Sidewalk Chalk Guy

I ran across this and though WOW! what talent!

These people who do sidewalk chalk art are amazing.  They are so dedicated to their art and then it eventually fades, gets walked all over or the rain washes it away.  All that hard work, the hours, the chalk, washed away! However, how wonderful to view in amazement for a few moments.  What a memorable experience!  Thank goodness for cameras and the internet so we all can see this!

Anyways, these pictures are a tribute to such free sharing artisitc people who generously share their gift of talent with the world.

Sidewalk Chalk Guy -- great nom de plume!  LOL

Optical Illusions -- there are several pictures here, this first one you go to is amazing. and for all those who like politics -- take a look at #5.  Interesting other stuff there also if you have time to browse.

Julian Beever -- chalk artist -- he did the political picture #5  (and a few others above),  and it appears on this website.  All the pictures are small thumbnails so you see them all then can click them on to see a larger picture.

Links -- for more information on chalk festivals, history of chalk drawings, and how to do chalk drawings yourself.

Wikipedia -- a definition with a few other links to other chalk drawing links.

And if you wish to make your own chalk -- here are several links so you can pick and choose the recipe for you.  I liked Dawn/RedDawn's page the best.

A few weeks ago, I got a huge bucket of sidewalk chalk at a yardsale.  Guess I better get busy.  LOL -- I will share my masterpieces with you later on.

Fun facts -- "chalkie" is British slang for a teacher just as "chippy" is British slang for a carpenter.

Enjoy!

 

08.31.06 (10:18 am)   [edit]

Fun Times at TBlog - LOL

A useless and senseless blog post about nothing in particular but fun and harmless none the less. After reading and participating (posting), you will be a better person!

Find your birthmonth and date and the color of the shirt you are presently wearing then post a reply what you came up with.

Here is mine: 

I danced with a spoon because that is how funny and crazy I am.

How about you?

Pick the month you were born in:

January--I kicked
February--I loved
March--I did the Macarena with
April--I played with
May--I choked on
June--I murdered
July--I sang to
August--I had lunch with
September--I danced with
October--I smoked
November--I yelled at
December--I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1-------a paperclip
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a gangster
6-------a ballerina
7-------my cell phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends boyfriend
10-------my neighbor
11-------an iPOD
12-------a banana
13-------Chuck Norris
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18-------a spoon
19-------myself
20-------a football player
21-------a ninja
22-------a fireman
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a baseball bat
26-------my sister
27-------my brother
28-------my science teacher
29-------a permanent marker
30-------a llama
31-------A homeless guy

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:

White------Because I was competley hysterical.
Black-------Because that's how fun and crazy I am.
Pink--------Because I'm NOT into fast food.
Red---------Because the little voices inside my head told me to.
Blue--------Because I'm independent and do what I want.
Green------Because I like cheese.
Purple------Because I'm so totally and awesomely cool.
Gray--------Because I was dizzy and woozy.
Yellow------Because someone offered me a million dollars.
Orange----Because I hate my family.
Other-------Because that's just how I am.
none------Because I just can't control myself.

Thanks for stopping on by and having a bit of fun!

 

08.29.06 (10:35 pm)   [edit]

Misheard Lyrics

You think you know a song but then find out that the lyrics you were singing are not the real written lyrics?  Maybe they sound different to you or someone else.

Here is a site where you can check out the lyrics of any song that other people misheard and what they thought they were singing.

Entertaining if you have some time to kill. Have fun. Laughing is such good exercise.

Kiss This Guy

Mondegreen -- what does it mean?  Misheard Christmas Lyrics

 

08.28.06 (10:06 pm)   [edit]

Big Spender

Hey Big Spender!  LOL -- that song is running through my head.

Anyways, I watched this tonight (Sunday) on A&E it was on about 5:30 pm EST.
I guess it is a weekly program in that time slot.

The host of the show Larry Winget (personal finance guru/coach) visits&n bsp;people with money problems, discusses their very bad habits, creates plans for breaking those habits and for them to start creating wealth and a better relationship with themselves, their money, and their lives by taking responsibilty and control with their money with a defined plan.

Tonight's episode was a young couple and the wife spent $800. a month on hair, and nails alone!
She also bought trendy clothing all the time (she said every day) and after 4 weeks and wearing an outfit only a few times, bags them up and throws them out!!!!!
She also was lying about money to her husband.

The husband was fearing divorce if this kept up. (Money issues a major cause of divorce.)

Every month they had just under $300. in bank fees alone because their checks/debit card would bounce!

Then Larry noticed that they had approximately $1500.00 of unaccountable money, where did it go?  They had no savings account and would like to start a family.

