Here is an overview of how my second-annual “No” Spend November went. Since I physically can’t grow more than 28 facial hairs, I need another outlet. Overall, I think it was a success, even though there was some spending that went on. There were some times where I simply had to spend money, given the situation. I did end up in the black, though, which is the goal. It is one thing to break even, and another to be profitable. Here it goes:

SAVINGS:

Toiletries: While home for Thanksgiving break, I used the $20 my mother gave me for a haircut and bought mouthwash, a new toothbrush, a toothbrush holder, and two sticks of deodorant. $20

Rudy’s Red Eye Grill Dinner and Music by Chris Gant: This was a night out with friends. We happened to have a gift card, so I used it to get my dinner there (crab cakes) which turned out to be mediocre. The music was great, though. $16

Taco Bell: I chose to abstain from this late night trip with friends and had a bowl of cereal at home instead. $6

Perkins: Also a late night trip with friends. I went home and made a pretty dece sandwich. $12

Gilt Cloudveil Hoody Order cancelled: I had ordered this in late October, but my card wasn’t charged. I couldn’t pass up the deal (a savings of about $90), but then realized that my card might be charged during November and that I really didn’t NEED it. $52

Haircut: Despite my shaggy, unkempt  appearance, I decided to save the haircut for winter break.  $15

Total Savings: $121

NOTE: This section does not include miscellaneous and trivial savings such as vending machine trips, gas station impulse munchies, spirits etc. I stayed away from these purchases.

EARNINGS:

Drum Lesson: taught a 45 minute drum lesson over Thanksgiving break. $15

Wireless set-up: Upon my return home, my dad offered to pay me $25 to re-set-up our wireless router, since he didn’t have the time to “fuss” with it. Haha. Maybe 15 minutes of work…I did help a bit with putting up Christmas lights too. $25

Gilt Credit: You get credit for referrals on Giltman.com I referred my buddy Rick in class one day and he bought a shirt right then and there. Once the order shipped, I was credited with $25.

Total Earnings: $65

SPENT:

Tournament Food: You can only steal so many bagels from the CAF for a weekend tournament.  $15

Gas: This was for the trip home for Thanksgiving. I took Ben and Anna home, and Ben drove me back so we were even. Lovely Anna sent $10 to my SPO as a thank you, so my total gas spending for the month was $8.

Bar: Went to Roscoe’s one night and payed a lower cover of $1.

LOST: I accidentally purchased two of the same episode on iTunes (one HD, one regular)…I know…long story… $6

Friends Birthday Dinner: It was Abby’s surprise birthday party, and the guys and I felt bad about going to a sit-down restaurant without ordering anything. Brian and I shared an appetizer, cute huh? $6

Total Spending: $36

So this brings me to the grand total (savings + earnings – spending) = 121+65 – 36 = $150

I’m sure I missed little things here and there, but holistically, ending up with a profit for the month is nice (even though the technical profit is about $30) Perhaps I should restate the overview. I saved around $121. I earned $65. I spent $36. Profit: $29. Any profit is good for me right now. December is a tough month to save for obvious reasons, but I have a few things on Craigslist/Facebook marketplace, so I’m hoping for the best. That tax return in early January will come at a great time as well. I hope I’ve inspired some of you to try this, or even just be more conscious about how we spend money. Cutting out spending completely is unrealistic, but as Ramit Sethi says, we should have a spending plan. If buying twenty pairs of shoes a year is your thing, more power to you. If you spend 10K a year on going out (to eat, to drink, to dance, etc), go for it. We just have to make sure that spending is sustainable with cutting out spending that doesn’t really matter.

So you’re heading down the interstate with a car full of hungry bellies and the endless neon lights of dozens of eateries are setting your retinas ablaze. Where do you stop to satiate the beast within? You no longer have to leave it up to your tired exhausted brain…with this helpful chart we’ll get you to the right calorie laden table in no time. Now the only decision you’ll need to make is whether or not to get the chocolate lava cake à la mode or not, but we know the answer to that America…don’t we?

You may also enjoy the Where Should I Eat? Fast Food Edition (Flowchart) and the What Should I Eat? Cereal Edition (Flowchart).

Update: Just in time for Christmas, now you can purchase the Where Should I Eat? Chain Restaurant Edition (Flowchart) Poster, it’s the perfect gift for your food loving friends.

Wham-a-lamma-ding-dong, baby, my blog stats tanked over the last couple of days. Everyone must have been as busy as I was. Either that or esoteric discussions of khipu appeal to very few peeps.

