November 28, 2005
What kind of bargains can I find? Well, how about my cyber-assistant helping me find a really good 1Gb MP3 player for $68.
And if you also want to save gasoline, you just might be lucky enough to get free shipping and no tax! With great prices like these you just might have to buy something for yourself.
Information on more deals on this CyberSale Monday can be found here.
Happy Shopping!
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November 27, 2005
I'm sharing these with you so that you can benefit from my research, as well. I used a few of these tips last year and reduced my heating bill by 8%. This year I'm determined to use as many as possible as my goal is to reduce my bill by an additional 12%. That's been the focus of my efforts this weekend, an additional incentive has been the single digit wind chill factors we had in the last few days. I'll let you know how things go with my efforts and if I get to achieve my goal.
One of the the things I learned last year was that 80% of homes built before 1980 are not insulated. The biggest energy wasters are air leaks/drafts that come from windows, patio and regular doors, air conditioner vents, electrical boxes, plumbing, fixtures, and all utility outlets. Last year when I insulated all of these, I immediately saw a 8% decrease in my utility bills.
Below is a picture & graph showing all the potential areas you can find air leaks in a home and the percentage of heating or energy lost as a result.
The second and most immediate and the easiest way to reduce your electric bill is to disconnect appliances when not in use, especially when they have a standby feature. It is estimated that by doing this an average household can reduce their usage by 50 watts per day.
How do you reduce or eliminate air leaks or drafts?
1. Do an assessment of your entire home for energy wasters. You can do a number of things to identify leaks. Use a: flashlight (at night - requires 2 people), candle, wet hand or bare feet to test for and locate leaks through out your house. Personally I like to use a stick of incense, it's better than a candle, as it doesn't blow out, and it's less than a fire hazard.
2. Once you identify them make a list and take notes. Take a picture with a digital camera if possible (see tip 4) For example: Identify not only which window or door, but also the dimensions and where the leak is located and how big the area where the leak is. You'll need this info, not only to plan the materials you'll need to buy but also how much of them. After all, the point is to save money not add to your waste.
3. Clean the area where you will be adding weather stripping, caulking, etc. It will adhere better and create a tighter seal. Please make sure the area is dry before you begin the sealing/insulating project.
4. One thing I learned from volunteering with Habitat "always use the right tool and product for each job because duct tape only goes so far". Which means consult your local hardware store guy. They have been invaluable to helping me identify products that will eliminate air leaks and drafts. In this case pictures can be helpful if you're like me and call everything "thingamajig". I learned a long time ago that if you can't identify the parts of something and you don't know the name of what your looking to fix, hardware store employees can only help you if they know what you're talking about. So if you're like me - terminology deficient - pictures will be the only way help them identify what you need.
5. Most products have basic rudimentary instructions and safety precautions. They're there for a reason, please follow them. If you're like me, I need a lot of information to feel comfortable before using chemical caulks, etc. indoors (because of my environmental allergies) so you might need to do a bit of research for additional info.
6. Buy easy-to-use materials to seal those leaks. Weather stripping may be purchased by the foot or in kits complete with the seal and fasteners for a single door or window. Caulk is usually sold in disposable cartridges that fit in half-barrel caulking guns but is also available in aerosol cans, squeeze tubes, and ropes for small jobs or special applications.
In the extended entry I have additional tips that will help you find ways to increase your utility/energy savings. To download a comprehensive (36 page) guide of great ideas and tips, provided by The Department Energy, click on this link.
more...
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November 23, 2005
That got me to thinking of the hateful posturing and war of words being waged in Washington this past week. These bitter, divisive words do a great dishonor to the men and women who sacrifice much in service to our country and trash the memory of those that have died since the mid 90's. More importantly, they ignore the undeniable truth that was reported (and has yet to resurface) by reputable MSM outlets.
What is even more important is that our servicemen/women really don't need to read or hear in the media they were lied to by their Commander in Chief and the American People are no longer behind them. Did the media and these politicians learn nothing from Vietnam? Don't they remember how demoralizing it is for the troops and their families? How divisive it was for our nation?
