Kitty Needs A Bag Of Chow
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Pack It Right
So, you’re moving. Moving is stressful and you don’t want to have to worry about your things, your stuff, your fine china, your breakable tchotchke, (including that hideous ceramic chicken cookie jar that your aunt gave you because she’s coming to throw you a house warming party and you have to display it in the kitchen lest you hurt her feelings). You need some peace of mind when moving and that means you need good packing material.
Back in the day, when you were a college student, it was ok for you to go to the grocery store and beg for fruit and vegetable boxes but that won’t do anymore. You have worked hard. You have new stuff. You have better stuff. You actually care about your stuff now and you do not want it torn, ripped, dented or broken.
So you’re going to need some good boxes, furniture pads, tape, etc. But moving is expensive and you don’t want to spend a lot of money on these supplies. You need discount moving boxes.
At upack.com you can find everything you need to make your transition a little easier. They have different packs you can purchase including a starter kit, a kitchen pack and on, all the way up to the deluxe moving package that is enough for a 21-28’ moving trailer or about a 3 bedroom home. They even have wardrobe boxes for all of your hanging clothes so that you don’t find yourself in the middle of the floor of your new place at 1am trying to untangle all of those hangers and having to rehang everything. The wardrobe boxes come with a bar that extends from one side of the box to the other and can hold up to about 24” of closet space per box. At only $14.50 a box, that is well worth the price to save you from a horrid hanger nightmare.
Not quite sure how many boxes you’ll need? Don’t know what package is right for you? You can use the “moving box estimator” to assist you. Based on trailer size or number of rooms in the house, the moving box estimator takes the guess work out of it for you. You will get what you need-not too many, not too few.
To add even more icing on the cake, or to relieve a little more stress in your life, any order over $150 comes with free shipping because when it comes to moving, you really need to hear the word, “free”, once in awhile.
One of the hardest things about moving is the packing-where should you put things, where do you start? It’s all so overwhelming! Let the experts guide you and help you so that when you arrive at your new home, you’re not a frazzled, sweaty, crazed mess. You’ll know where everything is and you’ll know it got there safely.
Oh and if you need help moving? Contact upack again because...um, I’m busy for the next couple of weeks.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Look Good, Feel Good About It
So, there you are, torn. You want a nice piece of jewelry, diamonds would be nice, even rubies, emeralds or sapphire would be fabulous. But you think you can’t afford it and besides, you’ve heard the horrors of the mines; how the workers are treated, what it does to the environment, and you continue to dream, instead.
Periodically, as you walk down the busy streets of your town, you may glance in to a storefront and see the beautiful, sparkly jewelry staring back at you. “If only.....”, you think.
Listen, “If only” is now. At Diamond Nexus Labs , not only is their jewelry affordable, it looks fantastic. From bracelets to earrings, from watches to engagement rings, Diamond Nexus Labs has something for everyone. Prices start at under $150. Or maybe you already have the setting, you just want a gem/stone to go with it. They have this, too. In fact, Diamond Nexus Labs can make anything in your imagination become a reality.
And guess what? They do care about making the process cleaner and friendlier to the environment and workers. They don’t use any harsh chemicals, they recycle gold and extra production materials and everything is created in clean, environmentally friendly laboratories, not mines.
The company offers lifetime guarantees, it’s risk free and they have thousands of happy customers. And if you still aren’t sure if you want to go look, remember this: They made the crown for the Miss Universe pageant. Ok? Yah, maybe you should get on over to their website and find something beautiful and extraordinary that you can pass down to the next generation.
You can have what you want, look good and feel good about it.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
What Time Is It?
Constantly I am asking this question because I do not own a good watch. I’ve had watches, of course, but they have been cheaply made and simply do not last. Knowing the time is imperative in this day and age as our society moves along at a quicker pace. And while we can purchase any old cheap watch anywhere, why not own something so important that is stylish, well made and downright gorgeous? Or buy a watch for a friend or family member.
Ok, sure, I know what you’re thinking. “A watch? I can’t imagine a more boring gift than a watch. I don’t think so.” You, obviously, have not seen a good watch, then.
Look at this watch, for example, from the movado series 800:
Is that not gorgeous? Can you imagine receiving this as a gift or, better yet, gifting this to someone? This would be a beautiful way to tell your mother, sister, wife, fiance or even daughter just how you feel about them on their birthday or after they have accomplished a milestone they’ve worked so hard for.
Imagine your daughter after working, tirelessly, for years, to get that masters degree. She has forgone food, good apartments, a social life, etc. Night after night she has studied and worked herself exhausted. She does this for her own future but also to make you proud. Finally, after what seems like endless years, she graduates. You could not be more delighted. There you are, a generally stoic father, never letting her know along the way your apprehensions, your anxieties, your nervousness for her success. You have been the rock, always telling her she can do it but never showing her any emotions.
