I have had many vacuum for many years. I’ve learned that the lighter weight things you have with you the better and easier life will be. All this new technology and modern things is focusing on producing slim and lightweight material not only for it’s appearance, but for convenience too.

Backpack vacuums are newer versions of vacuum machines, there is no telling what the future may hold for us. All I know is that the more years pass by, the more our knowledge extends and the more convenient life becomes with new technology.

Backpack vacuums were made specially designed for people who do not like bulky things. One of the most popular types of backpack vacuums that people are always after is the oreck pro.

If you ask a person who has experienced using this vacuum cleaner (and that would be me) They would say it’s a “five star vacuum”…though the only con is the price. I think I bought it around 700 dollars, though I think I was ripped off, it costs something like 400 or 500 dollars.

I would say this vacuum cleaner is the bomb because of it’s weight. It’s surprisingly light. It also makes cleaning much more fun and convenient. With this vacuum I can reach places that I never before though about vacuuming in the first place. My house has never been more dust free.

I even make sure to get the blankets, sheets, cushions and sofas. This vacuum sucks up everything, from the tiniest spot or crumb, to small chunks of food. You have to be careful though, sucking up big stuff could ruin the vacuum cleaner.

The oreck backpack vacuum cleaner is not only used in homes to make them shine and sparkle, they are also used and good for hotels, hospitals, restaurants, motels, airports, working offices, labs and everywhere else that needs to be cleaned professionally.

I have come to resent “baggers” at grocery stores.  I find the routine of having some kid dutifully bag groceries in the most geometrically ridiculous way imaginable somewhat of an insult to my capacity as a human being.  Likewise, it is dually a great demoralizer for him, for there are a great many that are quite particular about how they are waited on hand and foot.  Should you DARE mix a vegetable and a fruit or not double bag the milk (forgetting to notice the built in handle) you will be sneered upon with great and utter contempt, for your IDIOCY surely will condemn you to bag boy status forever!

Granted, he was trained that way (and in many cases to accommodate the “needs” of the aforementioned elitist), but I feel that the corporation that trained him to do so feels as well that I would be oh-so-tickled to have someone complete a laughably token display of effort in order to remove the extremely strenuous burden of putting a few vegetables and a box of cereal in a bag.

Of course, the cost to employ this employee is built into the goods I buy.  Thus I am further nickel and dimed for basic goods because a grocery store cannot compete on anything other than customer service.  After all, the product is identical across the board.

I bring my own bags, as any remotely self-aware and competent person who rejects the ideal of mundane and silly “conveniences” would do.  Sometimes I forget.  Now, I can assure you that it requires very little effort to actually carry a block of cheese, a gallon of milk and a bell pepper, but you wouldn’t believe the incredulity of the bag boy who was refused his sacred right to double bag each of my small items individually for the sake of “service.”  But, I patiently reassure him that, yes “I will be OK” and there will be plenty of other people to serve.  It is, of course, not his fault that his first job has indoctrinated him with company jargon and a union “work ethic.”   This is all soundly reinforced by the subsequent ridicule of his offerings by stressed working moms, cruelly persnickety spinsters (think nurse ratchet) and overly sour octogenarians.

Of course, I wouldn’t recommend doing a large run with nothing more than your pockets, but, a few odds and ends on the way home from work are easily carried.  I know, it seems rather cruel that I might impose on myself the most menial of physical labor.  Alas, those altoids would probably be much better suited hanging roughly one foot from my hip, swinging so freely as they make the venture from the grocery store to my car, to my car and into my pocket and from there, well, the rest is too distressing to imagine.

Trader Joes, now you hook it up with the do-it-yourself and get the F out kind of “service” that I want.  If only you carried enchilada sauce…

Monday, December 21, Day 8, Act 134:

After our big snow was finished this weekend, the driveway, sidewalk, and steps were covered. I got up early on my first day completely off from work and went out to shovel the driveway, walkway, and steps.  I wanted to make sure that the no one would have any trouble walking or driving in the driveway to our house.  Besides, I would hate to be sued on Christmas from my mailman or even my wife, after me neglecting to shovel snow and clear an easily accessible path. Ha, ha, ha, ha.

Think of it this way, the customer is the blood of your business and your employees is the heart of your business. If you fail to take care of the heart, even the healthy blood cells will not count for as much. Keeping your employees happy makes them more productive since they have a positive attitude of their employer. This also helps with staff retention; a happy employee is a loyal one.

However, this may cost a lot of money since it calls for equipping them with trainings and seminars, giving benefits such as holiday pay, paid leaves and such.

Most business today chooses to outsource because it takes that off their shoulders. Outsourcing takes good care of the heart of your business even without your supervision, without you paying for the benefits and without you spending for the trainings.

