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.
I found out that yesterday was the first day of school for the neighborhood kids in this county. All the school buses are heading out bright and early to pick all the students up and the roads are getting jammed up again in the morning. I’m glad that most of the buses are done delivering when the evening rush hour heats up.
The woman next door went back to school and became a nurse. Even though she got a late start in life in getting her education she did it and is enjoying her new work. We see her leaving each morning wearing her new nursing scrubs, all nice and clean like and then each evening she comes in looking pretty ragged out, bless her heart. She is apparently working in a pediatric practice and those kids must be a handful each day for her to be looking so rough.
I have to say that there seems to be a great selection of these medical scrubs out there these days for folks in the medical field and that our neighbor has purchased numerous variations to wear each day. I feel for her, working so hard each day but doing her best to look good and cheerful each and every work day. At least she isn’t stuck wearing the same old lab coat day in and day out like some medical personnel end up wearing. That would be a drag for some one like her that enjoys a variety in their work attire.
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.
The Animal Planet has a great show that comes on each morning called “It’s Me or The Dog” Victoria Stilwater has been working with dogs for over 13 years and has helped tons of people with their dog issues. I have learned so much from this show and I wish it was on later in the evening so that more people could see it and learn from it as well.
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.
If you asked me ten years ago with Mesothelioma was I wouldn’t have been able to give you even a clue. I remember a co worker talking about her uncle dealing with Mesothelioma Cancer, about ten years ago and she clued me into a good amount about this ever increasing cancer that we are seeing so much about on TV these days. There are several local attorneys that are specializing in Mesothelioma and are advertising heavily these past couple of years on the local channels on cable and satellite alike.
I’ve even seen a few daytime talk show that have discussed this as well as Surviving Mesothelioma and I always remember that particular co worker whose family was morning heavily back then and it makes me wonder what ever happened to her and/or her uncle. All I know is that he had served in the Navy and somehow was exposed to this cancer in the sub that he spend a good amount of time in. I understand that a good amount of men that served on those submarines are now suffering from this same type of Mesothelioma Cancer. That really sucks, serving your country and then dying slowly from it for years and decades long after your service time is up.
I have really enjoyed the new show on The Animal Planet called Whale Wars. It is amazing what these people will do in order to save these creatures that are disappearing due to the hunters that are killing them in the name of science. These folks are totally 100% committed to doing all that they can to save the whales, they have all of my respect.
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.
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.
One of the things that worries me about the economy is how the budgets for the school systems keep getting cut back and the children are getting the short end of the stick. Teachers are being laid off, bus runs are being eliminated, after school activities are being eliminated. Because the late buses have been eliminated, there are fewer opportunities for the students to stay after school to meet with their English or math tutor to get the extra English or math help that they need in order to pass their Standards of Learning Tests.
That’s why so many students are turning to, and benefiting from free online tutoring that they can take advantage of in the comfort of their own homes. If they don’t have Internet access at home, they can go to one of the many local libraries and use their computers there. The Information Highway is truly the Road to Learning in this day and age!
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed professional translation services? My wife tells me that back around 1978, when she was working for the telephone company as a service representative there were several times that she had to deal with people who only spoke French or Russian and she had a difficult time finding any place or any one that would provide her with the translation services that she needed in order to communicate with her customers.
Now, with the modern Information Age of the Internet, it is easy to find a service de traduction (translation service) with just a few clicks of the mouse you can find a translation website, or a service that will help via telephone. I think that this kind of progress is wonderful! We all need to be able to communicate with each other.
I love the Discovery Channel for so many reasons. One of my favorite things about watching the Discovery Channel is that I actually learn something new every single time I watch. The best part is, I do not feel like I am learning, the programming isn’t boring and most certainly does not feel educational although it is very much so.
There are a ton of great programs on the Discovery Channel, I am often amazed when I turn my Direct tvsatellite TV to Discovery Channel. All from watching the Discovery Channel I have learned about new worlds, what is across our own world and even how television sets are made! The Discovery Channel is truly a world of an adventure.
I am a big fan of the programming style of the Discovery Channel and enjoy most of the shows that I see. There are a few that strike me as boring but that comes with the educational value of them! Most of the programming on the Discovery Channel is exciting, shows such as “How It’s Made” offer insight into how common household items are made in factories. There are even shows such as “Myth Busters” which put common day myths to the test to find out just how unrealistic they really are. The cast of these shows are often very intelligent yet with a sense of humor which is another thing I truly enjoy about watching television on the Discovery Channel, my favorite TV Channel to date!
