When I was a little older, my dad got Pong. That was thrilling for much longer than it would be for any child of these times. A little later on he got an Apple IIc and I played little games like Lemonade Stand and Pioneer, but they took a VERY long time to play since there was no hard drive on that computer. Plus, it was all text-based. About the same time, my friend Kathleen and her family got Intelevision, so that became our new big electronics wonder.

Kids today have wii and xbox 360 and MP3 players and cell phones that take high-res pictures and can access the internet. They expect all of these electronics to be given to them, to be maintained. When they come home from school, the streets of my neighborhood are nearly as quiet as the hours when they are in school. These kids are busy playing with their video games inside, slowly becoming more and more susceptible to Vitamin D deficiency.

My own daughter is only five and she is already hardwired. She likes to get online and play on Cartoon Doll Emporium and WebKinz and Star Fall. I let her play an hour here and there, but certainly not every day. Generally she can choose an hour online or an hour of television. She fights me tooth and nail and I can only imagine it will get worse as she gets older and sees what the other kids have.

I am up against her father, as well. He allows her to be in front of the television or on her VTech or on the internet for most of the time she is with him. He even bought her a laptop of her own. I have plans to get her a computer, but as I said before she is FIVE! She does not need her own just yet.

Am I fighting a losing battle? Are all of our children destined to get fat and pasty-faced as they sit inside with the newest tech toys? It does not help that I am a techie myself. I love the newest gadgets as much as the next person. I just know that 10 or 20 years ago I had what felt like a lot more free time, due to a lack of technology in my life.

When I bought my new digital camera, I was confused. There are just SO many more products on the market than when I bought my last digital camera back n 2000. So, I started hunting down reviews written by real people. I found a lot of them on Amazon’s website and almost as many on personal blogs.

Mom is ready for a new dishwasher, so I am going to employ the same techniques to narrow down the choices for her. I’ve got it in my mind to use products to help me with some weight loss, so I am looking for Leptovox reviews and testimonials about similar supplements. Before the internet, this kind of information was pretty much only available via direct word of mouth, which is fine, but it limits what you hear to people in your local area for the most part.

Every house has its own lighting issues. The color of your walls and carpets, the position and size of your windows, the position of your lamps, the availability of overhead lighting, the trees in your yard and strength of natural light, the list goes on. You have to look around and make improvements based on your own circumstances. The lighting I used in my last house is not working here. I am going to have to reposition lamps and look into getting some overhead lights installed.

I don’t like shadows and light games. Overhead lights tend to aggravate my hypersensitivity issues. So, I like strong lamps and pole lights. I also like lots of natural light, which is never in short supply here in Florida – especially in the summer months. I want to find a way to increase the natural light in most of my rooms and to replicate it in the lights I use at night.

One of my best friends has a husband who dabbles in commercial real estate and the higher end projects are still profitable. So, even though overall sales and even new construction are way down around Tampa, people are still building in the commercial sector. We all might not have as much money to spend, but the business community is still gearing up for an upswing, I suppose.

All I know is that if I could travel back in time and speak to myself, I would convince me to do anything possible to not have to tell that townhouse we used to own. We thought it was necessary tot sell it then so we could buy our house in Gainesville, but looking back I see there may have been way sot hang onto it. Then, I simply would have asked for it in the divorce. ?

We are only on this earth for a short while. We can work and work and accumulate wealth, only to find that we have ruined personal relationship and put aside personal bliss for the almighty dollar. Or, we can live life to the fullest when it comes to family and hobbies and free time, making money to support a modest lifestyle without tons of pressure and time commitments. Personally, when I sit back and really ponder what I want out of life, the second options sounds much more preferable.

Sure, money could buy me a quicker path to getting my second car repairs, or even afford me the luxury of having both of my cars insured so I could actually drive them both. However, I want the free time to spend with my daughter and to visit friends and to take vacations where I can explore the world around me. I do not want to work 12 and 15 hour days, like my ex husband does. I do not want to look back over the past year and see that I never even took the time to travel an hour away from home.

