Template Change Coming Soon

I thought this was going to be a good choice for my main template for my site but I don't know anymore. I'm trying to get away from ad based blogging and direct my efforts at actually writing. Besides, I never was really ever able to glean out anything from adverts on my sites and I think it detracts from a good site to have to do that. I'm still looking at formats and styles and the ones with the built-in avatars slots for ads are at the bottom of my list, like my current template. Stay tuned and I hope you wont be disappointed with my final choice. People that have been reading my blogs will have noticed a huge reduction in visual ads on them. I have kept certain ads for things I care about as a 'sharing with my reader' thing such as Green issues, certain publications, BBQ (a passion with my Weber kettle) as well as some social networking venues. I'll be back!

When You Want to Send the Very Best ...

it doesn't have to be a H*llm*rk! lol Okay, if you really need it to be, I guess. I'm trying to get my life in a more structured order (is that redundant?) and the one thing I put off until the last minute, or forget all together, are personal events of family and friends. I'm very bad about it in fact. I'll procrastinate till the cows have not only come home but have been sleeping for a few hours to boot! What advantage do I have now that I never had when I was a greeting cards misguided youth? The Internet! I'm not a go to the store and pick out the perfect card, sign it with a personal message, lick the envelope and address it, then stamp it and drop it in the box kinda guy! Never was, never will be. Sorry peeps! What I did start doing was two fold. I got some spiffy software that keeps all of my personal reminders on a timer in my pc and it notifies me when a greeting should go out to someone. I had to set up two levels of alarms. The first level notifies me when an Internet ready recipient is coming due and has a 3 day advance warning, the other is for the non-Internet recipient who needs 1 week notice for a 'snail mail' card to be sent. The next aspect was the provider of the cards. The H company was a bit pricey for me and I don't need their software on my pc to print a card I have to remember to actually mail out. I wasn't sure how they would be received but to my amazement it went over quite well and everyone, for the vast majority, was happy that they were remembered, and that's really what it's all about. Right? It beats feeling guilty when you've remembered that you forgot someone, especially someone close. Most of my brood live in Massachusetts and I'm way down here in Florida. Besides, it's an evil kind of fun when you send a greeting card to snowbound family and friends describing the difficulty you've been having with your lawn mower or the pool pump. :)

Mesothelioma Issues and Victims

There have been a lot of advertisements on the television lately about Mesothelioma lawyers representing victims of this horrible lung cancer. Those of you who don't know what Mesothelioma actually is, it's most common form is from the inhalation of asbestos fibers in the air. Asbestos was, from the time I was a child and sooner, a great form of fire resistance and insulation for such things as ventilation systems, furnace jackets, ceiling tiles and many, many other things. It was fantastic, in lieu of modern alternatives, until you breathed it in. Mineral fiber in the lungs will react with the soft tissue and your body tries to have the white cells destroy them, almost like bailing the beach back into the ocean, a futile venture which repeats onto itself until your lungs are useless blobs. My father in law passed away from this affliction several years ago, before it was known about. He was a fireman who went into burning buildings where asbestos was shredding into the air, before air tanks were standard equipment. It doesn't take a lot of exposures to start the chain going, once the fiber is inhaled it's in to stay. I know there have been class action suits against manufacturers of these products and if someone in your family or someone you are aware of is a victim it's important that they contact a lawyer familiar with this type of litigation. Mesothelioma isn't pretty but it is preventable.

Diet Update Month 2

I'm just coming to the conclusion of my second month on my 'modified' Atkins Diet. I say modified because it isn't a pure Atkins approach, it's actually based from the book Protein Power and it allows you a lot more flexibility in your eating patterns. I did leave the door open to using some form of diet pill(s) or appetite suppressant but I figured I'd test my will power out first. Staying on the loose format of extra protein and less carbs I have managed to drop 22 pounds to date. My starting weight was an embarrassing 282 and I'm now at a less embarrassing 260. I still drink my sweet tea (made by a company named after a western state) which I will NOT give up. Yes, I know it's sweetened, too bad. I think I've done pretty well so far. In fact I've gone further ahead in my anticipated weight goals than I ever expected. I don't want to lose it too fast and end up sick.

This past week I've maintained a range between 261 and 260. I can now start the next leg with some good yard work in the Florida heat and that should bring me under 259 for the next leg. I will keep you informed and answer any questions about protein products I've been using if you like. Dave

Our Upcoming Vacation Plans

I prearranged for my vacation at work to coincide with my wife's birthday in July so I could relax and enjoy too. We looked at brochures and theme parks and more theme parks until we both realized that they were way too expensive to consider, at least till the economy relaxed. We decided to rent a place in a location we have never been to. Let's see, that accounts for about 95+% of the United States, let alone the world. Well, we both like the east coast and love the ocean so that narrowed down the field a bit.