Now, imagine her, on graduation day after walking across the podium and receiving her diploma, tearing open the packaging to find this elegant, stunning watch in her hands? This says, “love” and “appreciation” and “respect” all over it! She would not only know how important she is to you, but also how proud you are of her for her accomplishments.
As per the product description, this watch includes Silver Mother of Pearl dial with luminous hands and diamond hour markers and 50 Genuine diamonds that accent the dial and face, (diamonds are a girl’s best friend, ya know). It is scratch resistant and comes with a 12 month limited warranty.
Instead of gifting something like apartment warming gifts as they venture in to their new lives, consider a fabulous watch such as this. You will not go wrong with a watch like this. It’s impossible.
Check out all the watches offered from the above link, they have them for men, as well.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A Small Treat
Remember 5 years ago when I snapped my ankle in half and was laid up for six weeks with brand new screws and a plate? Yah, that was a load of fun. I received some get well gifts and a ton of emails but one of my very favorite gifts was a flower arrangement. It’s amazing how something so simple can make such a difference. Of course it was lovely to look upon and it really brightened up the room but the thing I remember the most is how absolutely wonderful it smelled. It completely filled the air with its scent and it had a calming effect on me. I had never received such a thing from anyone in my life before so had no idea just how beautiful they could be.
Ever since then, every so often, I try to gift myself something like that. I work hard, out in the boiling hot sun day after day. I put up with a lot of different personality types that can be draining. I deal with the horrible traffic, just like everyone else. However, since I’m not the type to sit in a hot bath, skin shriveling like a prune, giving myself heat stroke from the hot water, I choose, instead, to buy myself fabulous centerpieces as a way to reward myself. Having fresh flowers in the middle of the dining table can add warmth and a feeling of comfort; they are aesthetically pleasing and typically make people feel better. It’s also a GREAT conversation starter.
This gift to myself could be for a holiday, my birthday, a major milestone or just any old day simply because I deserve it. See, kids, we can’t wait around for others to buy these things for us. It’s okay to treat yourself to something nice, as well.
Like I said in the beginning, I received books to read, many get well wishes, a few other items here and there and while I appreciated and enjoyed them all, the flowers were the best. It’s a very inexpensive way to show appreciation for yourself, anyone else you think deserves a little pick me up, house warming gift or a token of appreciation to the host/hostess when you are invited in to their home for a meal.
Additionally, once the flowers are starting to wilt, you can press them and make some pretty art to decorate your home. Plus, many times these centerpieces come with candles, (my favorite kind), or some a pretty container, among other things. It’s a gift that keeps giving.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Helping Others Help Yourself
Remember a couple years ago all that trouble I was having with my VW? Really the only problem was a bad mechanic because the problem could have been fixed the first time around and far less expensively if I had found an honest mechanic. In the end, after shelling out thousands of dollars, I gave up and sold the car to one of those places that will take any car as long as it hasn’t been in a wreck and give you money for it.
I wish I had known about vehicle donations before I did that. See, I loved that car and I was very upset when I had to sell that car for a pittance just to have it end up in a junk yard somewhere. It’s not that the coolant problem couldn’t be fixed, it’s that I couldn’t find any honest person to fix it.
If I had known earlier about a car donation place, I would have done that, instead. They even take cars that don’t run so this problem could have been fixed easily and the charity could have used my car for a good purpose instead of it getting turned into some scrap metal.
If you have an old car that you don’t use anymore, you might consider doing just that. You’re not using it so why not give it to a charity that will use it to help people out? A lot of people in this country do not have cars or any way to get around. A lot of charities need vehicles to transport people, animals, large quantities of supplies or large objects to various parts of the city, state or country. When people think of charities they usually whip out their checkbook and write a check for $25 or $100 or so without realizing that they could really help an organization out by donating their car to that charity. For those of you who do use the tax write off, the charity uses standards such as Kelly Blue Book to rate the value of the car you are donating to them. Chances are, you’ll make out better with the tax write off than you will the measly little check you get from those places that will buy your car. Most importantly, you’ll be doing some good because you are really helping people out.
If this sounds good to you and you have a car right now that you can donate, then why don‘t you donate car here.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Matters Of The Heart
The human heart can beat up to 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime. You do not want that heart to stop working properly.
One of the things I learned about my medical history 7 years ago is that my biological family has had deaths relating to heart disease. Since then, I’ve been looking to learn as much as possible about the heart and what can happen to it, what are the symptoms of various types of conditions and diseases as well as preventative maintenance.
