Archive for January, 2008

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Traffic Help

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Are you looking for another way to increase traffic to your blog? Or are you just starting out and looking for any way at all? It’s a big internet out there and you don’t want your stuff to be overlooked. There are lots of suggestions on the boards and Buzzfuse is just one of many things to try.

You sign up at their site for free, embed some code in one of your best posts and they’ll help spread the word about it. They do ask that you give them some contacts but when I submitted my post I was able to bypass that part. Remember, however, that it would be beneficial to your blog to do so.

I’m looking forward to the photo option coming online. It’s listed as coming soon right now but when it does happen, you’ll be able to upload pictures to the site to let people view. You can already upload audio.

Give Buzzfuse a try and see what happens to your stats.

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Manners

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

For some reason my younger son thinks farts are something to tell everybody about.  Oh, sure he excuses himself (usually) but not with the right embarrassment.  Most often he’s grinning about it.

One typical example:

The Boy: (Farts)
ME: Nice fart (light sarcasm)
The Boy: Thanks! (chipperly) I tuwned away fwom you so that I wouldn’t
fawt at you cuz that would be inappwopwiate.
ME: Thank you.

How am I supposed to teach him that it’s just generally inappropriate to fart when he’s so funny?!

I figure he’s got about 2 more years before this gets really old and I start to ….. I’m not sure what.

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Rehab in Malibu

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Just yesterday I read an article about a vaccine for cocaine users. Apparently the researcher is in the second to last trial stage before he can present it to the FDA for approval. He hopes that sometime in the years to come he can get together vaccines for meth and even nicotine (he says that’s where the money is).

But, really, if you or your loved one is addicted now this means nothing for you. Five, ten or even fifteen years from now is a lifetime away for someone suffering from addiction. In the here and now addiction means a long recovery process that requires hard work and any support a person can get. The best place to start a recovery program is in the relatively sheltered space of a rehab facility where addiction can hopefully be wrestled to the ground because there is no access to the addictive material.

At Rehab Malibu, the program is focused on helping addicts struggling with alcohol and drugs of all kinds to get back in control of their lives. They use a variety of philosophies to make treatment programs that are more tailored and less cookie cutter for the participants.

If you know someone who is addicted, check out this facility as a possible place to suggest they get help. If you are addicted to drugs or alcohol yourself, find someone who can help you make this decision the right way.

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A Big…Block…Wall…

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

We just had a big block wall put up in the back yard. In case you aren’t from around here and think such a thing would be ugly and separate you from your neighbors – it is, it does and everyone just loves them here. We used to have a fence – just a run of the mill (more like run down by a mill) wooden fence. It was falling apart and it didn’t go a long way toward selling the house (yes we’re still trying to do that).

So down with the old fence and up with a new one.

Right out my kitchen window.

Big….

Grey…..

Blocky….

It’s UGLY!

I just can’t decide if it’s uglier than what we had before. Something about this doing things to a house not knowing now or ever if it will help it sell leaves me feeling uncertain (could it be the uncertainty of it all?). I still can’t decide if the painted kitchen is really BETTER than before or just different.

Who knew doing home improvements could be so existential (I hope I’m using that correctly)?

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File Your Taxes ASAP

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Undoubtedly you have heard me talk about what you need to get together in order to file your taxes and for those of you who believe you’ll be getting a refund, I know you have scurried to get things in order. Then again today is the day that those things were all supposed to be mailed by so you may need to wait just a couple more days before you can begin in earnest.

Once you have your W-2s, your 1099s and know how much you contributed to your 401(k) for your Saver’s Tax Credit you can start filling out the forms. Are you going to hop from library to post office and from town to town in search of your 1040? No, because I told you earlier that you want to go online to get those.

What I forgot to tell you about was the handy dandy efile. Sure I get the forms from the IRS web site but in the end I find a program that lets me efile so I can get my refund faster. It’s something I’ve done most of the past 8 years and often the program finds credits I didn’t know existed (like the aforementioned Saver’s Tax credit).