So Larry sets them straight.  They get a notebook and a new plan.  They have to write down everything they spend and then he makes a return visit in a few weeks for a wrap up.

Larry is tough. No excuses are accepted. There are consequences for your actions or inactions and you need to be responsible to yourself and your spouse.

On the return visit, they say they feel much better now (less stress and more communication) that they have some priorities set and some goals.  They paid off a few credit cards and are working towards paying off more. The wife even said she got rid of her debit card (probably what was causing the bank fees)!

Most interesting and easy to see why people get in a vicious cycles and how if they don't get help that they end up in a terrible and sad situation they never imagined. 

I went over to the A&E site and this show is not listed there but I did find this program information with some reviews here.

The show is filmed in Florida.

 

08.28.06 (12:16 am)   [edit]

New Vocabulary Words to Learn

Just sharing a crazy email I got.  Some of these words make sense though! 
10 Words That Don't Exist, But Should

1. AQUADEXTROUS (ak wa deks'trus) adj. Possessing the ability to turn the bathtub tap on and off with your toes.

2. CARPERPETUATION (kar'pur pet u a shun) n. The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance.

3. DISCONFECT (dis kon fekt') v. To sterilize the piece of confection (lollipop) you dropped on the floor by blowing on it, assuming this will somehow 'remove' all the germs.

4. ELBONICS (el bon'iks) n. The actions of two people maneuvering for one armrest in a movie theater.

5. FRUST (frust) n. The small line of debris that refuses to be swept onto the dust pan and keeps backing a person across the room until he finally decides to give up and sweep it under the rug.

6. LACTOMANGULATION (lak' to man gyu lay' shun) n. Manhandling the "open here" spout on a milk container so badly that one has to resort to the 'illegal' side.

7. PEPPIER (peph ee ay') n. The waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if they want fresh ground pepper.

8.PHONESIA (fo nee' zhuh) n. The affliction of dialing a phone number and forgetting whom you were calling just as they answer.

9. PUPKUS (pup'kus) n. The moist residue left on a window after a dog presses its nose to it.

10. TELECRASTINATION (tel e kras tin ay' shun) n. The act of always letting the phone ring at least twice before you pick it up, even when you're only six inches away.

 

08.26.06 (11:55 pm)   [edit]

Disappointment

 



Just a quick post on my disappointment and
some interesting observations around here.

I noticed the new search users box by username, location, or age.
The age box is a bit touchy, especially with the teens that populate here.

However, there are all the cities on the main page that you can find someone in with a click.  Why the box?

I noticed that it replaced the search TBlog Google search and that is what I am disappointed in, it is gone.
Sometimes I would look for articles on subjects using that tool to visit other people's blogs.
Unfortunately, I don't know who is writing what and hence a subject search to find a user is really useless to me, maybe some others too.

With the new feature, I don't know the username to find a subject article.

I like using finding the subject/content matter better.

But I guess if TBlog is trying to become a dating service type blog, this type of change would be necessary.

I wish the TFriends feature was fixed before this change.

And if you look at your account thre are now tips.  Like tip #7 -- you get 5 Tbucks for posting, 1 for commenting, and 25 for referring friends.
Check and post what other tips you see on your account page.

Do you have any TBlog feature wishes?  What are they?

I will sit here with my box of tissues sobbing over this loss. 
Just post a comment earn a TBuck and make me feel better!

08.25.06 (3:42 pm)   [edit]

Consumers: Found Money

Check these sites out to see if you or any of your relatives (living or dead) have unclaimed money (forgotten investments, retirement/pension money, interest, insurance, etc) or property.

No need to register. Select a state and then type in the name.

Missing Money

Unclaimed

Good luck!
08.24.06 (9:02 am)   [edit]

Desiderata

Max Ehrmann was a lawyer and a poet (on the side) from Indiana.  He wrote this particular piece around 1920 or so.  Desiderata is Latin for "things to be desired".  Considering how old this poem is, human nature and the desire to live a good honest life and become a sound contributing member of society remains the same over time, no matter how long or short time may seem. This advice is still worthwhile today for any human being on this earth.

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Circa 1920’s

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

 
08.23.06 (3:40 pm)   [edit]

The Art of Living Well

This one made it into my email box but I liked it and wanted to share. 
It was mentioned that it had been around the world six times!  LOL
I don't know who wrote it.  I tried looking it up but I was so confused to who was the actual author! 

Anyways, a nice, pleasant, and inspiring blog worthy post on the art of living well.

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in yourvoice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.


