Online Ramblings

Coffee - how much is a good thing?

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:19:18 PST

I have to admit to being a coffee addict. I have no idea if the coffee houses put some kind of addictive drug into the products that they sell, but I can certainly say that it seems so much more satisfying than the coffee that I make at home.
Of course, it might be the same as having a meal at a friends house, when the dishes do not always have to be done after the meal!
Anyway, why worry, it tastes good, makes me feel good, and I haven't dropped dead from it yet, so I intend to carry on with it.

House Address Markers

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:14:01 PST

It is not too long ago that the main option for marking a house number was just some little stamped out chromed steel numbers that could be bought from the local hardware store.
And while this was occurring, the more well off middle class were using such things as an Address Plaque that resembled that type of thing that was seen, and is still seen, on higher end businesses and public buildings.
Bronze in particular is an extremely suitable material for any such thing that might be subject to weathering, acid rain, and similar stresses. And unlike years ago, the prices are now more affordable.

Reviewing Online Education Sources

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:05:17 PST

When online education first started, it was a bit sketchy as to the value of the end results. Online college reviews are now available though, that can make things clearer. Many online education sources now provide excellent and credible education. Many, too, are an offshoot of a regular college or university. But without research, it is sometimes difficult to sort out the wheat from the chaff, as the saying goes. Reviews can help with this.

High Mileage

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:19:31 PST

I no longer have any idea what high mileage really is any more. There seem to be a lot of older cars for sale that have more than 100,000 miles, but it is hard to tell if they are still good, or are giving problems, and that might be why they are for sale.
My van now has 100,000 miles, so I am looking around. Might be a good time to change it, I seem to be getting problems with it.

Camping - plan it now.

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:13:23 PST

Actually, you don't have to be planning to go camping to find a use for northface backpacks. Years ago, bags for the general carrying of things, say, on a bus, or in a city, used to have handles that were held by hand.
It makes more sense to just carry stuff and leave your hands free.
But, for camping or backpacking, North Face brand seems to have a good selection of rugged products.

Rustic Furniture and Decor

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:08:01 PST

One of the things to watch out for if you are refurnishing, is to make sure that the new furniture does not create aa clash with the overall building style and layout. Unless you are deliberately trying to create a shoock look, that is.
Items such as rustic furniture can look really part of the whole image, if used in a rustic or very old house, but can also look excellent in a new house.
The time to give the whole thing a bit more careful consideration is when refurnishing a mid-age house. It can, especially if not kept clean and tidy, add to the rundown look. This can, however, be counteracted right from the start by making sure that the floor and walls are kept fresh and bright looking. It gives a house a nice cozy feel.

Retail Labor Time Saving

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:00:20 PST

I can remember that a few years back, lineups at the checkouts were longer. The checkout assistant would be typing in the prices using a till, and the errors were greater, or I should say more likely, as well as it taking maybe 3 times as long.
The extra speed they have nowadays is due to such things as logic controls and bar code scanners.
So, technology can't all be bad for us!

Raining Again

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:11:10 PST

Global warming is not all that bad.
At least right now, it seems that instead of hunkering down all winter and putting up with blizzards, we can depend these days on getting warm days with lots of rain.
And when it falls as rain instead of snow, that means less depth of snow, which, in turn, melts quicker when it next rains.
Works out quite well for me!

Kinect

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:07:43 PST

I suppose that the X box people, I think that it is Microsoft, had to come out with their own version of Wii.
The Kinect box is really clever, but I have never tried Wii, so I cannot say if it is better, but it sure is slick.
We got a great dance video game for our kinect xbox this last Christmas, and it is a great popular thing to have, that's for sure.
Whenever we have a gathering in the house, out comes the dance video, and people try to keep up with hit, so it makes it fun for even lazy people.

Ships And Storms

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:06:11 PST

We tend to think of ships as things that have to go through storms, but for anyone who lives near a marine port, we know that what really happens is that many of the smaller vessels run for the protection of a harbour.
I suppose that it might be a case of doing what is safe, or it might just be that going along when there is a storm is a lot of harder work than when the weather is less stormy.
anyway, I notice that a few ships that were in Halifax Harbour have now left, so maybe we will be getting less wind for the next little while.