There are many reasons why outsourcing is now becoming the business world’s trend, this is just one.

OUTSOURCING

Just last night I was telling Austin about how I have so many Facebook friends but rarely spend time with any of them. For whatever reason, my seeing most people in my life is really inconsistent. Because there are so many people I know, I can easily be around people all of the time.. but rarely the same people consistently.

A few days ago my mom asked about my friend Nicole, whom I haven’t seen in awhile. We have occasional, brief chats when we catch each other online.. but that’s been awhile. So in light of last night’s heavy heart, I decided to hit her up on Facebook to see if she would be up for hanging out.

Except as I sat there, scrolling down her wall and reading the comments from the past week, I was completely shocked.

Nicole passed away last Sunday, and I found out too late to even attend her memorial.

How many more people in my life are there like that, whom I have been meaning to  catch up with but never have the time or make the time? The problem with convenience is that it makes us lazy. I hate to admit this, but I can’t write about this genuinely if I don’t: I am incredibly lazy with my friendships.

That problem I was telling Austin about, how there are so many people in my life I don’t know… it’s largely my fault. So many text messages and e-mails go unanswered, so many phone calls unreturned. So many offers to hang out haven’t been taken up because of busyness or more importance being placed on someone/something else.

My heart is broken. For Nicole’s family and her friends, and for all of the people who are the victims of the convenience of technology. and I could never accurately express the sincerity of the apology I have to offer Nicole, one that she will never get to hear, for always assuming there’d be another time, another day, another quick chat.

I am so sorry.

The New York Times reported today about a new system called NowClinic: an online service that allows patients and doctors to have their medical appointments done via Internet. Because primary care doctors are in high demand and patients are seeing longer and longer wait times at the ER (and don’t forget those nasty little time-wasters called emergencies and accidents), this system is being hailed by its inventors and users as the health care’s way out.

Why are all our postmodern ails supposedly solvable through the Internet?

It works by giving a patient and a doctor a 10 minute window to meet online. The extent of the exam is a verbal description of the patient’s symptoms or complaints and a live webcam feed of both the doctor and the patient. I like how the report lays heavy emphasis on the hesitation about the effectivity of this sort of thing because medicine is intensely personal. This is why people should still see a doctor and not self-diagnose through WebMD. I might just be biased- both my parents are doctors and I grew up sitting by their desk as they administered to patients during clinic hours. They did it old school. I’m talking hand-written patient chart and manual blood pressure monitors. Of course now they have electronic medical files (even in a developing country like the Philippines, new technologies are adapted fairly quickly. But just like the CIA, NSA, FBI etc etc pre-9/11, none of this information is networked. Unless emailing the file to a consulting doctor counts). And like many people in the US and elsewhere noted when these were introduced, my mom had to tell my dad to remember his bedside manner and not become entranced by the screen. When you’re in the business of taking care of people, treating them like they’re a stock to be bought and sold on E-Trade is not the most comforting approach to the job. When I go in for check-ups at the student health center, it’s weird to sit there and look at your doctor who is looking on the screen while asking you such personal questions as *bleep*. Call me sentimental, heck, I might even be a closet Luddite but I am a HUGE fan of interpersonal interaction. If you’re about to tell me that I am doing to die in six months, I want to least know I can collapse into the doctor’s arms… even though I won’t. Or even just to tell me that I’m fine. I don’t want to do it over the web (George Clooney’s new movie “Up In the Air” is testament to this need for the face-to-face).

OR…. this:

“In a recent study, a research team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that patients were comfortable with computers playing a central role in their health care and expected that the Web would substitute for face-to-face doctor visits for routine health problems.”

Maybe I am just holding on to a quickly slipping past where people found their mates through common friends or volunteering at the local shelter. Director for something called “telemedicine” at the U of Michigan Health System said that basically, live visits are overrated. Well of course he’ll say that. He’s the head of the department that’s pushing for this exact thing. Unless this guy has seen some serious clinic hours, I am not going to give much weight to what he says. But of course, the article names Dr. Christopher Crow who is practicing and has used the system during its testing period He says he still senses some non-verbal cues and the like. Well, what do I say to that?