 

08.22.06 (11:07 pm)   [edit]

Junk Mail Redux

To get rid of junkmail (no matter where, regular mail, email, phone) you can visit the website below or call them to help you rid youself of these pesky pests.

Direct Marketing Association
DMA Consumer  or call 1-800-5optout (1-800-567-8688)

This site has some great information on it:

Junkmail Stopper

And naturally, there are those people who offer to get rid of you junk mail for a fee.

Ignore them! 

Also -- just how many trees have been sent to my house over the years? I believe an entire forest!
This extra trash actually costs some people money to throw out.

Warning:  The Christmas Catalogs will be flooding your mailboxes over the next two and a half months.
08.22.06 (1:05 pm)   [edit]

Millionaire Cake

One more money post but this one is fun.

You haven’t won the lottery/Powerball and have not been a top winning contestant on "So You Want to be a Millionaire" or "Deal or No Deal".  

You are only rich in spirit/family/friends (great!) but no t a Millionaire yet (pockets are empty!) but wan t to feel like one for a few moments.

Here are some easy inexpensive recipes that will make you feel rich and will impress your friends and families.

Millionaire Cake – this is a basic box cake with cream cheese, pineapple, pudding and whipped cream. YUM!

Millionaire Cake – a regular white cake mix (or chocolate) topped with a melted peanut butter and chocolate sauce. Easy to make. Great for those who love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Millionaire Pies – a collection of various recipes with a variety of ingredients that are all named the same!  Something for everyone’s budget and taste.

Millionaire Pie – family recipe from the Govenor of Colorado.

Enjoy!

 
08.21.06 (9:50 am)   [edit]

Junk Mail Deals

 Another day and more junk mail about the bi-monthly mortgages.

Since I am on a money kick subject wise, why not this post?

Today I shall write about the crazy bi-monthly plans with mortgage companies.

This is my complaint and maybe you may gain some insight from the information I am about to discuss. If you cannot relate at this moment, keep the info under your hat for the future.

Let's do some basic math and use some common sense.

I keep on getting these: "Sign up for a bi-monthly mortgage plan and SAVE thousands off your interest." If only this were really true.
You do save something, but the fees involved, take away from the savings.

Usually you make 12 monthly mortgage payments in a year.

On the bi-monthly plan you make 13 mortgage payments in a year because there are 52 weeks in a year divided by two (payment every two weeks) equals 26 payments. The total monthly mortgage payment divided by two equals two bi-weekly payments.

Granted everyone wants to save money/interest off their mortgage but here is the catch in the very very fine print.

I have gotten MANY different bi-monthly plans over the past few years so I am putting together my figures by the average of what I am getting junk mail wise from certain companies. Not all companies are alike so maybe there may be better deals out there, but as stated, I am going by what I have recieved.

You sign up for the plan and you pay an application fee from $300. - $1200. depending on which company you go with. (Many of the letters congratulate me on "qualifying" for this program.)

Then they say that now that you are signed up -- you will be charged an extra $15. - $20. PER MONTH just to be on the bi-monthly mortgage plan!

That means if your mortgage is now $600. you would now have to pay out $620 per month, which would equal two payments of $310. bi-monthly, and on this plan, you need to always be right on time, no late payments or there will be many other fees on top of this.

Now figure it out -- on the high end figures here -- $1200. to sign up and for one year an extra $20. per month (x 12) to be on the plan, that equals $240. extra dollars per year paid to the mortgage company in addition to the application fee of $1200. Total payout of your pocket would be $1440.00. None of these fees go toward your actual loan principal of what you owe.
You now owe MORE! (If you are late, you owe even MORE!)

How many years on your mortgage times that extra $240. per year equals how much? If it is twenty years, then that is an additional $4800. (240 per year x 20 years).

Now maybe you do save something off the interest over time but why go this route?

Why pay the company anything when you can do it yourself for free!

NOTE: If you have an ARM (adjustable rate mortgage, low low interest for a term, then a higher interest kicks in at the current bank rate) when your rate changes, your mortgage will be more, increasing your monthly mortgage payment. ARMs are another blog entry though.

Here are two alternative and more sensible ways to make that 13th payment per year without the fees involved –

Before you consider this, read your mortgage agreement carefully, some do have penalties (yes! read the fine print) if you prepay. Hopefully you don't have a mortgage like that and don't get one with that clause in it. (If you are getting a mortgage, always ask about this BEFORE you sign anything.)

1. Just make an extra lump sum payment at the beginning of the year (Jan or Feb) that equals one mortgage payment (do not include any escrow fees). This will help slice quite a bit off your interest rate. Do this for several years and it all adds up slicing off time, and interest.

