18 January 2008
Health Credit Score
There's a proposal for Health Care companies to develop a "health credit score" just like the regular credit score. Read this important article to find out more. I think this idea is ridiculous, and we should all be very concerned!
17 January 2008
Wash it and Stay out of the Sun
Here's an interesting article from the NY TIMES on how to have great skin. Sure, you can spent mucho money on expensive creams and lotions, but youthful skin can be yours without all this.
14 January 2008
Real ID or Real Nightmare?
U.S. congress passed a bill in 2005 for a post-9/11 overhaul of our existing ID's and Driver's License. Known as the REAL ID, this one piece of identification would combine Driver's license, birth certificate, social security, and immigration information into one. Ok, yeah I see that it makes sense to beef up security. After all, the hijacker who flew into the pentagon had 4 Drivers Licenses and ID's from 3 states! However, the more I research it, I'm pretty confident that this is NOT the way to secure the USA. We would be MUCH more vulnerable to Identity theft if all our information is housed within 1 card. Plus, what about the elderly and children, who do not drive? Special exceptions would have to be made for them to receive the card, since they don't have a driver's license.
And think about this: Isn't the DMV already stressful enough? This new card would require MULTIPLE trips to the DMV before you would successfully receive your card, and intense scrutiny of all your personal documents. Even your utility bill or proof of address would be carefully checked and this means LONG lines and LONG waits for the card to arrive in the mail.
Check out this website, which opposes the REAL ID card, and gives plenty of reasons why the government should reconsider, or perhaps seek out alternatives. In essence, this card would make our society even MORE supervised, and this card would become basically a passport to leave your house!
And think about this: Isn't the DMV already stressful enough? This new card would require MULTIPLE trips to the DMV before you would successfully receive your card, and intense scrutiny of all your personal documents. Even your utility bill or proof of address would be carefully checked and this means LONG lines and LONG waits for the card to arrive in the mail.
Check out this website, which opposes the REAL ID card, and gives plenty of reasons why the government should reconsider, or perhaps seek out alternatives. In essence, this card would make our society even MORE supervised, and this card would become basically a passport to leave your house!
12 January 2008
Sleeveface
Have you heard of this new trend? You take an old record album cover, and pose so that it looks like a real picture. Check out the sleeveface website
Freak on Fifth!
Whoa! Here's a crazy story for ya's: Two people got STABBED in my office building Thursday! NO JOKE! As I heard it from the doormen, two women were in the elevator together when a man entered and pushed a floor button that's vacant, and there are no offices there. When the elevator stopped on that floor, the man tried to force them off the elevator into the vacant space. They struggled to get away, and he beat on them and stabbed them both and then took off! The women survived with relatively minor injuries and they locked down the building while detectives came through and took statements from everyone.
Keep in mind that our building is very "foo-foo", and it's a historic landmark building so the government prohibits and protects the historic integrity of the architecture. This is why there's no video cameras or surveillance in the elevators. ...A little scary, actually. You just don't think about this kind of thing happening in the middle of the afternoon on 5th Avenue! Before you all start freaking out for my safety, also realise that I'm on the 34th floor, and it's a completely separate set of elevators that run up to the 10th floor, so I wouldn't have even been in the same area as the attacker. Still, everytime I'm in the elevator now, and everyone gets off except one guy... I feel a little nervous, and I start thinking, "what would I do if..."
Keep in mind that our building is very "foo-foo", and it's a historic landmark building so the government prohibits and protects the historic integrity of the architecture. This is why there's no video cameras or surveillance in the elevators. ...A little scary, actually. You just don't think about this kind of thing happening in the middle of the afternoon on 5th Avenue! Before you all start freaking out for my safety, also realise that I'm on the 34th floor, and it's a completely separate set of elevators that run up to the 10th floor, so I wouldn't have even been in the same area as the attacker. Still, everytime I'm in the elevator now, and everyone gets off except one guy... I feel a little nervous, and I start thinking, "what would I do if..."
11 January 2008
There's $$$ in the fake barf business!
A warehouse on Chicago's West Side is "the world capital of fake (latex) vomit, where it's still made the old-fashioned way, ladle by ladle, formed and coagulated," reported the Chicago Tribune in December. Though it is not as popular as 50 years ago (7,000 units sold yearly, compared to 60,000 then), Fun Inc. President Graham Putnam said, still, "It's the best vomit on the market." According to the awe-struck Tribune reporter: "The texture is soft and sturdy, pliable and complex, with ridges of multihued solid chunks looking like a jagged lunar landscape ... perfect for the bathroom, refrigerator, auto seat or sidewalk."
10 January 2008
...and then I found SIX dollars
Hello hello... I'm sending another great website your way: Daytipper.com. This is great! People send in little tips and tricks on everything from gardening to relationships to food storage, and if YOUR tip gets published, you get PAID $3 each! I submitted 2 tips and both of them were published, and $6 was deposited into my PayPal account. Here's another tip: check out this website! (hey, now YOU owe me $3!)