We live in Florida but grew up in New England so it would be somewhere in between. We've both been to Bermuda(with other people, not each other) and that was great but pricey right now. We both like enough things to do in the area without having too much going on to make it hectic to be around. South Carolina and North Carolina were the narrowed down locals and S.C. has some nice amenities like golf but I gave that up, she doesn't play and combined it made no sense. N.C. has some great beach-front areas that are populated but not packed. What we decided on was the Outer Banks, an area I've always heard of but never had the opportunity to see, let alone go to. My uncle, up till 2 years ago, lived in Charlotte N.C. so I asked his opinion and he gave it a hardy 2 thumbs up. I think it was a hardy 2 thumbs up because I called him on the phone and he said it was. He told me that since we both enjoyed the ocean that this would be a great relaxing place to go and that we should look into renting an apartment instead of a hotel due to the cost. He said an apartment had the kitchen and cooking areas that hotels don't and we could save a bunch of money shopping for food and not worry about purchases being taken from our room since we had the only access to it. He sold us on it so I made the reservations for a rental unit in a place called Bayberry Bluffs near another place called Duck Village. With names like those I don't think there will be late night parties going on too often. I'll write back in July or August with the final opinions.

Dumb Things Cost Money.

Well, I really shouldn't say 'dumb' things, only because I'm the one who did them. Okay, I did a really dumb thing and now I have to make up for it since there are more than 2 of us in the house right now and we all need the thing that I did some serious damage to. I got grease on the stainless steel sink in the kitchen, and yes I should have been using the fiberglass slop sink in the laundry room, I know. This wasn't cooking grease but rather gear grease from a car part I was working on and it wouldn't come completely off so I used an abrasive. I didn't want my wife to see the black grease on her shiny sink.

This was a bad mistake because I got the grease off but got a surprise when my wife started yelling about what happened to the sink. I asked her from the bedroom what she was talking about since I hadn't gone into the kitchen lately. She asked me why there were rust stains all over the sink and what looked like scratches. She didn't believe me when I said "Gee, I wonder why that happened?". Bad move Dave! Now I have to replace it and since I'm paying for a new one I want to get one of those sinks with the small sink next to the deep sink. They look cool on the home builder shows and the cooking shows. I like the deep sided ones because you can put a large bird or a bucket(for brining) under the tap.

To get the extra depth I'm going to opt for an undermount sink so that any water trying to escape the sink will fall right back in, a little measure of floor and clothing protection. I've had many a bad water run in with trying to get a brine started for a long BBQ smoking and this will make it easier to do. What I really need to do is find a way to convince her that it's her idea and I'm obliging her with her request for a specialty sink. Too many of these stories and I'll be getting a red suit in the hereafter! I actually think she'll like it and I'm having a plumber install it. I'm taking no chances!

LCD, Plasma, or Laser? What to Choose.

I want to get a large screen television for the house and there are several things I have to overcome first. One of the things I need to decide on is what type of TV is best for me now and later on! I don't want something that will be outdated as soon as the box is opened and I think that's what's going to happen if I get a Plasma set. The high recharge cost is a detriment for my decision on them. I had my eye on a black horse TV, LCD to be exact, running in the retail race. Surprisingly enough it was a Polaroid LCD set. I thought they went out of business with the advent of digital cameras. I was wrong on that count and wrong when I thought it would be a crappy picture. The picture quality of those sets was phenomenal! It was crisper than even the Sony, Samsung, and Sharp sets they had on display and was significantly cheaper than the others. The next hurdle would be how I wanted the set to be placed in the house. Would a stand be better? I've always used tv stands and they are movable. I was also intrigued by the wall mounted systems, even though you are pretty committed once the holes are drilled in the wall. There are even pole mounted stands but that wouldn't be good for me with curious cats in the house. The last hurdle, and the most important one, is the wife. Well, two out of three comes kinda close, for now! Maybe if I buy some lottery ticket that happen to win!

BTW, did I mention the set I really want is the Laser one? You can hold these large screen sets with one hand, they're very flush because the use fibre-optic cables inside, and they have a picture finer than anything currently on the HD market! Toshiba has a very expensive one out but like all things, the price will eventually fall!

Unneighborly Neighbors Can Be a Nuisance.