For me the whole situation is much simpler because the truth is with me from the moment I awake in the morning to the moment I lose conciousness to sleep every evening. It stares at me daily from lower Manhattan in the visual gap that is absent from the skyline. My soul has a permanent reminder of the loss we've had to live with on a daily basis these last fifteen years.
Of course, the loss for me started much earlier than for most. It started way before the attacks on 9/11. For me the goodbyes began way before the attacks on USS Cole and the American Embassies in Africa. It all started for me when I travelled briefly through Morroco, Singapore and Malaysia. It was an attitude, a pervasive feeling... no, it was more of an entrenched philosophy that I became aware of prior to even leaving this country, during my graduate studies. The philosophy that Americans were hated and our patriotism and service to our country was evil. It was the loss of respect and loss of love for the democratic principles our country stood for. It was the total disregard for the sanctity of human life and the adoption of a philosophy of hatred, in which any violent act against the US, especially its citizens was justifiable because it was cloaked in the fallacy of legitimate warfare, which was declared against our country prior to the first World Trade Center bombing.
It was that rhetoric and declaration of war that culminated in the murder of my friends, and the destruction of a way of life.
One of the deaths was the sense of freedom and carefree lifestlye we all enjoyed. Some of it has returned to us amidst the multi-layers of security. But for those in DC who have forgotten I have a reminder, that lack of fear and ability to wage war with words and history has come at a very high price. The cost has been ignoring the great sacrifice of the incredible men and women who serve to protect these freedoms. The cost has been that of families temporarily splintered as a result of 1 of their own's dedication to our principles of freedom.
So, while the posturing and the war of words continue, I want to let these men and women know that I for one am very grateful for what they have done for us, and for what they to do, and continue to give up in order for the bozo's in DC to be able to debate so freely, and without any concern about their safety as they get into their SUV's and go home to their loved ones to enjoy a hot, home cooked meal.
To those who serve with dedication, with heart and for love of country, I Thank You! I thank you for all you've done and given to us; in particular your courage, for when lower Manhattan and the Pentagon smoldered in ashes many of you reported for duty, ready, willing and able to do what needed to be done to protect our beloved country. So today, wherever you may be, may your holiday be full of peace, security and a comraderie that will fill your hearts, to make the abscence of your loved ones less poignant.
And to the Battalions and Quarter Master Unit that just returned home to NYC after serving one whole year in Iraq - Welcome HOME!
I send you a heart-filled hug to you all!
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November 17, 2005
To read more about this problem and how to know protect yourself please visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
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November 12, 2005
I did find Sgt. Hook's "blog boy" offer both intriguing and compelling. If he weren't so busy I would ask him to post some of his wonderful NY stories. Or maybe I should call him up and tell him how he was out to lunch (literrally) the day I went in to enlist. Hmmm, maybe that will be a story for my comeback.
There's so many things I want to say from what I've read on your blogs so far, but it will keep. I just have to let you all know that when I do get to read you, you all put a big smile on my face. Thank you! If you miss me, then go visit my pictorial blog or what I call my Treo (camera-cellphone) blogging. I have it set up so that I can do picture blogging with only 2 keystrokes after I take a picture. So I'll be posting funny and unusual stuff I come across, over there very easily. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so I will let you all guess what I was thinking from the pictures I've taken.
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 | You scored as Lara Croft. A thrill-seeking, slightly unscrupulous, tough-as-nails archaeologist, Lara Croft travels the world in search of ancient relics perhaps better left hidden. She packs two Colt .45s and has no fear of jumping off buildings, exploring creepy tombs, or taking on evil meglomaniacs bent on world domination.
Which Action Hero Would You Be? created with QuizFarm.com |
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November 03, 2005
The pain is back, and all as a result of 3 major things and some little ones:
1) working remotely from home on a big.. a really BIG, actually a HUGE project involving roping in the Gov, the Mayor and some high level Chinese dignataries for a big (did I say huge?) event. In fact, its so freaking big we had to get, not 1 but 2 corporate event planners to help us with this.