Save yourself some time and money. Skip the search for forms and be brave enough to do this yourself (with the help of a program that asks all the right questions).

Posted in Money | Comments Off

Rate Cuts Helpful?

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

In case you haven’t heard it yet, there’s TONS of buzz about the Fed cutting interest rates again.  It is fully expected that they will but if something weird happens and they don’t, it pretty much spells a drop in the stocks which rallied only yesterday on speculation that the cut would happen.

The question is, are these cuts actually helping the economy or are they just affecting things temporarily and a recession is inevitable?  Unfortunately I think it is the latter but time will tell.  In the mean time, you might look into refinancing your mortgage and benefit from lower interest rates.

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Lap-Band – Different from Gastric Bypass

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

If you find your self in the position of carrying alot of extra weight around and can’t seem to lose it, you may be considering a gastric bypass to help you out. We’ve all heard about those celebrities who’ve had them and seen the dramatic results. We also all know that it is an extremely risky procedure that should only be undergone after serious consideration of all the risks and benefits. The procedure is irreversible.

Also make sure you check out the option of lap-band surgery as a possible substitute. Woodlands lap-band surgery bills itself as being 10x safer than gastric bypass an, because it is done laparoscopically (as the name suggests) it makes sense that it would be. Because it is less invasive, there is less of a chance for infection and other complications.

Please make sure you make yourself FULLY aware of all risks associated with these procedures and carefully weigh the responsibilities that come with the aftermath of any operation.

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Little Girl Update

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

For any one out there who is interested, the little girl’s CT came back fine.  Now we don’t have to worry about that anymore (except for when we have to go up in clothing size just so her head will fit through the holes.  Just think, when she’s a teenager she’ll have an excuse to wear off the shoulder clothes (“But Mom, my head won’t fit through the hole unless it’s this big.  Why doesn’t it cover my stomach?  Um, well…).

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For Those in Need of a Business Loan

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

One of the scariest parts of having your own business is when you need to ask for a business loan. Where do you go? What will they want to know about you and your business before they give you a loan? If you are rejected by one lender, where do you turn?

America One Unsecured has the answers to all these questions. In their FAQ section, you can find out about some of the pitfalls of applying for business loans before you even start. They tell you when you need a co-signer, what kind of credit you need in order to be approved, under what circumstances less than perfect credit can still let you get approved and much more.

Their application process is quick and easy (just 2 pages of information to fill out) and if you are approved, you can see the loan funded in just a week.

In the end, if they find that they are unable to approve you for a loan, they can refer you to another lender who may be able to do so.

With such an open, non-threatening environment, you can apply for your business loan confidant that America One Uninsured is there to help you achieve your goals without the unnecessary stress so many banks out there will give you.

Good Luck!

Posted in Business, Money | Comments Off

Rain, Rain, GO AWAY!!

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

I’ve managed to break the drought in Arizona!

This week we are SUPPOSED to be having a block wall put up in the back of the house. We took the old one down over the weekend and yesterday and today it was supposed to be constructed. Instead it rained. The contractor said (understandably) that it’s hard to dig in mud. He said (understandably) it’s hard to pour concrete onto mud. The part I can’t figure out is why the concrete won’t dry while it’s raining (just kidding).

He actually did manage to get the hole dug despite the fact that we got better than an inch of rain. And today they plan on pouring the concrete footings. Those are supposed to dry overnight before the real work on the wall can start and guess what -

There’s supposed to be rain again tomorrow. What was going to be an easy two days will be at least 3 (if it doesn’t rain) maybe 4 (if they don’t have to wait for tomorrow’s rain to dry up) and maybe as much as 5. This all assumes that the rain will eventually stop. The law of averages says it must but Murphy’s Law says just the opposite.

