Website Fest

Taking a Break from the Shop

2009-11-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

I had always vowed that working wouldn’t take over my life, but since I started working at the local marine parts store, it seems like every summer, we are so busy, that I never have time for my family.

But since the busy season is finally over and there is some breathing room just before Christmas, I have taken my family out for vacation. Instead of staying around home, we decided to go somewhere a little warmer, to enjoy the water and sun.

My wife took this picture of me and my daughter out on the water. It was a warm and windless day and we had a great time. There is just something magical about not being at work for a change, and I wish that every day could be like today.

Sadly, that isn’t a reality that I can enjoy at the moment. In fact, even though we have been trying to find ways that we can both retire early, I really don’t know how that is going to happen. But if by some miracle we can swing it, I would hope that we could spend more days at the beach. I know that my daughter wouldn’t complain one bit.

3 Things Audiologists Do

2009-10-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

An audiologist is someone who tests your hearing for you. If you felt that you were experiencing some hearing loss then this is the type of medical professional that you would go to see to get some help.

The three major audiologist services that you might receive are:

An evaluation and diagnosis. The main thing that an audiologist is going to do is to evaluate your hearing. This professional will do hearing tests with you to see if you are suffering from a hearing problem. The audiologist can usually diagnose the problem for you.
Referral to another doctor. In some cases, the audiologist will want to refer you to another doctor who specializes in the hearing problem that you are having. Alternatively you may want to see your primary care physician about the issue. In this case, the audiologist can send his or her report to your doctor.
Offer advice on hearing aids. The most common solution to hearing problems is to get a hearing aid. The audiologist can provide you with a lot of information about how to choose and use a hearing aid based on the information that has been uncovered during your evaluation.

There are other things that an audiologist might do but these are the major services that are provided by an audiologist.

Selling Jewelry as Gold's Value Rises

2009-10-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

The value of gold is on the rise. A lot of people are saying that this means that it is a really good time to sell gold jewelry for cash. That is definitely true. However you want to keep your expectations realistic when you're selling the jewelry that you own.

If you have been reading the news about the value of gold rising then you may already be aware of the fact that gold's value is quite high right now. You might even know what an ounce of gold is worth. That doesn't mean that you know how much money you can get for your gold jewelry though.

You have to keep in mind that the prices that you hear about are the prices that gold is valued at when it's pure gold. If you're getting cash for gold jewelry that is 14k or 18k gold then it's going to be valued slightly lower than the value of pure gold.

You also need to realize that selling scrap gold isn't going to get you as much money as selling gold jewelry that is in mint condition. There is a spectrum of gold values along which your pieces will fall. If you understand this then you'll certainly be happy with the fact that you can get a good price for gold right now even if it's not as great as the hype that people are suggesting.

You Should Always Care About Side Effects

2009-09-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

Before you start taking a new medication or supplement you should learn about the side effects that may occur when you take this product. Every single medication or supplement out there has potential side effects. Knowing what they are helps you to make sure that you don't have a negative reaction to anything that you take. Some people prefer to remain ignorant about side effects because they think that knowing about them will make them decide not to take a product that they really want to take. However, that's not usually the case. More information usually merely leads to more informed medical decisions.

For example, let's say that you want to take human growth hormone because of its anti-aging properties. You shouldn't just take it without considering the side effects. There are some serious side effects of HGH. For example, HGH has been known to affect insulin levels which can be harmful for people with diabetes. Knowing that this is a side effect doesn't necessarily mean that you choose not to take HGH. It simply means that you are aware of the importance of monitoring your insulin levels in case this potential side effect occurs in your case. The information that you learned just protects you. That's why learning about side effects should always be a part of the process of starting a new medication.

Tampa Is a Great Place to Invest in Real Estate

2009-09-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Investing in real estate is something that we're all a little bit wary of right now. The real estate market has taken a huge beating. Investors have lost a lot of money in recent years. Nobody's quite sure what's going to happen to the market in the upcoming years. We do know that eventually the market will rise again so today's investors will make a profit again someday. We just don't know when. So what should you do if you want to invest in real estate but you're wary about doing so? You should invest in the areas that were hit the hardest at the start of the real estate crash. An example of such an area is Tampa.

