investing

With our current economy, it is fascinating to observe how consumers interact with the markets around them. Pawn shops are booming. So are “payday advance” lenders. I’ve been seeing more and more commercials for investment companies, who are undoubtedly struggling to maintain their client base. Consumers are working harder than ever to find a broker who provides positive investor relations. I am intrigued by this, and look forward to seeing how this turns out in ten or fifteen years.

cisco

My dad is a computer systems analyst. He has worked for several different companies through the years. When I was growing up, he worked for AT&T, which was a fantastic company. They paid to send him to many different conferences and classes. At every conference he got free stuff, like mouse pads and tshirts. Sometimes, he would also get stuff from people who worked for the company that worked with him. He used cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, and of course Microsoft. I love free stuff. It’s too bad that his current employer doesn’t provide “free stuff opportunities”.

swing sets

When I was a kid, we didn't have a swing set. My parents thought they were too dangerous, I think. Several of my friends had swing sets, though, and my grandparents also had a "swing set". My grandparents' set was not the "fun play" kind, with a slide and so forth, but it was more like a frame for a porch swing, and we had plenty of fun with that. It didn't have much of a foundation - I don't think they poured any concrete for it - so it probably wasn't very safe, but my cousins and I still had plenty of fun climbing on it.

thunderstorm

The weather is definitely an adventure today. I guess it has been strange for many days. This has been a strange winter, really. From warm to cold to warm to cold - drastic changes in the weather! Today we are in the midst of a thunderstorm. I certainly enjoy these storms! There were virtually no thunderstorms while I was in Africa, and I guess I just love the feeling of rain on my skin, and the power in a rolling boom of thunder.

Isles of Scilly

This summer, I will be traveling to Britain, Ireland, and Scotland to visit some of their historic sites. Today I have been learning about the Isles of Scilly, to decide if I should visit there. The Isles are an archipelago of six inhabited islands and several other rocky islets lying 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall. They are the most westerly part of England. The islands are protected by the ocean, and because of that, they rarely have frost or snow. Nonetheless, they do see occasional Atlantic storms.

The islands are definitely SMALL – just a few kilometers in area, if that! These are the type of islands that I think of when I imagine being lost on a deserted island – although these islands are definitely not deserted! Scilly has a fascinating history dating all the way back to the Stone Age, and including the Norse and Norman periods, the Middle Ages, and everything since.

I’ll definitely have to look into visiting Scilly. I can get Flights from Newquay, in Cornwall, to the islands, a helicopter from the mainland, or a ferry from Cornwall. It sounds like a neat place to visit!

it's warming up... maybe!!!

Yesterday the temperature was in the 50s, today it's in the 60s, and tomorrow it is supposed to be in the 70s. But three days ago it was snowing! I'd certainly like to be able to call this "springtime", but given the fickle-ness of our weather, I'm afraid I can't. This has been a strange winter, and it looks to be a strange spring as well. Midwestern weather has always been temperamental, but this year beats all!

online auto insurance

It seems like nearly every auto insurance company now offers some form of online auto insurance. Buying insurance online really is quite useful. It’s like online banking – just very convenient and handy. Plus, you can go online to read articles and learn more information about your insurance policy and/or your insurance company. Knowledge is power, and that’s a useful tool in managing an efficient policy.

kvm

My dad has set up all his computers downstairs with a KVM switch. His is a very old style switch. By turning the knob so that it points to “A”, “B”, “C”, and so on, the keyboard, video monitor, and mouse (KVM) will operate with the associated computer. It’s pretty useful, especially for people who have multiple computers. It’s a lot cheaper, and takes up less space, to use a KVM switch than to have separate monitors and peripherals for each computer.

savings accounts

I remember when I got my first savings account. It was exciting, like a rite of passage. But, although I remember the bank where I opened that account, it was bought out by another bank, which was bought out by another bank, which was bought out by another bank. Because of that, I switched my savings accounts and all my other accounts to a different bank – which, in the ten or so years that I have been their customer, has never been bought out.

books

I love going to the library every weekend. I love searching through the rows and rows of shelves filled with hundreds of fascinating books. There is so much to be learned, and books are just the key to learning it. Public libraries are probably one of the greatest “creations” of Western life. Everyone who has access to a library has an equal opportunity to succeed in life.

drug treatment

Drug treatment is essential for those who need it. Drug abuse is a huge drain on society and treatment should definitely be provided for drug addicts. But I get so annoyed by celebrities who seek “drug treatment” that is really a vacation to a posh resort. They don’t learn anything in those facilities, except maybe how to drink a margarita while getting a tan.

insomnia...

It is now 3 am. I am wide awake. I'd like to be asleep but no, I'm awake. Perhaps the most annoying part is that I KNOW I will be exhausted tomorrow... but then, when I lay down to sleep, I won't be tired. Seems like a cosmic joke. Sometimes it's funny, but usually it's just annoying. Oh well... if anything, I'm just really thankful that my job allows me to have these odd hours when I need to.

high-density polyethylene scrap

Have you ever paid attention to the “numbers” on the plastic around you? All plastic that is recyclable gets a “resin identification code”. It’s the number inside a triangle of arrows. Those numbers help the recyclers to sort the plastic and so forth.

High-density Polyethylene, or HDPE, receives the number 2. Tupperware is made from HDPE, as well as laundry detergent bottles, milk jugs, folding tables and chairs, plastic bags, bottles, Hula Hoops, and so many more items! But did you ever realize that HDPE is recyclable? Some of our HDPE items are non-consumable, like Tupperware, which is so important in our throwaway society! But many other items, like milk jugs or laundry detergent bottles, are replaced over and over again. What about two-liter bottles? We use so many consumable items every day!

Do you throw out your old milk jugs or two liter bottles? Have you ever thought about recycling them instead? Most major cities have a recycling center that will accept plastics. Imagine if everyone in the nation recycled just one milk jug or water bottle – we could save so much plastic!

HDPE that is recycled is referred to as “HDPE Scrap”. The recycling process grinds and melts and mashes the plastic into Virgin HDPE Granules. Those granules can then be turned into the HDPE products that we use every day. HDPE can be recycled again and again. There’s no excuse for not recycling. It’s never to late to begin!

html... is not as much fun as it seems

So as of late, my revenue sources have been a bit low. It's been frustrating, naturally, and sometimes I feel like I am constantly struggling just to break even. As I've searched for ways to increase my revenue stream, I've faced an inevitable reality: I have to remodel all my websites to (hopefully) increase my visitors and page views. I've jumped back into the "HTML pool", and I hate to say it, but it is downright frustrating. It's a two-steps-forward-one-step-back process. Hopefully everything will change before I go insane. We shall see.

branson

My grandfather is talking about traveling to Branson again. He and his wife will find one of the Branson rentals and enjoy the opportunity to relax. I understand that – there’s just something wonderful about vacations, even if you’re not going to a place that is terribly “exciting”. It’s so nice to get away and be stress free, even if it is only for a few hours or days.

speaker mount

My friend Beth’s husband has set up a nifty television/stereo system in their house. He used a speaker mount to set up a surround sound system, and covered all the cables to protect them from their cats. They also have a brand-new flat screen TV – I think it is LCD. I’m a wee bit jealous, but Beth lets me hang out at her house a lot, watch TV, and play with her cats.

april fool's

Happy April Fool’s Day!
I have tried to think of an April Fool’s joke on my parents, but so far I got nothing. Likewise they didn’t attempt a joke on me. We’re not a very exciting family!
I look forward to learning about the best of April Fool’s jokes this year, though. I’ve heard of fantastic pranks in the past, and I expect that this year will be no different.