The most commonly known heart ailments include heart attacks. What many people aren’t very aware of is Sudden Cardiac Arrest or SCA. This is not the same thing as a heart attack. In heart attacks, also known as myocardial infarction, (MI), the heart doesn’t get blood and it stops working. In SCA, ventricular fibrillation, the heart beats too fast which means it cannot pump the blood effectively or at all. In fact, those who have had heart attacks are more prone to suffer SCA if they had extensive muscle damage.
Did you know that if you suffer from SCA, you have only 4-6 minutes to be treated or you can die? Even scarier than that is that this usually happens with no warning whatsoever and it happens to 900 people a day!
Those who are at risk of a heart attack and SCA are individuals who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a lot of stress, are overweight, smoke, (guilty as charged), don’t get enough exercise and abuse drugs and alcohol. These risks can be fixed or changed. Other risk factors include diabetes, age, (the rate is higher for men than women), previous heart disease and certain medications to name a few.
Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in this country. Even if you lead the healthiest lifestyle and have no family medical history of any type of heart disease, it would still behoove you to learn as much as you can about SCA. If someone suddenly collapses, loses consciousness, has abnormal breathing, or you can’t find a pulse, they may be suffering from SCA and you may be the only person around.
Learn as much as you can about SCA by visiting the St. Jude Medical website linked above. The site is loaded with information and videos. You can even take an online assessment to see if you may be at risk for SCA and bring it in to your physician for further discussion. Knowledge is power and you could save another person’s life or even your own.
A Plethora Of Personalization
I think I’ve mentioned several times here that I really like personalized stuff. Throughout my scouring of the internet, I have found sites that may personalize one or two things but vistaprint coupons will personalize a wide variety of items.
They have many choices for personal use and even for businesses. You can choose to personalize stationary, sticky notes, address labels, envelopes, magnets, calendars, etc. (Now you can finally put the whole family including all the pets on your 2009 calendar and hang it up for all to admire.)
For business you can get business cards, pens, letterhead, folders, brochures, logos...the list goes on. Additionally, they are now offering copy writing services. For a business, this can be a one stop shopping place to take care of everything involved with marketing and sales.
Sometimes businesses, schools or churches need to raise money. VistaPrint can help you out with any promotional give aways going so far as to print out window decals if you wish. How cool is that?
Maybe you have a group of some sort and need shirts or hats, say a bowling team, knitting circle, reading club, or maybe even you and your friends want to try out for the Price Is Right on a vacation and need attention grabbing t-shirts printed up, you can get all of these done for you at the above mentioned site.
Need a website? VistaPrint can help you out there, as well. The first month is free to try it out, you don’t need any experience or skills and if you’re a small business, your website can match your personalized business cards. Who else does that for you?
Really, this site offers so much that there is something for everyone. Right now, for a limited time, they are offering savings of 50-80% on many of their products. Plus, they also have a handful of free products ranging from free magnets and rubber stamps to free checks even 250 business cards.
VistaPrint services countries around the world from Ireland to Spain, Denmark to The Netherlands. Germany, France, Italy and many others as well as the United States can all be assisted with their needs.
If you’re like me and and like things personalized, easy and don’t want to go from store to the next to get it all done, this is the place to go.
Monday, May 12, 2008
And Shoes To Match
One thing I’m picky about are my shoes. Not only am I choosy about the style and color but I’m also concerned with quality and price. It can be difficult for a shoe store to please me with the selections they have because of this.
Infinity Shoes, however, has a great variety with brands I know and trust. They have casual shoes, classy shoes, business apparel shoes, dress shoes, boots, sandals. Shoes for the beach, shoes for a night on the town, shoes that will make people take you a little more seriously. They have shoes with personality and shoes that say, “I’m down to earth”. They have shoes for every kind of female I have ever known which makes it really easy to find a gift for someone who needs or wants a new pair of shoes.
In fact, my friend Kristine has a birthday coming up in June and since they are re-locating to WA state very soon, she’s going to need some boots once again. I’ve known Kristine for over a decade and she always dresses girly so I think a pair of Miz Mooz Celine Patent would go very well with clothing she has, keep her feet and legs warm in the winter and make a dress look casual and flirty. Plus, it has a bit of a heel and Kristine needs that because she’s short.
This store also has Doc Martens....that I love. I used to wear Doc Martens all the time when I lived in Seattle and I miss wearing the boots. Luckily I can still wear Doc Marten shoes and I don’t care if they “look like boy shoes” they are so comfortable you have NO idea what you are missing out on if you’ve never worn them.
Infinity Shoes also sells seychelles shoes, has a page of tsubo shoes available as well as minnetonka boots that seem to be the rage for a lot of young ladies. They also have well known names such as Keds and Birkenstock, Timberland and Clarks so you see, there is something there for any female of any type, any age, any style.
If you’re like me and have a hard time finding just the right pair of shoes, go to Infinity Shoes and check it out.
