Friday

tip-o-day

Here's a quick, easy way to keep your house in tip-top shape and always ready for that unplanned drop in.
Put a for sale sign in the front yard.

Every once in a while

I take every last item out of my closet.
I toss them in a heap,
(a somewhat tidy heap)



shoes too.


Then I give it a good vacuum and wipe down all the surfaces - I like to use a diluted simple green solution, because I think it smells fresh.

Then I decide what gets to go back in.
That's where I am now... in the middle of that heap of clothes figuring out what gets to stay.
I am going to be tough this time. If I am not wearing it...it goes.


I may end up with one pair of pants, two shirts
...and 20 pairs of shoes.

Friday

tip-o-day

Today's tip is Pay Attention.

Just this week I called two companies with which I have accounts and got adjustments to my bill. I saved about 60 bucks just by paying attention.

If you are a customer in good standing most companies are willing to work with you. Even if you are calling about a mistake that perhaps you made.
An example of this would be; last month I failed to sign up in time for a savings package to call Ferris while he was in Italy at a discounted rate. The phone company generously back dated the package price and saved us money on transactions that had already occurred.

When you call -be sure you are in a calm state, a state of curiosity...not anger.
If a mistake has been made on your bill - it's most likely a software error. A defect. I work with this stuff all day long. There is no reason to be angry. These things happen. In fact, I like to think of defects as job security... well, for me.
When you make a call all filled with rage - you do nothing more than set the tone for the conversation.

So, be peaceful. Pay attention. Save money.

Friday

tip-o-day

Have you ever gotten that paralyzed feeling from some silly, seemingly daunting, project.
Perhaps it's straightening out the basement, or weeding the garden, or in my case currently.... filing.

Sometimes - my filing gets ahead of me. And so it waits.
Piling up.
It waits until I find this non-existent block of time... perhaps a rainy day, or maybe a blizzard where I am certain I will just make a cup of tea and sit down and plow through it.

um.. shyeah.. not gonna happen.

Does that happen to you?

So try this.
Just do a little.
No, really... just set a tiny little goal.

Today I filed a handful of papers.


You can't tell from looking at my piles.

But I know there's less now.

And I feel good.

Friday

tip-o-day

This tip is brought to you by Bammies.
Bammies is my mother-in-law.

Honestly I never expected to get a tip of the day from this woman...

Bammies likes to wear crocs knockoffs.
Bammies noticed tho that on hot, humid days her feet perspired.
Bammies solved the problem.


Had the picture been better I would have left it at that.
But since its kinda hard to make out...go ahead and 'biggin' the picture - notice the feminine pad placed perfectly in her shoe.
It's not only a perfect fit, but the adhesive back secures them in place. Plus... you can change them out as often as needed. What's better than that?

Of course its not nearly as funny until you hear that Pop pop is wearing them now too.
:)

Friday

tip-o-day

Today ...a couple of thoughts.

This first was sent to me by a warm, cuddly friend. She makes a habit of sending us mindful passages.
The sentiment is nothing new - but it gave me such joy just to read it and savor it.

The most important thing in all the world is to be kind.

and this ... this one occurred to me spontaneously, and I wanted to share:

Even a small piece of cheese can make everything right.

Enjoy your weekend peoples.

Friday

tip-o-day

This just in...
Ferris has arrived safely in Italy.
He is participating in a study abroad summer program.

Here are some views from his Italian dorm room.



I gave him some tips on the way to the airport.
We reviewed some of the material in the parents pamphlet, where it talked about being safe and smart while out on the town. Especially for the American girls traveling with the group -- European men may misinterpret their friendliness as an invitation to intimacy, or that accepting a drink from a man may be an acceptance of such an invitation. It also talked about how to drink responsibly and maintain a high level of decorum. All good advice for the young twenty-somethings...

Also on the long ride to the airport he practiced Italian phrases from a little book he bought.

"Where is the bank machine?"
and,
"What do you recommend?"

oh and...
"Can I buy you a drink?"

Friday

tip-o-day

I once read that a goldfish will grow to adapt to the size of its environment. In other words, if you put your goldfish in a larger bowl it will grown larger. If you keep it in a smaller bowl it will remain small.

In keeping with this same theory - it's important never to buy larger pants.

Friday

tip-o-day

Here's an unusual tip from me that doesn't have to do with cleaning and/or home maintenance -- because really we are all swamped right now with spring chores.

Since starting the new job after having been at my last job for 8 years - I have had to dust off my brain and start using it again. Its a little rusty, but I can just feel the synapses springing to life.