So, just what have I been up to these past few days? On Thursday, Hubby and I attended the funeral of our brother-in-law’s mother. The funeral took place in a gorgeous Catholic church done in a Romanesque architectural style, complete with vaulted ceiling and columns that looked like a cross between Corinthian and Ionic. I’ve always been impressed with Catholic statuary and art. This church had a number of fine statues, plus a Black Madonna, direct from Poland, I believe.

Because of the space and construction of the church, the acoustics in the church are great. Our brother-in-law served as cantor for the funeral and we had a rare opportunity to hear his beautiful voice. When he sang for our wedding some two decades ago, he did so with a couple of other family members, so this was the first time I’d ever heard him sing solo.

In the late afternoon, when Young Son returned from school, he and Hubby took off on a trip to my sister’s so they could go deer hunting. One of Hubby’s sisters decided to stay for a couple of days after the funeral because of her long drive. She and I hung out most of the time she was here, with her staying over night at our house because we had empty beds.

Thursday evening we went to visit another of Hubby’s sisters (Hubby has three sisters) and we had a late supper at Famous Dave’s. Daughter couldn’t go with us for this outing because she had band practice.

When we returned, we found Daughter in the middle of making “faux mousse” for a class the next day. Faux mousse is simply chocolate pudding mixed with Cool Whip. Strangely, only about two people in her class had ever heard of mousse, let alone faux mousse, which tends to be a staple on restaurant buffets. Everybody liked it though and the gigantic mixing bowl came back empty after school on Friday.

While Daughter was introducing classmates to faux mousse, my sister-in-law, her parents and I went to St. Cloud. The parents had a meeting to attend and my sister-in-law’s car needed an oil change. After her car was serviced, we went to Bonnie’s Spinning Wheel, a local yarn shop that is filled to the rafters with luscious skeins of every conceivable color and fiber. I picked some out as a birthday gift to my other sister-in-law (the one we had visited the previous night).

After retrieving the parents, we ran a couple of other errands, then headed home to pick up Daughter, who was home from school. We had dinner at Perkin’s, where I ate pot roast that was to die for.

On Saturday morning, my sister-in-law left. She wanted to get an early start on her long drive home. I caught up on dishes and started the laundry. In the afternoon, Daughter and I got a ride from Hubby’s parents to the birthday party for his sister. (Are you keeping track of the sisters/sisters-in-law in this post? It’s hard for me to keep this general, but clear.)

As we approached my sister-in-law’s house, Daughter said, “Are the boys here?” I thought she was talking about my nephews, but it turns out she was talking about Hubby and Young Son. We didn’t expect them back from hunting until Sunday, but sure enough, the car they had taken was in the driveway. Woohoo! They were home early!

We had a lovely birthday party, complete with Dairy Queen cake and a meal of grilled chicken, Caesar salad and garlic toast. I mention the food because within these past few days, starting with the post-funeral meal, I have eaten more food than I thought was humanly possible and it was all delicious.

Visiting and eating. That’s what’s been going on in my life.

A 6-8 page paper to write on the epidemic “Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever” for English 191 by Monday – Exhausting to say the least. I deserve a break to blog a little bit, I’d think. Last night (Friday) was semi-eventful. Kaela and Dirim [Friends from UMD] came up and Carl, Mike and I (+ Dirim and Kaela) all went to Perkins really late and hung out for a bit. Carl got a bit sick so they walked home before Mike and I. Immediately after we went back to our dorm (Shoemaker) and watched “Howl’s moving castle” with Nathan and Jena, his girlfriend. I fell asleep so they decided to call it a night.

~Today I’ve done nothing but work on that paper, oh well. Nathan gone til late. Carl is homeworking. Leila is with her sister, Emily. Maybe we’ll all do something later tonight. For now, I’m going to try and do nothing.Thanksgiving break is on Wednesday of this week! I’ll get to go home, [work on homework], see Hannah, Amelia and Leah! Eat food that isn’t from bags or that doesn’t come in mass supply…Ahh, I’d say that break is really nice.

  

Beatus Vir Qui Suffert Tentationem

.Rin.

 

 

 

I’m afraid I can’t do this!  I wonder if any other 1L has ever said that.  It’s funny, too, cause at school there are 2 types of people – those who love to complain about how hard it all is and how much work we all have and those who empathize with you, giving off the impression that they have no idea what I am feeling.

Here’s my take on that – ALL 1L’s are stressed out!  I am sorry, but there is simply NO WAY anyone could be feeling like this is easy.  Even those who did well on the mid terms or memos so far HAVE to know how hard these finals are going to be, right??  Personally, I think the real two categories should be:  Those who realize how insanely hard all of this is but are hiding it brilliantly, and Those who fly their “I’m freaking out” freak flag high in the sky, for all to see!!! 