2. What is your mortgage payment? Divide that by 12 and pay that extra amount per month.

EX: One month's mortgage is $600. divide that by 12 months and you would pay an extra $50. per month for a year to equal that 13th payment per year.

In either case, any extra amount you include in your mortgage always goes towards the principal you owe bringing that figure down. When you bring down your principal, your interest goes down too. You are not tossing out any money toward pricey application fees and additional fees per month, all of your money is working for you.

The sample amount of paying out $1440. in the first year, well that would be more than the extra $50. per month for two years.

Even the $1440. application and first year fees could be better spent going toward the principal of your mortgage not the mortgage company.

So read the very fine print. Sometimes, some things look great but if it is too good to be true, it just might be a scam where someone is taking advantage of your lack of financial education. Do the math, use common sense to keep your hard earned money in your pocket and working for you.

This type of junk mail letters just gets put in the shredder.

On a lighter note -- I do however, recycle the prepaid mail back to use envelopes. I cut them in half and put the money in, tape the top then pay the paperboy. OR I paste the blank backside of a printed paper onto the front of the envelope and write my shopping list on it and put the coupons inside the envelope then any receipts for my shopping excursion.

That is my vent, thanks for reading. I feel better. LOL
08.20.06 (9:31 am)   [edit]

Savings Plan 101

I saw this very quick money article in a recent Woman's Day Magazine which by accident got thrown out. So right now, I do not have the issue date and page number but will find it.
It was the one with the yellow cover and the swimming pool cake on the cover.

I used the basic information in the quick article to write this one on an expanded note so that readers can understand basic bank Money Math.

This post is comes on the tails of the Oprah Debt Diet review. (below)

Save $50. per month at 5%  compounded interest. (Compounded interest is interest you earn earning more interest.)

At the end of the year (one year: 12 x $50.) with  compounded interest you would have $614.00.

At the end of five years (60 months x $50.) with compounded interest you would have $3,400.00.

At the end of 40 years (480 months x $50.) with compounded interest you would have $76, 301.00.

You saved $50. a month for 480 months (40 years) which equals $24,000.00 of your money saved. This is known as your "principal ".

The total interest paid (5% compounded) to you by the bank equals $52,301.00.

The total amount that you now have (principal plus interest) is $76,301.00 at the end of 40 years.

Now -- if you saved $100.00 per month ($1,200. per year) at the same interest rate it would only take you half the amount of time, 240 months or 20 years saving.

If you double the $100.00 per month to saving $200.00 per month, it would take you 10 years to earn that interest.

You can find higher interest rates in Certificates of Deposits for set terms. CDs have rules and regulations so check them out carefully.

ING Direct (The Orange Savings Account) has a savings plan that is attached to your checking account and it earns 4-5% annually.  If there were an emergency, at least your account is "liquid" and you have access to it even though touching it would ruin your plan to save over time.

I posted this so that readers would understand how compounding interest math can work for you over time. Every situation is different because every bank offers various interest rates on various products so you need to do your homework.

So as you can see, you need to be consistent with savings and have a plan.

Compounded interest works against you if you do not pay off your credit card bills and carry over a balance from month to month.  Every balance you carry over, and then you charge MORE, you are also being charged interest on all of your new purchases!!  Take a cash advance on your credit card, and interest starts RIGHT AWAY, in addition to  the interest you are already paying on your carry over charges.

Keep your money in your pockets and make it work for you.

Interesting message board: Savings Advice

 

08.18.06 (2:21 pm)   [edit]

Oprah's Debt Diet

"I do not know much about being a millionaire- but I bet I'd be darling at it." Dorothy Parker, writer

This past spring, Oprah presented a series of five shows over 10 weeks on controlling your money through a "debt diet". I watched it then and then I watched the repeated series all in one week recently.
I took notes on the discussions so I am sharing with you what they covered and then some additional reference links for you if you need them.

A few facts mentioned:
70% of all people live from paycheck to paycheck.
Base your spending on your net pay, what you actually bring home rather than your gross pay salary.
Many people don't even know what they are spending money on.
Lots of people are just sleepwalking through life.
The letter "K" after a dollar amount stands for "thousands". EX: $50K = $50,000.00.

Tips on Personal Finance, getting your house in order from the guests: Jean Chatzky, David Bach, Glinda Bridgforth, all authors of personal finance books.

1. How much do you owe? Add it all up, mortgage, car payments, credit cards, outstanding bills.

2. Track all your spending, write it down, add it up every day then every week.

3. Learn the credit card game. Check your interest rates. Double the amount of the minimium payment (decreases interest over time).
Department store credit cards are not negotiable with rates as the major issue cards are. If you owe a lot, have a major credit card, you can call and speak to the supervisor to reduce your current interest rate.
More information at Oprah's site (link below).

