The Accessory Blog

Mailboxes

2010-02-24T23:22:00.002-06:00

I am having fun looking at mailboxes. I guess I never paid much attention to commercial mailboxes. Once you start looking, they are everywhere, literally on every corner.

Like everything, the commercial mailbox has evolved to fit a variety of needs. Besides the standard ones you might think of, they have high security commercial mail boxes for businesses that have to be extra concerned about the security of their mail. They even have mailbox units that have built in lights so that people collecting the mail can do so easily at night. If I ever have to buy mailboxes for a commercial establishment I now know some of the options out there.

I Love It When a Busniess Entertains Me

2010-01-26T10:42:00.002-06:00

I think the best thing a business can do when their customers have to wait is entertain them. Doctors and dentists who use Commercial Direct TV are high on my list. Instead of stressing about having to visit them I relax and watch the program. Hospital waiting rooms are another medical related place where Direct TV for business goes a long way towards soothing nerves.

Any business that requires their customers to spend time before being waited on can benefit from Direct TV Business. Banks are a great example of places where you have to wait. If you have something interesting to watch you don't realize how long you had to wait for a teller, and that's a good thing.

Which IM Do You Use?

2010-01-26T10:33:00.002-06:00

Which platform do you use for instant messaging? The three big ones are AIM, Gtalk and Facebook chat. I used AIM for a very long time but recently an employer wanted me to use Gtalk. I am starting to like it. I like FB chat as well, but not everyone is on FB. Yes, it's true, not everyone uses it!! LOL I use all three but I think Gtalk is winning me over, unless I'm playing Farmville.

Shopping for the Kids

2010-01-16T10:49:00.002-06:00

I may not have any children of my own, but I still do a lot of shopping for kids. While I do occasionally enjoy buying an obnoxious toy that the parents will hate simply because I can, my favorite ones to buy are educational toys.

When I was a child an educational toy meant a book, now even the children's books have come a long way. I love the ones that help the child read along. And I love seeing a child use a computer, it is so cute to see a little three year old playing a child's computer game like a pro.

My favorite place to shop for these things is ShopWiki. Their results bring up products from everywhere, not just sites that have paid to be there. What a different that makes.

A Travel Opportunity

2010-01-14T10:09:00.002-06:00

My husband and I are planning a vacation for the first time in a long time. He has had some health issues for the past couple of years so we have not had the opportunity to travel like we used to do. After not going anywhere for so long the dilemma is narrowing it down to one destination.

I have been browsing the travel sites and looking at Cheap Flights. I like to shop airfares to find the least expensive Airline Tickets so that I have more money to spend once I am at my destination. We've never done an ecotourism trip so we are thinking about it. I keep being drawn back to that section at the Fodor's site so I must like it.

Fond Farewell

2010-01-14T10:05:00.002-06:00

Teddy Pendergrass passed away from cancer yesterday. It was the end of a tragic life and a beautiful voice. An accident caused him to be paralyzed at the height of his singing career. I have fond memories of listening to his music. His voice was soulful and seductive. I hope he is at peace and feeling no pain now. RIP Teddy.

Only a Month Away

2010-01-14T08:32:00.002-06:00

Valentine's Day is a month from today. I'm not even over the Christmas holidays yet! The good thing is that it is my favorite holiday. I enjoy Valentine's Day because it is more personal, it is just between my husband and I and we enjoy celebrating it.

I always try to find an extra special gift for him for this holiday. It is hard for me to believe but we have been married for 23 years and every year is a treasure to me. I like for my gifts to him to express that and show how much I love him.

I've discussed how much I enjoy watches before and I have the watch wardrobe to prove it. My husband is almost as bad so I am looking at a new watch for him for this Valentine's Day. The Citizen Eco Drive Men's Watches are awesome and I have been looking at them. I think I can fill a hole in his wardrobe with one. A watch is the only jewelry that he wears so I think he deserves to have one for every occasion.

Maybe I should leave a hint for him to visit BlueDial.com himself. I've seen a few pieces that would look great on my wrist.

Radar Love

2010-01-09T13:12:00.002-06:00

No, I am not talking about the old song, I am talking about real radar, as in a radar gun. A baseball radar gun to be exact.

My nephew is serious about little league. If you ask him he says that he is going to be a professional baseball player, a pitcher, when he grows up. With the accolades that he has received that may turn out to be a possibility.

I have decided to help him in his quest and buy him a radar gun so that he can measure the speed of his fast ball. He is constantly talking about one and how it would help him if he could measure his speed on a more frequent basis. He loves using one whenever the opportunity presents itself but the one that is available has to be shared by a lot of boys.