Being the 'new person' in a technical position where all the technology is new to me - I, of course, find myself with lots of questions to ask.

Rather than jumping out of my chair to find someone every time I become confused (remembering of course that actually speaking with someone is often the best way to learn) I have been instead taking time out to compose an email with my question(s).

This gives me an opportunity to carefully think out what it is that I want to ask and to step through it in such a way as to make it clear to someone else. Which I believe is the key part of the process - explaining things to someone else... someone who has not been sitting in your confused head for the last hour.
I have found that often times the shear act of this type of thought process helps me to figure out many of the answers on my own!

So, while you may not be the new person on the job - you can apply this learning process to fixing a sink or installing a new window or even bathing your cat.

Friday

tip-o-day

Safety first. Even before blogging.

Ok... so I just ran out of available outlets in my new 'home office'. It seems I have way too much equipment stuffed into this little space - and all of it requiring power.
So I am going to spend some time rewiring things before I burn the house down.

But while you are plugging stuff in... remember to plug sensitive equipment into surge protected power strips. I recently picked up one of those power squids.



What I like about the squid is they don't expose open outlets to dust accumulation or other items falling into them -- which can be the case when you have a flat power strip tucked behind a desk.





In cases where I do use the flat power strips I try to mount them vertically on a wall or side of a desk.
or even...

The results

I tried.
I was optimistic. I really wanted not to rake.

Two things to consider in my testing:

- I did not use 'mulching' blades. I have straight blades with side discharge.
I think this makes a difference.

- I am neurotic.

ok... so -- here is the front yard 'before':



Notice in the after picture. The lawn is nice and tidy.
The street -- not so much. Oopsie.


In the side yard for example - here are the leaves under our high maintenance magnolia tree.


After cutting - it left me with a pile of leaves that will need to be raked.


Also in the side yard...before and after.
(notice the clear line between our lawn and our neighbors. That's because he has the coveted Cyclone Rake.)


Also a pile that will need to be removed.


I won't say this is a bad idea. If you have a mulching mower, and set the deck height higher than I did (I was trying to get the grass cut low as well). And you are less concerned about how the lawn looks this fall - this method may work well for you.
As for us... well the pictures show only a small portion of what we still need to rake. So enough blogging... I need to get back to work.

Friday

not quite a tip-o-day

Ever since we have started to cut the grass with our trusty reel mower, I can't tell you how many people have said they couldn't do it simply because it would be too much effort.
(if you are one of those who mentioned this... take solace, you're not alone)
Yet, we'll pay hundreds of dollars to a gym to run for an hour and get nowhere, or sit on a bicycle and watch television then go lift heavy things up and down and up and down only to put them back where we found them.

And people say I have gone mad.

Are you out of shape, need some firming up?
Think about it.

working for a living

Don’t just have your eyes open. Be alert -- process what you’re seeing.

Earlier this week I passed a woman on a bike on my morning commute, though it's not unusual to see a woman on a bike.
It was a street bike not a … I think they call them cruising bikes or comfort bikes now. She was not wearing sports apparel. She had an attractive messenger type bag over her shoulder. She wobbled a bit as she pedaled her way out of the town center, toward the office complex were I work. Clearly this was a new experience for her.

This morning I saw a man in a white shirt and tie on a scooter. He rode with traffic on my street down to the light, but then rode in the shoulder on the main road to down toward the highway. I hope in his heart he felt proud and not belittled.

These are not rich people who tend to jump in making these short term grandiose changes because its chic.
These are not poor people who I have heard are now abandoning their cars when they run out of gas.
These are folks like me. We are working for a living, and the money we make goes to our living expenses.

Things are changing, people.

Look for it, you will see it.

Participate.

You don’t need to get a scooter or ride your bike to work. But – you would be wise to think twice about your discretionary spending. Do you really need a new blouse, new shoes? Examine the word ‘need’ with new fervor now.
Even if you can (or think you can) afford these new things – is it wise to buy now?
That’s how you should be thinking.

Yes, we need to save the planet.. so why not save some money while you are at it?

giddy

A friend of mine at work is letting me borrow this...

I am so excited.

Kill A Watt^TM will measure the wattage that our electrical devices are using simply by plugging them into it.

I am particularly interested in measuring the 'dinosaur that keeps our food chilled'.
In doing some online research I have learned that we may save as much as $120 dollars a year by replacing this ancient beast.
But this nifty little device will give me solid proof where the web-based calculators leave me wondering.

and yes... I am already working on my spreadsheet.

Maintenance

It's not so important to have nice things.
But you should keep the things you have nice.