4. Stop spending. Don't go near your favorite store or shops. Stay away, far away. Find something else to do that does not require you to spend money like reading finance books you take out at the library.

5. Have a monthly spending plan.
Based on 50K average household income after taxes, this was the breakdown of where your money should go.
Housing (includes mortagage/rent, insurance, taxes, repairs, utilities all totalled): 35% = $1200. (remember based on the average household income of $50K)
Other (includes, life choices, clothing, vacations, eating out, groceries, medical): 25% = $800.
Car (payment, gas, insurance and repair): 15% = $500.
Debt (all credit cards, loans, notes, whatever you owe): 15% = $500.
Savings for the future: 10% = $300.

6. Prioritize your payments.

7. Improve and raise your credit score by being more responsible about payments and making payments on time.

8. Plan out your spending and savings. Write it down and review it frequently.

Mentioned also were the following figures:
If you were to invest the following amounts of money every year for 30 years and earn a compounded interest of 8%.
$,3000. over 30 years at 8% would equal $375,000.
$4,000. over 30 years at 8% would equal $500,000.
$12,000. over 30 years at 8% would equal $1,500,000.

On ABC Nightly news the same week Oprah had Debt Diet re-runs, they mentioned that those who have retirement savings have only $60K to retire on.
If you were to retire at 65 and live another 20 years, you could spend only $8.00 a day on that amount in today's dollars which do not include inflation.

Here are some other resources I have put together:

At your library you can read personal finance magazines such as Kiplinger's, Money, Smart Money for consumer money issues.
The Sunday paper business section usually has some consumer articles.

Oprah's Money Page -- with useful calculators.

David Bach -- Automatic Millionaire articles at Ya-hoo.
David is the author of several best selling money books. You can check them out at your library too.

Suze Orman -- Money Matters articles at Ya-hoo
"People first, money second, and things last." so says Suze. Catch her shows on Saturday, sometimes Sunday nights on CNBC.

Money Central -- great message boards where you can ask questions, read answers, and get some ideas.

Dave Ramsey -- creator of the Financial Peace University. He has helpful worksheets on his site. He also has a weekly talk radio show with listener call in questions.

Reader's Digest Money Articles

The Motley Fool -- The Motley Fool does have a syndicated weekly column usually in the Sunday newspaper, so check your business section out. Their site is full of all types of financial information in the forms of articles, message boards, and you can even sign up for a free email newsletter.

Young Money -- a magazine for college students on financial matters they face.

Interesting message board: Savings Advice

New Show on A&E: Big Spender airs Sundays at 5:30 pm EST. (Blog post about that show).

 

 

 

08.16.06 (10:38 pm)   [edit]

Consumer: Free 411 Calls!

Need 411 information but don't want to spend a dollar a call because you love free stuff?

When you need to use the 411 / information option.

Dial without being charged 1-800-FREE-4 11 or 1 800 373 3411

Works on home phones and cell phones so program the number into your phones!

Full article at Snopes

 
08.15.06 (7:32 pm)   [edit]

Consumers: Gas Price Checkers

Looking for the least expensive gas to buy in your area?

Click on any of the links below and type in your zip code.

Local gas stations show up in chart form so you can compare prices from station to station in your area.

On our local TV news show had some advice for saving on gas also.
They mentioned  fill up your tank on Tues (all day) or Wednesday (morning) because Wednesday afternoon is when the gas price change takes place.
However, if there is a change, it can also be cheaper than last week.

Gas Price Comparison Chart

Update 8/15: I was at a few appointments waiting and found this info to add to this post.

More Gas Info –

Source: Reader’s Digest 8/06 pg 214: synopsis

Where does your gas money go? Price per gallon breakdown EX: $2.84

$1.65 goes for the company drilling and transporting. They sell crude oil to make gas but due to Katrina, many of these refineries are not in operation yet. Investors get a take on this money.

.60 cents goes to the refineries to change the oil into gas by thermatically heating and moleculary cracking it.

.45 cents goes to the Government tax(30-70 cents) and Federal taxes of 18.4 cents. State and local taxes help pay for roads, bridges, and the clean air act.

.14 cents is the profit the station owners get per gallon sold. Stations are owned and operated independently by individuals who sell that brand of gas. They are not owned by the gas companies themselves.

From Good Housekeeping 9/06 pg 58

Another tip: Save money, don’t top off your tank. It will either spill or evaporate.