2) my laptop has been getting worse in the middle of all this and I've been doing some minor fixes and patches trying to hold off some major failures... but it's not freikin workin'! As of this moment I've spent close to 5 hrs doing tweaks hoping it'll work and so far it hasn't. The worst part is that I know what's wrong. Some of it has to do with BIOS settings issues, including the default speed setting which affects my laptops power mgt kicking in either automatic sleep modes or reboots (sound familiar _Jon); the remaining part has to do with software incompatabilities which will require me to do uninstalls and re-installs in specific and meticulous order, and systematic upgrades of software and updates of drivers or plugins... which I don't have time to do now. Now I'm sure that Mr. Santa Helpful has lots of brilliant ideas on what I can or should do, but I'm not really in the mood for them right now.
3) this is topped off with bits of voyeurism (what you guys call lurking) and escapism in the form of excessive commenting, fun blogging, and lots of emailing to my wonderful pen pal soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They make me laugh and cry the hardest because they live so on the edge of life themselves.
As if all this writing wasn't enough... my firm has it's year end closing on 11/30/05, which means reports out my wazzu! Until such date this post will remain at the top as a reminder of the living hell I'm going through! Since I'm being made to do crappy work (at Belzebub's beckoning), I get to do all the data crunching, number confirming and pie chart configuring for the reports. Oh JOY, stats heaven... NOT! Of course I first have to develop a mechanism for reporting these damned things, but hey, give it to the lackey... you know, the new girl... she's smart, she'll figure it out and make us all look good.
more...
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Brown was masterful last night! GW could learn a thing or two from him about how to handle the press. Herm Edwards (Giants coach) could also learn a thing or two from Brown on how to deal with less than humble super star players.
Yes the Knicks lost. Yes there were some errors. But as Mike Lupica wrote, "A lot of things did work for the Knicks last night as they stayed in there with the Celtics before dying in overtime like a fighter running out of legs and out of gas in the last minutes of the 12th round."
For me, who was watching the game as I was working through the frustration of pc troubleshooting, it was looking at the excitement of 2 really good times going head to head and battling it out for court supremacy. Damm, it was the best B-ball I've seen in... in... years.
I have hope people! For the first time in many, many years... I have hopes and dreams that my NY Teams will reign SUPREME!
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November 01, 2005
John Cleese has been one on that very short list of 4. I fell in love with him and Eric Idle (of Monty Python) after spending a few brief hours in their presence during one of their American Tours. You can say he and Eric are my British Elvii or Elivises! To them I am more than a fan. To them I am... that American woman they have a restraining order against, which forces me to stay on this side of the Atlantic. Sigh! As a result, I am unable to communicate with them directly. Communication is only achieved through designated 3rd parties (our lawyers). It's the only way I can be assured they will get my letters and will read them and not throw them out like all the others before.
Well, to my great surprise, excitement and delight John answered my last letter with an email of his own. Below is the coded message that I received from him, which I have not yet been able to decipher. Once I do break the code, I will be able to confirm his undying love for me too. Sigh!
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Message from John Cleese to the citizens of the United States of America:
In light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves properly, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (excepting Kansas, which she does not fancy).
Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed. To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up aluminum, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it all along. The letter 'U' will be henceforth reinstated in words such as 'colour', 'favour', 'humour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix "ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise." Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels (look up vocabulary) in order to communicate effectively with your fellow kingsmen.
Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication as "duh" and "whatever". There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know this bit of information upon our guards arrival to their Gates. The Microsoft spellchecker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize. You will relearn your original national anthem, God Save The Queen.
July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. Instead, you will observe Boxing day.
You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.
Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A license will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side of the road upon reading this notice. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour and stoicism (look up the word stoicism).
The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) - roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it!
You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are heretofore properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut slces of potato, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.
You must finally tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
Thank you for your cooperation and remember, the Queen's assesion will take place shortly, curtsying and bowing will, however, commence immediately!
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