I haven't written about the neighborhood in any detail recently but since I have to do some repairs on the property tomorrow I figured I'd vent a little and the inconsideration of ignorant neighbors. Not next door neighbors but next street over ones. Last year a trash family finally separated and divorced. Strange enough the wife/mother left him the house and she moved out with her daughter. We'll call her Lindsay for argument sake. Lindsay was the ever popular girl in her early teens who would run through the yards taking fruit off trees to throw at each other and tip over bird-baths and run through flower gardens. You know the type? I'm not finished yet! She had a mouth far fouler than I have heard most men at their worst sound. I'm amazed that she hasn't been arrested yet or worse, pregnant by one of the many out of neighborhood teenage boys she has attracted to 'run' with her in her night-time endeavors. I did what I didn't want to ever have to do and called the electrician to the house. I had to put an end to the dark running around that the guilty like to exist in. I had the electrician hardwire in some outdoor lighting. I had a twin spotlight installed at the peak in my roof on the bedroom side(the other side has some pretty nasty Holly bushes along the length of the house already), a twin spotlight at the rear on one side and a high output twin flood on the back corner where my shed is. When those lights are on you can do yard work at 2a.m. and have no trouble seeing what your doing. Fortunately, she has moved on with her mother to some other 'lucky' area and the only time the back lights come on are when the real creatures of the night come out like raccoons, rabbits, and possum for a visit. Those creatures I enjoy!

My Cellular Service Area is Lacking Service Area!

That doesn't sound quite right but it does sum up what I'm currently going through in my new home town in Florida. I was told that Florida was a flat, sandy state where you can see for miles with a slight elevation from the ground. WRONG! There are actually many parts of Florida that are very hilly such as in the Northwest section of the state down to just plain wet in the Southern part. I happen to live in the Central part where we get a bit of each. I recently went on to T-Mobile's website and saw a link to coverage areas so I looked my house up. Just as I thought! I bought a house just over the 'good' zone and have 'fair' zone coverage, at home. When I'm not home I have great coverage with very few drops ever. I figure what they don't have enough of in my county are cell towers. With all the available land we have here you'd figure they would want to saturate the multiple county area with a good signal base but they actually have requirements for placing towers that tie into businesses, road types, buildings, etc., before a tower is placed. The best part is that if you qualify for having a tower on your land they will pay you for the land use. Sweet! The final word is always up to the County Commissioners to decide. I'll bet that if they could disguise the towers to look like trees or put Osprey nests in them they'd say yes. The one tower near a local eatery has become the major hang-out for a large flock of Vultures. It's kind of cool and creepy at the same time to view but they have their place in the world as we do. We'll see what happens down the road.

An Associate With a Problem.

People at work have noticed that my usual clothing has been fitting a little different lately and I've gotten many words of encouragement. I've also, in the past, heard the same voices commenting on the way my clothes before I losy some weight and they weren't very complimentary. I'm not mad even though there was a time when I would have been livid because I knew, deep down, they were right. I didn't get depressed like many people do, I got motivated. Back to my original point. Jason, who I work with, has a similar issue with his weight, he has too much of it too! He was asking me which diet pill I took and I told him I hadn't decided on what I was going to do, especially since the Hydroxicut (spelling?) products were pulled from the shelves by the manufacturer for some health issues with some users. The problem with taking products like these that can be a big assist for you is that some people think that if 1 pill can make use lose 10 lbs than 2 pills will get 20 lbs. WRONG! The people who make diet supplements tell you right up front what you need to do and what not to do. It's their business and they'd like to stay in business and if your healthy that's good for everybody. A few idiots can ruin a good thing for a lot of people who need a diet product boost for their weight lose regimen. I did tell Jason that I increased my isolated protein intake and eliminated all soda, ice cream, cookies, candy, cakes, lions and tigers and bears, Oh My! Basically, I shut off the major sugar and corn sweetener sources I'd been tapping into every day for many years. I'm in my 50's now and I can't afford to have the belly fat anymore. I'd be putting my life at risk if I did nothing about reducing 'the gut'. I think age and weight scared me more than tax time because every year nothing is done the ability to do so later decreases greatly. That's a fact. I told him to start today so later he could say "I'm glad I did it back then" instead of saying "I wish I had done it then".

The First Diet Update.

My last post was on March 28th and I actually hadn't started the dieting yet. I was still trying to plan my strategy like I had in the past, but this time circumstances were different. Back then I was on my feet 12-14 hours a day working and now I sit for 8 hours and drive 2 hours round trip. I've been checking my Ketones with test strips I bought at Walgreens at the pharmacy counter. Tip: Don't buy the name brand test strips as they will cost dollars more than the store brand. I registered at least one day where my Ketone level was elevated, but not that much. I started the diet in actuality the beginning of April at a weight of 278lbs. I weighed in today at 268lbs. 10 pounds in a little less than a month is very good since I've set my realistic weight target at 190lbs. That means I've lost 10 of the 87 pounds I plan, not hope, to lose. I thought of using diet pills and that hasn't been dismissed yet because I haven't 'hit the wall' with the weight reduction. I know there will be a point where no matter what I do the weight will not want to move away from it's home in my guts! Options, always leave yourself options! I'll let you know more as time progresses but if things go the way they have been going I should be at ideal weight before Christmas 2009. I hope I'm given clothes for gifts! ( I never thought I'd ever say that!)

First of the Month!

White Rabbit! The Brits will know what I mean. :)