More comparison sites: 

Gasprices   |    Gasbuddy   |    Mapgasprices

 

 
08.14.06 (11:55 pm)   [edit]

Motivational Words

I have this poster framed.  It is on the wall, and reminds me to keep focused and motivated on the postitive and what is important.
I thought this would be a great follow up to my review of Maria Shriver's book --"The Ten Things I Wish I Knew".  

To Achieve your Dreams
Remember your ABC's

Avoid negative sources, people, places things and habits

Believe in yourself

Consider things from every angle

Don't give up and don't give in

Enjoy life today Yesterday is gone Tomorrow may never come

Family and friends are hidden treasures
Seek them and enjoy their riches

Give more than you planned to

Hang on to your dreams

Ignore those who try to discourage you

Just do it

Keep trying no matter how hard it seems It will get easier

Live well, love lots, and laugh often

Make it happen

Never lie, cheat or steal Always strike a fair deal

Open your eyes and see things as they really are

Practice make perfect

Quitters never win and winners never quit

Read study and learn about everything important in your life

Stop procrastinating

Take control of your own destiny

Understand yourself in order to better understand others

Visualize it

Want it more than anything

Xcellerate your efforts

You are unique Nothing can replace YOU

Zero in your target, and go for it!!

Wanda Hope Carter, Author
Poster by American Art & Graphic, Inc

08.14.06 (1:50 am)   [edit]

Perseids Meteor Shower

PERSEIDS (maximum August 12, 23h UT [4pm PDT; 7pm EDT])

Moon: Waning Gibbous (major interference)

Best viewing window: Saturday evening, August 12, from the end of evening twilight through Sunday morning, August 13.

Recommended for: Anyone interested in meteors; just remember that the Moon will detract from the show.

The Perseids are probably the most-watched annual meteor shower. The shower has a very long duration, from about July 15 through August 25. The shower is most interesting around its peak on August 12 or 13. This year, the waning gibbous Moon will be a big nuisance, riding high in the sky during the morning hours when the Perseid radiant is high. In addition, the shower's normal peak will occur during daylight for North American observers. The radiant is above the horizon the entire night for observers north of latitude 32N, but it is fairly low at the end of evening twilight. Evening Perseid rates are low, then, but there are usually enough meteors to be interesting. The Moon is also low in the evening this year, and hopefully rates will not have fallen too far from their peak. East Coast observers will be favored this year. Serious observers will watch all night long, and deal with the Moon as best they can. Face the darkest part of your local sky, and if the Moon is in your field of view try to block it with some sort of obstruction.

Rates for most observers will probably top out at around 15-30 Perseids per hour, with a few sporadic and minor shower meteors added to the mix. Die-hard observers may be watching on adjacent nights; unfortunately, there are no Moon-free periods this year.

Perseids are fast meteors and tend to be fairly bright on average. An occasional fireball is seen, but these seem to depend on the luck of the draw.

This article was taken from 2006 Major Meteor Showers -- go there to see what other showers will happen this year.

 

08.11.06 (10:54 pm)   [edit]

Ten Things I Wish I'd Known

Greetings -- Ten Things I Wish I’d Known – Before I Went Out into the Real World is a great book that every young person should read.  Whether you are a high school grad going out into the workforce or a college grad getting out into your professional field.

The book contains ten chapters (titles listed below) and Maria Shriver discusses her experiences with humor and disappointment.  The really important thing to ever do, is learn how to handle disappointment and move on and have the ability to laugh at yourself.

Personally, I wish this book was out when I was starting out.  There is much valuable information in here that will help you set your life's goals in ten short chapters.  It gives you much to think about and keeps you on track.

I highly recommend this book to any young person or if you are an older person and know a young person starting out, it makes a great gift.

If you just wish to read it, take a trip to your local library and check it out.

Ten Things I Wish I’d Known – Before I Went Out into the Real World
by Maria Shriver
Warner Books 2000

Chapter titles:

  1. First and Foremost: Pinpoint Your Passion
  2. No Job is Beneath You
  3. Who You Work for and with Is As Important As What You Do
  4. Your Behavior Has Consequences
  5. Be Willing to Fail
  6. Superwoman is Dead . . . and Superman May Be Taking Viagra
  7. Children Do Change Your Career (Not to Mention Your Entire Life)
  8. Marriage is a Hell of a Lot of Hard Work
  9. Don’t Expect Anyone Else to Support You Financially
  10. Laughter

Happy reading.
08.09.06 (2:18 pm)   [edit]

Posting

Posting Ideas and workarounds and a spell check tip -- 

As of today, it was announced that you can now post to your TBlog via email, cell phone, or PDA.
You must follow specific instructions so make sure you read and understand before trying it out.

