to do.

I make decent money when I write. I can make $25 for a 300-400 word article. I can make $15 for a 200 word article. But to make that kind of money I have to write quality articles which means doing research and staying focused.

However, there are other things I do online to make money. I sell on eBay. All of my blogs have Adsense ads ... the ones with the tagline AdChoices. I make money when my blog readers click those ads. So I check my email to see if I have any questions from potential eBay buyers. I check my Adsense account to see if I have made any money today. All of this stuff, and more, distracts me.

I need to focus on writing. There is no need to check my Adsense account more than once a day. There is no need to check my eBay email account more than 2-3 times per day. Yet I find myself doing it much more often.

Then there are the telephone calls. The music from my husband's computer (one of these days he'll get up and close his office door first). Checking what is happening on Facebook. And let's not forget Solitaire and that new mystery I started reading.

I guess that is one reason I created this blog. Let's me just spout off when I need to. I can write without any criteria, such as the number of words or how to make content fit a ridiculous keyword I am required to include in the text. It is amazing. Content buyers want good well written content. Yet they assign a keyword that is grammatically wrong ... like not capitalizing a proper name or not including an apostrophe on a possessive. (Maybe I'll put these keywords together one day and do a post just on them. LOL)

So how do I stay focused? The fact is I don't. I'm sure I could make more money if I could get myself organized and focus on just writing for a couple of hours a day. But it's not going to happen. I might as well face it.

I'm fortunate. I don't need the money to put food on the table or pay the mortgage. I suspect if I did, I would find a lot more incentive to get myself focused on what needs to be done.

Easy Shopping for a Baby Shower

2011-08-20T05:49:00.001-07:00

Was recently invited to a baby shower. The mom-to-be is registered at Babies 'r' Us. Unfortunately I was not able to attend but, as one of a group of friends of the new grandmother, I volunteered to buy the group present.

I got on line to check out the gift registry. I had a budget and I figured by reviewing the list first, at home, I could better figure out how to maximize the money I had to spend. It was while I was on the web site that I noticed I could get free shipping if I was spending $75 or more, which I was. How very easy.

Until I noticed that some items are not available for shipping and are only available for in store pickup. OK, so I'll do the in store pickup thing. And the whole procedure went easily and smoothly. As I chose items I could look at my cart and find out exactly how much I had spent. I could easily remove items and add items and I didn't have to do any of the arithmetic.

Best of all, I didn't have to spend time searching for the registered items in the store. I simply made my choices, checked my dollar total and made my purchase. A quick stop at the customer service desk at my local Babies 'r' Us and I was on my way. Another quick stop at Factory Card Outlet for a gift bag, tissue paper and card and I was soon home. Perfect! I love shopping on line!

Social Security is NOT an Entitlement

2011-08-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

From a friend of mine ....

Entitlement my ass. I paid for my Social Security Insurance! Our benefits aren't some kind of charity or handout! Congressional benefits - free health care, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days - now THAT'S welfare. And Congress has the nerve to call my retirement an Entitlement? Re-post if you are sick of their crap, and ashamed of our "leaders" - I did, and I am

I re-posted. Are you going to?

U.S. Debt Downgraded by Standard & Poors

2011-08-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, U. S. debt has been downgraded and is now AA plus instead of AAA.

In my opinion, which is what this blog is all about, what has been going on in Washington, and what continues to go on, is an absolute disgrace. I can honestly believe that we have become the laughing stock of the civilized world.

Of course we have to reduce the debt. We need to lower spending and yet not jeopardize important items like education, Medicare and Social Security. We can start by bringing our soldiers home and stop shipping expensive armaments overseas where they, and our soldiers, get blown up by IEDs.

We need to raise taxes. I am dumbfounded when I read about the taxes being paid by millionaires and billionaires. While my effective tax rate usually runs between 15-20%, some of the wealthy have effective tax rates below 10%. Nonsense!

Did you know that U.S. companies that have international sales can get away with not paying taxes on their international earnings? Between things like that and various tax credits, many very profitable corporations pay nothing. Loopholes like that need to be closed.

Do the conservative Republicans who stand strong against higher taxes for the wealthy and for corporations realize how close we have come to the brink of disaster? And do the liberal Democrats realize that we simply have to stop spending?

Should Saturday Mail Service Be Stopped

2011-07-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

The U.S. postal service is running in the red. So what else is new? Again the topic comes up whether or not to stop Saturday mail delivery. In my opinion, the answer is a big, resounding YES!

I don't know about anyone else, but the mail that comes to us on Saturday could definitely wait for Monday. Saturday's mail typically garners from us our 'Typical Saturday mail' comment, which means absolutely nothing important. Usually ads and other junk mail.

Actually, I believe it is mostly the postage paid by junk mailers that is keeping the service alive. We don't get much first class mail unless it is a Benefits of Explanation statement from our medical insurance. And then of course the bill from the doctor that follows up.

So stop Saturday mail deliveries? Absolutely. It can wait until Monday.

Save Money with Straight Talk

2011-07-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I didn’t hear about Straight Talk until recently. It is a cell phone service that is available only through Wal-Mart and can significantly cut the cost of your monthly cell phone bill. With Straight Talk there are no contracts and no credit checks. They offer nationwide coverage and excellent reception using phones made by the top telephone manufacturers such as LG, Kyocera, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia.

For only $45 per month you can get their Unlimited Monthly service plan that includes unlimited calls, unlimited texts, unlimited picture messaging, and unlimited web access. And if you don’t need an unlimited plan, they also offer an “All You Need Plan” with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data at only $30 per month.

Just think about what you could buy with all the money you would save. Plus, there are no activation, reactivation or termination fees. Everything is included in the package, hook, line and sinker .

Want to call a friend or relative in another country? You can use their international long distance plan, a flexible prepaid calling service. You can have everything you need can be included in one simple package with no long-term contract. They even offer reconditioned cell phones, with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability, for as little as $10.00.

With the way today's economy is, everyone can use an opportunity to save some money. Watch this video to hear how actual Straight Talk customers are saving money.

Yahoo! Mail: What is SmartComplete?

2011-07-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

If you use Yahoo! mail and are running the new version, you may have noticed an odd name or two showing up when you start to enter an address in To, CC or BCC. I did .... names that were totally unfamiliar to me and were not in my contact list. Where did they come from and how do I get rid of them? So I wrote to Yahoo!.