Although I am tempted not to, I will allow myself to consider the potential good of this system (what I won’t allow is the casual dismissal of the face-to-face doctor appointment. Even by a doctor). Besides, these sorts of doctor appointments aren’t being touted for use to announce  third- stage colonic cancer and the like. They are more for routine stuff (begin ominous, fear-mongering tone now), or so they say. The slippery slope argument can very easily be brought into the conversation here, but I won’t. Let’s think about this– what could be good about something like NowClinic? Well if I just use my imagination and cogitate a moment: now, all you need is a webcam and Internet connection to see your primary care doctor! You could be snowed in your house, at your desk in the office or out in the Bahamas and still get that check-up. You save gas, time and energy. Oh man is convenience an unbeatable value. BUT! I’m thinking, still thinking, I’m still thinking… and I’m stumped. Stock selling point of the technology-hawkers please:

“We are, through this technology, replenishing the pool of physicians and making them available to patients,” said Roy Schoenberg, chief executive of American Well, which created the system that OptumHealth is using.

I see what you’re saying here and I going to sit on the 20th century values and say, maybe what we really need is to reinvent the incentive system of doctors so that more med students would be inclined to pursue what are now the less lucrative but the more useful professions such as ER surgeons or primary care physicians. Not the esoteric specializations that will help what, five people a year?

The reporter tagged it as being the online ‘house call’. Unless your Macbook is your shelter from the storm (can’t really beat down the ‘call’ part since online/video chatting is undeniably a call. In fact, using assumptions of the modern world that has grown up with the concepts of the telephone, its even better than a regular phone call. Unless I go to the pre-telephony assumptions where ‘call’ meant ringing someone’s doorbell and sitting in their living room for four minutes or 2 hours– then I can bring on some serious definitional damage), I won’t be holding my breath. Nevertheless, the widespread adoption of this could be inevitable. I stepped away from the computer for a bit and thought about it. What if I had a cold and just needed a quick consult and a prescription impunto? Like all other traditions, my closet Luddite-ness might be stamped into non-existence by that slick, savvy thrill and frill of progress: convenience.

UPDATE: I sent my father the article and this is what he said. Ahh, I love him. We think alike (except when it comes to religion and gay rights):

Gayle this is absolutely absurd! We need to examine the pt. So web cam consult is good for the common cold but otherwise is no good

Dad

My love/hate relationship with commercialization in society…

cc license, newwavegurly

Christmas shopping is overdone and over commercialized in this country, but unfortunately it doesn’t stop with the holiday season. America is extremely materialistic and commercial year-round. This is something I had always known but didn’t start to understand until my first study abroad experience. I spend a semester in Australia last fall and one time on a trip to the grocery store I couldn’t find those little baby carrots. Definitely not a necessity and definitely not important item, but I still remember being slightly annoyed. I couldn’t have exactly what I wanted on my shopping list and that was a frustrating feeling for this spoiled American. I called my mom later to tell her about it and I’m pretty sure she laughed at me.

The point of this story is not that Australian grocery stores don’t stock baby carrots (in fact I’m pretty sure many do). My point is that after living abroad for four months I now have conflicted views on commercialization and convenience. I can’t deny that there are certain parts of American culture I adore. 24-hour Giant Eagle grocery stores would rank among the top of my list. I can’t help but favor certain brands. When I go shopping I like to have several choices. I know that if a shoe store doesn’t have my size they will often place and order with free shipping.

Unfortunately these same conveniences seem quite disgusting and shallow at times. I don’t like seeing two Starbucks across the street from each other, especially in place of a local café. While Australia was not completely free of this, it certainly wasn’t at the same level. It was common to see local restaurants and shops. Advertising wasn’t nearly as bad either. Some days it just felt like you had a little more room to breathe.

I’m considering moving abroad when I graduate making this topic even more relevant to my life now. I wonder if I would spend time enjoying a more laid back lifestyle or if I would miss certain conveniences back home. I would like to think I could live without excess on a daily basis, but I wonder how long it would take my mindset to change.

Do you ever feel like a material girl (or boy) living in a material world?

I had heard earlier this week about a storm that was supposed to bring a lot of snow to the area, but I thought that the prediction of 1-3 feet seemed a little extreme and unrealistic. Snow has been the last thing on my mind. Yesterday, however, I definitely gained a greater respect for meteorologists and the meaning of Winter Storm Warning.

When I walked into my last class yesterday, my teacher was watching the Weather Channel. I saw a predicted Winter Storm Warning, but didn’t read the details. I began to wonder if my friends’ claims that we were getting a lot of snow were legit. I looked out the window and saw a very green landscape.

About the time I looked outside, an announcement came over the intercom cancelling all activites in the evening. I really thought everyone was truly blowing this out of proportion. They had even cancelled the girls basketball game which I was scheduled to be the play-by-play announcer. At about 2:20 P.M. I look outside only to find the green landscape evolving into a light snowfall.

What surprised me the most was how the snow was already sticking to the parking lot asphalt. Nevertheless, I didn’t think much about it as I left the school. I arrived home at about 3 P.M. I had two objectives: take care of some business at the bank and pick up a package at FedEx. I told Mom as I left that I should be back home by 3:45.