The Boob Tube is dying
My poor TiVo- I know you've struggled to give me good things to watch, and I appreciate your valiant effort at suggesting some shows to get me through this dumb writer's strike, but there's only so much "Little People, Big World" you can take (right, Sarah R?) LOL. Sarah's afraid of midgets, by the way...
How dare they tease us with just 3 new episodes of the Office, and then take it away! Michael Scott, I miss you!
If you wanna see a deathclock of some of your favourite shows, this article shows the countdown of how many new episodes are left of each show until they start into re-runs because of the strike. Keep a tissue handy. Give me back my TV!!!!!!!!!!
How dare they tease us with just 3 new episodes of the Office, and then take it away! Michael Scott, I miss you!
If you wanna see a deathclock of some of your favourite shows, this article shows the countdown of how many new episodes are left of each show until they start into re-runs because of the strike. Keep a tissue handy. Give me back my TV!!!!!!!!!!
09 January 2008
Thought your clothes were ruined?
I'm notorious for spilling things on my clothes. A white shirt is basically me saying, "this is the last time I"ll wear THIS" because inevitably, it will be stained by the end of the day. I stumbled upon this article from CNN which actually describes how to get different stains out of your clothes and save them from the rag-pile. Read on!
Stain-fighting strategies
How to tackle misfired merlot or loose lipstick
Lipstick
Washables: Apply an oil solvent like Carbona and let dry, then remove residue. Treat with a liquid soap like Woolite and very little water. Rub to form suds, then rinse. Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia to bleach any remaining color. Rinse with cool water.
Nonwashables: Same as for washables, but use diluted vinegar bleach instead of ammonia, which can corrode wool and silk.
Coffee
Washables: Stretch fabric over a bowl and, from a height of about one foot (gravity helps), pour boiling water from a kettle. Follow with an application of an oil solvent if the coffee had milk in it. If it had sugar, treat with glycerin or a combination solvent like Shout and let sit for 30 minutes. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Apply a gentle detergent like Woolite and very little water. Rub to form suds, then rinse. Use an eyedropper with diluted vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Rinse with cool water. If the coffee had milk in it, finish by applying an oil solvent.
Tea
Washables: Stretch fabric over a bowl and, from a height of about one foot, pour boiling water from a kettle. Next, use an eyedropper and diluted lemon juice to bleach any remaining color. Rinse with cool water.
Nonwashables: Use an eyedropper and diluted lemon juice to bleach the color. Thoroughly flush with cool water.
Red wine
Washables: Cover the stain with salt, then stretch the fabric over a bowl and, from a height of about one foot, pour boiling water from a kettle.
Nonwashables: Apply an oil solvent like Carbona and let dry, then remove residue. Use an eyedropper and diluted vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Thoroughly flush with cool water.
Salad dressing (Italian)
Washables: Shake on talcum powder or cornstarch to sop up as much oil as possible. Pick or scrape off the excess and rinse with cool water. Next, apply a combination solvent like Shout and let sit for 15 minutes. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Shake on talcum powder or cornstarch to sop up as much oil as possible. Pick or scrape off the excess and let dry. Follow with an application of an oil solvent like Carbona. Let dry, then scrape or brush off any remaining residue.
Ketchup and tomato sauce
Washables: Apply a combination solvent like Shout. Use an eyedropper and diluted vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Same as for washables, but instead of washing, thoroughly flush the spot with cool water.
Mustard
Washables: Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia to bleach the color. Apply a combination solvent like Shout and let sit for 15 minutes. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia to bleach the color. Apply a combination solvent and let sit for 15 minutes. Thoroughly flush the spot with cool water.
Ballpoint ink
Washables: Put glycerin on the spot, then treat with a detergent like Woolite and very little water. Gently rub to form suds and rinse.
Nonwashables: Same as for washables, but instead of rinsing the suds, just dab water onto the area.
Grass
Washables: Treat the spot with a paste made from a powder digestant like Axion and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia or vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Rinse with cool water. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Apply a combination solvent like Shout and let sit for 15 minutes. Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia or vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Thoroughly flush the area with cool water.
Fresh blood
Washables: Flush with cold water. Treat the spot with a paste made from a powder digestant like Axion and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia to bleach the color. Rinse and finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Treat with cold water, then use an eyedropper and diluted vinegar to bleach the color. Thoroughly flush the area with cool water.
Dried blood
Washables: Soak in cool salt water for several hours. Rinse thoroughly, then treat the spot with diluted ammonia to bleach the color. If the stain persists, apply a paste made from a powder digestant like Axion and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Dampen the spot with cool salt water, then with plain water. Treat the spot with diluted vinegar to bleach the color. Thoroughly flush with cool water.
