Speaking of school issues. I remember last year I attended a school function with my sister, her husband and my niece. It was a Christmas Chorus event and it actually was pretty good considering that it was held by middle schoolers that have just started singing in their young lives.
I remember looking at the School Lockers in the hall ways and thinking how little the Lockers have become since I was in school. They are now half the size of what they used to be, I don’t know how these kids are managing to cram everything that they need into them. During the winter months with your coats, boots, mittens, umbrellas and the like it must be a real hassle for the poor kids.
Now my Gym Locker was small, if I remember correctly it was a Wood Locker, which was a poor choice, in my opinion, since wood absorbs odors and we all know how smelly our gym clothes were back then. Now a days they don’t even make the kids take a shower after gym class, which is something that we always were made to do each and every day.
Anyway, I had a few minutes to spare last night and found myself looking at the variety of Lockers for sale on the Internet. We have come a long way baby, but I still think that they need to give today’s students bigger Lockers.
When MaryAnne was telling me that she was looking for an AbeBooks coupon code to help her save money on her college textbooks, I was reminded of how my wife managed to get her college degree. She was lucky enough to work for a large corporation that had a great tuition reimbursement benefit for their employees. If you could prove that the college courses you wanted to take were related to the job you either had or wanted to have within the company, then the company would pay for the tuition and fees for the courses. All we had to pay for were the books.
Unfortunately, this was before the Internet was available and we didn’t know how to find college textbooks anywhere other than the university’s own book store. We spent a lot of money on college textbooks. Don’t get me wrong, the education was worth the expense, but as far as I’m concerned the textbooks should be provided to the student as part of the tuition money. The book stores would tell you that they’d buy the textbooks back after the semester was over, but the money that they paid for used books was a small fraction of their original cost. And many times they would refuse to buy them back at all, saying that the books weren’t going to be used again for another class.
Sure, you could save a little bit of money by buying used textbooks, but now buying used textbooks from Abebooks over the Internet is a huge advantage to today’s students.
Cruising around online last night I was checking out some of the more popular game sites. I don’t play many games online but on occasion I will have a bit of time on my hands and feel the urge. You don’t see many girl games, or at least you didn’t use to. I stumbled onto a site easygirlgames.com that is chock full of girl games. I sent the link to my 10 year old niece that has her own computer and may enjoy some of the girl games that they have offered and listed there.
I remember that there was a major push about 6 years ago in an effort to get more games that would appeal to the female population, girls in particular. I haven’t paid that much attention to it to tell you the truth but I do know that there seems to be a good effort from the gaming companies to fulfill this need.
My parents always told me that rich people were just like poor people – they all put their pants on one leg at a time. Well, these guys put their pants on both legs at a time!
They say that variety is the spice of life. I guess that that is a good thing, but these days we seem to have so many varieties of most things that it can be a challenge to make a decision on some things. I have been looking at the choices of enclosed bulletin boards to use in my office, but I had no idea how many types of enclosed bulletin boards that they make these days. It’s like going to the grocery store to buy a can of spagettii sauce, thinking you can just run in and grab a can, only to find that there are over 20 varieties of spagettii sauce to pick from. It can be frustrating at times.
At enclosedbulletinboards.com they hve a huge selection of enclosed bulletin boards. So if you are looking for at enclosed cork bulletin boards or enclosed fabric bulletin boards they have them there folks. They offer free shipping, quick delivery and they accept PayPal which is something that I always look for.
If you know some one that deals with MS then I have a wonderful website for them to check out at allaboutms.com. It is a very user friendly site that talks about many aspects of the Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms and is chock full of Multiple Sclerosis News that I think would be beneficial for all people exposed to the horrendous disease.
I think most of us have someone close to us that has some type of serious illness or disability that effects us in numerous ways each day. The Internet is such a powerful tool for us to utilized in gaining some major knowledge that can empower us tremendously in cases just like this.
As with most illnesses there are things that we all can help with such as the much talked about Multiple Sclerosis Diet and the Multiple Sclerosis Exercise that is making such an impact on so many MS patients. You can find out so much information like this and much more at this wonderful website. Read it and pass it on, if you will.
Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. Go figure it is a holiday that the majority of us don’t get the day off of work, if so you certainly don’t get paid for the time off, although if I was the boss I’d most likely consider starting that tradition. Some places give you your birthday off with pay, which should be standard across the board.
Anyway even if we have to work, most of us get off in time to tend to the neighborhood kids trick or treating and then hopefully off to a fun event at some one’s highly decorated up place with all the women dressed in their latest sexy Halloween costumes. I have been to some awesome Halloween parties and have won a few costume contests in my time. Now a days I’m more into seeing what others come up with each year.
Last year I met a great gal that came in wearing the most daring but tasteful sexy angel costumes that I’ve seen in a very long time. I got her phone number and we went out to dinner a time or two, but have lost touch at this point. Maybe I’ll meet up with her again at another Halloween party in the future. Halloween is creeping up on us in a few short months and I’m all about seeing what sexy costumes they will come out with this year.