Unfortunately, I have fallen in to category two!  I don’t particularly enjoy complaining – I tend to consider myself quite optimistic, actually, but these last 3 months have been one fat kick in the teeth after another!  Every day or two I catch myself saying, “Seriously?!?!?!?  I cannot take ANOTHER crappy thing happening to me!!”  and then sure enough one more crap-ass thing happens!!  Yet, here I am, little Mary sunshine, back again, ready to take another punch!

I am SOO determined to master this – to beat the odds – to prove to one and all I CAN DO THIS!!!  Problem is, I am running out of time and I feel like I need another month!  There are a few in my section who I, damn me for saying this, almost can’t stand simply because they seem to have their shit together!!  That makes me feel like an asshole just saying it outloud!!  Who am I to begrudge someone their right to having this all figured out?!?!  There’s this one girl, let’s call her PP (Perfect Polly) – she has by the classic definition her SHIT TOGETHER!!  I mean it’s disgusting!  She is gorgeous, atheletic, smart, always prepared, not nervous at all, sleeps a lot, probably has a cute boyfriend too – the BITCH!! 

PP drives me NUTS!!  I would like to be friends with her, but clearly I am below her standards!  She is no bitch, don’t get me wrong, I mean that is part of what annoys me - she’s really nice!!!  I shouldn’t be her friend – all I really want is to understand how she does it!!!  She really has the whole school/play balance down pat!

History tells us, those like PP are not always at the top of their class at grade time – we shall see!!!  I keep hearing from Professors and this seminar I went to that mid term grades don’t matter -even those that say they count for 20% of grade.  Everyone says that if you get an A on final, doesnt matter what other grade you got – you get an A!  So, that is all I am thinking about.  Except for legal writing, I REALLY still have a chance!  I want that so bad! 

Reasons for wanting top grades:
1.  Transfer to NW
2.  Scholarships
3.  Journals
4.  Moot Court
5.  Judicial Externship
6.  Perkins
7.  To truly feel like I belong

Much more on all that later…I MUST OUTLINE!!!!!!!

£95.00 www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk

Dé trend op dit moment zijn de knee-high boots; hoge laarzen tot over de knie dus. Deze zijn én lekker warm en ontzettend fashionable. Ik vind deze trend dan ook erg leuk en ben zelf nog opzoek naar een mooi paar in navy, zwart of grijs. Hier in elk geval wat knee high boots, voor ieder wat wils:

Now: £33.00 www.asos.com

£70.00 www.dorothyperkins.com

£95.00 www.missselfridge.com Now € 273,51 www.theoutnet.com

£50.00 www.newlook.co.uk

Last weekend, I went home to Cincinnati to relax and get my life together. (Shame on me for missing OU’s Halloween party, I know.) Besides watching hours of television and movies with my mumsy, buying goodies from Trader Joe’s and meeting up with family members I hadn’t seen in far too long, I had the pleasure of facing an issue so many vegans must encounter: Ordering off a meaty menu.

Mumsy and I picked up my ravenous brother and cousin from his dorm room at NKU and drove to the nearest restaurant. There once was a time I enjoyed going to places like Perkins every now and then. Who doesn’t want pie? But as a fledgling vegan, I knew this would be a challenge.

The menu was…daunting. Once I got past my frustration with fried green beans as an appetizer option, I honed in on what could have been a safe section, the salads. Every single salad had chicken, bacon, egg, cheese or ham on it and without it, it would be nothing. So I ordered a side “nothing” with a cup of fruit:

I'm pretty sure those croutons weren't even safe.

The fruit was actually ripe and delicious and the salad was crisp and, uh, lettuce-y, but something was missing. Oh that’s right! Substance. I helped my cousin finish his fries because my duo of salads was more of an amuse bouche.

To restaurants like Perkins across the nation, I beg you to please consider those who don’t eat meat or cheese. I know, we’re kind of crazy and we’re a minority, but it would be nice to sit through a meal with my family without being distracted by how I could gnaw on my arm I’m so hungry. Can we get a veggie patty at the very least? Some black beans? Anything? Also, when we ask for the Grilled Chicken Chimi salad without the grilled chicken, could you please not charge us for the meat we aren’t consuming? That would be fabulous, thanks.

QUESTION: Do you customize your orders when dining in restaurants? How do you feel about chain restaurants’ offerings?

Connecting Rod PERKINS 2006 Series

Harga: Nego (Hubungi Kami)

Kategori Untuk mesin PERKINS menunggu update selanjutnya

I am so excited about today! I am picking up my race packet for my first 5K tomorrow! Also, we have a family costume party to attend tonight, so I’ve got to get that all worked out today, too. It all starts at the Endocrinologist’s office early this morning. On with the day!