It prompted another member of my community to post a link to an article on safety points to keep in mind when answering your door. I am going to copy them into my post, but want to first give credit to the eHow Home & Garden Editor, Willi Galloway.

1. Stop and think for a minute before you answer the door. Ask yourself if you are expecting any visitors and if it is an appropriate time of day for someone to be knocking.

2. Look through the peephole to see who is outside. Installing a wide angle peephole will allow you to see a broader area in case the person is standing off to the side.

3. Peek out a window if you do not have a peephole on the door or if you cannot see the visitor through the peephole. Do not open the door and rely on a door chain to keep the person out. If pushed hard enough, most chains will break, giving the invader easy access to your home. If you can’t see the person, don’t answer.

4. Verify the identify of anyone who claims to be representing a particular company when you are not expecting a visit. Even if person shows identification, call the company to verify before opening the door. Get the phone number from the phone book or by calling information. Do not call a number the person at the door gives you.

5. Carry your cordless home phone or your cell phone when you answer the door. Have the phone number for the police programmed onto a speed dial button and be ready to use it in the event of a problem.

6. Refuse to open the door if the person on the other side makes you uncomfortable or gives off danger signals. Tell him that this is not a good time and ask him to leave. If he refuses, call the police. It is better to risk being rude to a visitor than to risk your safety.

7. Teach your children how to answer the door safely and instruct them not to answer when they are home alone.

My step-brother is going through one of those situations right now. He just started a new job. JUST started it. So, for the next 90 days he and his wife and daughter are without health insurance. How was he to know the baby would get sick? And while he may have put off treating an illness of his own, he was not going to keep his baby from the doctor. He had the money for the visit, but he ended up needing to take a payday loan when it came to buying the medications they needed.

Can you blame him? It’s just reassuring to know there are easy services where you can get a payday loan immediately, even online if you prefer. I mean, it’s not something you should use on a regular basis, but when you absolutely need to spend money that you do not have — it can be a life saver.

I do mourn his death. Too many of today’s comedians who make it to the big time jump over to movies and abandon the most part of their live stand up career. Not so, Carlin. Yes, we saw him in movies over and over, but the man WAS stand up. He never turned from it. He showed up for the audiences over and over. He never stopped giving us the REAL comedy experience.

Our first stop after the airport was a jaunt to the District. My five-year-old had never been. I feel like the District was my backyard when I was growing up, so I was excited to share it with her. Unfortunatly, all she was really interested in was the Carolsel and the “castle”. Too bad the American History museum was closed for renovations. I think she would have adored seeing the inaugral gowns of the first ladies and Judy Garland’s slippers.

 Anywa, we have 10 days of summer bliss ahead of us. The folks up here might think it’s hot, but it feels like late spring to me. It’s a much needed break from summer in Florida.

So, I started to give the site more thought and more consideration and finally saw why so many people love Craigslist. It’s versatile and regionally friendly. It’s not just limited to selling items, but you can find services, events, even a date.

Due to the popularity of the site, you can find a lot of associated services like Craygo, the Craigslist automatic posting software. Craygo says that using their software can cut the time it takes to place a Craigslist ad by over 50%. And, their service extends to the newer website BackPage.com. It starts with a part of the application that helps you open new e-mail addresses on Yahoo or Google, because it is generally thought that using unique addresses for Craigslist posts is wise.

Then, Craygo assists you in storing your ads for future posting, automatically enters your ad data into the forms on Craigslist and submits the ads for you. With the admaster, you can even rotate and randomize an unlimited amount of email addresses. It’s all tightly organized and automated so that you can stay more focused on your tasks.

If you do a lot of posting on Craigslist, you know that the small steps involved in getting your ad up and running are what eat up your time in the end. Place an ad from start to finish and write down how long it takes you. I think you will be surprised. It is, in theory, as simple as can be, but somehow the time just really flies. That is why programs that allow automated posting can be so valuable if you are placing ads in bulk.