The Tampa real estate market was one of the first markets to crash when things started to get bad in the real estate economy. And Tampa realestate crashed hard. People lost a lot of money and they've been struggling to get back on their financial feet. But it's markets like these that are ripe for investment because they've already hit their bottom. They hit it early on and things are only getting better from here on out. Prices of real estate in places like Tampa are still low but sales are starting to climb because smart investors know that home values are only going to go up in spots like this. If you're looking for a fairly safe real estate investment then a city like Tampa is a good place to look.

Choices for Personal Websites

2009-08-22T00:11:00.001-07:00

If you have thought of starting a personal website, you are not alone. Tons of people have their own personal websites, for a variety of reasons: keeping friends and family updated on their lives, sharing photographs, or as a natural continuation of a favorite hobby.

There are plenty of options available for you if you are interested in having a personal website. However, in order to narrow down your choices to what will work best for you, here are a few questions to ask yourself.

What are your goals with your personal website? Do you want to keep a blog, or an online journal, to let friends and family know what you are doing in your life right now? If so, there are plenty of quick, easy, and — best of all — free options available to you. For example, Blogger and WordPress are two popular blog platforms that don't cost anything if you host your blog on their site.

There are other reasons you might want a personal website, of course, and one is to share photographs with friends and family. Before starting a website, take a look at the photo sharing platforms available, such as Flickr, as well as free file transfer services. An account with one of these services may allow you to share photographs without paying for a personal website.

Do you want your own domain name? If you don't care about domain name, you can easily host a blog on Blogger's or WordPress's websites. Your blog will then have a domain name such as yoursite.blogspot.com. However, if you want your own domain name, you can either go through a blogging platform such as Blogger, where you can buy your own domain name for $10 a year, or use an FTP hosting provider to buy your domain name and provide hosting and other services.

Do you want free hosting or something better? The answer to this question often depends on your budget. If you don't want to spend much on your website, you might prefer to go with a free hosting plan. This will either mean that the hosting provider runs ads on your website, or that your website's URL is a subdomain of their website (such as the free Blogger and WordPress blogs), or both.

As an alternative, many hosting providers offer paid plans that are small enough — and inexpensive enough — to justify getting them for a personal website.

No matter what you ultimately decide, just make sure it is appropriate for what YOU want out of your personal website.

Beware What You Read Online!

2009-08-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

The Internet is the greatest tool we have for getting information. You can find information about pretty much anything online, from medical diagnoses and treatment, to hobbies and collectibles, even to tracking down an old friend.

However, in some ways the Internet can also be your worst enemy, as there is also a lot of wrong information to be found. You don't have to have any particular credentials in order to post something to the Internet — all you have to have is a username and password for a forum, or perhaps the money to pay for a domain name and hosting account.

For instance, if you always feel tired, no matter how much sleep you get, a little online search might reveal that you could have sleep apnea, a condition where you actually stop breathing at intervals during the night. Obviously, this interrupts your sleep patterns and negatively impacts the quality of rest you are getting.

A little more Internet research reveals that there is a way to ensure you still get a good night's sleep: with a sleep apnea machine, also known as a CPAP machine. This machine has a mask that you strap to your face to cover your mouth and nose, so that it can blow a light but continuous stream of air down your airways all night to prevent them from closing (which is the usual cause of sleep apnea).

If the idea of breathing out against a constant pressure makes you a little nervous, you could do a little more research and discover that they also make something called a BiPAP machine, which has two different pressures: one for when you breathe in, and another, lesser pressure to make it easier to breathe out.

However, if you keep researching the subject, you are bound to run across some pretty scary stories. I remember reading one guy's story about how bad his sleep apnea was — pretty much nothing worked. Reading these kinds of things can quickly discourage you and lead you not to seek treatment, even if in reality you case is very mild and would actually be very much improved with treatment.

And of course, there are tons of incorrect things that you could come across in your research, too: Old wives' tales and home remedies that just don't work, and could lead to wasted time and a lot of frustration.

So be careful what you read online! Your best bet is to stick with sources (i.e., websites) that are respectable and well-known. For instance, Wikipedia probably isn't your best bet, though it can be a good jumping-off point if you utilize the links and sources listed down at the bottom of the page!

Pay Per Click Is a Great Deal

2009-08-19T03:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of pay per click advertising? It’s based on the old internet marketing concept of payment based on the number of “hits” that a site gets. Sometimes this is arranged so that advertisers that tag onto someone’s site can get greater exposure. But nowadays, the concept is being re-tooled so that a business can control its own site using this concept.