When I start a new message and type the first letter for my To: a
drop down list appears with Contacts BUT there are email addresses there
I never added to my Contact list and I have no idea who they are. They
are not in my Contact list so I am not able to delete them. How did I
get them?? How do I get rid of them?????? For instance, I never added
Mxxxxxxxx, Bxxxxxxxx, Bxxxxxxxxx, Don Fxxxxxxx and others

Amazingly, I got an answer from Yahoo! in a timely fashion (less than two business days).

I understand that when you begin to enter an email address into the To,
CC, or BCC fields within the Yahoo! Mail interface, you receive a list
of email addresses to select that contains email addresses not stored in
your address book. I apologize for any inconvenience this issue has
caused and I hope to address your concern directly.

This is a new feature in the Yahoo! Mail interface, called
"SmartComplete."

SmartComplete will suggest email addresses based on contacts that you
have recently communicated with in the past, even if they are not stored
in your address book.

Contacts will be sorted in order of relevance, rather than
alphabetically.

Please note: It is not possible to disable SmartComplete.

Well, that kind of explains things. At least it tells me that, yes, they are not in my Contact list ... I'm not going crazy about that part. But where did they come from?

It finally dawned on me ... I get email from one friend who includes a bunch of CCs. It doesn't happen often but every now and then I Reply back to All. I bet THAT is where these addresses are coming from.

Mystery solved but not the problem. I wrote back to Yahoo! and asked if these names will ever disappear, like if I don't write them for a month. (Waiting for that answer.) And I also mentioned that this particular Yahoo! mail user does NOT like SmartComplete at all! It is one more address I have to sort through to make sure my email is going to the correct person.

Garden Aches

2011-07-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

I put six serious hours into my garden on Tuesday. I have hired a young man to help me turn my perennial gardens back into grass. I am no longer doing the hard work like digging up roots but I'm still out there, smoothing out soil, putting down grass seed, finally getting my annuals planted.

Then Wednesday I spent another two hours in the garden. This time I planted a tree where a tree had once been ... then a perennial bed ... and now back to a tree again. I have no idea what kind of tree. It sprouted by itself, my husband dug it out and he's been nursing it for years in a huge pot. It is now in the ground.

So today I am a mess of garden aches. My shoulders and back are sore from pulling, lifting and digging. My knees and ankles are stiff from hours spent kneeling on the ground. I think I need a massage.

Get Free Stuff Online

2011-07-14T05:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, you really can get free stuff online. I do it all the time and post the freebies to my blog Good Stuff For Free. The blog is loaded with information and free samples being given away by both major and small companies.

First step in taking advantage of this is creating a new email address to be used for these offers. You can get a free one at Yahoo! or Google mail. Then start clicking and watch your mailbox.

Here's one to get you started.

Free Sample Bolt 260 Energy Tablets.

Only Seven Subscribers

2011-07-13T03:40:00.001-07:00

I am amazed that there are only seven subscribers to my Good Stuff For Free blog. This stuff really is free. I have free samples coming regularly to my mailbox.

Subscribing is simple. Click on the subscribe link at the top of the right sidebar, enter your email address and then confirm the email you will receive.

Worried about getting your email address spammed? No problem. Simply create a new and free address using Yahoo! or Google mail and use that address for the offers. As for ones that ask for a telephone number, I have never been bothered by calls from these sites. Why they ask for telephone info I have no idea.

Take advantage of free samples sent out by both small and large companies. It's all FREE!

An amusement park with chocolate!

2011-07-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Guest post written by Philip Wiles

I've always been a guy with a sweet tooth. Growing up, my mom always gave me chocolate to do things. She knew that it was the way to my heart and my obedience. I didn't complain about it. But that love for sweets has followed me through into adulthood. I think that I have even more of a sweet tooth than my young kids.

So I thought that it would be fun to go to the Hershey's amusement park as part of our vacation. I was looking up some more information on it and deciding if we really wanted to go. As I was doing my research, I saw some info on a new internet service and after I decided to Click Here, I signed up for it.

I'm so excited about this upcoming trip. I also really love to ride roller coasters and I think that this is going to be a combo of all my great loves: my family, chocolate and thrill rides. With that kind of combination, this vacation doesn't have room to not be fun.

Am I Approaching THAT Age ????

2011-07-09T09:42:00.001-07:00

I just had work started on a crown for a molar. No pain but I abhor it when the dentist has to take a mouth mold. I have a very sensitive gag reflex and have a terrible time with that part of the procedure.

I had a visit to my gyn. I have a 'female' issue he's been pestering me to get taken care of. It will be 'taken care of' next week.

I fell in the garage and hit my eye socket. Working on a beautiful swollen eye, nice and red. Fortunately not much blood.

Still working on turning my perennial gardens into grass. Hired help and got a good portion of one garden cleaned up but it still needs to be turned over, roots removed, racked smooth and seeded. Since my capacity for heavy yard work is limited to about an hour, at this rate it will get done next summer. And this is just ONE of the several gardens that need to be done.

Oh ... wondering about my hired help? He hasn't returned my emails about setting up another work day so I guess I'll be looking for someone else.

CashCrate is Legitimate

2011-07-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

Get Paid To (GPT) sites have not all disappeared. The legitimate ones are still around and Cash Crate is one of them.

People do wonder if Cash Crate is a scam. I can tell you from personal experience that it is definitely NOT a scam. Click on the image above and you can the check I just received with CashCrate as the returnee. And I did this without spending one penny.

Yes, you can make money FOR FREE at CashCrate. Above is a picture of the entire check, showing the date (they pay on the 15th) and the amount. Checks are automatically sent out once you earn $20. No trying to remember to cash out.

Take a daily survey every 24 hours. Submit information for the free offers. Little by little your earnings will add up until you get a check too.

And don't forget to build your down line. CashCrate probably has the best paying down line of all GPTs.

Buying Produce at the Public Market

2011-06-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

I started last week, one day after returning from our southwest vacation. Our public market is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Tuesdays are very slow. Thursdays can be pretty busy. And it is a mob scene on Saturdays.