I Like To Keep Things Personal
It’s rare that I go to the card section in the store because most cards don’t quite say what I want to say or the ones that do have a horrible image on the front. I like cards that can be personalized and while I know that can be done with e-cards, I still think it’s neat to get a real card in the mail.
In the past I had wanted to send out invitations to some of my friends for a “Happy Break Up Welcome To My New Home” party. Where are you going to find that kind of card in a store? You’re not. You have to make them yourself. The last time I made a card I was in the 2nd grade and there was glue and macaroni involved. I’d like my friends to think I’ve evolved a bit since then.
Now I have found a place where I can make Photo Card Invitations and it’s actually pretty easy to use and fairly inexpensive.
The first step is to pick a design for your card. You can either choose from the plethora of designs offered or you can make it very personal and have a photo of yourself or your cat or whatever you want on the front of the card. Just because some of the cards say, “Happy Birthday” or “Merry Christmas” does not mean you are bound to those words. You can customize your card to fit what you want it to say.
Because I want a personal image on the front of my card, I would choose the Borderless Full Color Photo Card.
I click on the link and am taken to a screen that allows me to choose the quantity. I can have 25 as my minimum so that is what I am choosing.
Once I’ve updated my quantity, I’m taken to a screen with a few more steps that will complete my card. You can always change your mind about the quantity, say, you’re now giddy with excitement at inviting people over to celebrate your freedom from that no good louse and your happy new home with you and the cats, that you’ve decided that maybe you would like to share the joy with some acquaintances as well. Perhaps the mail lady would like to come over for free drinks and food. Or the checker you see all the time at the grocery store. Maybe your hairdresser. Besides, they probably all have really great stories of their own.
Anyway, once you’ve decided on your quantity, you may choose if you want your card to be horizontal or vertical, depending on the photo you will be using. In my case I think it would be vertical so I click on the drop down menu under “Product Options” and click on “vertical”. Once that is updated, it’s time to upload your art. The above shows the photo option from the company but I think I would be choosing something of my own, something personal...say, a view of me doing a cartwheel in front of the ocean and beach through a champagne glass that is sitting on my dining room table.
You may then either choose from the many verses the company offers, write your own or you can even leave it blank and make each and every card very personal depending on the recipient. I have chosen to customize my greeting so the next step is to write the words that will be seen on the inside of the card. Once I’ve written my message, I can choose the color of ink, the font type and size. Further, you can personalize it by adding a logo or signature to the end, if you please. In this instance, the inside of my card with message may look like this:
Beyond that, if you want return envelopes or any other special instructions, you may customize those as well before placing your order. Once you have completed your card and any other personalizations, it is time to submit your order by clicking on the “add to cart” button. At this stage you have been given the price, shipping and handling and shipping days for your order. On the next screen you have a final chance to edit, enter any promotional codes for savings, update your total amount and proceed to checkout.
So, kids, the next time you have some invites or greetings of any sort to send out, instead of browsing around in the store for a card that almost says what you want it to say, try personalizing it. It’s fun and I don’t know one person on earth who doesn’t like to feel special; a personalized card makes anyone feel special.
Lifelock Helps Keeps You Safe
So, how many of you have ever lost your wallet or ID? I’ve lost my ID several times and I’ve lost a wallet once. In that wallet was my ID, social security card, any credit cards I owned and some store membership cards. Oh, and about three dollars. Back when I lost my wallet with everything in it, identity theft wasn’t talked about widely as it is now. The worst thing I could think of happening was that someone would use all my credit cards and maybe my ID to get in to some club illegally.
As you know, I had to get a new ID, had to call all the credit card companies and cancel the credit cards, hoping no one had used any of them by the time I discovered the wallet was missing, was finding out how to go about getting a new social security card and was going around to the stores I was a member of and reapplying for my little savings cards.
It was very not fun.
These days losing a wallet is very stressful. Luckily companies like LifeLock are out there to protect us from identity theft. They have a guarantee of up to 1 million dollars and that is part of what makes them the number one identity theft prevention program. If you sign up, you will have the peace of mind knowing that you are protected and that you have someone on your side to help you get things back in order.
As an example, if you lose your wallet and are a member of LifeLock, you will have to make one phone call instead of a plethora of time wasting phone calls. Your bank account, credit cards, driver’s license, social security and insurance information along with other information will all be handled by a representative at LifeLock with your one phone call. From experience, let me tell you, that right there is worth every penny.
You can opt for an annual plan or a monthly plan for you and your kids. To get the best offer, right now LifeLock is offering a promotion. Click on lifelock promotion code and start saving not only money but yourself. Don’t forget to check out their blog at lifelock.com for updates and other valuable information.