At a recent business conference that I was attending in Tampa ppc was the big hot topic. I’d never heard of this strategy, per se; my husband has some experience with a service that lists his name and qualifications on a contractor’s list, but then when someone actually calls and they’re forwarded to him, he pays for each and every call. This isn’t quite the same thing. And it’s better not to be bugged all day long on your phone when people can have their questions answered on your own site. Then maybe once they’ve visited your site, the phone call would be much more expedient.

I bet that pretty soon, each and every business that advertises on the web will utilize this marketing strategy. Then, that would sure motivate the web masters to get that site out and prominent in the public eye, wouldn’t it?

Boat parts sales kept Grandpa alive

2009-07-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

My Grandfather was one of the original boat parts resellers on the lake he and Grandma lived on in northern California. They originally moved to the area from the mid-west in the early 1950's and decided they wanted to live on the shoreline of that beautiful lake.

Grandpa had worked for almost 25 years in a factory that built outboard motors for small to medium sized watercraft. As a consequence, it had always been his dream to retire and fish away his remaining years. Well, Grandmother would have none of that.

When they moved to California, Grandfather immediately saw a need for the local community to have a retailer they could count on for the parts and accessories they desired for their boats. He only had to hear someone ask him where to buy OMC parts so many times before he opened shop.

Ironically, it was Grandma who was behind him all the way. Even though they were going to risk most of their retirement savings on opening the business, she knew that without it he would likely not live long enough to spend the money they had saved their entire adult lives.

Happily, as it turned out, that business is still humming along, and though my grandparents have both passed, they lived long, fruitful and happy lives as a result.

The People Who Designed the Jackson Funeral Did Some Good After All

2009-07-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

I was watching the Michael Jackson funeral today , and I thought everyone did a pretty good job. I was a little wary of Rev. Al Sharpton, but then he kept it cool and did well. I really liked the part where he mentioned (or was it that Democratic Representative from the House?) that people in South Africa and lots of other people in the world were also mourning. Specifically, they said from Birmingham, Alabama to Birmingham, England. I didn’t even know that there was a Birmingham, England.

I’m sure the folks designing business strategy in Birmingham were happy to hear that little mention! I’m sure all those people that work on search engine optimisation in Birmingham are going to get a few more hits for their businesses. And finally, I’m sure that lots of people were very happy with how all of it all turned out, and the incredible intimate look at a genius’ life. These were provided by Magic Johnson, Brooke Shield, the guy who founded Motown Records but most of all, from his young daughter, Paris.

I wonder why we villify throughout our history those gentle geniuses who seem so weird at the time but turn out to be major contributing figures in the end?

Teaching kids to play

2009-07-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

A lot of people don't seem to understand this, but you actually have to kind of teach kids to play when they are little. If you never show them how you want them to play, chances are they are going to find a lot of things that you don't want them to do in order to amuse themselves.

A prime example is, unfortunately, my three and four-year-old nephews. Their mother is rather, er, hands off about raising them (that's a nice way of saying lazy), and as a result they don't really seem to know how to play without hitting, pushing, or throwing things.

My nephews also don't have the kinds of toys you would expect at that age, such as wooden toys or jigsaw puzzles, which I think is part of the problem. They have some cars, but mostly their toy box is full of dart guns and balls, which aren't really good toys for teaching kids to play nicely, and a bunch of push button toys — you know, the kind where all it's really good for is pushing a button and making it talk, or make gun sounds, or make some kind of movement. Those toys may seem really cool to kids at first, but they are also the kind that kids lose interest in quickly, because they only do one or two things and once you've gotten bored of that, you've gotten bored of the toy.

The difference I'm talking about here is, of course, open ended toys. A while back I read and thoroughly enjoyed a book called The Case for Make-Believe, which talks a lot about open ended toys and encouraging imaginative play. The author states that a good toy is 10 percent toy and 90 percent your child's imagination, and I totally agree.

But of course, you still have to teach your kids how to "play pretend" — or at least get them started. Once you show them how to use their imaginations, they tend to take it from there on their own, but they do need a little bit of guidance to be sure they don't learn bad habits such as playing too rough.

Research is Easy on the Internet

2009-07-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

Every now and then you hear about how modern technology is dumbing us down. It's true that we waste a lot of time watching silly YouTube videos. But I think that the Internet has actually made the average person more knowledgeable. That's because it's so much easier to research your interests now than it ever was before.