I really like going and supporting the local farmers. Some times all it is possible to find is produce from other states because the season hasn't come in here yet. Some times it is even other countries which I understand since pineapples will not grow in New York State no how.

However, some times I wonder if I am spending not just my money but also my time in a wise manner. We have a local supermarket called Wegmans. While it is true that Wegmans has now also moved into several states in the northeast, those of us in western NY still consider it our local, hometown supermarket. And they support the local farmer by buying local produce as it comes into season.

In general, the price at the public market is better than the price at Wegmans. Some times the quality is the same but I have to admit that the general quality at Wegmans is better than that found at the public market. For instance, today, I really had to search for good quality sweet peppers. I got two yellow peppers for $1 and that is probably not much less than if I bought the peppers at Wegmans.

One place I know I really saved money is buying local leafy salad greens. I even bought organic, at $2 for a huge bunch. But then I have to come home and stand at the sink and wash every single leaf. Is that a good use of my time or should I have just gone to Wegmans and bought the triple-washed greens?

I know I did well on the cantaloupe. At Wegmans they are 2 for $5.00 and not very big. I got large, nice, sweet smelling melons at the market at 2 for $3.00. But overall, I still wonder if I am spending my money, effort and time wisely? Especially now, when we've just returned from vacation and the house is still a mess, not to mention my gardens.

All In One Find a Sitter Site

2011-06-28T09:16:00.001-07:00

Summer is here! YES! Vacation time. Time to head to the beach or the mountain or take a cruise. But it also means that school is out.

For parents, that means finding child care during the summer months. Not always an easy thing. The person has to be mature and trustworthy. So where to you start? One place to start looking is at a site like Sittercity.com.

And what I find interesting about this site is that they provide not only sitters for children but also pet sitters and house sitters. So if you are going away on vacation, Sittercity.com can provide someone to look after your pet and check on your house.

And be sure to take advantage of summer savings they are now offering ... hurry as it expires 7/31/11.

DeCluttering The House

2011-06-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Maybe coming home from vacation is a good thing.

With all of the vacation stuff spread around the kitchen, not to mention coolers filled with stuff from our now defunct refrigerator, the place is a mess. It is enough of a mess that I grabbed a folding chair, climbed on it to reach the high shelves in my pantry, and I started tossing.

The old blender that I haven't used in years because it doesn't always work right got tossed. The cookbooks that I haven't opened in years will get posted to the local Yahoo! ReUseIt group. I can't believe what I made room for with all the stuff that hit the trash.

The cappuccino machine can now go into the pantry for the summer. I made room for snacks which used to be out on a counter. We have a peninsula counter in the kitchen which is always cluttered with stuff and leaves me very little, if any room, to cook or prepare meals. With a bit of luck I'll be able to move that stuff to the previous 'snack' corner.

Next I'm going to hit the spice cabinet. I have spices that are ancient and need to be tossed. Maybe that will make enough room for my husband's collection of hot sauces and they can make it to a cupboard instead of being left on the kitchen table or counter.

Funny though ... I can't bring myself to toss the little film canister of pink sand that I saved from a cruise to Bermuda.

Coming Home From Vacation Stinks

2011-06-25T12:37:00.001-07:00

We just got home from a 7 week car trip that took us to the southwest U.S. (If you want, you can read about it here.)

I've already reported how we came home to a dead refrigerator. The kitchen is a mess with coolers and a small dorm sized refrigerator taking up space. Not to mention stuff that was unloaded from the car and still hasn't been put away.

We had a bird in the house this morning. So after it was caught and released I had to go around the house and clean up whatever messes it made.

I haven't unpacked my clothes or the tote bags I took with extras such as reading material, first aid items, literature I took and literature I picked up along the way.

I was exhausted from doing 95% of the driving (8667 miles) and am still exhausted. Especially after spending several hours wandering through Home Depot, Sears, Best Buy and Lowes looking for a refrigerator. And let me tell you that if you don't want a side by side or French doors, the options are severely limited.

So I'm sitting at my computer venting and eating chocolate. That should help make me feel better.

Treating Hyperhidrosis with Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy Surgery

2011-06-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

(I bet this seems like an odd post for this blog. Well, I write for The Content Authority and claimed this topic and wrote this HUGE article but when I went to submit it, the link was gone! :( I was not a happy camper as I had obviously spent a lot of time and effort on the article. So I decided to not let it go to waste and I am posting it here. Who knows....it might bring this blog some new traffic and some new subscribers.)

Hyperhidrosis is defined as excessive sweating where the patient cannot anticipate when the sweating will occur. A condition that is inherited, affecting about 0.1 percent of the population, when the sweating occurs it is uncontrollable and excessive. Typical areas of the body that sweat in a patient with hyperhidrosis are the palms of the hands, bottom of the feet, under the arms and on the face. The condition is uncomfortable and embarrassing and sufferers look for a permanent solution to the problem. One of these possible solutions is endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy surgery.

Hyperhidrosis ets surgery can be a solution for some people. There are members of the medical field who believe that hyperhidrosis relates to over activity of the sympathetic nervous system which is located within the chest cavity. By cutting specific nerves, depending upon what part of the body produces the excess sweat, doctors hope to be able to provide the patient with a permanent cure. Before taking this step, however, the patient should carefully consider what the surgery entails and what are some of the possible negative consequences.

During hyperhidrosis surgery the patient will receive general anesthesia. The surgeon will make two to three small cuts in the armpit and the lung, on the same side of the body as the cuts, will be deflated so no air moves in or out of it during the surgery. This allows the surgeon more room in which to work. Using a tiny camera inserted into the chest through one of the cuts, and surgical tools inserted through the other cuts, the surgeon will perform the thoracic sympathectomy surgery, cutting or otherwise destroying the nerve(s) associated with the patient’s specific condition.

After the nerve is cut, air will be reintroduced into the lung and the surgeon will stitch the cuts closed. The surgeon will then repeat the procedure on the other side of your body. Depending upon the work that needs to be performed, the surgery can take anywhere from approximately one to three ours. Some times a drainage tube is left in the chest to allow for drainage of any fluids that might accumulate. Typically, the tube remains for only one day.