AM

7:00 Woke up, took meds, got ready for the day.

8:00 Breakfast. 1 EAS Myoplex banana cream shake, 1 pear.

8:30 Doctor appointment. 6-month checkup at Endocrinologist. Everything went great! My levothyroxine prescription was modified because my TSH level was high. This is directly proportional to my weight, so I will be getting this level checked every 3 months now that I’m losing weight. Because of my thyroidectomy, I will always have to take this medicine. The level also has nothing to do with your health or wellness; it is completely determined by weight. That’s why it’s so important to get your bloodwork checked regularly if you are taking medication during weight loss.

10:00 Brunch. Perkins. Border Grilled Chicken Omelette (calorie counter): Grilled chicken and Egg Beaters®, green peppers, onions, tangy Southwest sauce and sour cream. Served with a slice of dry toast and fruit. (No accompaniments) 410 calories, 7 g total fat, 39 g protein.

Brunch, Day 61

PM

1:30 Snack. 2 slices Muenster cheese, 2 slices of Black Forest ham.

3:00 Took a short nap.

5:00 Picked up race packet for 5k tomorrow.

7:00 Dinner. Going to a Halloween Costume Party with the family. Going to try to make smart choices. It’s a good thing I have a race tomorrow morning.

9:00 Snack. 1c yogurt, 1/2c frozen blueberries.

Chris Gates | Sandusky Register

NORWALK

In a decisive fifth game Wednesday between Clyde and Perkins that saw four lead changes, four ties and a largest lead of three points, the Lady Pirates outlasted the Lady Fliers, 25-20, 25-17, 18-25, 20-25, 15-13.

Jessica Rule tipped a ball past the Clyde defense for the winning point — one of her 20 kills on the night. In the regular season, Clyde swept both meetings in three and four games each, respectively.

“I’m very proud of our team,” Perkins coach Beth Sage said. “We’ve shown sporadic signs of greatness all season. Tonight we put it all together.”

Clyde overcame several deficits in Game 5, the last of which brought the Lady Fliers back from 13-11 to tie the game at 13. Sage quickly called a timeout and Rule slammed the ball home for a 14-13 lead, prompting a Clyde timeout.

Out of the break, Rule took another set and spiked home the game winner.

Clyde coach Kelly Olson credited Perkins’ defense for the win as well as uncharacteristic errors her team committed.

“Perkins’ defense tonight was incredible,” Olson said. “We hit a lot of balls very, very hard, and they kept digging the ball. We couldn’t put them all down.”

“Also, our number of errors tonight was a lot higher than normal,” Olson added. “So I’m disappointed. I really foresaw us coming out on top and it’s really tough.”

The Lady Pirates were led by Morgan Capucini and Amber Wolfe, who finished the game with 20 digs each. Freshman Chelsea Smith added 14 as well.

Olson also said the idea of beating a a team three times in one season — a hard feat to accomplish in seemingly every sport — worried her going into Wednesday night’s match.

Clyde came back to force a fifth game after dropping the Games 1 and 2. The Lady Fliers jumped out 14-7 lead in Game 1, leading to a Perkins timeout.

The Lady Pirates slowly chewed in to the deficit, tying the game at 18-18. They continued to roll from there, winning 25-20 — an 18-6 run to win.

Perkins controlled Game 2 building a 10-6 lead that grew to 14-8 on miscommunication at the net from the Lady Fliers. Clyde fired a few shots out of bounds and allowed Perkins to build a 22-13 lead, eventually winning 25-17.

Clyde rebounded in Game 3, never trailing and leading by as many as eight points. Lainey Barnett (20 kills) helped power the team to the win and earned another lead in Game 4 — only this time Perkins came back to take the lead, 16-12, forcing a Clyde timeout. The Lady Fliers clawed back and, despite two timeouts from Perkins, could not be slowed — winning 25-20.

It all set up the dramatic fifth game.

“The momentum for Perkins was definitely up,” Olson said. “Our girls, we had to go back to the fundamentals. Covering and movement — we were not doing in the first two games. And then we had to build.

“At the end we just started in a hole. In a game to 15 you can’t start in a hole.”

Norwalk 3, Oak Harbor 0

Norwalk coach Grace Hutchinson considered Wednesday’s first-round sectional game against Oak Harbor as the beginning of a new season.

Afterward, she considered the start of the season a success as the Ladies in Blue won in three games, 25-11, 25-10, 25-16.

Norwalk jumped out to commanding leads in the first two games and overcame a slow start in Game 3 for the win.

“To get your first-round win is good, no matter who you play,” Hutchinson said. “I thought we were pretty much controlled tonight.

“It’s just good to get that first win under our belt.”