And thus, by trying to get a wall built in two days, I have single handedly guaranteed unstopping rain until the monsoon starts at which point in time there will be no rain at all.Use Buzzfuse* to easily rate, review, and share this item

Posted in Rant | 1 Comment »

Orlando vacation

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

About eight or nine years ago now, my wife and I went on a vacation to Orlando. We had our tickets to Disneyworld, a hotel, a car, and we were ready for a great week-long vacation. It was my first time to Florida and my first trip to the east coast, so we decided to head to the beach for my first trip to the Atlantic. We ended up picking the perfect day to drive to the beach. If we had stayed in Orlando and gone for another day in Disneyworld, we would have been soaked from the drenching rains that hit that day.

Now the monsoon storms that hit Arizona are nothing to laugh at. We will occasionally get localized winds that approach hurricane force and have been known to knock down block walls. The storm that hit us that day on the highway as we headed east towards the ocean reminded me of a monsoon storm but with a lot more water. It came down in sheets and buckets, and the windshield wipers couldn’t keep up. We pulled to the side of the road to let the worst of it pass before continuing. Not the sort of thing that you want to be caught in on a two-lane highway.

We made it the beach just fine and had a great time playing in the Atlantic. After returning to our discount hotel room, we decided that our next trip to Orlando would have to include a stay in the Grand Floridian. That hotel looks like the way to go. We also want to go on some Orlando tours the next time we’re out there. I’m hoping to win a handheld GPS by signing up for the newsletter from Trusted Tours & Attractions. Win Handheld GPS – Newsletter signup page) They specialize in sightseeing tours of many cities including Orlando.

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Rebel without a Crew

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

Or How to Inspire a Generation of Independent Filmmakers.

I’m still working my way through Robert Rodriguez’s book about how he became a Hollywood player after writing, directing, producing, and everything else-ing “El Mariachi”. He sold his body to medical research to help raise the funds for the movie, filmed it all in Spanish in a Mexican border town, and tried to sell it the Spanish-language video market to get practice making movies. He ended up getting signed to a multi-movie deal with Columbia, winning the Sundance Audience Award, and putting out a string of successful films.

His book chronicles the fun and troubles of making a feature length motion picture in a way that clearly demonstrates how incredible the circumstances are. Included is the famous “10-minute Film School” in which Rodriguez gives advice to young filmmakers on how to make their own films.

Now understand, Rodriguez had been making short films with his siblings on video for years. He probably made almost 200 short movies in that time before trying to tackle a full-length movie. These years of practice are what led to him getting signed and getting famous. However, he is right that anyone can make a movie. His years of practice allowed him to make a good movie. So for all you aspiring filmmakers out there (me included). Practice, practice, practice. Find a way to practice making movies until you get better. You’ll make dozens of unwatchable shorts, a few truly bad films, and maybe, eventually, you’ll make a movie that will make Rodriguez take notice of you.

Posted in Movies | Comments Off

Credit repair

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

Some problems in life are easier to fix than others. If the sink breaks, you call a plumber. If the car breaks, you go to the mechanic. If you’re leg breaks, you go to the doctor. Or if you’re lucky and especially gifted at any of these skill sets, you take care of the problem yourself. One problem that many do not even notice is an incorrect credit report. This problem requires immediate credit repair.

At any time that you’re looking to buy something that requires credit, it is always best to first know what you’re credit score and credit report look like. You may need to repair credit before going to buy that house or car.

Each credit bureau is required to give you your credit report at least once a year if you request it. Don’t go to any of the websites that advertise on television. They’re all just a big scam. Get your credit report for free from the government required free site then look for problems with your credit.

To get these problems fixed you may need a credit repair service like that offered at this site. The testimonials were filled with people that had their credit scores jump up hundreds of points and saving hundreds of dollars by having lower interest rates. The big credit bureaus have so much power and such a huge bureaucracy that it’s a good idea to have someone on your side in the fight to fix your broken credit.

Posted in Business, Money, Web | Comments Off

Cloverfield did not disappoint

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

Wow!

I never got dizzy or light-headed, but some of the footage did make my tilt my head to try and figure out what was going on. I never had a desire to see “Blair Witch Project”, but, aside from the handheld camera style, these are two very different movies.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that I thought it was awesome.