There is still time to find a good costume to wear for this year. There are lots of websites that I’ve found online that have some really fine and unique costumes for just about any one’s taste and budget. It’s best to find an outfit that you might possibly be able to wear again at some point, like at a Renaissance Festival or some other type of event.
Last night I took my wife to a party. There was a live band (very unusual) and we danced several dances. She had more fun then I can remember seeing her. This was one of the dances we danced to. I think the song says it all. I think this is a good song to rekindle some romance!
One of the things we really liked about this house that we live in is the fact that there was a gas fireplace in the living room. I’ve had enough of the experience of burning really wood, but I love the ambiance of flames dancing in the fireplace. There is something very soothing and hypnotic about relaxing in a chair by the fire. I’ve always enjoyed doing that. Many times I’ve fallen asleep on the floor in front of the fireplace!
So having a fireplace in the house was a big plus! We really didn’t care whether it was vented or ventless, because it is easy to buy Vented Gas Logs or Ventless Gas Logs. Just recently we had a problem getting our logs to light, so we went online to see if we should call a repairman or just replace the logs. We found some really fantastic prices on Peterson gas logs. Now we’re even thinking about putting in a fireplit and Outdoor Gas Logs in our back yard. I think it would be awesome to have a party area back there, and a fire pit would be a really nice touch.
The house that I grew up in had the best looking Window Box Planters in the neighborhood. My mother worked hard keeping those Decorative Planters in their best shape and condition possible. She had colorful flowers planted in them most of the year, they just seemed to grow well and keep their shape and color right up to the end of the season.
I have a few Indoor Planters around my place that seem to do pretty well. But I can’t seem to have much luck with an Outdoor Planter no matter how hard I try. I’ve seen some real nice High End Planters online that I’d really like to try and use to have here and the prices are pretty decent right now as well.
I’ll keep looking around a bit longer and see what I can come up with. I’ve got plenty of time to find the right one(s) for the right price. With this heat wave and drought going on there are a lot of sad looking yards out there.
Next spring will be my father’s 70th birthday. My brothers and sisters have decided that we want to surprise him with a a special surprise party and give him a gift that he has always dreamt about – a trip to Myrthle Beach. He’s been retired for five years now, and he’s dreamt about playing on the Myrtle Beach golf courses as one of the retirement fantasies that just haven’t come to pass yet.
My wife and I have been trying to review the many different Myrtle Beach golf packages on the http://www.myrtlebeachgolf.net web page to see which ones might be the best ones to get. We all agreed to split the cost equally, but we still need to keep a close eye on the cost. And we want to make sure that our mother has plenty to do while our father is out on the course.
We also need to figure out if any of us should accompany them, or if we should try to make it a romantic getaway for the two of them. After all, maybe booking some spa time for our mother while our father is out on the golf course would be the perfect touch!
My wife and I like to think that we are not stupid. We’ve signed up for Online Trading for the stocks we own, and we each have IRA Accounts. We try to be conservative, however, with our Stock Trading activities. We’ve been burned a little bit a couple of times, and we really can’t afford to lose very much money.
The most confusing part about owning stocks (to me) is how to go about reporting the profits, losses, and dividends on our income taxes! I’m really glad that we have a great software program that keeps track of all of that. I’d never be able to keep it all straight if I had to keep track of it on paper! And I’m more than happy to let my wife take care of that portion of our financial life! I tell my wife that’s why I keep her around – to do the bookkeeping! (And her cooking’s pretty good too!)
My brother and his wife have decided that they want to take their kids to the beach for school starts. Apparently school starts very early down where they live. The first day of school for them is in the beginning of August, while we have always had our schools start after Labor Day which of course is always in the first week of September. So time is running out and they are running into some snags in finding a good spot to travel to.
Since BP has destroyed most of the beaches on the east coast the choices have been narrowed down considerably and the word is that folks are flocking to resorts in Myrtle Beach, which I’m sure Myrtle Beach is just loving all the money that is heading their way this year. I’ve heard that Myrtle Beach has been trying hard to get more business their way so I guess they got what they were asking for, by default.
So it looks like they have been busy using the Internet to find the best Myrtle Beach hotel that they can find in such a short time frame. They have been using sites like http://avistaresort.com to find what they are looking for. Not only do they want the whole beach experience for the kids, but they want to be able to get in a game or two of golf as well. I wish them luck and hope that they have a blast before the time runs out and it’s back to school once again.
My sister was telling me that she has several websites that are due for renewal and she is thinking about switching the web hosting service that she uses for the sites. She said that the webhosting services that she has now are too expensive and don’t give her enough storage space. I asked her how in the world does one even learn about the different web hosting services? This whole thing can get complicated!
She told me that she has found several websites that provide a variety of webhostinghub reviews that feature the pros and cons of many of the different web hosting services. She says that she is still learning the tricks of the trades, but that fortunately there is a lot of helpful information on many of the websites that are geared towards helping her make the right decision. All I know is, I’m glad I don’t have to figure all of that out! It can get confusing!