ETS surgery is not the first line of treatment for patients suffering from hyperhidrosis. Actually, it is the last in a long line of treatments that include both oral and topical treatments. The best candidate for ETS surgery is a patient for whom the non-invasive treatments have failed to work and whose symptom is sweating of the palms. ETS surgery has also been known to work for extreme face sweating and, as with sweating of the palms, is typically only done when other treatments have failed to work.

As with any surgery there are risks such as reactions or breathing problems from the anesthesia, bleeding, stroke or heart attack during surgery and development of infection. There are also many risks associated with this specific type of surgery such as damage to other nerves within the chest cavity, the collection of blood within the chest cavity or the development of Horner Syndrom (drooping eyelids and reduced face sweating). There is even the possibility of new or increased sweating, including excessive sweating of body parts that had not been a problem before. Other side effects being reported have included not being able to control the body’s temperature and not being able to increase the heart rate, therefore not being able to physically work out.

Surgeons who do ETS surgery require special training. During a pre-operative exam you will be asked many questions such as what medications you take and whether your smoke or drink. Blood may be taken for testing and you may receive a chest x-ray or MRI. Before your surgery you will be given specific instructions such as not eating anything after dinner the night before the surgery.

After the surgery you may stay in the hospital for one night. You could have pain for about a week and your doctor will prescribe pain-reducing medication for you. Follow the instructions given to you regarding keeping the surgical areas clean and dry and about when you will be able to resume your normal activities.

ETS surgery can reduce the excessive sweating of hyperhidrosis for some people. Unfortunately it does not appear to work well for people that suffer severe underarm sweating and there is the possibility of new areas of sweating after the surgery. If you have reached a point where non-invasive treatments do not, or no longer, work for you, speak with an ETS qualified surgeon and thoroughly discuss the possible benefits, but also the very possible risks of surgery.

Coming Home ... To a Dead Refrigerator

2011-06-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

We just got home from our car trip to the southwest U.S. We drove from upstate NY to New Mexico and Arizona and back again... 8,667 miles. I have a travel blog and my posts are just now coming live because I don't like to write when we are away, announcing to the entire world that no one is home. (If you'd like to read about the trip, here is the blog link: Travel Snippets and More.)

Our daughter and a good friend have been keeping an eye on things ... making sure the mail and paper stay stopped and the plants get watered. Last time we were away our daughter just happened to open the basement door and got a blast of the odor of gas. She called us immediately. We told her to grab a phone book and get out of the house. She called the local utility company who immediately came to the house and temporarily sealed the links.

This time ... no such excitement fortunately. But when we got home and I went to the freezer to take out my coffee creamer that I threw in there before we left, it was obviously not frozen solid. Yup ... refrigerator is kaput. Which truthfully is not unexpected since it is almost 29 years old.
So we now have to make time for refrigerator research and shopping.

And then there is the landscaping which hasn't been touched in seven weeks. There are the dead daffodil leaves which have to be cleaned up. The weeping cherry has sprouted shoots all over the trunk. Weeds all over. Just what I want to tackle ... NOT!

Actually, I so do not want to do garden work any more that I am actually digging up my perennial gardens and turning them back to grass. (That I'm writing about in Diary of an Ex-Garden.)

So, welcome home to me. I'm exhausted from the the trip. It is hot and humid here. I'm way behind the freelance writing I do and have earned practically nothing while away. Let's see...which has first priority ... gardening, shopping for a refrigerator or sitting at my desk in my comfortable air conditioned house earning money?

Saving Money With Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products

2011-06-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Used to be a time when my husband could eat anything. And nothing would bother him. That time has been past for a long time and now he finds he needs to take an antacid tablet at bedtime a couple of nights a week.

At the beginning, he started with a brand name product. I really didn't pay too much attention to what he was buying until I needed a tablet after a large dinner at a friend's house. That's when I noticed he had bought a brand name product and I suggested to him that we could save some money if he bought the Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products instead. Plus, when these Walgreens products are purchased, Walgreens contributes money to its Walgreens Way to Well Fund™ to help bring free preventive health tests to local communities.

Next time he needed to buy a new bottle he followed my advice and went to Walgreens. He was amazed at the price difference between the Walgreens' product and the name brand he had been buying. He pulled both brand and Walgreens products from the shelf and compared active ingredients. Finding them both the same, and knowing that the Walgreens product came with a 100% guarantee, he bought the bottle of Walgreens' antacid tablets. And he soon discovered that they worked just as well as the brand name product he had been buying.

And right now, several bloggers are having a giveaways of Walgreens gift cards. Be sure to check out these blogs for a change to win one of these gift cards!

Tips For Restaurant Wait Staff

2011-06-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

1) Don't bring out my entree before I've finished my salad/soup/appetizer. If you find this happening often ... as in the kitchen prepares main dishes quickly ... hold off putting in my entree order.

2) Don't ask me if I want any coffee or desert before I've finished my entree. How the heck do I know if I will still be hungry until I've finished eating?

3) When you pick up the check and cash I've laid on the table, don't ask me "Do you need change?" Instead tell me "I'll be right back with your change." I'll tell you if what I've placed on the table includes your tip or not. Don't assume it.

I Get Things For Free

2011-05-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, you can get things for free by paying attention to what is available on the Internet. I belong to a Yahoo! recycle group for my area. It is amazing what people give away. Sure, you'll find things like books and old kitchenware but I have even seen a laptop for free.

If you are looking to de-junk your home, or pick up a needed item for free, check to see if there is a recycle group in your area.

Quick and Easy ColeSlaw Recipe

2011-05-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

If you need cole slaw for a crowd, this recipe is the best. It is quick and easy to put together.

Ingredients:
2 - 8 oz jars Marzetti ColeSlaw dressing
3 pkgs prepared slaw mix (I use one that is shredded cabbage and carrots)

Empty slaw mix into a large bowl or container. To make it real easy, use one that has a tight fitting cover like a Tupperware bowl.

Empty the jars of dressing over the slaw mix. If you are using a tight sealing bowl, now simply close it up and put into the refrigerator. Otherwise, stir to mix and cover.

Mix every few hours or, if using a bowl with a cover, turn it upside down and every few hours give it a shake.

Voila! Great tasting coleslaw.

HINT: Make the coleslaw at least two days before the event.

Hotel Taxes Can Be Obscene

2011-05-14T07:44:00.001-07:00

I had reason to travel recently. Stayed at a bunch of motels in a bunch of cities.