Some times our Federal Government does something that actually makes sense and is a good thing for all involved. It seems weird to be saying that, but I’m glad that I am honestly able to say it this time around. I’m speaking of the newest extension of the “Home Buyers Tax Credit” There is a good video on Coldwell Bankers web site that I took the time to embed here.
The more knowledge that someone is armed with, the better consumer they will end up becoming. Having something like a $6,500 tax credit available is something worth checking into, wouldn’t you say? This tax credit has made a major impact on the recovery efforts of our whacked out and extremely screwed up economy. And there are still plenty of homes on the market at “way cheap” prices that so many people could end up getting some really decent deals.
I know several people that have recently become first time home owners because of this bill and they couldn’t be happier about the tax credit. Now that it has been extended even more folks might be able to live the American Dream. It’s all about the money, always has been, always will be, sigh…….
I’ve loved downhill skiing ever since my very first experience on the bunny slope over thirty years ago. Over the many years since I have had several wonderful skiing holidays, and some not so wonderful.
One of my most memorable holdiays was when I signed up for a long weekend ski trip with a singles ski club to charter a bus to go to SugarBush in New England. I can’t even remember now if it was in Vermont or New Hampsire! I just remember it was a terribly long bus ride with a rowdy crowd of folks. We had rented out several condo townhouses. Shortly before we arrived we stopped at a small grocery store and were advised to buy “supplies.” No one knew exactly what that meant so although I stocked up on a lot of food items to get me by for the duration of the trip, most of the folks just bought beer and cigarettes. When we arrived at the condos, many of the people then realized that there was no grocery store or convenience store nearby and they were out of luck on getting much food!
Well, I shared much of what I had bought, and in return the group paid for a lot of my meals at the ski lodge (something I wasn’t exactly planning on eating, but oh well!)
Lesson learned? Make sure you really know where your food supplies are going to be coming from so you don’t get caught without anything to eat!
My wife has signed up for some ballet classes that start in a couple of weeks. She used to take ballet when she was a young child growing up. She’s been going crazy the last couple of days trying to find a local place that sells Capezio Dance Supplies because she wants to buy a Capezio leotard to wear to class. She hasn’t had to buy a leotard ever before because her parents used to buy them for her. After all, she was just a little girl! So she’s been looking around and can’t find adult size leotards anywhere in town! So it looks like she is going to have to buy them off of the Internet and hope they fit her.
I wish that every garment sold in stores that has buttons had an extra button sewn into an inside seam. I am always pleasantly surprised when I find a garment with an extra button like that; I think it is a mark of quality. I really hate it when I have a shirt for a few weeks and then all of a sudden I notice a button is missing! If the shirt doesn’t have a spare button sewn inside it somewhere, I usually can’t wear the shirt anymore because I can’t find a good match for the other buttons very easily.
My wife has suggested that whenever I buy a new shirt to put a dab of clear fingernail polish on the threads of the buttons. She says that will help to keep them from falling off. She even showed me where she keeps the clear nail polish! I think that’s a clever idea and I’ll try to remember to do that in the future!
I’ve been watching the television show series Ax men on the History channel lately. I ask my wife to tape it for me and then I watch the tape later on during the week when I have time. Sometimes I forget to ask her to tape it for me, and then I get angry at her for not remembering to tape it! I forget that she is juggling a lot of things and expect her to remember every single detail of what I want. So then I get mad at myself for getting mad at her! Oh well, she is a forgiving woman! Fortunately I’ve found that the show is on several times every week so if I forget to ask her to tape it I can usually watch it again later on anyway. So it’s all good.
Over the course of my life, I have had to take several student loans to get through college. I was not a good enough student in high school to get many scholarships or grants, and my folks were not in an economical position to pay for my schooling. If I wanted to go to college, then I needed to get as many college loans as I could get. Unfortunately, the college expenses exceeded the amount of money that I could borrow through the subsidized programs and I even had to get a couple of private student loans to finish up.
I’m really glad that I was able to get these loans to get my college degree, but I have to admit that I am finding it difficult to make the payments on the loans. I’m worried that with this economy going the way it seems to be going (prices keep going up) that I’m going to be having to ask for a hardship deferral on the loans, which is something that I really don’t want to have to do. I want to get them paid off!