Norwalk amassed a commanding 12-4 lead early in Game 1, which extended to 18-8 and eventually the win on three straight serves from Becca Roth.

Sam Obringer served for four straight points in Game 2 to open up a 8-1 Norwalk lead and force an Oak Harbor timeout. Obringer kept doing more of the same out of the timeout, tallying two aces in what ended as a 7-0 run for the Ladies in Blue on a night where she was 100 percent serving.

Obringer was also 18 for 19 with 10 kills at the net.

Oak Harbor responded with a 6-2 run, but eventually fell, 25-10.

The Lady Rockets came in in Game 3 in control, building a 5-1 lead. Their advantage lasted until Norwalk too a 10-9 lead — one the Ladies in Blue would not relinquish, eventually winning 25-16.

The win sets up a sectional title match against Perkins.

“The seniors have obviously been here before,” Hutchinson said. “We’re balanced with young and old (players). The seniors’ experience helps and hopefully they’ll be able to bring the young kids along.”

Yesterday I called Senator Bill Perkins office, as he’s my local rep. I wanted to know what he’s doing about the unemployment problem, and all of the people in his district who’ve gotten laid off. I called and called, and kept getting the woman at the front desk. Finally, she asked me to hold on, and all of a sudden, I seemed to be on a speaker phone with a guy who was yelling. Yelling about what, I’m not sure. But he was yelling. Finally, he picks up the phone and says hello? So we ended up talking for a few minutes about unemployment (he told me to call Schumer), and getting a job. He then told me to call back tomorrow and Linda will schedule an appointment for me, and we’ll talk about a possible position. I was pretty excited. But then, I get excited when I’m thrown a bone.

This morning, I called at 9:30am. I was told to call back in 30 minutes. I called at 9:45am. She’s not out of the meeting yet. Call back in 10 minutes. 10:00 am – she’s getting coffee. 10:15am- She’s not available, so I left my name and number. I wait. At 12:30, I call back. The receptionist tells me to hold on while she gets her. Then gets back on the phone with me “She’s not available”. I ask when she will be. “I don’t know, she just told me to take a message.” Seriously, this is a 5 minute phone call. I finally call back at 4:45pm. FINALLY! She gets on the phone. She asks me who I’m with. I say no one, just me. What’s this about? I tell her that the Senator and I had a conversation yesterday about unemployment and my unemployment, and he asked me to make an appointment. She tells me the more specific I can be, the more it’ll help. I’m not sure how I could be more specific. She then tells me that she’s going to have to check with the Senator, and she’ll see if he’ll meet with me. I’m confused. I mean, why didn’t he just schedule me yesterday? She gets mad “Because it has to go through me!” she says it with anger. I just see it as more beauracracy. I’m going to call every day until I get an appointment. I’m determined. Let’s see what happens.

Kendrick Perkins and the Celtics put the clamps on the Raps this afternoon

A late preseason game with the Celtics — with Jay Triano finally getting his starting five together, you’d figure it had to be something like the real thing, right? Well, let’s hope not. I got my first taste of live NBA basketball this season today, taking in an ugly 101-82 loss to Boston at the ACC.

With the exhibition season winding down, Triano and Doc Rivers gave their regular rotations another good run, which makes the loss a bit harder to stomach than your everyday preseason defeat. After trailing by double digits early, the Raptors actually battled back to tie the game late in the third, only to see it slip from the hands of a few of their key reserves.

Hedo Turkoglu had his best game thus far, scoring 16 on 7-of-11 in 27 minutes. Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani added 15 and 13, respectively, though Bargnani left late in the third after fouling out, forcing Triano to call on Patrick O’Bryant to close things out. In 12 minutes, O’Bryant’s most notable number was his five fouls. Triano also didn’t get much out of Jarrett Jack (eight points, two assists and five fouls in 22 minutes), Rasho Nesterovic (0-of-5, two boards) and Sonny Weems (three turnovers in 16 minutes), all of whom were on the floor when the game turned in the second half.

There’s still some time to get it together, but home losses to Houston and Boston with all five starters dressed doesn’t bode too well for when the games actually start to matter. The Raps close out the preseason on Friday against Minnesota.

This is Canada - not America. For those of you who are confused!

Let’s go again to Niag’ra
This time we’ll peak at the Falls.
Let’s leave our hut, dear,
Get out of our rut, dear,
Let’s get away from it all.