I always try and get a decent deal on a hotel room. I am an AAA member and an AARP member. I also pick up the hotel/motel discount booklets that are available for free at rest areas along interstates. I always ask for the 'best rate available'.

Then, the next morning, I wake up to the receipt that has been slipped under the door. There is always state tax. Sometimes there is city tax. But what really gets me is 'occupancy tax'! And a whole slew of others meant to improve the financial coffers of the area I am visiting by taking advantage of me.

It's not enough that I stay at their hotels, use their gas stations and eat at their restaurants. No, 'they' have got to hit me for every penny they can.

Makes me mad.

Review: Is Kiva Legitimate?

2011-05-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Haven't heard about Kiva? Kiva is an organization that makes micro-loans to qualified organizations and individuals world wide. And it is absolutely legitimate. One hundred percent of the money given to Kiva for loans gets loaned out. The organization works with micro-finance institutions on five continents, lending money to people who don't have access to traditional bank systems.

Kiva works through Field Partners, organizations that determine who will receive a loan. Most of the loans that I have seen are under $1,000. BUT, you don't have to lend Kiva any where that amount to be a Kiva lender. All you need is $25.

Loans from Kiva members are in $25 increments. You get to choose who gets you money. You can choose an individual or an organization, a man or a woman, and the country they live in. Once those selections are made, a list of recipients is displayed with information about the person (or organization), the amount of the loan and what the loan will be used for.

When the loan is repaid, you get your $25 back. You can then re-loan it (as I do every time) or you can request your money back through PayPal.

Kiva is a great organization helping people world-wide help themselves. If you have $25 to spare, please consider lending it to Kiva.

Online Marketing Weight Loss Niche

2011-05-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

If you are in the online marketing weight loss niche and are not a member of MoreNiche, then you are missing out on great products and great tools to help you reach the weight loss niche market.

MoreNiche has been around for years and has developed a wealth of tools to help the online marketer. You'll find video tutorials and marketing e-books, all free. Also free are tons of resources for each product such as website content, banners, images, testimonials and even templates and complete websites.

And the weight loss products they carry are the top selling in the niche. They include brands like PHEN375, UniqueHoodia, and Proactol.

If you want to be a part of the internet weight loss niche, join MoreNiche. Then, before you do anything else, click on Your Toolbox in the left sidebar. Watch the videos and read the e-books. Check out the resources for the products and see how easy it is to get yourself set up in the huge online weight loss market.

Bin Laden Dead?

2011-05-02T02:58:00.000-07:00

The big news this morning. Osama Bin Laden is dead. How it was done. Where it was done.

But so far I haven't seen any proof. The body is buried at sea.

Anyone see a photograph of the body?

Final Countdown to Garage Sale

2011-04-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

I've spent the past couple of weeks ... or perhaps it is months ... getting ready for a garage sale a friend of mine is holding. I've wanted to have a sale for the past few years but my husband is not a fan of strangers driving up to our house. So I'm taking advantage of the one my friend is holding, sharing the cost of ads and helping with the time and effort it takes.

I've been digging through closets and the basement. Kitchen cabinets have held a wealth of items. So has my collection of vases that I have bought from all over the world. Some of the special ones I am keeping but the rest ... they are becoming dust collectors.

Actually, what has really persuaded me to get rid of a lot of this stuff is the passing away of my Dad. His apartment needed to be cleaned out. I held a sale over two weekends. Posted items on eBay. It was difficult and time consuming. Especially the items I found that precipitated a response like "Why the heck does he still have this"?

So I decided to make a dent in what I have and perhaps make it easier, for my own children, when the time comes. And barely a dent is what it is. These are the items I could look at and make a keep/go decision in less than 10 seconds.

One of these days I'll have to tackle the stuff I REALLY have to look through.

Slow eBay Payers Infuriate Me

2011-04-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

I get so annoyed when payment is not made within 24 hours when I sell something on eBay. I've got two items that sold recently, one two days ago that just got paid today and one three days ago that hasn't been paid for yet.

I sent invoices when the items first sold. Sent second invoices, after 48 and 24 hours respectively, with a nice note about 'just checking' if they received original invoice. Another twenty-four hours later both buyers got back to me.

One told me he was away for a few days and made his payment immediately. The other buyer offered no excuse, just said they got the email and would be paying by PayPal. So??? Where is the payment?

I guess I always wonder if the sale will fall through, especially when it is for an expensive item. The one that hasn't been paid for yet sold for $100 plus $25 shipping (it's a big picture). To me, the only reasonable reason for a delay would be if they had to transfer money into their PayPal account. That I can understand. So, maybe, payment will come tomorrow.

Amazon Web Services Down

2011-04-21T14:01:00.001-07:00

I just read how Amazon web services are down. That explains some of today's mysteries. I do freelance writing for Social Spark and Pay To Post. Both sites now display a message that it is down for maintenance and they've been down since about 9:20 this morning. Oh...and they will be back up soon.

Doesn't seem like it is too soon. Now 5 p.m. Lots of Internet dollars being lost today and I bet a lot of furious site owners.

Pro-Life Does Not Always Mean Anti-Abortion

2011-04-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Had my annual checkup yesterday at my ob/gyn. As I left, I saw an anti-abortion protester standing by the driveway. My doctor does abortions and doesn't hide the fact. Actually, his office is in a building that holds only himself and his staff and was built to his specifications, including bullet proof glass.

In case anyone is wondering why I go to him, versus another less controversial doctor, it's because he correctly diagnosed the problem a friend of mine had and saved her life. He is very pro-woman, standing up for woman's rights and has developed techniques in the ob/gyn medical field that are now standard practice.

So, back to the protester. I ignored him. Figured it was the best way to handle things. But I wanted to ask him if he has made arrangements to adopt an unwanted child, one that would otherwise be aborted. And I wanted to know if his friends had done the same.

It would be absolutely wonderful if all children were born into loving families, with two parents and stable homes. The fact is that doesn't happen. What's the solution? I have an idea.

I think that there should be a master list within each community. Every anti-abortionist must sign the list and, as their name comes to the top, they must accept and raise the next infant that is born who otherwise would have been aborted. No choices. No picks based upon color or sex. Healthy or with defects. Doesn't matter.