I have been looking around the Radar Sports site. They have everything radar related from radar guns for sports and police work to speed pitch cages and training equipment. I never knew there were so many different radar guns for sports. Whatever your sport, whether it is anything from soccer to hockey, they have the radar equipment you need.

They Study Everything

2010-01-09T12:52:00.002-06:00

I was just reading an article about how people can be identified by how they type. Yes, there is enough difference in the way that you type on a keyboard to identify you. Who would have thought that? The study was showing how people type differently under stress, which they do, but it turns out that the typing is still unique enough to identify that person. So not only can they identify me, they can tell if I'm having a bad day!

If you would like to read the article, I've provided the link.

Creative Wedding Photography

2010-01-09T12:40:00.002-06:00

I love it when I see a wedding photographer who uses creativity to capture the day. Couples go out of their way to make their wedding day a special event that showcases who they are. A good photographer who knows how to capture that feeling is priceless.

A wedding and the photographs of it should be about what is happening at the moment, not about some scripted plan of photographs A, B and C. An outstanding wedding photographer has the artistic skills and technical abilities to capture these real moments and make them last a lifetime in photographs. If you have a wedding coming up, look around, there are great photographers out there who can do exactly what I have described.

Event Junkie

2010-01-09T12:26:00.002-06:00

The one disadvantage to living where I do is that there are no major events. I would love nothing more than getting Wang Theatre tickets to see a dance performance in the beautiful vintage Boston theatre.

I have been dying to get Gershwin Theatre tickets to see Wicked. So many people have raved about the show, it must be amazing. Since I am aWizard of Oz fan it's right up my alley. Maybe if I buy some Philips Arena tickets for my husband to see Bon Jovi or the Black Eyed Peas he won't mind if I sneak up to New York to catch Wicked.

Uncle!

2010-01-09T12:21:00.002-06:00

I give. I am officially cold enough to last a lifetime. It has not risen out of the 40's in a week. Right now it is lunchtime and the temp is 35. I live in Florida for goodness sakes! I like sunshine and warm weather, not moving from in front of one heater to another. If this doesn't let up soon I may consider moving to Key West...or Arizona. I hear it's warm in Arizona.

Watches Are My Favorite Gift

2010-01-06T19:20:00.002-06:00

Watches are my favorite gift, to receive or give. I think a person can never have too many watches. There are styles for every occasion for both men and women.

I am looking at a Gucci bangle for my mother. Her birthday is coming up and she loves watches as much as I do. I don't know how many we have given each other but I treasure each of them. I found the perfect one at BlueDial.com. They have an awesome collection with everything from Bulova chronograph watches to Brietling to Gucci. The hard part is resisting the urge to put one for myself into the shopping cart.

I Love Cookware

2010-01-02T18:25:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite things is cookware. I guess that goes along with my love of cooking and eating. Lately I have been spending a lot of time online drooling over Ruffoni cookware. They make lovely copper pots and pans.

I have never cooked with copper but I have heard that Ruffoni copper is very high quality cookware. Unfortunately, it is not compatible with the induction cooktop that I am planning to install when we remodel the kitchen. Of course, I could put in a gas side burner and have the best of both worlds, induction and gas. Then I could justify purchasing at least a piece or two of Ruffoni. I am going to have to think about this.

Happy New Year

2010-01-02T18:22:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful New Year's eve at home, just the two of us. Well, the two of us, our two dogs and the puppy. Hubby and I are not into going out on NYE. We don't enjoy the crowds or the drunk drivers so we have made a tradition of staying home. I hope your celebration was exactly what you were looking for. I also hope that the new year brings you everything that you are wishing for. Happy New Year.

I Love Shopping for Babies

2009-12-28T14:47:00.002-06:00

I think the best part of a friend or someone in the family having a baby is getting to shop for them. Well, maybe next to holding them and smelling that sweet baby smell. But I do really like shopping for them.

My niece's baby has a birthday coming up and I am having fun shopping for her. I already have my eye on the new jellycat "Who's on the Farm" soft book. Books are one of my favorite things to give. I also saw a toddler hoodie by Barefoot Dreams that is going to be adorable on her. It looks very warm and snuggly. Of course, she needs something to go with it so I've spotted an Appaman skirt that is perfect. I can't wait to dress her up in everything.

A Different Kind of Shopping

2009-12-28T14:22:00.002-06:00

We all know that I am known for shopping. Whenever a friend or family needs something a little beyond the ordinary they usually ask me to help them shop for it. My assignment right now is helping a friend find algebra help for her daughter. Specifically she needs algebra 2 help.