These lyrics from a Frank Sinatra song say it all. It’s a place to escape and have fun with your lover, and when you’re done there is still quite a lot to do. Some things are rip-offs and some things are actually amazing. Vegas is too far away for some of us and, in terms of Casinos, it doesn’t compare. But there is a natural beauty that Las Vegas simply does not have. It really reminds me more of Banff, Alberta than Vegas actually with its International Tourists, fudge, Marilyn Monroe movie history and crappy Canadian Tourist gifts. I have lost count of how many times I have gone there to escape the madness of Toronto. So here is my experienced traveler’s list of Dos and Don’ts.

Niagara Falls Imax Theatre

DO… The Imax Theatre

The Imax Theatre has been showing the same movie for about twenty years. It is not the best Imax movie I have ever seen, nor is it the best Imax theatre I’ve ever been to. The screen doesn’t curve, for instance, so you lose the movement effect. And aside from terrible acting where the sound doesn’t sync with the action, this is actually a half decent film. What the tourist wants is a simulation of going over the Falls and this is the only movie I’ve seen at Niagara Falls that remotely comes close to giving you this experience. There is some great footage. The movie also tells the Native Legend of the Maid of the Mist which I had never heard before in all of my trips to Niagara Falls. It would be nice if they would update this movie, though. There have been several more people who have attempted to go over the Falls since this was made.

DON’T DO…The Legends of the Falls 3D/4D

I was drunk from dinner and thought this movie was the Imax movie. When I realized I made a mistake, after stumbling in the door, they refused to give me my money back. It’s under the Skyline Tower on Murray St. and it is a rip-off with a poorly made short 3D film that was shot on the American side of the Falls only. The 4D effect is that they spray you with water and and then blow cold air on your neck so you can get a cold. These 3D/4D movies remind me of the original Nickelodeon theatres that used film mainly as a spectacle rather than an art form.

DO… The Journey Behind the Falls

The Journey Behind the Falls

Nothing will get you as close to the roaring thunder of the Falls as this place. There are three sections. The first, where this picture was taken, is a large two story area where you get the best view I have ever seen of the Falls, and it is a good place to take a photo. After that you go down a creepy wet tunnel and you can see the water streaming down without even a window separating you from the danger. Pretty exciting and kind of scary.

However, I wish when they renovated this place they had fixed the elevators and made a better waiting area. There is too much waiting. You stand like cattle in a large, stifling room with bad air circulation with tourists from all over the world. Hello Swine Flu! They have two elevators but they only seem to use one so it takes forever to get down there. Then when you come back up you have to wait in line again. Here’s an idea: use both elevators! Duh!

Even Aqua loves The Journey Behind the Falls.

DON’T DO… The Maid of the Mist

One reason! This gross sludge!

Let me start by saying it isn’t the fault of The Maid of the Mist company, who do a decent job of shuttling people back and forth. But when you look down at the water near the Falls there is this horrible looking pollution sludge that forms at the side of the river. This is a disgusting reminder of the amount of pollution that must be in this water. Gross! So when I went on the Maid of the Mist I kept thinking about how that pollution must be in my face as the water splashed and sprayed onto me. The Journey Behind the Falls has much less exposure to this water, but the Maid of the Mist drenches you in it. Someone needs to clean up our Great Lakes!

DO… walk along the sidewalk to the Falls

Niagara Falls Rainbow

This is pretty obvious. Of course, this is the main thing you should do. This is where Superman saved the falling child in Superman 2. On a sunny day you can always see the rainbow which also contains the spirit of the Maid of the Mist (not the boat, the legend).

DON’T…GO OVER THE FENCE!

Look at what this guy in the white shirt is looking at!

You would think this would be pretty obvious. Yet I actually took this photograph. That really is a guy down there. He really did go over the fence. I don’t know what happened but there were emergency vehicles and they just kept yelling that everything was okay. But just for the record…DON’T GO OVER THIS FENCE YOU STUPIDS!

DO…eat at these restaurants.

Brasa Brazilian Steak restaurant Niagara Falls

Mostly the restaurants in Niagara Falls are terrible. But the growth of the city has brought in some more choices.

Brasa and the Copacabana are delicious Brazilian steak restaurants, where you serve yourself carbs and salads at a buffet and then they just come to your table with skewer after skewer of meat. Obviously not for vegetarians. And also very expensive. But everything in Niagara Falls is expensive. Mama Mia’s is an established traditional Italian family restaurant, and is just at the top of Clifton Hill on Victoria Ave. Perkins is a great hangover breakfast place. They are always really friendly when we come in at 1:00 PM for breakfast.

DON’T…EAT ANYWHERE ELSE!

Look, Niagara Falls is simply not known for its cuisine. It’s either junk food or really terrible, touristy restaurants with over-priced and mediocre food.

DO…walk up Clifton Hill.

Clifton Hill! A wonderful load of crap!

