ARCHIVES:  April 1-7, 2005

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April 7, 2005 - Thursday

Skills Only Found in China

Thanks to Jennifer C., come these photos of life in China. They are amazing. I'd worry about where those shovels have been, though.

 

 

April 6, 2005 - Wednesday

Live a Balanced Life (Nagging Myself Here)

I like these thoughts from Floyd at Fragments of Floyd. Not only is he good with cameras and editing photos, he is good with words. Now that I've posted my blog entry for the day, I am going to take a walk.

 

It bothers me too how much of my day is spent sitting watching letters appear as my fingers lift and fall; I read the words--my words like chewed cud--to myself silently while the world turns colors and blooms the other side of window panes that might as well be the bars of a cage.

I am trapped in an ergonomic chair. Self-condemned to a sedentary day of pointing, clicking, cutting and pasting. I've been banished from the island, and I was the only one who voted.

What ever happened to the balanced life? Where will I find the path that carries me back? And he answered:

For every hour typing, walk an hour.

For every page written, read one in a book.

For every hour inside, spend one under the sun.

For every minute indugled in self, help someone else.

For every dollar spent on (un)necessary toys, give one away.

For every minute blogging, read a blog.

Past your prime? You can't know that. Bloom late.

For every hour of sitting, stand-walk-run-climb-lift-push-pull an hour.

For every whining want, give thanks for blessings owned.

For every pain, find something that doesn't hurt. Surely there's something.

For each day that dawns, be awake. And caffeine can't help here. Awake. Now.

In all the parts, see the whole.

And don't stop having these conversations with yourself. You are your best audience. Listen. Do what's needed. Do what's right.

 

 

April 5, 2005 - Tuesday

Infomercial Products Rated

This month, Reader's Digest rated several popular infomercial products. Do you ever watch them? I like food infomercials such as "The Magic Bullet" and that sandwich maker-type baker. (I think I just like looking at the food on TV during brief moments of insomnia or when the news becomes the same story over and over and over.....)

Things that look good on TV sometimes come across as cheap and unworkable in real life, so Reader's Digest tested several products. Below is a quick list. Four is the best rating, meaning it works as it should. Anything less means it has problems.

 

Magic Bullet

Chillow

Hair Made

Micro Touch

Laser Straight

Eggstractor

RoboMaid

Ronco Deluxe Solid Flavor Injector  

Medicus

Air-O-Space 5-in-1 Sofa Bed

Natural Bra 

Total Trolley

Smartware

 

I was never impressed with Smartware. Why buy a plastic pan when you can use a good metal one? I can't accept their premise that metal heats unevenly in a good oven. The test results said their cake was lop-sided and another mix overflowed in their pans. Then, the pans have to be set on a metal sheet - metal has to be used ANYWAY. Here's the entire article.

 

 

April 4, 2005 - Monday

XMRadio Online - Free at Last - Sort Of

Yay! XM Radio is now available online to all subscribers at no extra charge (with extra stations exclusive to online use only). Now is just not a good time to watch TV since the news is all oriented on the Pope's passing. There's only so much of one kind of news story a person can endure. Thank goodness for radio.

My husband loves the ShoutCast free stations. We often listen to them at night (a little "smooth jazz" sounds so good). Add to that the iTunes free stations and there's plenty of TV alternative. In fact, there are plenty of shows to download, too.

I get a laugh out of the DJs at UPop in the mornings.

 

 

April 3, 2005 - Sunday

More Chinese than McDonald's

Here's a couple of interesting facts. Reader's Digest says:

 

There are over 40,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S., more than the number of McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King combined.

 

I believe it. I read another magazine quote that blamed them, in part, for so many overweight Americans. All I know is that I love them and the best one is Meteor Buffet in Huntsville on a Friday night (that's seafood night).

 

Here's another factoid from the same magazine. I've heard Paul Harvey talk about this, too, and I believe it:

 

Aerobic exercise may be as effective as antidepressants (if done at least 3 hours per week).

 

Yep, I visit the buffet -- then exercise. So far, I have not yet gotten depressed for eating so much on seafood night and everyone on the walking trail here knows my name. I walk with a camera in hand and amassed a large photo collection of the trail.

 

 

April 2, 2005 - Saturday

Hard Drive Still Bad

I feel like a detective in a spy novel. Just when we thought the new, 300 g hard drive was running, it died again. We tried installing a different 300 g drive and it died, too, so the problem is not with the drive itself, I think.

Something is wrong with my system, probably the motherboard. We are getting desperate now. We are going to try and install a controller card -- usually not recommended because it slows things down and is usually not needed. ::sigh::

I don't think it is my CMOS because everything works fine without the new drive. It could be overheating, but I doubt it -- we even installed an extra fan. Still, that's an option to check further.

 

 

April 1, 2005 - Friday

April Fool's Day

This is a fun day ... for some of us, I guess. This morning, my husband was in the bathroom, eyes almost closed, fumbling around half asleep but getting ready for work. I ran into the room, yelling, "Oh my gosh! Come quick! Quick! Look at this!!"

I did it with such urgency in my voice that he came running out of the bathroom, nothing on, brush in hand, wide awake now and looking at me shouting, "What? Where?!!!"

I demurely answered, "Oh, I just wanted to point out that it is April Fool's Day. April Fool!" Grumbling, he went back to getting ready. I shouted after him, "I just wanted you to be prepared for today!" Then I laughed. I am wicked ... so wicked. Ha ha!

Here's a list of hilarious dieting April Fool jokes.

P.S. I think we got the hard drive to work. We obtained some brand new, never-before-used cables and put the drive in a new ide slot. It is working (so far).