There are great tutoring sites online now to help with math answers and math problems. You no longer are stuck with trying to find a local tutor and trying to work on their schedule. You can find help at sites like TutorVista that are available 24 hours a day.

She and her daughter went online and checked out information on help with algebra word problems and math word problems and she liked what she saw. If you need help with algebra or any math for K-12 or college tutoring be sure to check out online tutors.

We Survived, On to the Next

2009-12-28T14:19:00.002-06:00

We survived the Christmas holiday with only a few minor skirmishes among all the dogs and none among the people. If you knew my husband's family, you would know that that is a big accomplishment. LOL His kids really know how to push each others buttons when they want to. You would think that would not be an issue now that they are grown but I think it got worse as they grew older, not better.

We are planning a quiet New Year's celebration at home, just the two of us. Well, the two of us and our three dogs. And that is exactly the way we like it. Happy New Year.

Moving into the 21st Century

2009-12-22T13:44:00.002-06:00

I know that I have said before than I live in a small town. Living in a small town means that the local services are not the same as they are in large cities. I used to take things like waste management services being provided as an ignored part of everyday life.

After moving here I quickly learned that services are not automatically available. Let's just say that the waste management provided here was sketchy. Fortunately we are moving into the twenty first century and the county has contracted for a provider who is going to offer all of the services that I have been hoping for.

I can't wait to tell my cousin who lives down under now. He is in the industry and knows all about facilities management Sydney. He loves nothing better than to kid me about living in the sticks. Now I can tell him we have big city services.

A Golden Holiday

2009-12-21T14:49:00.002-06:00

I already have my Christmas present from my parents. When I was at their home helping them move they gave me a gold Canadian maple leaf coin.

They have always hedged their investments in the stock market by owning gold coins. It is the one form of investment that is totally portable and gladly accepted all over the world. Besides being a solid investment, gold coins make beautiful jewelry as well. My mother has always worn a gold Krugerrand set as a pendant. I have already had my gold coin set as a pendant as well. What could be better than an investment that you can wear?

This Friday

2009-12-21T14:46:00.002-06:00

Christmas is this Friday. THIS Friday. As usual I am not as prepared and I had hoped to be. I guess that I have come to accept the last minute preparations as part of the fun of the holiday. What would Christmas be without a furious bout of baking and wrapping at the last minute??

I hope your holiday is all that you hope it will be. Merry Christmas.

Math Help

2009-12-20T12:08:00.002-06:00

How do you feel about math? If you're like me, it's not your best friend. It was my least favorite subject when I was in school.

I wish that we had had the online math help that is available today. If I could have accessed the online math tutoring from TutorVista I might not have struggled as much with the required math courses in college. The have math help for k-12 and can help your kids get ready for back to school or help your college student keep up. Back in my day finding a local tutor to meet with could be difficult. Now you can work with an online math tutor from anywhere, not just local ones.

If cost is an issue, there is excellent free online math tutoring help available. If your child needs it, don't hesitate to access the free online math help. It can make their life so much easier.

Family Far Away

2009-12-20T11:55:00.002-06:00

I spoke to my cousin in California last night. It's a shame we are on opposite sides of the country, we are so much alike we seem to do and like the same things.

For example, we both drive and love our Ford SUV's. Mine is an Expedition and her's is a Ford Explorer. No one would think that two girly girls spend their time talking about their trucks but we do. Right now she is looking for a good local Los Angeles auto repair shop to do some work. She was told that she needs to replace the head gasket but she wants a second opinion. See there, I'll bet you never thought you would hear me discussing head gaskets!

Christmas Baking

2009-12-20T11:51:00.002-06:00

I am dedicating today to my Christmas baking. I don't bake much during the year but there are some things that everyone here things we can't live without during the holidays. Me included. LOL
Actually, I think it is kind of fun to pull out all of the stuff and spend the day mixing, baking and smelling good things in the air. Right now there is pumpkin bread baking and the smell is divine. This afternoon I will move on to baking the requisite 2 batches of chocolate chip cookies for hubby to call his own. Merry Christmas!

Investing in the New Year

2009-12-20T11:35:00.002-06:00

Something about the end of the year and the beginning of a new one always gets me thinking about investing. Maybe it is thinking about the upcoming ordeal of doing my taxes.

I used to be intimidated by stock trading and depended on a traditional broker for everything. After the financial meltdown of the past couple of years I decided that I would rather take it into my own hands and use online trading for my investments. At least this way I feel like I have more control and know more about what is going on. Dealing with an online broker can be very easy and I have come to enjoy handling things this way.