Look, 38% of identity theft happens as a result of a lost or stolen credit card, checkbook or entire wallet. The burden of proof unfortunately falls on you in a situation such as identity theft. You have to prove that you are not the one who ran up those credit card bills, you are the one who has to prove it wasn’t you who was pulled over for some traffic violation or any other illegal activity, you have to prove all of these things and it can get extremely expensive and in some cases, you can land in prison on a warrant for something someone else did using YOUR identification.
It is worth it, to all of us, to protect ourselves. We cannot think that it won’t happen to us, that it only happens to other people. It can happen to any one of us. Don’t wait until it has happened to realize that this is one of the fastest growing white collar crimes in this country. Get protected.
Connected Again
For the longest time I was one of those who turned my back on cellphones because I didn’t think they were as necessary as everyone made them out to be and I did not want to become one of the herd. Then I moved from Seattle to Texas and eventually on to Florida and realized, I should probably get a cell phone just in case anything happened out on those lonely roads.
I had a basic phone to get me to Texas where I stayed at my brother’s house. Towards the end of the year at my brother’s house, he declared that he was getting rid of his house phone and would only be using his cell phone because it was actually going to save money. My brother is frugal beyond belief and if he says something will save money, it will. I decided to look further in to this cell phone business.
Just before I moved on to Florida, I upgraded my phone. I still am not going to participate in the contracts that companies give out because I do not like being bound to such things and I’ve heard far too many horror stories in conjunction with contracts. I opted for a pay as you go phone. I used the phone for a very long time and was actually quite pleased with the service.
Until I moved out of range of a cellular tower and could no longer receive or make phone calls. Some of my neighbors were able to get reception out in the middle of nowhere so I decided again to head on down to the cellular phone store and look at my options. I was informed that because I have satellite internet, if I got a router and hooked up as wireless, I could use my satellite signal as my cellular tower. Further, any time I used my satellite as my cell tower, I would not be charged any minutes on this phone. I signed up.
I had only two choices of phone that used this plan and at first I was a little bummed because I’ve seen some really cool phones out there and always thought that the next time I got a cell phone, I was going to get the works. Regardless, necessity trumps want some times so I looked at the two available phones. I was pleasantly surprised by one of them.
I am now the proud owner a thin, silver phone that has pretty lights and bells. While I was waiting for the cell phone rep to make a call in to the company I am using, I looked around the store. I saw a lot of different gadgets for cell phones; things you didn’t even know you needed before. Throughout the years I’ve seen accessories on people’s cell phones and I’ve decided that I want to get a couple of cell phone accessories for myself.
One of the first items I want to get that came with my old phone but not this new one is a headset. I like being able to walk around, hands free and on the rare occasions that I answer the phone while driving, I want both hands on the steering wheel. After that I want to get one of those dangly things I see on phones owned by girls just because..well, just because. And finally, I like to personalize my ring tones. I like to pick a ring tone that I feel matches the person who is calling. I want to be able to say, “Hey, that’s Kristine”, just because the tone matches what I think of her.
Eventually, in time, I can see that I will become a cell phone junkie just like everyone else and eventually, I will be looking for a new phone, new features, new gadgets, new shiny, sparkly accessories and I’ve come to realize, as long as I don’t ever become the type that has their cell phone glued to their ear whether they are alone, with someone else or even a group, cell phones are actually pretty cool after all.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
A Beautiful Blind
When it comes to window treatments, I really like the look of the sheer white curtain because of the way the sunlight spills in, slightly muted and because of how cozy the place looks at night time from the outside. Unfortunately, the problem is exactly at night time from the outside. Those romantic, white sheer curtains also allow anyone and everyone to take a good long look inside your home from the sidewalk. They can see you but you can’t see them. I do not like that idea at all. So I never get the white sheer curtains.
What I think are the best window coverings after that are blinds and shades. Especially bamboo shades. Oy man do I love the look of bamboo shades. They are simple, neat, elegant, cooling, and go with anything. Someday, I will have my place outfitted with these on every window in the place.
Unless, of course, I come in to a lot of money. Then I will cover half my windows with bamboo shades and the other half with roman shades because, wow! These are pretty, pretty, pretty!
You would be amazed at how something as simple as changing your window covering can completely transform a place. If you’ve been thinking of an update to your house, get a bucket of paint and order some new window treatments. It’s inexpensive and the difference can be like night and day.
Insured Health
One of the biggest topics these days is health insurance...more to the point, affordable health insurance. Millions of Americans are currently without health insurance because they either are unemployed, can’t afford it or don’t know where to get it. Small businesses, who want to provide some sort of available coverage for their employees also need options that is affordable for everyone.
Kaiser Permanente Health Insurance can provide insurance for individuals and their families as well as group insurance. For example, group health insurance California offers small business owners many choices. They can choose from a co-payment plan, deductible plan, HRA, PPO and even Point of Service plan. The company will provide plans and services as well as prices based on the size of the company and if its regional or located in one area that Kaiser Permanente covers. These plans are extremely affordable and the coverage is ideal.