For example, I recently picked up a magazine at my dentist's office that mentioned the popularity of visiting ice fields. The article was about Canadian travel. It said that one of the most popular things to do in Banff, Canada is to visit the large ice field located there. I'd never heard about this before and got curious about it.

When I got home, I immediately started looking up ice fields. I learned a lot about them really quickly using basic websites like Wikipedia. I can now tell you how ice fields are formed, where they are located and what types of activities people enjoy when they visit them. It only took a couple of hours to gain this knowledge.

If I didn't have Internet access, I probably wouldn't have bothered to pursue learning anything about ice fields. They interest me but I wasn't dying to know about them so I wouldn't have sought out books on the topic. For this reason, I think the Internet makes it easier for us to access and use knowledge than was ever possible in the past.

Writers Do More Than Just Writing

2009-07-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

I used to always tell people that I'm a writer. Although I do writing for a living, I've stopped saying this so much anymore. That's because a lot of the work that I do these days involves tasks that aren't necessarily heavy on the writing.

One of the things that has happened with the recession is that print writing jobs have become scarce. At the same time, web writing jobs have become more prevalent since many magazines and newspapers are switching to all-digital content. As a writer, it's been necessary to do more writing for the web.

Writing for the web involves a lot more than just writing. For example, let's say that I get hired to do web content writing for a Tampa business. This work might involve doing SEO writing, internet marketing or Tampa website promotion. At the same time, I might have a job working as a San Francisco live music reviewer which includes doing interviews and attending events.

The core work that I do is still writing. However, there's a lot more involved in my job than just that. Telling someone that I write doesn't really explain what I do. So, if you're planning to ask me what I do for a living, get prepared for a lengthy answer!

People to Pay for Advertising

2009-06-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

Advertising is an interesting thing. You spend a lot of money to spread the word about your business. This is the only real way to get new business. Therefore, it's the only real way to get profits. What this means is that you truly have to spend money to make money in almost every industry.

The thing that you should make sure of, though, is that you're paying the right people for your advertising. You want to get the most for your money. So unless you're a big business, you probably don't want to pay television companies for advertising. The cost of advertising on TV is just too high so you don't end up with the profits that you get if you do good advertising at a lower cost.

One type of advertising service that is worth paying for is a service that provides you with direct mailing lists. These are lists of people who are highly likely to be interested in purchasing your products. It doesn't cost much for you to send out your ads to the people on the list. The targeted nature of the advertising makes it likely that you'll get a good return on your marketing investment.

You may also find it worthwhile to invest in various methods of online advertising. This advertising tends to be low cost and it reaches a lot of people. Shop around and think smart when using your advertising budget.

I Want 2 Months Off Each Year

2009-06-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

As a freelancer, I spend a lot of time trying to fiddle with my work schedule. I want to create the perfect schedule so that I am truly content with it all of the time. After many years of making different changes to it, I think that I've found the ideal schedule. I want a schedule that gives me two months off every year.

That may sound absurd to people who only get two weeks of vacation each year. However, I think it's actually do-able. It may mean that I have to work six or seven days per week the rest of the year but I think it would be worth the trade-off. With two months off each year, I could take vacations to Canada and other places that I want to explore in-depth. It's hard to do that when you only get two weeks off at a time.

At first I thought that I wanted to take the two months off all at one time. However I don't think I want to work so hard for ten months straight throughout the rest of the year. So I think that I want to take one month off, work for the next five months and then take the next month off. I'm going to have to do some restructuring of my work to make that happen but I hope to be able to start that new schedule later this year.

If Only There was Health Insurance for Horses!

2009-06-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

I recently had a series of two vet visits for my horse: the typical spring vet visit, with an exam, vaccinations, and tooth floating, and a follow-up visit with the rest of his vaccinations.

(My vet does a slightly different vaccination schedule, with the vaccine for Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis being given in the fall instead of the spring, in order to reduce the risk of the horse having a reaction to the vaccinations. Apparently the West Nile virus and the Eastern ad Western Equine Encephalomyelitis tend to react badly with one another.)

After having coughed out nearly $300 in vet expenses — for perfectly routine stuff — I'm really wishing there was medical insurance for horses. Can you imagine if you could just call up a Florida health insurance company and ask for quotes on an equine health insurance plan?