What's safe to wash -- and what's not
For stain-removal purposes, if the care label on the spotted garment says "Dry Clean Only," you should consider it non-washable. There's a little more leeway with everyday laundering. Rayon and cashmere, for instance, may often be safely hand washed, says Herb Barndt, a textiles professor at Philadelphia University. But Barndt advises testing the garment first, with a drop of water on an inconspicuous place, like the inside of a sleeve. No hot water, though -- and no dryer.
Stain-fighting strategies
How to tackle misfired merlot or loose lipstick
Lipstick
Washables: Apply an oil solvent like Carbona and let dry, then remove residue. Treat with a liquid soap like Woolite and very little water. Rub to form suds, then rinse. Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia to bleach any remaining color. Rinse with cool water.
Nonwashables: Same as for washables, but use diluted vinegar bleach instead of ammonia, which can corrode wool and silk.
Coffee
Washables: Stretch fabric over a bowl and, from a height of about one foot (gravity helps), pour boiling water from a kettle. Follow with an application of an oil solvent if the coffee had milk in it. If it had sugar, treat with glycerin or a combination solvent like Shout and let sit for 30 minutes. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Apply a gentle detergent like Woolite and very little water. Rub to form suds, then rinse. Use an eyedropper with diluted vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Rinse with cool water. If the coffee had milk in it, finish by applying an oil solvent.
Tea
Washables: Stretch fabric over a bowl and, from a height of about one foot, pour boiling water from a kettle. Next, use an eyedropper and diluted lemon juice to bleach any remaining color. Rinse with cool water.
Nonwashables: Use an eyedropper and diluted lemon juice to bleach the color. Thoroughly flush with cool water.
Red wine
Washables: Cover the stain with salt, then stretch the fabric over a bowl and, from a height of about one foot, pour boiling water from a kettle.
Nonwashables: Apply an oil solvent like Carbona and let dry, then remove residue. Use an eyedropper and diluted vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Thoroughly flush with cool water.
Salad dressing (Italian)
Washables: Shake on talcum powder or cornstarch to sop up as much oil as possible. Pick or scrape off the excess and rinse with cool water. Next, apply a combination solvent like Shout and let sit for 15 minutes. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Shake on talcum powder or cornstarch to sop up as much oil as possible. Pick or scrape off the excess and let dry. Follow with an application of an oil solvent like Carbona. Let dry, then scrape or brush off any remaining residue.
Ketchup and tomato sauce
Washables: Apply a combination solvent like Shout. Use an eyedropper and diluted vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Same as for washables, but instead of washing, thoroughly flush the spot with cool water.
Mustard
Washables: Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia to bleach the color. Apply a combination solvent like Shout and let sit for 15 minutes. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia to bleach the color. Apply a combination solvent and let sit for 15 minutes. Thoroughly flush the spot with cool water.
Ballpoint ink
Washables: Put glycerin on the spot, then treat with a detergent like Woolite and very little water. Gently rub to form suds and rinse.
Nonwashables: Same as for washables, but instead of rinsing the suds, just dab water onto the area.
Grass
Washables: Treat the spot with a paste made from a powder digestant like Axion and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia or vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Rinse with cool water. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Apply a combination solvent like Shout and let sit for 15 minutes. Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia or vinegar to bleach any remaining color. Thoroughly flush the area with cool water.
Fresh blood
Washables: Flush with cold water. Treat the spot with a paste made from a powder digestant like Axion and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Use an eyedropper and diluted ammonia to bleach the color. Rinse and finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Treat with cold water, then use an eyedropper and diluted vinegar to bleach the color. Thoroughly flush the area with cool water.
Dried blood
Washables: Soak in cool salt water for several hours. Rinse thoroughly, then treat the spot with diluted ammonia to bleach the color. If the stain persists, apply a paste made from a powder digestant like Axion and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Finish with a regular wash cycle.
Nonwashables: Dampen the spot with cool salt water, then with plain water. Treat the spot with diluted vinegar to bleach the color. Thoroughly flush with cool water.
What's safe to wash -- and what's not
For stain-removal purposes, if the care label on the spotted garment says "Dry Clean Only," you should consider it non-washable. There's a little more leeway with everyday laundering. Rayon and cashmere, for instance, may often be safely hand washed, says Herb Barndt, a textiles professor at Philadelphia University. But Barndt advises testing the garment first, with a drop of water on an inconspicuous place, like the inside of a sleeve. No hot water, though -- and no dryer.
06 January 2008
Rancho's Feliz Navidad!
I've been loving my extensions, even though it means much more maintenance and waking up early every morning in order to style and curl my hair. I've decided I'm going to grow out my own hair as long as I can 'cause I really like it! I had Dan remove the extensions yesterday after I got back from Montreal- they were starting to come loose and I didn't want a Britney Spears comparison to start happening!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