I knew as I was driving toward the town of Beaver that I was in for a fun commute home. I was passing what looked to be like New York City rush hour. Cars were lined up as far as I could see. When I turned into the bank parking lot, I was the only customer (lucky me). I managed to get in and out fairly quickly. Next stop: FedEx.

The route between the bank and FedEx is a steep, although, normally passable one. I saw my dad in oncoming traffic creeping down the hill at not more than 5 miles per hour. I started worrying. Not much later, I made it to FedEx and picked up my package. Now, to help you envision my short route from FexEx to my house, here is a map:

Another fun fact to point out is how the trip, estimated at 7.46 miles, is predicted to take 15 minutes. I left FedEx speeding along in first gear traveling at whatever speed the car travels when it’s idling. I call Mom and tell her I may be a few minutes late. As I drove down the same hill that Dad was creeping down minutes earlier, traffic came to a stop. It was about 3:45 as I’m stopped on the hill. Come to find out, cars were yielding to one of the many wrecks taking place in Beaver.

About an hour later, I made it to the intersection of Rt. 19 and Airport Road. I managed to swing through a shopping center parking lot to save around 20-30 minutes. At about 4:30, I decided to pull of at a convenience store and pick up some food. This wasn’t a bad decision. Mainly out of boredom and since I was basically parked on Route 19, I managed to have a chicken salad sandwich, Lunchables pizza, beef jerky, and a cup of hot chocolate. About every half mile I would pass a car in a ditch or a vehicle stalled on the road.

A little bit after 5 o’clock, I pulled off at a grocery store to pick up milk and donuts. I left the store at 5:30 and somehow made it home a little before 6.

All-in-all, it was a relaxed, peaceful drive home. I did come to find out later that evening that others had it way worse than I. From elementary school children being boarded at the local fire station to cars stuck on the highways and byways throughout the state to people not having power, I considered myself very blessed to make it home safe and on the same day I departed.

If you have a story about how you were/are stranded or how your home became a hotel, comment below!

This is not porn, but a HOT MAN

At this time of year, who has the time to go out? Who has the time to meet up with people? Who even has the time to have sex!? I remember the time when I was on uni holidays, and all we did was go out, have a few drinks, and take someone home. Oh, what’s that? It was just me? Lies! All LIES!

But no, seriously, porn can be pretty great, cant it. Whether it’s first thing when you wake up in the morning, or late at night when you’re trying to get to sleep, you know the one thing that will be there for you will be porn. Sure, it’s not the same as having a REAL person but hey – it will do for the moment.

There are a few things that really piss me off about finding porn on the internet though:
•    Music in porn. It’s GOT to go. No one wants to hear a soundtrack worse than the Queer As Folk soundtrack drowning out the sounds of boys moaning. Seriously – it’s really important.
•    Guys who aren’t into it. We don’t like it in person, so why would we want to watch it in porn? Surely these producers can find actors good enough to do that…
•    “Broke Straight Boys” … sure – it’s great to watch, but – these guys don’t act ‘straight enough’ I don’t think…
•    Too much foreplay. If I wanted to watch this, I’d do it myself. On top of that – usually [and I’ll speak for myself here] I’m watching porn cause I don’t have a lot of time. Please take me straight to the fucking.
•    … and on that – mix it up a bit! Don’t keep the same angle the whole time!

Oh wow… I’m finding out I actually have more issues with porn than I did in the first place. Perhaps I’m not looking in the right places.

Now, if you excuse me, I’ve got to get up early in the morning, and there’s something I need to take care of.

When I begin a Money Lessons for Life lesson about credit cards, I am often interrupted by students telling me that credit cards are bad.  I respond by explaining that credit cards are good if you use them correctly and very bad if you aren’t careful.  And, if you have a no annual fee credit card and pay your balance in full and on time every month you pay nothing to use the card.

 Here are a few benefits:

1.  Convenience.  You don’t have to worry about carrying enough cash in your pocket.

2.  Safety.  If your cash is lost or stolen you probably won’t ever get it back.  If your credit card is lost or stolen you are usually protected if you report it to your credit card company quickly.  Generally, $50 is the most you would be responsible to pay, but often you aren’t responsible for any charges you didn’t make.

3.  Act as a purchase record that can also be very helpful for income tax records.

4.  Sometimes offer bonus benefits such as frequent flyer miles.

5.  Dispute resolution.  If you have a problem with a product or service you buy with a credit card and you are not having any luck settling the dispute with the merchant, you can ask your credit card company to help mediate the matter.  They will reverse the charge until the dispute it settled.