Haunted houses, ferris-wheels, fun-houses and wax museums that leave you saying “who is THAT supposed to be”? Need I say more? It’s a circus of stupidity on a really steep road. Who wouldn’t want to come here?

DON’T…ride the Falls Incline Railway

Just walk up Murray St. lazy!

They have an incline railway that transports you from where the Falls are to the area with the new hotels. This was an annoying experience. It was manned by two cocky and bored guys that wouldn’t let us depart until everyone was crammed in. So we just sat there waiting for about ten minutes, and it already seemed full when we sat down. What are they waiting for? AGHHH!!!

DO…stay at the Sheraton on the Falls.

Sheraton on the Falls

After trying some other places we decided this is just simply the best and easiest place to stay. It’s right there when you come off the highway. It’s near everything. It has jacuzzis and fake fireplaces and Starbucks. And they are always nice to us – even if I’m not nice. If that wasn’t enough here are some pictures of our room views.

Corner suite view of Clifton Hill

American Falls

DON’T…stay here.

Casino Niagara

It looks great. Just like Vegas hotels and Atlantis in the Bahamas. Why? Because people’s financial lives are being ruined. We stayed here once. It was nice. Then we went in the off season and after we told them we didn’t have Players Clubs cards they denied us a room. Isn’t that like making sure you’re an alcoholic before you go into a bar? So we went to the Sheraton where they were nice to us and made us feel welcome.

Marilyn Monroe at Niagara Falls

If Niagara Falls was good enough for Marilyn it is good enough for me. Have fun at The Falls amigos.

For many of you who graduated college or any other tertiary institution this past spring, your monthly fixed costs are about to hike up.  As the 6-month grace period on your federal Stafford loans (subsidized and unsubsidized) comes to an end, it is time to revisit your payment strategies.  Here are some points to consider as you prepare yourself to tackle that debt:

• Unemployment: If you are unemployed, call your lender immediately (before your first payment is due) and ask for deferment.  Generally, lenders will defer your loans twice, for one year each, if you are unemployed, but your loans, including subsidized ones, will accrue interest throughout the deferment period.  Once you do get a job, start paying back your student loans immediately to avoid unnecessary interest costs.

• Consolidation: While most student loan providers have suspended consolidation offers in recent years, you can still consolidate your loans through the Department of Education’s Federal Direct Consolidation Loans program.  This program allows you to consolidate several loan types, including Stafford, Perkins, and PLUS, regardless of whether the loans are from the same lender or not.  You can choose to consolidate all of your loans or only some of them, and the interest rate of the consolidated loan will be the weighted average of the interest rates of the loans in the consolidation (The Federal Direct program’s website includes an online calculator that estimates your monthly payment and interest rate if you consolidate your loans).

Consolidation is a particularly attractive option this year if you have any variable interest loans (in general, Stafford loans disbursed between 1998 and 2006).  The interest rate on these loans changes every year and is based on the 91-day May Treasury-bill rate (2.30% + T-bill rate), which was at a historic low this year, 0.18%.  So if you consolidate all of your variable interest loans this year, you can lock in a rate of 2.48%.  Alternatively, you can consolidate these currently low-interest loans with other student loans you may have.

• Repayment Plan: By default, lenders set your payment schedule to a “standard repayment plan” with a fixed amount due every month for 10 years, but you can change that at any time.  Two options that have existed for a while are the “graduated” and the “extended” repayment plans.  Under the former, your minimum payment amounts start low and increase every two years for 10-30 years until you pay off your loan.  The latter option, on the other hand, allows you to make your repayment period longer than what you were initially granted, up to 25 years, and can be used in combination with either the standard or the graduated repayment plan.  This extended plan is only available if you have $30,000 or more in student loans.

Now, the new plan people are talking about is the “Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan.”  Under this plan, your monthly payment amounts are based on your income and family size, and are generally erased after 25 years of repayment, even if you have not paid off your loan entirely.

Changing your repayment plan may mean you would spend more in interest payments.  However, if you cannot afford the monthly payment on a 10-year plan, having lower payments in your first few years or throughout an extended loan period could offer some relief.  Similarly, having a payment plan that is tailored to your income and family size should make repayment more manageable.  And in either case, paying more in interest in the long run is always a better option than being stretched out and risking having to skip on your monthly payments and incurring fees.

Your grace period is almost over, and if there’s one thing you should remember from your education when dealing with your loans, it is that the more prepared you are, the better your will do, and that procrastination, while tempting, is usually not a good thing.  Study your repayment options, assess how much you can afford in monthly payments, and be prepared when your grace period runs out.