Recovering Lost Computer Files

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:02:21 PST

Sometimes when a computer breaks down, it is just because of a small fault.
One such fault is the way that a circuit board can burn out, often for no apparent reason.
The main board failure of a computer, often called the Motherboard, is a common fault. When that occurs, it is a good time to upgrade the PC with a new Motherboard, and a faster processor to match it.
But there are other circuit boards that fail, and one is the little one that is part of the hard drive where all the computer stuff is stored.
I nearly threw out some old stuff that Hubby had hoarded, including a few old hard drives, but he found a place, http://www.onepcbsolution.com/ that sells just the little boards for a really good price, and so he saved 2 out of the 4 hard drives that he had hoarded. Now I have to be sure that he has them all marked properly, so that I can throw out the 2 hard drives that are unrepairable.
But the great thing is, when the hard drive gets going again, all the stuff on it can be saved. At least that is the way it was with the ones that Hubby repaired.

Christmas? What, Again?

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:51:49 PST

Every year, I promise myself that I will buy presents slowly throughout the whole year, and that way, never have to rush at the last minute. And every year, I rush at the last minute, often because of never ever buying even a single thing during the year.
Now, it can make sense of course, to leave things until the last minute, as the Christmas stock tends to have it's own special offers, but at the same time, the time of year just after Christmas is a great time to pick up some great bargains, too. So, it is worth loking right now at any gift ideas for Christmas that you might find.

Studded Tires For Winter?

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:03:26 PST

We probably all know that when driving in the snow, you can fit tire chains that will allow greater traction. But there is a better option.
If you look at winter tires, you will see that they have little holes in the tread surface, spaced maybe a couple of inches apart. These holes are there so that metal studs can be fitted into the tire tread surface, using a special tool. The studs are like the head end of a nail, and the head part is pressed into the hole in the tire, so that the head part stretches out the hole near the bottom of it's depth.
That feature holds the stud in place until the tire wears enough to allow the stud to break free.
Just one caution though, it is best to have all four tires studded, not just some of them.

The best online buys

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:48:52 PST

The best items to buy online are ones that are not manufactured products. Often, the shipping costs are such that local shopping can obtain the same type of pricing for such things.
However, if we look at services rather than goods, the situation changes.
Insurance is a great example. As with music, for instance, there are no goods involved, and the insurance can often be made effective instantly, with the paperwork following by regular mail or electronically.
Take for example key man life insurance. This is insurance for a key employee, without whom the company might have problems that cause time to be required to replace the key employee.
This type of insurance can be purchased online, specifically just before a time of higher risk, such as a business trip, or maybe a vacation.

Jewelry - your own custom design.

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:39:41 PST

Designing regular jewelry is not as easy as you might think it is. There are normally jewels of some kind, and these probably form the basis of the design, as they are harder to change in shape than the metal parts that for the support for them.
To get started though, you can assemble some ready made parts into a piece that is unique to yourself. By using jewelry tools as well as parts such as crystal beads, you can get an expensive look at an affordable price.
What I personally like about crystal in particular is the way that sunlight causes colors in the reflection.

Preparing for Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:16:05 PST

Each year that passes, I assure myself after Christmas is over, that I will not leave everything until the last minute ever again, as it is so easy to just divide things up, and do stuff like getting all the presents nice and early.
Then the next year comes around, and I leave everything until the last minute.
But, I still seem to get it all done in time!

Christmas Gift Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:02:21 PST

Some people are easy to buy gifts for. Others not so much.
So, if you are looking for ideas, then some can be found online, and there is still time to place the order and receive the goods, with a bit of time spare in case there is a delivery delay. Another way to go is to look up the goods online, then buy in the local store, such as The Source. But, when thinking up christmas gift ideas, try to make the selected item something that the person would not normally buy for themselves.