But, buying more than you can afford to pay when the bill arrives in a few short weeks can cost you a lot of money in interest and fees.  If you pay late or even worse miss a payment your credit score will drop.  A lower credit score will make it harder and more expensive for you to borrow money with car loans, home mortgages and other credit cards.

For more money lessons including DVDs and school assemblies visit http://moneylessonsforlife.com

You may have read my previous post about beer sales at Sheetz, this is a continuation of sorts.  I received an email from them today that I felt that I should pass along.

Here it is…

Hey Sheetz fans! Sheetz is participating in a state-wide initiative in Pennsylvania to change laws on alcohol sales in the state. These laws have been on the books since the 1930’s and we think it’s high time they be updated! Join us in this effort by signing our petition at www.freemybeer.com or looking out for people who will be positioned at some of our PA stores collecting signatures over the next few weeks. Customer convenience and freedom to purchase beer in grocery and convenience stores is something that people enjoy in most other states across the US. In fact, in May 2009, Pennsylvania’s shoppers indicated by an overwhelming majority (70%) that they wanted to be able to make beer purchases like the rest of the country. So we are asking, why not? We want to get as many signatures on petitions to help get legislators to hear what we’re saying and hear what their constituents want and change the law on beer sales. Simply put, we already sell beer responsibly in 5 other states that allow us to and people can buy a six pack on their way home or while on vacation and it’s totally convenient. You should be able to have that freedom here in Pennsylvania too. So we need your help. Go to the website and vote “YES” to beer sales or sign one of the petitions circulating at our stores. This will be a powerful way to achieve the end goal — you buying a six-pack in a convenience store! You can help make it happen. Let’s do it! Thank you, The Sheetz Team

*Must be 21 or older to participate. This email was sent to: [Me@myemailaddress] This email was sent by: Sheetz, Inc. 5700 Sixth Ave. Altoona, PA 16602 If you no longer wish to receive emails, unsubscribe here Copyright © 2009 Sheetz, Inc. All rights reserved.

Not that I’m an alcoholic or anything, but it’s ridiculous that we don’t operate like the surrounding states on this issue in 2009.

I signed the online petition & sent emails before, and yesterday in store I signed a paper petition.

The government shouldn’t have useless control over these types of issues.

Pepboys auto parts ranks high among the quality car parts car owners and vehicle mechanics can rely upon today. If you are in a hurry and would like to seek out a part for your automobile quick while not having to travel to the neighborhood Pepboys auto parts store contemplate searching for that part on the internet. Looking for vehicle parts online has several conveniences compared to getting in your car parts by driving to the nearest Pepboys auto parts store. Here are a few reasons to think about when looking out online for your auto parts needs.

The first reason to go looking for Pepboys auto parts on the internet is convenience. You can remain in your house or in your place of work and make research on the internet and find exactly what you're looking for fast. If you did not have web access you would have to take the traditional method of purchasing products. That route has to do with calling the nearest Pepboys auto parts store and inquire if they have that exact product in stock. They will tell you to wait then check their stock. You'll do the same thing on-line and it's thus a great deal faster as well as convenient for you. You'll be able to compare vehicle parts inventories on-line while not having to contact the store.

The next reason to purchase on the internet for Pepboys parts is finding old or unique parts. There are cases when you would like to seek out a explicit vehicle part that you purely already know can be demanding to find. It is one of those exceptional parts presumably for an older model or older year car. If you call the neighborhood Pepboys store you'll have to wait while they research and seek for that part. There could also be the circumstances where they will would like to fly in the part from another store somewhere and it can take some days to get to you. Well, this is the advantage to looking for those same parts on your own on the web. There is no waiting to locate the part. All parts whether old or new or searchable on the internet.

The third reason to shop on-line for Pepboys auto parts is waiting in a long line for somebody to help you. You could be heading home from work and you choose to stop by the neighborhood Pepboys store to find out regarding a part. Well, once you walk in you notice a line. Short lines and long lines genuinely are very similar. There could be one person in front of you that has the service agent stressed out making an attempt to seek out a part. You may be waiting in a short line for assistance just as long as a long line. We tend to all know that happens a lot. To prevent lines in general you'll easily seek for that very same part on the internet. No waiting and no lines.

Besides, bear in mind that quality matters in no matter what you buy online or offline, your desire for the right automotive part should additionally take into thought the quality of the parts you may get. This chiefly rely on who you buy from. With Pepboys auto parts however you'll obtain the the best quality of the parts you would like, for the reason that they don't deal in low- quality and sub standard products at all.

Do yourself a favor and save some time. Search online for Pepboys auto parts and you will notice precisely what you need fast.