I hear from a few friends that DSI Solutions is offering some good quality credit repair services. Word of mouth is still the way to go for me, with so many bogus scams going on and off of the Internet. Times are still trying for most people. So many lives have been destroyed by the economy issue that our government has gotten us all into. Most people I know haven’t seen any thing or positive happen with their lives and careers. There are still tons of “For Sale” signs all over the lawns in all the neighborhoods all across the country. The unemployment numbers are still staggering and there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of this long dark tunnel.
If I were to take on the task of having to improve credit, I would certainly ask around before jumping in with both feet. So far I’ve managed to stay ahead of the game, but it could turn ugly at any moment; you never know these days. Each day we never know if it is our last at my place of employment. Pink slips are still showing up here and there and no one wants to be called into the manager’s office for fear that they will be walking out carrying that little pink piece of paper!
I never knew that there were so many types of insurance policies offered these days. When I think of insurance, I think of home, auto and life – that’s about it. When I stopped in at my agent’s office last week, to pay my monthly bill, I had to wait a few minutes for assistance and was reduced to sitting in the waiting room longer than normal. I didn’t have a book to read, nor did they have any magazines to keep me occupied while waiting, so I picked up a few of their brochures and was surprised to see the variety of policies that you can purchase as of late.
When I got home I took a few minutes to look online at some different insurance sites and found myself looking at an insurance company located in Australia. They have even more of a variety of policies than I found at my agent’s office. They have guardian income insurance, policies that you can buy for funeral cover costs, interesting, to say the least. I also read that accident cover policies seem to be popular in the “Land Down Under” as well, it seems that 14 males and 7 females every day in Australia due to accidental deaths, so having a good insurance agent with good insurance policies seems the way to go for those folks.
I guess insurance is a necessity all over the world these days.
Tutor Vista has come to the aid of my kid cousin who is hopefully going to graduate from high school next year. He has had problems with math since day one in first grade and now that he is in high school he has been struggling with Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 issues. I remember the days when I was able to help him once in a while with his home work assignments, but those days have come and went when it comes to numbers. I do come in handy once in a while with a project for Science or History but that is a rarity this past year or so. Hard to believe that he will be graduating and moving on in just over a year!
Anyway, it seems that Tutor Vista offers world class online tutoring, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for less than $100 a month. He started out with their free demo that they offer their first timers and was impressed right off with their services. He gets the same tutor every time, homework help any time he needs it, he receives detailed assessment tests that follow his state curriculum. He is even utilizing their ‘Get Ahead, Summer Program” in an effort to keep his mind sharp and ready for the start of the next year that is only two months away.
I’m glad that he is receiving good quality assistance with his Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 problems. It would be awesome to see this kid make something out of his life. There is still a possibility that he will even go on with his education and take some college courses after surviving and graduating high school in June of 2011.
I have a few buddies that are serving our country and have found themselves doing there time in Iraq. I’m so grateful for the Internet, it has made such a big difference to our military to be able to communicate with friends and family during their time in Hell. It’s too bad that they didn’t have email back in the day of our involvement in Vietnam. It could be that more time could have been spent on the computer instead of doing all the drugs that they so many are so well known to have done.
Anyway, I try and keep up with sending them letters and emails, it is the least that I can do for them while they are doing their part in protecting us from the bad guys. One pal, who is a US Marine sent me this YouTube video along with his latest email. It is too funny and I wanted to post it here for you to enjoy as well.
I have to admit that video game companies have really taken gaming to new heights – with games that you compete and cooperate with other people via multiple player games on the Internet. What a huge evolution from the very first Pong game that I remember buying back in the 1970′s when I was a teenager! (Now I’m showing my age, I’m sure!)
But now people are even setting up websites where you can Buy WoW Accounts to get a jump start on your game and Sell Aion Accounts to cash in on your expertise. Who would’ve thought that you could actually make money legally playing video games that didn’t involve gambling! I’m curious to see what the video gaming companies come up with next! It should be interesting, that is for sure!
One of the things that has been very disappointing to me in the past when dealing with the purchase and maintenance of computers is the built-in-obsolescence of so many of them. Seems to me that the minute you buy a new computer, it is already obsolete! And when I go to a name brand store, such as Staples, or Best Buy, and get a so called “great” package deal (free printer included!) and then end up needing some kind of maintenance on the computer I’m hit with a huge repair bill. Terms such as “proprietary” are thrown at me as an explanation of the cost.
I’m always encouraged by my friends in the IT business, to bypass the chain stores and buy a Custom Computer that is not proprietary. I’ve been told that buying Custom Computers can actually be cost effective both in the original purchase price, and in the ability to repair or upgrade. I’ve been thinking about taking a look at some Custom Laptops and see what they have to offer that would entice me to buy a Custom Laptop rather than a pre-bundled deal. I still think that laptops are more expensive than they should be, considering the technological advances that have been made in recent years.