And if such a list existed I would be pro-life AND anti-abortion.

Things to Check When Buying a Used Car - Tire Size

2011-04-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

There are ton's of websites with advice about how to buy a used car. But I can tell you one thing I've never seen.

Check the tire size!!!!

That's right...the tire size. See what tire size is on the car and then compare it to what the manual says.

My daughter bought a used car and now needs new tires. I asked for the tire size so I could research new tires for her. She gave me information and I typed the size (with a 15" rim) into tirerack.com, the site I always start at when checking on tires. Only two tire options came up. And that seemed awfully weird.

So I did some more research and guess what ... according to the original equipment information, this car should have a 16" rim. Assuming the other numbers were the same, typing the size into tirerack with a 16" rim brought up over 20 options.

She's going to call the dealership where she bought the car. They gave her a decent price and have treated her well when she's gone back there for service. Need to question them and see what insight they may have.

But if she wants to have some tire options and go with a 16" tire, she is now going to have to spend money on rims. Hopefully, she'll be able to find something at a salvage yard and will be able to save money. But it's pretty lousy having to do this in the first place.

So, buying a used car? Check the tire size, compare it to the information in the manual and make sure the numbers are the same.

How to Get a Real Person When Dialing an 800 Number

2011-04-11T04:08:00.000-07:00

Before making that call to customer service, and wading through a load of telephone prompts, check out dialahuman.com or gethuman.com. Both sites have a list of customer service phone numbers and the instructions on how to get past the prompts and reach a live human being.

Another option is lucyphone.com. With LucyPhone you can avoid being put on hold until the live representative finally comes on the line. You enter the phone number and get connected, choose the option for live rep and then hang up. When a real person is actually on the line, you get a call back.

All of the above is free!

Secrets to Getting and Staying Skinny

2011-04-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Simple. Eat lots of protein and fruits and vegetables. Eat less carbs. And keep the portions under control.

Easy, right? NOT! But for the stars?

I was just reading this article about Jennifer Aniston. It's titled Jennifer Aniston's Skinny Secrets. I thought (stupid me) that maybe there would be some really helpful information in the article.

Her secret? Her agent "created a portion-controlled, nutrient-dense meal delivery service for the actress." (Bold and italics mine.) Well, heck! If I had someone create my daily menu, prepare the food for me, and then deliver it to my door, I'd probably be able to lose weight too.

I guess the article is about her skinny secrets but I call it false advertising.

Getting Ready For a Garage Sale

2011-04-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

Actually, my best friend is having it at her house and a bunch of us are bringing stuff over. And what a bunch of stuff I have.

I am using the sale to scour the house. I've been in the basement going through shelves. I've been up on chairs to reach in the back of closet shelves. I've been on me knees to check out the back of closet floors.

What makes it even more amazing is the amount of stuff I turn up that I feel I need to check out on eBay first. There was a memory box my daughter had. In it was a vintage doll my daughter no longer wants. That went up on eBay. She's beautiful with glass sleepy eyes and all original clothing.

I found a box of Star Wars and Batman glasses. Two of the glasses have sold on eBay for $5 and $10, respectively. So going to try for those prices at the garage sale first and, if they don't sell, will put them up on eBay.

I've got lots of artwork. Most of it isn't worth much. But some of it I wonder like a Picasso print that I can't find anyway ... so is it worth nothing or worth a lot because it is rare? I don't know so I tried the Buy It Now route instead of a straight auction. Maybe somebody will give me their Best Offer and I'll get a better feel for the value.

The problem is one never knows that is one man's trash and another man's treasure. Back in the basement I found some jigsaw puzzles. They are pretty neat puzzles but will sell for only $1. What I did find that might have value are puzzles where the pieces are of made from wood instead of pressed cardboard. I checked eBay and those that did sell sold in the $40 to $60 range. However one sold for over $400! So my next 'down time' project is going to be putting the wooden puzzles together to take a picture and put up on eBay.

Lower Credit Card Interest Rates!

2011-04-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

If the federal government really wants to help the 'little guy' get back on his feet, then a federal law should be passed limiting the amount of interest that banks can charge on credit card balances.

The amounts charged now, in the neighborhood of 30 percent, is obscene. Highway robbery in my opinion. How the heck can someone try and get back on their feet paying that type of interest?

Not only that, I know of people who make their payments, which lower their balance and then their allowable line of credit is lowered to the new balance. Then the interest hits and puts them over the allowable credit line. And guess what? They now get hit with an over-line-of-credit fee! Why are the banks allowed to get away with stuff like this????

Can you call your bank and ask for a lower rate? Based upon a survey done by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group the answer is yes. All of the callers used the following script:

Hi, my name is [Your Name]. I am a good customer, but I have received several offers in the mail from other credit card companies with lower APRs. I want a lower rate on my card, or I will cancel my card and switch companies.

If the answer is no, call back on another day. Ask to speak with a supervisor. Just don't give up.

In the meantime, contact your federal representatives and ask for help. It is time for the government to stand up to the banks and tell them to stop stealing!

Email Hacked - My Sister is NOT in London

2011-04-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Just got this email from my sister:

Terrible for me!!

I need your help as soon as you get this message, I'm stuck in LONDON with family, we came down here on a short vacation but unfortunately got ourselves in a very tight and horrible situation. It’s so unlucky the little bag containing all valuables and cash got stolen at the hotel park last night at gun point. Glad we still have our lives and passport but out of cash right now. Please can you send me $1,850usd via western union to get things fixed down here and get back home? It's really embarrassing to us here please don't inform anybody yet I’d definitely refund you back upon my return. Let me know if you can get me the money. You can have it wired to my name and location through Western Union. All you need is my name and location, which is: .....

My sister is NOT in London. Of course this is a scam. Her ENTIRE email list got hacked. She is getting emails and phone calls from friends and relatives telling her she has a problem.

Yup. Not only did her email list get hacked, but the entire contact list was deleted. She lost the contact information for almost 200 people.

AND, our 80+ year old aunt believed it and went to Western Union. The woman at Western Union questioned what she was doing, asked to see the email, and suggested our aunt call my sister. THANK YOU Western Union lady!

Babies On The Way?