Of course, maybe that isn't the best idea. I know from experience that sometimes even finding affordable health insurance in Florida for people can be pretty challenging. Maybe it's best to leave vets and horse health care the way it is. Even if it means paying some pretty high prices in the spring and fall, at least it's nothing terribly unmanageable — and for the occasional unexpected and un-budgeted-for expense, there are health care credit programs such as Care Credit that will help you pay for it!

Hip Moms Make Pregnancy Look Cute

2009-06-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

I have never particularly wanted to have my own kids. There are a lot of reasons for this which I won't get into. The most superficial of those reasons is that I don't particularly think I'd look cute as a pregnant woman. Watching some of my friends go through their pregnancies has changed my mind about that a bit though.

Several of my friends have managed to stay stylish and hip during the time that they were pregnant. They found adorable maternity jeans and dresses. They stayed on top of their manicures and haircuts. They didn't give up their own sense of style just because they got pregnant which is what I've always been afraid is what I would do. And it's definitely true that they had a pregnancy glow which really added to their beauty.

I'm not saying that I'm ready to go out and get pregnant. I have a lot of other reasons for thinking that I'm not really someone who needs to have my own children. Still it's nice to know that this particular concern is alleviated for me should I end up hearing that biological clock start to tick. At least if it does I'll have some stylish friends to turn to for help in that department!

Top Gifts for Father's Day

2009-06-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is less than a week away. Do you have any idea what you're going to get for your dad?

There are a lot of people talking about good fathers day gift ideas. Some of my favorite ones that I've heard of are:

Pay the bills for a month. Imagine the relief your dad might feel if he got a break from the bills for just one month.
Get him a gift basket. This is a gift that we almost always think of for women and forget about for men. That's too bad because there are a lot of cool gift baskets for men.
Gym membership with spa certificate. If your dad is a guy who likes to work out then he'll make use of a gym membership. If you really want to spoil him then get him a certificate for a spa treatment too.
Something for his sweet tooth. What's your dad's favorite candy? Black licorice, taffy, and peanut brittle are favorites for my dad. He'll probably like whatever candy you get him.

I haven't actually gotten my dad anything yet so I should probably figure out which one of these suggestions I'm going to go with!

Babyware: Cute vs. Classic

2009-06-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is thinking about getting a set of babyware for her first born child. This would be a set of plates, bowls, cups and cutlery. She would probably have her baby use this stuff while he is still young. Then she would clean it up and put it away as a keepsake for him to have when he is older.

What she's been trying to decide is whether she wants to get decorative babyware or more classic babyware. She has a set of her own that her mother had gotten for her. It's a classic set made of sterling silver. She was never allowed to actually eat off of it but her mom did buy it for her when she was young as a keepsake.

She's thought about just passing this set along to her son but she thinks that maybe he should have a set of his own. She likes the idea of the sterling silver set. However, she thinks that if she's going to allow him to actually use the babyware then a decorative set might be better. These sets are really designed more to be attractive to kids. Wow - and I thought choosing my own dinnerware was tough!

The Best Thing about Online Shopping

2009-06-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

By far, the thing I like best about online shopping — even better than the convenience and the 24/7 availability — is the prices.

Here's a great example. Recently I was looking for a saddle cover to keep my saddle from getting so dirty sitting in the tack room at the barn. I looked for quite a while online one night, finding a variety of covers that were far more than what I wanted to spend. Finally I found one on eBay that cost only $10 and offered free shipping, to boot. You can't beat a deal like that!

Halloween costumes are another example. Around Halloween season, most stores have only a small selection of costumes, especially specialty costumes such as plus size costumes. Costume wigs are also hard to find, as most stores just carry a couple varieties — usually the typical witch wig and another selection or two. But online, you can find just about any costume, wig, or accessory your heart desires.

Really, I find just about everything I buy online. I buy the dolls and accessories I collect online, because that's where I find the best selection and prices. I even order books online, despite all the time I spend in bookstores. Even with the cost of shipping, that prices online are usually much better than anything you find in stores — and it saves you the time and trouble of driving from store to store!

Top Tips from Cooking Schools

2009-06-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

Do you wish that you could get a culinary education so that you could cook better? It's great to get formal culinary training if you can. If you don't have that option, however, then the least that you can do is to learn some of the top tips that cooking school students are taught.