As far as giant monster movies go, the good ones are few and far between. The reason is probably that it doesn’t take a whole lot of capital or talent to film a guy in a rubber suit stomping on a miniature of Tokyo. Even the initial trailers for “Cloverfield” made it obvious that this movie had a budget, a good story, some incredible special effects, and at least one really cool monster.

The movie starts out with a couple filming each other in their New York apartment. Because the entire movie is presented as footage found in Central Park after some disaster, the footage quickly jumps around as the camera operators turn on and off the camera to record different things. Soon enough the camera is passed to a friend who films the going away party for the guy we meet in the opening scenes.

It doesn’t take long for ‘something’ to happen that makes everyone rush to get out of the city. The cast starts dropping like flies as the city is torn apart. The tension begins to mount as the camera picks up increasingly disturbing images of the monster that is loose in Manhattan.

Let’s take a minute to talk about the monster. I’m not going to say anything to ruin the movie or spoil the surprise, but that was one cool monster. This is no dude in a rubber suit. The “Cloverfield” monster would be much more at home as a Lovecraftian addition to “The Mist” than the monster of the week fighting Godzilla. And speaking of that matchup: the “Cloverfield” monster would win.

On my personal scale of:

“Avoid it at all costs”
“Good for a laugh”
“Some people will like it”
“Rent it”
“See it in the theater”, and
“Buy it”

I would give it a “See it in the theater.”

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Sonographers needed!

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

Despite what you may be thinking, it is not necessary to go to school for a decade and have an MD after your name to earn good money in a medical profession. There are many jobs currently out there waiting to be filled by qualified applicants. If you’re looking for a job with regular hours that pays well and involves medicine, then you may want to consider training to be an ultrasound tech for an exciting new career.

If you’re looking for an ultrasound technician school, then check out the opportunities at this site. The median income for a sonographer is just under fifty grand a year. Not bad. The field of sonography and ultrasound is just going to grow as newer and better ultrasounds are invented that make use of 3D technology and clearer and clearer resolution.

This site contains info if you’re looking for an ultrasound tech school or if you’re looking for another medical related career. There are many articles that contain a lot of information about good schools with programs that are specifically designed to get you from your current job into a long-term career. So instead of wishing that you could make a change to a better career with better pay and better hours, do something about it so that in a few years you can make the change to something better.

Posted in Business, Health, Web | 1 Comment »

Movie wish list

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

Just a quick post about some of the movies that I’d like to rent or buy in the near future

Darkman
Whisper
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
In the Mouth of Madness
Rambo

Some of them I’ve just been meaning to get to but haven’t. Others are new movies, and others are ones that are probably terrible, but I saw something interesting in a commercial or on some website.

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How to Be Nouveau Riche

Friday, January 25th, 2008

The term Nouveau Riche is supposed to be insulting but, to be honest, I wouldn’t actually mind being able to count myself as one of the Nouveau Riche. But exactly how I would get into the group is the real question. It seems like being able to properly invest would be a great benefit in such a quest but it takes a knowledge of investing that I don’t yet possess.

Fortunately, there is an online school that can offer help that is perfect for this. It’s called Nouveau Riche University. You can tell by the name what they are looking to do – offer you a program based on the principles used at higher education institutions to help you gain the knowledge you need to become one of the Nouveau Riche group.

They offer classes on real estate buying, flipping, and holding. They will teach you how computers and what software can help you create your own wealth. You don’t have to spend the day in the classroom waiting for some stuffy professor to get to the part that might help you. Their distance learning classes are centered on topics that have a specific focus so that you lean about what you really want to learn about.

So now that markets are down, find out why this is the time to buy and just how to go about doing it so that when 2009 rols around, you can be looking toward becoming a part of the Nouveau Riche group.