For more information about how to find the most effective Pepboys auto parts for your auto, visits all about auto parts site.

federated auto parts

Author : SASTRO, HARTONO

Carrefour merupakan hypermarket terbesar kedua di dunia yang mengembangkan usahanya di Indonesia, dimana Carrefour berada di Surabaya masih tergolong baru. Oleh karena itu ingin dilihat pembentukan sikap konsumen pria dewasa, wanita dewasa, dan remaja yang berbelanja di Carrefour, ditinjau dari harga, fasilitas, kelengkapan barang, kenyamanan, keamanan, pelayanan, dan pengaruh kelompok referensi. Hasilnya semua konsumen Carrefour terbentuk sikapnya, dengan konsumen pria dewasa yang sikapnya terbentuk paling baik.

Keyword : carrefour, adult woman, adult man, adolescent, price, facility, goods availability, convenience, security, service, influence reference group

Sumber : http://repository.petra.ac.id/1509/

Cars have become a necessity to most people especially those living in areas where public transportation is rare and everything is far away. In other states cars you still need a car for convenience. Being safe in a car is not only have to do with driving with a license and with the knowledge of how to drive properly.
pubDate:Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:59:02 -0600
Original Link:Low Cost Car Insurance – What You Need to Do to Reduce Your Insurance Costs – insurancebazaar.net

NEW! Easy to store! Fold-Away LOL Cat!

wheerz teh dottid line?

Picture by: Dea Caption by: Leanne via Our LOL Builder

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• 4117 Portage Street
• Kalamazoo, MI 49001
• (269) 345-0774
• Website

Pretty soon, Circle K is going to start paying me for these.  I guess you should be able to tell by now that I wasn’t kidding when I said I was addicted to Polar Pops.

J and I were leaving Wings Stadium after a K-Wings game when she said she was thirsty.  The whole game I had been sitting there thinking I needed to go Speedway after the game to get a Speedy Freeze.  She had been thinking we should go to Sonic to get drinks.  For some reason, I remembered seeing a Circle K not too far out of our way on the drive home, so I threw that out there instead.

The Circle K on the corner of Portage Street and Golfview Avenue in Kalamazoo’s Milwood neighborhood is more like the Circk K’s I’m used to.  It’s still a convenience store, but it’s also a BP gas station. 

It’s not a very large store, but they have the middle of the road Polar Pop machine.  It has all the different flavors, but it doesn’t have the choice of ice.  I really like the ones that have cubed ice, this one doesn’t.  We both got Polar Pops and headed out. 

Two 32 oz. pops….cost only $1.25.  You can’t even get one for that price at most places.

The rest of the store is typical gas station convenience store.  Beer, pop, snacks, and hot dogs on rollers.  Nothing special.  Just Polar Pops.

Polar Pop

Convection microwave ovens are deluxe microwaves. They also come with a more expensive price tag. These kitchen appliances come fitted with a fan which is used to make the heat circulate round the microwave oven. This means that it these kinds of ovens are able to create more of a home baked feeling than regular microwave ovens. They can also be used as space saving devices in countries that may or may not include an oven with the kitchen.

These kinds of cooking appliances combine the typical microwave oven with a convection oven. Therefore food can be cooked quickly due to the microwave features and also browned to perfection thanks to the convection settings. This helps to make convection microwave ovens for a wide variety of people.

The quality of the browning effect that these types of convection microwave ovens is often called into quesiton. However newer models that are now being made have higher powered bulbs which helps to raise the level of the browning ability of the ovens.

The types of cookware that can be used with a convection microwave oven differs from what is used with typical microwaves. Plastics that are fine in standard microwave ovens is often inappropriate for the convection varieties.

Microwaves of either variety are great for warming food quickly and efficiently. A variety of different sizes can be purchased so they can be used by people living alone as well as families. However for the truely homecooking feeling, the use of a real oven often allows for the taste to come out more. Having said that, convection microwave ovens are an improvement on standard microwave ovens and let the users cook a wider range of foods due to the extra features that they provide.

These types of machines make a great addition to your collection of household appliances.

Plastic is everywhere. It’s even in places you wouldn’t expect – like wrapped around potatoes.

Microwave potatoes

Why would you take a perfectly good potato and wrap it in plastic?

OK, let’s be real. Potatoes are inconvenient. They’re dirty and take forever to cook. I can hear the advertisement now….

“Stop wasting your time washing and baking potatoes. You could be eating a clean potato with that “oven-baked-taste” in just seven minutes. Pop a shrink-wrapped nugget of potato into your microwave and BAM!” 

Sound good?

Not to me. I have a strict no plastic in the microwave policy, and I like to buy produce in the buff (without packaging).