2011-04-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

The daughter of a good friend is getting married next month. I, along with several other friends and relatives of the bride, held a bridal shower for her. It really turned our beautifully, with lots of good food and good conversation.

As part of that good conversation we all learned that the daughter of another friend is pregnant with her first child. Of course there were congratulations all around. And in the back of my mind was thoughts about the new bride and groom. She is in her late 30's and he is in his mid 40's so I wonder if another baby will be on the way soon.

Which got me thinking about baby gifts. I'm sure there will be a baby shower. Don't know if it will be before or after the baby is born. I'm a bit old fashioned and believe baby gifts should be given after the baby is born. Plus, if I wait until after the birth to purchase my gift I can check out personalized baby gift baskets. I think they make a really super baby gift.

Quran Burning Protests Still Going On

2011-04-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

I wrote a blog post about this yesterday. I am amazed the rioting is still going on. Or maybe I shouldn't be. According to an article in the NY Times, the people are being stirred up by three mullahs.

Down with America! Down with Obama! I guess the people in Afghanistan have no concept how the action of one person in the U.S. does not reflect the thoughts or actions of an entire country.

I can understand peaceful displays of protest. They have every right to be angry. But what I cannot understand is how protesting something that happened in America justifies arson and murder in Afghanistan. Can someone enlighten me? Why are these people destroying people and property in their own country over something that happened here? I don't understand it.

I Started a New Blog

2011-04-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I've been writing on this blog about my garden plans. Then it dawned on me that the I could chronicle the soon-to-be-ex-garden in its own blog. And that is exactly what I did.

The new blog is called (not surprisingly) Diary of an Ex-Garden. When you look at it I'm sure you will notice that it has the same background as this blog. Why you might ask? Simple.

Lack of any decent choices with Blogger's templates. I went through all of them. I chose different backgrounds. I chose different layouts. The worst part? The very same blog, with the very same color options, looked different when opened with Explorer as compared to how it looked when opened with Firefox.

In Explorer, I got dull, uni-color backgrounds but the colors on the Adsense ads matched the template colors perfectly. In Firefox, the backgrounds had beautiful texture but the Adsense ads didn't blend. One template would have been perfect for a travel blog as it had a map in the background. Another, that showed one simple color in Explorer actually showed birds in Firefox. Truthfully, if nothing else, I would have expected the templates to work perfectly in Explorer. But not so.

Therefore I chose the book shelf template again. Seemed to be right for a blog entitled 'Diary....' Did change the colors to green-tones because, after all, I am writing about gardening, right?

Koran Burned March 20th and I Just Heard About It

2011-04-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

That idiot, Mr. Jones, the pastor of a small Florida church, went ahead and burned the Koran, even after all of the pleas last year to not do this.

I just saw the Yahoo! headline about rioting in Afghanistan over the anger felt at the burning of this holy book. As I read the article, I saw that the burning actually took place on March 20th. I am on the computer every day and never saw a word about this. Good for our press!

But the people of Afghanistan found out, four days later, when the Afghan president condemned the burning. And rioting and violence has broken out in protest.

Do the Muslim people of Afghanistan have every right to be angry and upset? Of course they do. But rioting in their own country? Setting fires and destroying the property of their countrymen? Killing people? This I do NOT understand.

I'm At a Loss

2011-04-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm at a loss today. Both of my kids have financial problems. We've helped them in the past but at this point, they are both beyond our help. Frustrating having to sit by and not be able to do anything.

My husband has health issues. Things were going well for a while. Then this past week some numbers came back that didn't look good. Have to wait for more testing to see if the new numbers are a fluke or there really is an issue.

I feel like crawling back under the covers. Or simply hiding somewhere. Some place I can't be found. No cell phone. No email. There may be more bad news but I won't hear it.

Does not hearing it make it not happen or make it go away???

Back Up Again

2011-04-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Please to report that Demand Studios is back up again.

And now, of course, I don't feel like writing.

Instead to bed and to read.

Demand Studios Site Down?

2011-04-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Is the site down? What is going on this evening?

Today was a good day for writing. I got a lot of articles done and I could see the potential $$ mounting up.

And here it is about 9:45 p.m. and I still feel like writing. And I can't get into the site!!!

First I got a Norton screen that said the site wasn't a safe site. Now I just get the 'page can't be loaded' message.

I'm upset. What is going on????

Maybe I'll do a Google search and see if there is any info online.

Is it Spring Cleaning?

2011-03-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Spring is supposed to be here. Wouldn't know by the snow flurries this morning. My friend is having a garage sale last weekend in April that I'll be participating in. Hope we have good weather for that.

Because I'm working hard poking around my house. I don't know whether it is the urge to spring clean (what? me???) or the garage sale coming up in about four weeks, but I am amazed at what I have turned up.

Not only have I found a lot of stuff worth trying to sell at the sale, but I've turned up a ton of stuff which just simply belongs in the trash like old computers and printers (yes, we'll recycle), empty boxes, clothing (for Goodwill) and I-have-no-idea-why-we-kept-it stuff.

Time to get rid of the clutter! Time to simplify things!

Now if I could only instill some of this energy into my husband ........

No Motivation

2011-03-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

I sit at my computer and I have no motivation to do anything. And I mean nothing!

Don't feel like working on my freelance writing, don't feel like social networking, don't feel like promoting my sites.

Don't feel like doing non-computer stuff either. Friend of mine is having a garage sale end of April and I need to get through the house and collect my junk for that.

I've got laundry sitting and waiting to be folded. I guess not too many people would have motivation for that. I've got a pile of books waiting to be read. Also a pile of magazines.

Maybe I should just crawl back into bed.

From Exhausted to Wide Awake

2011-03-30T18:32:00.001-07:00

Actually, what I really need is a pint of Haagan Daz ice cream.

I was quite tired earlier this evening and was ready to climb in to bed with my book with the phone rang. It was my grandson telling me how tonight was his first baseball practice of the season. We had a nice conversation and then he passed the phone to his sister. After speaking with her, I spoke with my son who sounded fine but I always get upset speaking with him because of stuff I know is going on...like a PIA ex-wife and financial problems. I've got lots of questions and I don't ask any of them.