For those who don’t have insurance and want to cover themselves and their families but do not have a job or do not like the plan offered through the job can also benefit from the coverages offered by Kaiser Permanente. Instant quotes to find the rate, online applications and benefits such as having access to health and drug encyclopedias are all available at the website. Further, once a member, routine appointments, pharmacy contacts and prescription refills are all accessible online. Currently Kaiser Permanente services California, Oregon, Washington state and DC, Hawaii, Idaho, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland and Georgia which means millions who may not currently have coverage can have affordable health insurance.
It really is a good idea to have coverage. Don’t ever think that nothing will happen to you. Something as simple as a poisonous bug bite can cost over a grand without health insurance, surgery for broken ankles can cost almost $10,000 (trust me, this I know), without health insurance...the point is, anything can happen at any time. Without health insurance, the costs of medical care can be astronomical and it has been known to destroy financial lives.
If you live in one of the areas Kaiser Permanente covers and you do not currently have any health insurance, please go to the website. It’s extremely easy to use, easy to understand, offers several choices based on your needs and even provides valuable information about health and health related issues that you may not have known.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Smile And Let Me Examine Your Past And Health
Today I went to the dentist.
::blood curdling screams::
I know! This is a big thing because I hate going to the dentist. In fact, it has been proven that 9-15% of Americans are so afraid of the dentist that they will not go. I’m one of them. Even though I’m terrified of losing all of my teeth and sporting dentures, I’m petrified of the dentist. So petrified that I haven’t been in 8 years. I keep my mouth really clean and brush every day like a good little patient so it’s not like my teeth are gross or anything. Or so I thought.
However, we all need a dentist and some of us need more work than others. And that means everyone. Athletes, news anchors, starlets, anyone. In fact, many people in California can head on down to Roxbury Drive and get themselves some Beverly Hills cosmetic dentistry performed by Dr. Maddahi.
Dentists have made a lot of improvements in 8 years and especially since I was a kid when my fear of the dentist began to fester and grow.
See, I hate sitting in that chair, helpless, while they scrape your teeth with an iron hook and shove a drill down to the nerve endings in your gums. It feels like they are pulling your teeth straight out of your face and sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it hurts a lot. A LOT! Also, every time I go it seems that something more needs to be done. I can never get a simple cleaning. No, that would be far too easy. I let the dentist know this when I made the appointment and they were prepared for an extremely nervous patient. The hygienist assured me all would be well and told me not to worry.
I arrived early, filled out the paperwork and then found myself being led to the chair of doom. She proceeded to stick plastic and film inside my mouth to take x-rays. Then she took an overall x-ray, panning my entire mouth while I stood at a machine and stared into a mirror at myself biting on a plastic pipe. Why do they have that mirror there? As if I weren’t uncomfortable enough now I gotta stare at myself looking like a dork? In other areas of the country, dentists have even more advanced technology. You can find dentists who use small cameras to pan around your mouth while you sit in the chair so that the dentist can point out problems to you as he/she pans. This is far easier to understand than an x-ray.
Anyway, after the ‘Filming Of The Teeth’, we went back to the cleaning room, (the, “Oh we are so ripping all of your teeth out because you don’t floss and there’s nothing you can do about it! You can’t escape. Muhaahhahahahaha ha ha!” room), and she had me swish fluoride around in my mouth. Following the fluoride rinse I was given a baking soda, water cleaning and then she numbed up my gums with some sort of gel. Then came the dreaded iron hook. I knew it! They want to kill me!
The hygienist, sensing my growing panic, tried to soothe me by informing me of what she would be doing, how the tool worked and showed me what it was all about by doing it to one tooth first. It appears the iron hook has been altered over the years. Some dentists use what is called a “water lase”. Far, far better than that horrifying iron hook. The tool sprays your mouth like a pressure washer, dislodging plaque which gets sucked into the spit vacuum dangling out of your mouth. This dentist didn’t use a drill because of this tool and while the iron hook is still used as it is attached to this pressure washer type thing, I felt very little pain. Some dentists, like Dr. Maddahi and my dentists use an air drill after that. Trust me, kids, an air drill is far, far better than the old fashioned drill. It’s air and I’m telling you, from a big baby, there is. next to no. pain. Really the only place I felt any pain was when she was cleaning my top front teeth, (because the gums are more sensitive there), so she glopped more of the numbing gel on and I barely felt a thing.
I was horrified at the amount of plaque that had built up. No other dentist I’ve ever been to has shown me just how much plaque they have removed. Today I got to see. The spit vacuum head was like a spiral so the plaque stuck to it and when she pulled the first one out of my mouth, she showed it to me. I had no idea what the gunk was until she told me that that was what she was cleaning off of my teeth! My reaction was only...."!!!"