How to post from email, cell phone, or PDA. (This service has been discontinued due to lack of use - link disabled due to post being removed.)

Now onto just posting in general for those not savvy enough to do the above or just don't want to bother with more technology for easy postings.

There are a few complaints/issues about posting here --

1. Lost posts when the system has a glitch. (Common every where really.)

2. You start to write a post and you get interrupted (phone, snack, bathroom, dog, guests, etc) th en you must save on your notepad or Word Program.

3. If you have saved a post on one computer (yours), you have no access on another computer (EX: at work or school) to retrieve then post your blog entry.

Items #2 and #3 are a result of TBlog not having a save draft feature on site.
We still all love our TBlog though, let us look at some remedies.

So here are a couple of solutions to tinker with:

1. If you have a free email account -Ya-Hoo, Hot-Mail, Goo-gle, etc., create your post in that account then save as a draft or just email it to yourself in the same account.  Then you can retrieve it, copy and paste it then publish. If you email it to yourself, you can put it in its own folder.

2. Use another free service (sorry, can't mention the competitors), that allows you to save drafts or posts. Make that account a private one that only you can view. Retrieve, copy and paste your post from there.

After you create your post, BEFORE you send it, it is a wise practice to copy it in case the system here has a glitch and your post is lost in cyberspace. 

Having a backup copy of your site or blog is not a bad idea. Many people do this.

I had to do this with my site because the original one, still standing, ended up with the managers abandoning it and it got spammed with ads. 

I keep copies of my posts in three places, here, there/somewhere, and on my puter.  It is a lot of work but I do it in steps after each posting.

Spell Check tip for your own postings or postings on other people's blogs --
If you have a spell check button on the top tool bar, you just need to click it on after you have written your post.
The spell check will run and your corrections will be highlighted.
Just click on the correction/s you wish to make.
In a regular blog entry post, your entire entry may have a colored background.
You will need to click off the spell check feature to make the color go away and then you are ready to post/publish your entry or reply.

Thanks for visiting.
Comments or other ideas welcomed.

 

08.08.06 (8:30 pm)   [edit]

Creating a Content Index

Creating an Index of your tBlog Articles –

If you wish to create a complete (or nearly complete) index of your popular TBlog articles, here are a few suggestions/ideas to toy with.

I make these suggestions if you wish to have outside links on your link navigation bar otherwise, you can just link up your important articles there (See mine on the right for an example) and have a post with all your favorite links and just link the post up to your link navigation bar (like I did).

1. Go back to your very first page of posts (last page in your archives) and delete a post’s text and repost it presently if you so desire to keep that info.
The post you select, should not have comments. If it does then you would have to remove the old comments by deleting them.

Do not delete that actual post URL, change the title to index or content, type in a few words to save it, like a place holder. You can click on my help index at the top of the page, or click on March 2006 and see my index for Tblog help.

I suggest the first few posts on your first page (when you started blogging) because when you have to add to your index over time, you just have to go to that first page, with your oldest articles on it to edit it when you look at your posts. It will be much easier to find. The number of your page would actually be the largest number making it the last page. You can also just find your own post and click on the edit button to edit it.

2. Another way is to collect your URLs and then post them on a webpage off site like at Angelfire (ad supported). Angelfire has an automated URL list just like the ones here at Tblog in your links list so you don’t have to do any coding at all, it is all automatic.

If you put them on a webpage, then you can catagorize them according to topic/category which is a blog feature we do not have at Tblog .

Access to a web page may be an easier choice rather than a tBlog post in some cases. This depends on your own sense of convenience.

Now, you need to collect your post’s URLs.

You do this by clicking on the comments.
A new page comes up with that post on it, the URL at the top of the page is what you need to copy, it is the link (similiar to a pemalink) to your page article.

You can paste the URLs along with a title in your word program and save it so you can add to it or find it if you need a reference.

If you use a tBlog post, refer to the how to embed a link tutorial here.
If you use Angelfire, then you just need to copy and paste the URLs into the little boxes and type in a title. You can add more boxes if you need too.

Another way to collect your URLs is to look at your statistics if you have subscribed to a service (EX: Sitemeter, Extreme Tracking, etc).
Usually, you can see the URLS and just work from your control panel.
Maybe you may just want to look at the popular pages and post those only.

Here is a link HTML code – remove the *stars*. Copy and paste a few times, creating a list of 4 or 5, then copy/paste that list a few time so you have 15 or 20 codes and only have to paste in the URLs and type the link name.

<**a href="paste your URL here">Type in Your Link Name Here</a**>

Now once you create your webpage, you need to remember to label it, links/content/index.html. Choose one of those words or just use "tblog.html" as your page name.