Then my daughter called. She too has financial problems. She is trying to work them out as best she can. She's upset of course. And I don't blame her. The economy seems to be getting better for major corporations but the little guys, including my son and daughter, got hit hard and are still having trouble climbing out of the holes they are in. So I listened. She didn't have any questions and I didn't offer any advice. Actually, none really to offer since I think she is on the right track.

But now? Wide awake and in need of some very rich chocolate ice cream.

Review: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

2011-03-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

I recently finished this book. And it was non-stop reading. Literally. I took a break for meals and that was it. Got about two thirds of the way through and I had to stop because of previous commitments. But then I stayed up until 2 in the morning to finish it.

It is definitely helpful to read the first book in the series, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, before reading this book. The characters are all laid out in the first book and the second book heads right into the story. Yes, there are brief instances where events in the first book are referred to but there is nowhere near the main character development that time is spent on in the first book.

I guess because of that it is easy to get into the story so quickly. It answers a lot of questions left open in the first book. It brings a conclusion and answers to most of them and then ends with new open-ended situations.

I really don't want to say too much about the book because I don't want to give anything away. Briefly, in this book, approximately 18 months after the first book left off, we learn more about Lisbeth's background and why she is the type of person that she is. She finds herself accused of a double murder (not giving away anything here...it is on the book cover) and Mikael has an opportunity to help her as she helped him in "...Dragon Tattoo."

Now to get a copy of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornest's Nest.

Reward Good Advice Without Spending a Penny

2011-03-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

How many websites do you read over the course of a week? How many blogs? Are there sites you check out on a regular basis because they have great advice and great ideas? Wouldn't it be nice if you could say 'thank you' in a way that doesn't cost you a penny? There is.

Oh sure, some sites have PayPal donate widgets displayed. And depending upon the site, I have actually donated a time or two. The free service being provided by the site is worth it to me. But what about sites that don't have a donate widget. What can you do?

If the site has ads displayed it is easy. Click on an ad. The ad might ask you for an email address. Got a spare one? Enter it and the site owner will earn some money. Some ads simply require you to just click on them. Nothing more.

Actually, I find a lot of blogs with no ads on them. Yes, some people consider them unwarranted...why clutter up their site? Since I have ads on my blogs, I obviously believe it can be done in a way that is not intrusive to the information on the site. So next time you think about how great the info is, think about saying thank you, too.

Solitaire Shortcut

2011-03-25T13:45:00.001-07:00

If any of you are like me, you've played many games of solitaire on the computer. I find it so mindless that it works wonders before I go to bed, lulling my mind into nothingness.

And then yesterday, just by accident, I discovered a shortcut. I happened to hit the right mouse button instead of the left. And, voila, cards ready to go up onto the ace piles just flew up there.

With my mouth open I continued to play until I had another card ready for one of the ace piles. I clicked the right mouse button. Not only did that card fly up, but additional cards that could be moved to the stacks flew up.

And at the end, when all of the cards were exposed? I right clicked on my mouse, they all flew up there and I had the 'dancing decks' that appear after completing a game.

Wow...sure saved a lot of left mouse clicks.

So tell me ... is it just me who didn't know about this shortcut or is this new to you too?

Passenger Suing Carnival Because of Ship Movement

2011-03-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Of all the absolute nonsense! A woman is suing Carnival cruise lines because the ship was moving too fast and made her sick.

I first read about it on USAToday Travel. There is also information about it on AOL Travel which states that Carnival won that the case should have been filed in Florida and is not waiting on a ruling about the statute of limitations is for an event that happened in August 2009.

So what happened? Did she get seasick? Well this happens sometimes when you are on the ocean. Getting sick because the ship was going too fast? Ridiculous.

Reminds me of the cruise we took with Blount Small Ship Adventures. We were on their Virgin Islands trip which started and finished in St. Thomas and visited the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

The Blount designed ships have a very shallow draft and they do not sail at night. We flew into St. Thomas an extra day early because, at the time, they had a special deal for an extra night on board while tied up at the dock. The next day we rented a car and had a wonderful full day on the island.

Next morning, still tied up at the dock, we are at breakfast and notice two passengers leaving the ship, pulling their luggage behind them. Curiosity got the best of most of us in the dining room and we wondered why they were leaving. Reason?

They couldn't handle the ship motion! Remember ... we were tied to the dock all night, in the harbor in Charlotte Amalie. What motion????

Getting Back to Pre-Cruise Weight

2011-03-24T05:44:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it has taken me five weeks to get back to my pre-cruise weight. What an effort!

When we returned from our Panama Canal cruise, I was the heaviest I'd been in a long time. And that is way too heavy as I've been way to heavy for a long time.

I really didn't do much about it the first few weeks home. I figured getting back to my regular eating would result in the weight dropping. NOT! So I decided to make a conscious effort to watch what I ate. No diet. I've tried diets in the past and they don't work for me. This was going to be simply eating healthier.

So more healthy vegetables like peas and green beans, healthier protein like chicken and turkey, Greek yogurt that I 'juiced' up with a mixture of grains and no empty calories. And guess what?

The weight has been coming off. Today I am back to my pre-cruise weight and I plan on keeping at it. I'm on my way to a healthy weight.

Winter is Still Here

2011-03-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

It's snowing out. Hard! Winter definitely has not given up in our neck of the woods. And this is really getting to me for the main reason that I have finally gotten the urge to get back into the garden and I can't do it.

I used to garden religiously. I would get up early, put an hour or so in the yard, then shower and go to work. However, I finally reached a point where gardening became a chore... not something I enjoyed anymore. At that point I decided to do what I could to minimize the work. I covered areas with plastic to try and keep the weeds down. Also hoped it would keep some of the more voracious perennials in place. And that worked with some but not others. Every try to keep yarrow under control? Forget it!

So instead of keeping things under control I have finally decided to just dig the whole darn thing up. I had a contractor clean up the myrtle and pachysandra along the sides of the house. I got on my hands and knees to pull out remaining roots. Covered with landscape cloth and plastic since last summer, it looks like I was pretty successful.

So plan is to move some of the more compact, unusual and slow growing perennials into the beds along the sides of the house. WITH landscape cloth and lots of mulch, hopefully maintenance will be minimal. But with the rain and snow, I can't get out into the yard as much as I would like.

I'm ready for the temps to start hitting the sixties on a regular basis. And the sun to be out. Am I asking for too much?