I was so stunned after that, so disgusted with myself, in such shock that I could have so much plaque. I brush all the time! I use Listerene! What is going one here? By the time she finished cleaning I was on my third spit vacuum!
She finished up and gave me a goodies bag of toothpaste for sensitive teeth, two toothbrushes, some picks and showed me how to even better brush my teeth. See part of the problem is that I have a hard time reaching my back teeth because the toothpaste makes me gag. Really bad. So bad in fact that some mornings I simply cannot finish brushing my teeth because I’m too busy gagging and dry heaving. I was told to combat that I should dry brush my gums first and then brush my teeth with toothpaste. Aah! Ok! My other problem is that on the teeth I can reach, I brush way too hard and have even managed to destroy some of my own gums. Right now I have a pretty, white filling where I’ve done that but in the future, I will probably have to have some sort of cosmetic surgery.
After that, the hygienist handed me a mirror to check out my teeth and they were pretty. Of course because I had not gone to the dentist in 8 years, some of the plaque had pushed my teeth a little bit so that and age caused me to have small gaps in the bottom front teeth where I never had any before. Now she says it’s hardly noticeable but to me they may as well be as wide as the Grand Canyon so I’m a little self conscious now. But at least they’re clean.
Of course, as always, I could not just have a simple cleaning and be done with it. No! Murphy rears his ugly head. It’s my own fault for not going to the dentist in 8 years so they want me to come back in a month to finish up any cleaning they might have to do. Need the gums to settle down before they can see if more needs to be done. Also? The dentist himself wants to take another look at one of my wisdom teeth that I have been putting off getting looked at. It’s only caused me pain two times in the past year so I’ve used that as my excuse not to go but the dentist wants to look again in a month to see if it needs to be yanked.
Lovely.
I also have to get fitted for a nightguard, (Friday), since my other one disappeared. Getting a nightguard is no big deal though except for how expensive it is. Unfortunately I have to have one and despite the fact that someone threw my other nightguard away, they never offered to replace it so I get to pay for a new one. It’s now about $200 more than my old one.
Double lovely.
This is turning out to be very expensive because insurance companies only cover so much and they refuse to cover nightguards. It’s worth it though because it prevents me from grinding my teeth down which would cause me to have to get crowns one day.
Anyway I did it. I faced my fear of the dentist. I made the appointment, didn’t cancel it, (despite how so very tempting it was to do so), and I pulled through. I’m so proud of myself. And you know what? If you can find a dentist who uses a dental laser and waterlase, air drill and all other types of services and who help you understand that technology has advanced, walk you through the health of your mouth, instead of shots and a drill, you’re going to discover that the dentist isn’t so bad after all. So if you’re scared, find one of those and don’t put it off. Trust me, I’m the biggest wuss when it comes to the dentist and I assure you, it’s not that bad anymore.
In fact, I was so relieved that I gave the hygienist a hug when it was all over.
Kids, seriously. Dental hygiene is extremely important and people are judged by their teeth. If you have yellow teeth from coffee or smoking, plaque built up everywhere, bleeding gums, black spots at the roots, jagged teeth, broken teeth, etc, you will be judged. Our smile, our mouth, is one of the first things people see and not only for that reason but also for health reasons, we must take care of our teeth.
Sometimes we are not born with a great set of choppers and we need to get things fixed. Whether it be basic cleaning, fillings, veneers, bridges, crowns, whitening, what have you, it’s extremely important for our own self image as well as our future.
Fresh and Comfy
Do you know what is one of the best feelings in the world? Laying around in pajamas and wearing a brand new pair of socks. Something about these articles of clothing can bring me peace, comfort and a feeling that all will be right in this world.
Seriously.
Nonetheless, sometimes one has to get up, go out in to the world and look appropriate. I’ve never been a pantyhose kind of girl. I find them restricting, boring, annoying and I’ve always associated them with older women. I choose to wear Tights when I do dress up because I think they look better, are very comfortable and you have a lot more options to express yourself.
A website I have found that offers not only my pajamas, socks and tights but hand bags, eye wear and intimate apparel is Hue.com. They have a nice variety of all of the above mentioned clothing items, really, pages upon pages of merchandise, the price, surprisingly, is inexpensive and, because it’s their 30th birthday, there are sales going on. In most cases, you pay only $5 shipping on each order, (And, truthfully, isn’t that where things get expensive, in the shipping?), some items have free shipping.
If you’re a girl, or you have a wife, girlfriend, daughter or sister, and you understand that these “little” things, these pieces of clothing that can, truthfully, instantly relax you after a hard day, decide that you do indeed deserve a little treat, (or the girl in your life deserves a treat), and check out what they have to offer.