In a shockingly close contest, the SD-10G places 1st and 2nd at this years F3J Team Trials. Cody Remington took top honors followed incredibly closely in 2nd place by Daryl Perkins. Daryl is a mulit-time F3J World Champion, Cody won the Worlds in  the Junior Category in 2006. Their radio of choice? AIRTRONICS SD-10G of course!

Congratulations to the F3J USA TEAM!!!

Cody Remington, Daryl Perkins, and Richard Burnoski

At the Worlds next year, Team USA will be the Team to beat!

At the Team Trials (they had a GREAT turnout!) Skip Miller Models had an entire Team competing! Look at all those SD-10G radios! Miller  – Remington – Verzuh – Lewan

F3J Team Trials - SD-10G the new radio of choice!

Chris Gates | Sandusky Register

NORWALK

There was no hangover Friday for Perkins at Norwalk. Instead of dwelling on last week’s 28-0 victory against Sandusky in the highly anticipated “Hometown Showdown,” the Pirates focused on Norwalk and only Norwalk, winning 35-3 to improve to 3-0.

The equation for success on this night was quarterback Spencer Bryant plus Xavier Turner. That combo frequently added up to touchdowns.

The two connected twice on touchdown passes in the first half, the second of which gave the Pirates a 28-0 lead and all but sealed the game.

“In the first half I think we controlled things,” Perkins coach Gary Quisno said. “We had a good game throwing the ball. We moved it around to a few people.

“Xavier had a good ballgame. Obviously he’s a fine athlete — another one of the weapons we have. Spencer found him a couple times and tried to get the ball in his hands out there on the perimeter.”

Perkins opened the scoring on its second possession of the game. With 7:30 left in the first quarter, Bryant rolled left and found split end Nick Orshoski 41 yards down field for the score.

A Norwalk (0-3) three-and-out gave Perkins the ball right back, leading to the first Bryant-to-Turner touchdown.

Turner started the drive with a 6-yard gain. Four plays later, Turner ran the ball again for a gain of 12, dragging defenders to the Norwalk 10-yard line. With a first-and-goal, Bryant rolled left and threw the ball just off Turner’s back shoulder for the touchdown.

Had the Pirates’ quarterback thrown ahead of Turner it would have likely been picked off by a Norwalk defender, who was just ahead of Turner on the play.

“Xavier and I are pretty close,” Bryant said. “We play baseball all year long. When he’s on the football field, I just know where he is. Good chemistry I guess you could say.”

Bryant finished the game 11-of-17 passing for 162 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Pirates on four straight scoring drives in the first half.

The third Pirate touchdown came on an eight-play drive that lasted over 5:30, spanning from the end of the first quarter in to the second. On the second play of the second quarter, Perkins halfback Kyle Finn carried for 12 yards, which grew to 27 yards with a personal foul tacked on to the end of the run.

Fullback Richard Hohler took the next snap in from 10 yards out, diving over a Norwalk defensive back to cross the goal line at 11:30 left in the first half.

“I’m really happy for our team,” Bryant said. “We came out, played real hard. Offensively we’ve still got some things to work on but I thought, defensively, we played real well.”

Perkins stopped Norwalk quickly on six plays. They marched right down the field once again on the play of Bryant and Turner. Eight- and 13-yard passes to Turner helped drive the Pirates to Norwalk’s 31-yard line.

On second-and-10, Bryant rolled left, cut upfield as if he was going to run and released the ball just before crossing the line of scrimmage, finding Turner all alone in the back of the endzone.

“Spencer, he knows our offense and he knows what we’re looking for,” Quisno said. “He’s got a nice knack of finding the open receiver. That showed on that bootleg touchdown pass.

“Xavier’s really the back-side reciever on that and (Bryant) stepped up, found him and got him the ball.”

Turner finished the game with two touchdowns on 70 yards receiving along with another 26 on the ground.

The second half was less eventful as both teams went scoreless in the third quarter.

Just five seconds in to the fourth quarter Kyle Finn rushed in from 3 yards out for the final Perkins score of the evening, making the score 35-0. Finn finished with 31 yards rushing and 40 yards receiving.

Norwalk managed three points with 22 seconds left on a 31-yard field goal from freshman Michael Finch. The score was dampered by an injury to starting quarterback Tyson Ringle. Ringle appeared to be horse-collared, but no flag was thrown.

He left the game with a left ankle sprain, clearly in pain and unable to put any weight on it as he left the field.

Overall, Norwalk coach Chris MacFarland was pleased with the way his team responded in the second half.

“That’s the best second half we’ve had,” MacFarland said. “I know they rotated some kids out in the last part of the fourth quarter, but that’s our best third quarter we’ve had. No points.

“We’re not quitting this year. That’s what we talked about. You’re doing what it takes to go out and play because the other kids are counting on you.”