I do like to save time though, so I’ve been known to…

• Microwave potatoes for 5-10 minutes prior to baking them.
• Cut my potatoes, boil them for 5-10 minutes, then smother them with olive oil and bake.

 Yep, I’m crazy. I like my potatoes without plastic. How about you?

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Trece años de matrimonio es un logro. A los trece años, comienza a parecer que va a persistir. Felicitaciones, y feliz aniversario de bodas XIII. Buscando interesantes, diferentes maneras de celebrar? Usted ha venido al lugar correcto. Aquí hay siete nuevos, tal vez un poco diferente, posiblemente indignante maneras de celebrar los trece años de felicidad conyugal.

1. Lencería sexy. Bueno, no tan impredecible. Aquí está la diferente, parte imprevisible. Esposas, comprar elcamisón sexy, de peluche o de encaje y otros asunto de volante – para tu marido! No, para él para mostrar un lado diferente y tipo sensible de sí mismo que prefiere no saber, es para que usted le muestran exactamente lo que está en su mente para la noche de su aniversario. No te preocupes, él conseguirá la idea. Probablemente te dejaré ayudar abrirlo.

2. Hablando de cosas de encaje, ¿qué tal un retrato muy bien enmarcada – de encaje – boda o de la familia de usted? Esto no es difícil de hacer. Buscar una imagen favorita, y una muestra de lade encaje, posiblemente de una antigua fuente de la familia, o de un padre, y rodean el retrato en este encaje de herencia. Este es un recuerdo de un tipo.

3. Encuentra los artículos trece, uno por cada año de su matrimonio. Estas cosas pueden ser simples – recuerdos de vacaciones, baratijas de los aniversarios anteriores, talones de boletos de conciertos o de teatro, algo que le recuerde a su cónyuge, de 1996, 2002, 2006, etc Cualquiera de los de uso la elaboración de su encaje, o simplemente crear un collage de ellos y tienen queenmarcado.

4. Bueno, olvídese de la ropa interior de encaje de la tienda de lencería en el centro comercial, crear su propia ropa sexy. Encontrar un peso ligero, papel ultra pura. Realiza una serie de corazones de encaje, o el diseño de su elección como recortes, como cuando eras un niño, y la cadena de ellos juntos. Cuando llegan a casa del trabajo, adivina lo que estás usando? Por supuesto, otra vez como cuando éramos niños, la diversión estará en destrozarlo. Have fun. Tendría que los niños de distancia, visitar a los amigos para esto. Sólo unapensó.

5. El material de encaje no se limita a la mujer por cualquier medio. Señoras, hay algunos artículos de ropa interior muy sexy para los hombres en estos días. Imagínese lo que voy a pensar todo el día mientras llevaba un par de escritos muy sexy que has comprado para él. Sólo asegúrese de que tiene nombramiento no médico, o una fecha de entrenamiento con sus compañeros de gimnasio. O tal vez es un tipo muy inteligente y no preocuparse de tales cosas. Si es así, bueno para él. Te casaste bien.

6. Muchachos, escuchen. Las mujeres aman serdemostrado apagado. No hay noticias hay? Está bien, actuar en consecuencia. Dile que, incluso después de trece años, ella sigue siendo la más sexy, la mujer más hermosa de la tierra. Comprarle una muy fina, ultra vestido de encaje halagador, y llevarla a un restaurante de cinco estrellas que siempre has querido intentarlo. Comprarle un ramillete. Las flores tienen esperando en la mesa. Hacerlo mejor que su noche de bodas. Señoras, esto funciona para nosotros, los hombres también. Todo el mundo anhela el sentido de pertenencia, de ser amado más allá de la razón. El número trece Hacer verdaderamentememorable.

7. Seamos realistas, Bucks trece cae a través de las grietas cada semana. Incluso en el clima económico actual, que tiramos trece dólares a la semana, ¿no? Así que encontrar una lata de galletas de edad, echar dólares trece en cada semana, y por el número catorce que tendrá $ 676,00. Este es un buen comienzo hacia ese fin de semana largo en Las Vegas o San Francisco, o donde quiera que he querido ir. Call encontró dinero.

Decimotercera aniversarios de boda no tiene que ser un día más ensu matrimonio. Cada día debe ser de uno a disfrutar, y, a pesar de su connotación ominosa, el número trece puede ser el mejor día todavía. ¡Feliz aniversario!