There really is something there for every girl no matter what her tastes, no matter what her age, no matter what her style.
Now, excuse me, I have some shopping to do.
Monday, May 05, 2008
New Hope
The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry but most of the products and/or solutions do not work. Personally, I’ve had my share of “fat days” and I’ve tried a few products and trends and luckily I have found what works for me. Some people; however, have a harder time losing weight and keeping it off.
Those people tend to go for more drastic measures such as liposuction or gastric bypass surgery and while these can work, they can also be very limiting, unhealthy and dangerous.
Another option is to try what is called lap band surgery. Basically, the LAP-Band System Weight Loss Procedure is an adjustable band surgically implanted that wraps around the upper part of your stomach causing you to feel fuller, faster so that you eat less. Less caloric intake equals weight loss.
Some of the reasons over 300,000 people have opted for this procedure is because it is the least invasive weight loss surgery, there’s less scarring, it’s totally reversible, less nutritional deficiencies, you’ll experience a gradual, more natural weight loss, (something your body takes to much better than a drastic reduction) and it can even accommodate those who are or become pregnant.
There are no limitations to what a person can eat while they have the Lap Band and since the weight loss is gradual, (about 2-3 pounds per week for the first year), when the Lap Band is removed, the individual has learned how to eat correctly, meaning, to know when they are full and should stop. Most diets do not work because most diets require a person to give up several different types of foods instead of teaching them how to eat anything in moderation and to learn to listen to their bodies.
If you are overweight, qualify, (use the BMI calculator on the site to start), and have tried everything else under the sun only to be disappointed time and again, go to the site, check out the success stories, the common questions and the plethora of information regarding the Lap Band System Weight Loss procedure. This could very well be the answer to a slimmer, healthier you in the future.
Finally, you’ll find that it won’t hurt your pocket book so much as this procedure is rather inexpensive compared to others. Facilities are located in Los Angeles, Kansas City and Charlotte, NC.
The Lessons We Learn
These days, more and more people are facing the reality of “living beyond their means”. If you cannot afford something, if it’s beyond what you can keep making payments on, then you should consider something smaller, less or wait a little bit.
Most people understand the basic concept of “living beyond your means” but I think a lot of people don’t understand it fully. I learned this lesson the hard way a decade ago. I was in a pretty bad car accident and my credit was destroyed. Was I living beyond my means? I didn’t think I was. The money I was making absolutely covered my bills each month.
However, “living beyond your means” also means that if you don’t have something saved up, just in case something dreadful happens, then you are still living beyond your means. While I had the money to pay my debts and creditors each month, I did not have the savings to continue to pay in case I had no income or loss of income for a period of time.
I, too, lived beyond my means although I didn’t understand it. The car accident was not my fault. The arbitration and settlement took three years. My living came from driving my car. How do I continue to bring income, pay all bills including rent if I don’t have a car for over a month while it’s being repaired? These are questions I did not ask myself. For a long time I suffered the ramifications of not thinking of those possibilities.
Once your credit has been tarnished, it’s next to impossible to get a loan or a credit card. Many lenders need to protect themselves and are unwilling to offer you a second chance. However, fortunately some lenders will give you that second opportunity to help you rebuild your credit for the future.
Applying for bad credit loans and bad credit credit cards may mean you pay a higher percentage rate but that is the price sometimes you have to pay to rebuild and continue towards your future dreams. It’s not always easy but at least there are places that make it possible. Eventually your score begins to increase and your percentage rates will go down if you learn from mistakes.
It’s a long, hard road but credit, good credit, IS important to have. You never know when you need it.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
So You Want To Get Yourself Published
Many bloggers I’ve read have had aspirations to write a book and a few of them have done so, successfully. Even as far back as I can remember, I wrote little stories and have had people tell me I should write a book. I’m not so sure anything I say is interesting enough to be book worthy material but many people I do read, are. The problem is, many of those people have no idea how to even go about getting published and even when they do figure it out, it can take up to a year so they never really get started.
Except that now there is a way, a faster way, an easier way that allows you to concentrate on writing meaning there are no more excuses. If you want to write a book and Publish a Book , take a look at AuthorHouse.com.
Once you have everything written and ready, go to the site, sign the contract, submit your manuscript, take part in a conference call about the design, (including size, color and interior layout), review the book cover, approve it as well as set your book price and royalties percentage. Additionally, the company will help you with the editing, promotion and selling. Your book can be hardback, paperback or even in Adobe .pdf.
At the present, there are over 40,000 self published authors using AuthorHouse.com to publish over 50,000 books.
So, kids, if you’ve got some poems lying around that you think the whole world should see, a life story to tell, or you’ve always thought of dabbling in to the world of children’s books, get yourself published. It’s easier than you think.