Quality versus Cost

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:00:15 PST

The quality versus cost equation, or graph, is not a straight line.
Take cars, for example.
The very cheapest will tend to rattle before they are paid for, especially with financing of mmore than 5 years.
The middle priced ones will not be a lot better looking that the cheapest cars, but with tend to have had more attention paid to the design, so will tend not to rattle!
And then, the higher end cars will almost certainly give more satisfaction, except on the day that the payment goes out of the bank account.
So, in the case of vehicles, where a used item is acceptable, it might be best to look at the one or two year old luxury ones. Let someone else take the most depreciation!

Why Do Well-off People Look Better?

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:53:13 PST

It is not your imagination, when you see someone who is well off enough to buy products of a somewhat higher quality than most of us, they really do actually look better, and here is why.
Take their clothes.
Let's make a simple comparison between a chain store blouse, and a middle-end designer blouse, say one costing, maybe, $200.
Because they are demanding a higher price, the makers of the more expensive product have to justify that by ensuring greater quality.
The time taken getting the 'cut' correct is taken, and the result is a better looking blouse. This translates in to a better looking wearer.
Likewise, it is the same with hair care products - Herstyler is high quality, and it shows. Even the appliances such as the herstyler flat iron make for better results.

Customer Service? Not at Danby!

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:08:31 PDT

I bought a cheap refrigerator. It was under $200, and has no light inside, and a very small ice box. Just what I needed as an extra fridge, to use as a kind of bar fridge, if you like.
But, there was a blue sticker on the door, saying how it was energy efficient.
I scraped it off the best I could, but the glue used left a gummy deposit.
So, I looked up the maker (or distributor) Danby, and went online to ask how to remove the glue, and to suggest that they send my query to whomever decided to place a sticker right on the paint of the door.
I shouldn't have bothered. They have not bothered to reply.
So, lesson learned.
I was going to buy another one, for another room in the basement, but now it will not be a Danby one.
I mean, if their customer service is so bad that they can't answer a simple query, then what would happen if I needed something more serious?
Once bitten, twice shy.

Custom Coins - Might be a good investment

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:57:52 PDT

If you keep your eyes open when going to places such as flea markets, you will see military medals, as well as special issue medallions and coins, most of which cannot be used as currency.
Now, look out for old coins such as these custom coin items, because some can be worth collecting. The obvious ones to choose are those that mark a special event, such as a World Trade Fair, or similar.
And, looking to the future, if you are the organizer of a special event, then a good way to add to the prestige is by having a custom coin designed, so that it will become a future collectible.

Helmets - face safety as well as head safety

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:48:43 PDT

Years ago, the old motorcycle guys used to wear flying helmets, and goggles. And, as time goes by, the knowledge gets greater, and we all now know that these helmets are just not good for protection. Many helmets these days have a face protection component as well as a head protection component, but you can still get helmets such as the HJC IS-Max BT, if you prefer your face clear to catch the wind.

Vacation time - is it more valuable than income?

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:31:26 PDT

I really miss getting vacation time. Running a business is great, and the hourly pay is also great, but it does tie a person down.
I suppose that I am lucky, as I am not too tied down, not like if I was running a store, or a food place, but at the same time, I do have commitments 7 days a week.
I suppose what I have to do now is to cut my spending a little, so I can employ more part time helpers, then I might be able to get a break.

Downloading Youtube Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:26:54 PDT

I have been irritated for some time now, that I cannot keep Youtube videos on my PC. They just do not have the option to 'save' them, in the same way that music files often do.
It limits what I do, as it is often handy to have the laptop where there is no internet connection available, and it would be great to be able to show friends and family the videos that I have seen. But, now, when it comes to how to download videos from youtube, there is a little program that will allow you to do it.
Just a click away. Check it out.

I forgot all about rain!

noreply@blogger.com (Arlene) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:54:19 PDT

Seems that we are about to get about 7 days of continuous rain. I had forgotten all about monsoon type rain, as we have had a fairly dry summer.
Anyway, it seems that we are about to create a balance to that dry spell!
Funny how it always seems to work out, if studied as an average.
There are slight trends over longer periods, but generally, if we have a wet spell, then it will be followed by a dry one.
And when it is rain for a few days, then dry for a few, then that seems to continue asa pattern for quite a long time.