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That last post really made me think. Not so much the commitment about living consciously but the part about New Year’s resolutions. I know that I’ve been struggling with several issues in my life for quite some time now and I have been forced to realize this, even more so, through the monitoring of my daily actions over the past few weeks. I was reading a few of my posts and I have found them a little shallow. I feel that before I can begin to think about the consequences of my actions on the environment and on society, there are several aspects of my life which I need to correct. What’s the point of everything else if you’re unhappy with your life? I know this will not be easy, since many of these issues I have tried to work on with my psychologist for quite some time, but I am deeply committed to succeeding. The few aspects of my life I would like to work on first are procrastination, bed time, wake up time and diet. I will be keeping track of my daily activities, hour by hour, and at the end of the day I will grade these four categories on a scale from one to ten. I don’t know if this will work, but I have to try it. If it doesn’t help, then I’ll try to think of something else.

Procrastination: I have a very serious problem with procrastination. I’m really ashamed to admit it, but it’s really become sort of a decease. It has put all of my semesters at McGill at serious jeopardy. Just to show you what I’m talking about, my previous semester at McGill, I didn’t do any school work for the whole second half of the semester. I worked day and night the week before my finals, all the while skipping classes, just to catch up on my readings and homework. I promised myself that it wouldn’t happen again, but here I am. The semester at McGill is technically over and I haven’t finished all my assignments. Again, I’m working hard all day every day to finish and I even need to ask a few of my professors for additional extensions. But procrastination doesn’t just occur for school work. It governs every single aspect of my life, from replying to e-mails to cleaning my apartment to doing the laundry and the dishes to buying groceries. My grandparents sent me an email on August 30^th to which I still haven’t replied. And it’s not the first email that they write to me for which this happens. It’s probably the 2^nd or 3^rd in a row. Just writing this, I’m starting to tear up. I feel like such an awful person. I feel like a failure.  I don’t understand why I have such a hard time doing such simple things. It’s the same thing with dishes or laundry. Stuff just piles up until I have absolutely nothing to wear or to eat in. I often have to wash a single glass or plate by hand because everything else is dirty. Same with food, I don’t do groceries unless there’s absolutely nothing to eat in the house.  And when I say nothing, it’s literally nothing. More than once, I didn’t have anything to eat for a whole day and, by the time I convinced myself to go out, the grocery store had already closed and I had to buy something at the convenience store. I have really dark thoughts. I keep telling myself that everything will be hard and difficult and that I really don’t feel like doing them. I tell myself that I’ll do them tomorrow. But things just keep dragging on and on and nothing ever gets done. I don’t really know how things have come to this, but I know that I can’t live like this anymore. This is why procrastination is the most important thing I need to work on. I’ve decided to start a procrastination list. Whenever there’s something which I put off, then I have to write it on the list. If I think about it again, then I have to write a checkmark next to it on the list. At the end of the day, I will go over my procrastination list and write next to each item how long I believe the task will take me. Also, the item with the most checkmarks will be scheduled as the first thing I do the following day. I will also use Outlook to schedule my workday from 8AM to 6PM, as this usually ensures greater productivity.

Bed time & wake up time: I go to bed late. But when I say late, it’s insanely late. At my worse, I can go to bed at around 6 or 7 in the morning. This doesn’t really happen anymore, but it did for a while. Things are better now because I’m taking a medication at night which makes me really drowsy, but I still go to bed a little later than I would like. I understand why I do it. I spend my day procrastinating, telling myself that I’ll do X, Y and Z tomorrow and I begin to dread the next day, because I know that it won’t be enjoyable. Going to bed late is a way for me to push back tomorrow. What usually happens is that the next day I wake up very late. By the time I shower and eat it starts to get dark outside. I don’t like doing schoolwork at night so I push things off to the next day. I don’t like working in the evening because the times when I do it are extremely stressful. I only work at night when I’m in really big trouble. So this is the second thing which I want to work on. Ideally, I’d like to go to bed at midnight and wake up at 8AM.

Diet: When I say diet, I don’t mean following some crazy diet to lose weight. For the past two years, I’ve been exercising a lot and there have been prolonged periods of time where I’ve been extremely careful about what I eat. I haven’t done any diets, but I’ve followed meal plans which were combined to my exercise plan. I’ve measured everything I ate, counted calories, drank 2-3 liters of water per day, I’ve done all that. Overall, I’ve lost around 30 pounds. Since then, I’ve continued to exercise a lot, because it’s something that I love doing, but I’ve seriously relaxed my diet. I also tend to binge on food whenever I get stressed or depressed. More recently, my pattern has been eating very little during the day and binging late in the evening. My goal is not to go back on a strict meal plan, but I am now very aware of what I should be eating and in what proportions. My main goal is not to binge at night. One of the side effects of that medication I take in the evening is that it makes you hungry, so things have been a lot worse recently. Other than not binging in the evening, I also would like to watch what I eat. This means trying to eat healthy, enough fruits and vegetables, not too much fat and sugar, not too many calories, etc.