A few of the top tips that you might want to file away for future use in the kitchen are:

It's always best to be creative. Culinary students get graded as much on creativity as on their ability to follow a recipe.
Everyone should have a specialty. Find one thing that you make really well. Make it often and share it freely.
Too little is better than too much. You can always add spices or cook things for longer but you can't undo a mistake in the kitchen once it's been done.
You will make mistakes! Don't expect everything to come out perfectly when you're cooking. Learn from those mistakes and move on.
Cooking should be fun. The classes at culinary school are all really fun - even the hard ones!

Those are just a few of the things that culinary students know and which you should know too!

Helping the Bride Find a Veil

2009-06-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

My best friend's wedding is coming up at the end of August, and I'm going to be a bridesmaid. I'm getting so excited for her as the day gets closer!

We all went shopping together a couple of months ago for bridemaid dresses and accessories — my friend, her sister (the maid of honor), her other bridesmaid, and me. I picked out my dress, and I'm very happy with it — but now I need to start thinking about things such as shoes, jewelry, and hair accessories!

My friend also needs to find a veil she likes with her dress. I told her that, believe it or not, when I got married I found my veil on eBay — or at least, the lady who made my veil. I had a vintage 1920s dress and had located a vintage wax flower wreath to go with it, so I wanted to be sure to find someone who specialized in vintage veils. This seller had a great mantilla veil for sale on eBay, but what really got my attention was her work restoring and replicating vintage veils.

Of course, my friend isn't going that route — she has a beautiful modern dress and would like to find a wedding tiara and veil to go with it. But I have great faith in my veil lady — after the beautiful veil she made for me, I seriously believe this woman can do almost anything!

Insuring My Parents

2009-05-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

My parents were looking into getting life insurance. The problem was that they were older and had not planned on getting life insurance in the first place. They both did a lot of research on the internet about what it would take at ages 55 and 56 to get life insurance. It was amazing at what came back to them and what was available to them. I was surprised that life insurance was available to them. They could get life insurance premium financing. It is sometime called stranger owned life insurance because of the fact that there is an element of someone you do not know having a piece of the death benefit.

After careful review, my parents opted to go with the life insurance. It was a good thing they decided and wanted to make sure that they had the benefit of life insurance for their beneficiaries. Making sure you are covered with life insurance is always a good thing. I like the fact that there is a product that is available to those that want it, no matter the age they are. People should be able to get what they want when they want it.

Need a Good Diet for Middle Aged Women

2009-05-19T16:05:00.001-07:00

I’ve hit such a road block in terms of losing weight now that I’m 46. Part of it is just uneven hormones and fatigue: I feel like if I just eat more sugar and chocolate that I’ll be energized. But I’m beginning to think that I need to get a little professional help with my Diet.

I haven’t really looked into anything yet. When I was young, I could go onto the Scarsdale Diet for two weeks. It all seemed to be healthy normal food. But the amount of grapefruit gave me canker sores, and the meals that were just a fruit salad and one piece of wheat toast left me hungry in the afternoons—at least it does now. And there were no snacks allowed on that diet, as I recall. I have a friend who tried Weight Watchers but she quit that pretty fast. I’m not sure why.

What I really crave is a sturdy breakfast, a mid-morning snack, a carb or two, an afternoon snack, and then a dinner that doesn’t leave me feel empty. And I’m pretty sure I won’t lose weight unless I keep it down to 1200 calories a day. Does anyone have a suggestion for me?

Friends Over

2009-05-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

I invited a group of friends over to watch the basketball playoffs on ESPN and to see who would take Game Five. Everyone gathered on my couch, on the bar stools, and on the floor to see if it would be the Lakers or the Rockets who would take the win. My ego was kind of excited (not me…just my ego) to show off my new deluxe High Density flat screen plasma television.

If you watched, then you know that the game was a complete blow out with the Lakers winning by forty points. There was not a lot of game drama, but I still must have served too much beer and not enough Doritos because Pete suddenly rocked sideways on the couch and just slumped over for a nap.

I don’t care how many points a team is winning by, basketball is no time for naps. Pete actually was snoring by the end of the third quarter. I couldn’t take the snoring, so two of my buddies helped him drag his bulky body to the guest room where Pete sprawled out on the day bed and slept the night away. Guess what? Thursday night Lakers-Rocket rampage won’t include an invitation to Pete.