Posted in Business, Money | Comments Off

Fun Times at the Hospital

Friday, January 25th, 2008

Yesterday we took our 9 month old for a CT.  It’s really all her father’s fault – he’s got a big head and she’s got a big head so her growth is off the charts.  If there were a percentile out where she is, it would be about the 105th, but since they don’t have that they just write ‘above 97th percentile’.  To be on the safe side and make sure that it’s really just her dad’s big head on her little shoulders, the pediatrician recommended we have her checked out.

Off to the hospital we went, got our visitor’s badges meandered through the corridors and found our way to radiology.  Then came the wait which was especially horrible for the little girl since she hadn’t been allowed to eat since 3 am and it’s pushing past 11 and it isn’t like I woke her up just before that to feed her (maybe I should have but I don’t think she would have gone back to sleep).

The wait ended.  We meandered through some more hallways, some with big blue floor tiles, some with little blue floor tiles.  We came to another waiting room, filled out some more paperwork and waited again.

The wait ended again and this time we only had a short jaunt to the CT room.  The little girl laid on the table and was swaddled in a big blanket (the better to hold your arms with, my dear).  She had a lead blanket put on top of her (the better to keep you  pinned down with, my dear).  Finally they put some cushions around her head that was already laying in a fixed ‘U’ shaped device (the better to keep you head jammed in here, my dear).  For some reason she didn’t find this much fun even though it looked oh so comfortable to me.  The kthonking of the machine was almost unhearable over her crying.

Happily this part didn’t take more than 6 minutes and she seemed to recover from the psychological trauma as soon as we put a bottle of formula in her mouth.

Good times…

Posted in Health | 1 Comment »

What Counts as a Vitamin?

Friday, January 25th, 2008

With all the hulabaloo about some sports people taking performance enhancing drugs, I’d have thought the powers that be wouldn’t allow legal steroids to exist but apparently they do. I wonder where the line is drawn between vitamin supplement (like the kind my pediatrician has said are ok for the kids) and steroids. I’ve always assumed they are radically different and perhaps they are. But then where is the gray area that some athletes have taken refuge in saying they thought they were taking a supplement when it was really a banned substance. Is it really that hard to tell the difference?  If you are an athlete, it is important that you know exactly what is going into your body.

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Essay the First

Friday, January 25th, 2008

I used to love to write. I fancied myself the author of a book one day. Just one book, though – I figured I could rake in the dough with just the one fabulously engrossing and wildly acclaimed book. I’d retire on the money I made by the age of 18 – no need for college (something I was against since the time I found out about it “What?! You told me I could drop out when I was 16, then you told me you’d kick me out if I did but that I could quit school after high school! Now you say that’s not enough! Do you want me to waste my life in school?” (door slams)).

Then I didn’t turn out to be as good a writer as I imagined myself. I had it all together in my head, but it took so long to write it, by the time I got to the end of a sentence, half the words were missing. Like that last sentence would have been, “I had it all together in my half the words were missing.” Or I would write myself into a corner and have to go back and redo everything only to realize it wouldn’t work anyway I came at it and then I’d have to scrap the whole thing and come up with a different idea. The second idea was never as good as the first (all my first ideas are brilliant).

I would write these dark short stories that brought me to tears. So heartfelt, so insightful, so utterly, utterly deep. (pause for somber effect). Then I would reread them and they would bring me to tears again – of embarrassment at the sappiness of it all – more like utterly, utterly silly.

In school, they always had a very precise formula to write by – topic sentence, concrete detail, commentary, commentary, concrete detail, commentary, commentary. Repeat five times and you had an essay. If you did not follow the formula, you got marked off for it which burned me up no end. Where was the option to write creatively? Why in the name of all that anyone holds sacred did I have to follow this BEYOND boring method and then hold HEMINGWAY up as a fine ideal? (How was I supposed to know what “Hills Like White Elephants” was really about? How could anyone know what that was really about? This is supposed to be GOOD writing?!) I used to rebel by refusing to reach the minimum word requirement. HAHA, that’ll show them!

Now adays I just write what comes to mind. I think they call it verbal diahrea but here I just call it wordiness cuz I don’t know how to spell diahrea. And, really, I don’t want to know how to spell it.

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