Save your page.

View your page.

Copy and paste the URL of that page and then add it to your Tblog site as "article index", "popular articles", "site index", what ever you want to call it.
See my example below but see how I put it above under my banner.

Here is my article index page I have created for my Tblog account. Check it out. 

3. Another way to do this is to use Furl.  Furl has the most and best features over a few other save your bookmarks places.

Here you can open an account and just paste in all your URLs, then write a brief description.
Other Furl people may find your blog this way by topic. You get some small stats with your links too.

Furl is also a good place to put your bookmarks so you don’t lose them. However, if you wish to link up all your posts like I have seen some people do, I would not mix them up with your own personal bookmarks, get a second account for your bookmarks.

Let’s take a look at JD’s page.

JD has 171 enteries (at the time of this posting).

There are 25 enteries per page. You can see how many times a page in her list has been viewed.
You can also subscribe to her list through RSS.

Someone can sort your list by date, title, popularity, or rating.
If someone subscribes to your blog content list, then shares it, you get more visitors.
I would strongly suggest that if you do use this list, that you use pages that have quality information anyone can use on them.

Two other link serv ices:
Bravenet -- has a link page you can add to and link to your blog and create catagories.  There is a limitation as to how many links you can add. YOu will need an account.  Bravenet also offers many other features that you can link up to your blog although they are all ad supported unless you pay. (Pastor Dave uses this service, check out his blog navigation bar.)

LinkAGoGo -- like FurlIt.  Your main link page looks like a file with categories you set up. Will tell you about dead links though if you add links on the net to it making it easier to remove.

I hope this has helped someone.

Comments appreciated.  Thanks for visiting.

 
08.08.06 (9:04 am)   [edit]

Resources: Avatars

Avatars are the little icons you can use on message boards or even here at TBlog.
If you don't have a picture of yourself, or don't want to post a picture of your self, then you can find a suitable avatar that appeals to you or represents you.

Avatars show up on your profile, Tfriends, Hot Blogs, Bookmarks and tmail.  They help other members identify you in their posts (control panel "My Posts") also.

It is good to have an avatar.

Here are some quick resources for you to find one on your own.

Avatars - copy and save to your own puter file then upload to your TBlog photo album and select "use as avatar" -- do not ever hotlink (copy and paste from another site) an avatar!  You can change it whenever you wish by selecting another one in your TBlog photo file by clicking on the "use as avatar" box.

A few of these sites below do have a resize this avatar button generators.
Some others just have one size to choose from but you can resize it yourself.

Jurko -- a note about this: If you see something you like, take it right away as the pages reload differently each time. A page may look one way one minute but the next, all the images may be different so you may not find what you first saw if you go back.

Avatarity

All Avatars

Avatator

Hot Avatars

It's Not Easy To Be Me -- save to a file on your puter then upload into your account (here or elsewhere).

Elvis Avatars -- this site has a nice comparison of avatar sizes in addition to the many many Elvis avatars they have.

If you find a picture (in any web album) that you would like to use as an avatar,  and it is too big, then you just save the picture to your files (if they allow a right click save), open up your paint program, get photo, and resize it.

Common avatar sizes are listed in pixels: 48 x 48, 64 x 64, 100 x 100.
Some message boards or sites do have restrictions.  Flickr for instance will only allow 48 x 48.
Some accounts will resize automatically your avatar if it is too big.

 

08.05.06 (11:30 am)   [edit]

The Decision Dial

 

 

Found this gag gift while cleaning, not sure exactly where it came from or what I am doing with it.
A possibility is that it is something my Mom planted here, looks like something she would have. She was notorious for leaving behind knick knacks -- may she rest in peace.

It is for women who need help planning their day if they are indecisive or confused as to what to do.

The dial has assorted activities, just spin: Shopping, Do Lunch,  Face Lift, Tummy Tuck, Day Spa, Liposuction, Botoxin Injection, and Hormone Replacement Therapy.

The lady shadow is saying, "At your age, why act responsible?"

The bottom says: "Take a break from boredom, it's your birthday!"

So this is a potential birthday gift for an older lady? 

On the back there is a large warning box notifying you of a CHOKING HAZARD for children under 3.

So I just thought it was important that I share this gag gift with you all before it ends up in a future Yankee Swap. geocaching box, or thrift shop.

Amazing there is stuff like this out there.  LOL
However, you can use the idea and make one yourself or for a friend using the concept!  This way you could personalize it with the proper details.  It would make a great rainy day project!

Thanks for visiting.
Hope you had a laugh.

 

08.03.06 (10:19 am)   [edit]