Listening to the radio

This guest post from Hong Alexander

I logged onto www.Direct.Tv and paid my bill as I was rushing out the door this morning. I have a terrible memory and sometimes forget things until the very last minute. Anyway, I also have a bad habit of judging how much time that I have in the mornings. The thing is, I know what time I need to be somewhere, but I think that actually have more time than I do. I will get back in bed after my husband leaves for work, drink coffee, and watch the “Today Show” ( my favorite morning show ever!). I always try to start getting ready an hour before when I have to be somewhere. Then I look at the clock, when I see something that I am enjoying watching and push the time back. Then, I realize that it is only a half an hour before I have to be where I am headed. Frantically, I jump up, rush around, and try to get everything done that I need to do around the house including getting ready. I have got to get better about this! Maybe I should just be listening to the radio in the mornings?

Skyrim - You can do anything?

I like open RPGs. They're fun. You can do lots and lots of stuff. You can even be bane of the potato farmers! Which is the path I took. Sneaky assassin thief guy going all over the world. From farm to farm, town to town... hunting my prey in the dead of night. But my prey isn't really elusive. Its... pretty easy to get. So what do I do with all my potatoes?



I stash them. All of them! and then... I play with them. I make potato storms!


Yep... just one more thing you can do in an open world rpg. Good thing the devs took the time to code in this possibility :p

Become.com

I like to shop online. In fact I prefer it to going out to stores. I don't get hassled or sold to. Its also super easy to shop around. Check a few sites vs driving all over town. Its just way easier. However shipping costs can be pretty harsh depending on what you buy. Its like a second tax. But still not that big of a deal to me.

I am always on the look out for the "next big thing". There are tons of underground shopping sites out there. I found a pretty nice one today. Become is the name of the site. The names simple and small, easy to recall. The site lay outs pretty light weight. Its simple and effective. I don't have a smart phone but I bet this would work on one. Which is a plus to some people.

Something I do like about this site is the fact it pulls up data from other sites. I can search anything and find out its price on Amazon, Ebay, this site and a few others. The wares also come from local stores too like radio shack. So its like going out with out the annoying sales people. Also they seem to offer quite a bit of free shipping. At least for what I was looking for. Its an all around nice site.

For a few examples of this sites system: I'll use this as a good example: purple table lamps All purple lamps. Lots of options. Straight forward lay out. All the prices are right there and even the merchant who is selling them. Nothings hidden. It also tells you if its in stock and if there's a sale on it too. It even links you to external sites for the same product. Whats not to love?

Next example: Lets say you don't want brand new. What about a reconditioned item? Yeah, they got that too. Keeping in theme with the home and garden area: reconditioned table saw Table saws are usually really expensive when brand new. So a reconditioned one doesn't seem like a bad idea. Search reconditioned and table saw and ta-da. Every thing they have is displayed nice and clean.

New or not, they have quite the selections. Also their electronic parts aren't too shabby either. I like this site. Check it out.

My first experiences in Skyrim

So I got to playing Skyrim recently. I've been excited about it. Then again... who hasn't? I've been reading about everyones epic tales of adventures and ballads of emotional turmoil. I have a few tales of my own to weave, however they are not as epic as a horse taking on a dragon taking on a bear.

I started my journey in Whiterun. I accidentally did the dungeon before I went there. I like to wander around. I did it in oblivion way too much. So I hand the court mage his brand "new" dragon stone and get told to follow the dark elf. Dur okay. She gives some speech thing and off we go to kill a dragon. Yay, first dragon fight. I'm excited! I follow them like a good mindless drone would. Slowly but surely we make it to the tower which looks pretty ravaged. Man dragons are bad ass huh? I need to be quick on my feet to handle this. Seeing as how I'm like lv 4 I assume a dragon would mop the floor with me. But I got a battalion of guards behind me. Ill be fine I tell myself as I approach the tower. The dragon it is back! and the npcs do the scatter thing. I think I bet I could do well if I run to the top of the tower and shoot arrows or magic or something at it. So I sprint up the stairs. I get to the top. The dragons just doing its flying circle things and I can't hit it worth a damn. Apparently a marksman I am not. So I pull out some magic and try to hit it. Not close enough... Its starting to land! I run to the edge of the tower and proceed to cast my magic. Apparently I ran a little TOO close to the edge. So close that I fell off. The dragon looks at me as I am falling and decides now is a good time to torch my ass. So here I am... falling Being torched. I hit the ground. Guess who's dead? Its not the dragon. -sadface- The Dragonborn is no match for gravity and fire. As I am feeling pretty retarded I decided I might as well try again. So reload from the castle...

Round 2: FIGHT! This time I sprinted ahead and took a much better path than the npcs. I had a while to wait so I decided to hunt some elk n shits. I get out my ol' bow and arrow. Target practice! I suck at it. Might as well try and not suck. I hit a few elk. Not enough damage to one shot them but I am feeling pretty good about it. I got a few hits in. I wait... no NPCs. I shoot some more. Still no npcs. Where the hell are they? "Eh? ... Oh! I see them." They came running over the hills with bows drawn running after the elk that I let live. Sigh. I let them live. The npcs were not content with letting them live. Or at least didn't want to let them live. None of the guards hit a single arrow. I feel a bit better about my own marksmanship at least. That dark elf had a sword in hand and I am like "...they're faster than you. -facepalm-" as I watch the chase scene ahead of me. Dark elfs all like NOPE! Your not running! and starts blasting off lightning bolts or some shit from her hand. Elk gets hit and is sent flying. Ah Bethesda physics, how I missed ye. Also ... wow overkill much? Anyways I run over and loot the poor elks. I feel a bit better about myself. I'm not the only incompetent archer around this forsaken snowy tundra! But I fear I am the worst archer on a tower still. I got an image to uphold I guess.

I wonder how the radiant story system will play this off down the road... Guardsmen: "Hey, I know you. I hear theirs a special on flaming mud at the tavern... I hear its to your liking..."

Tim Gunn

I went to http://www.cabletvadvisor.com/ to check out different tv options. I need more Tim Gunn in my life. Project Runway is one of my favorite shows. I love seeing the creativity that the designers have! Some of them can do some really amazing things. Tim, though, makes the show as far as I'm concerned. He has so much heart, and can be so funny. I loved that show he had started and I think it's been canceled! I"m so sad. I forget what it was called. I think it was "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" or something like that. It was entertaining and informative too! He always had such helpful tidbits on there.

Sleep Studys/Clinical Trials

Recently I have come to the decision of: I need more money. Its been really hard for me to find a job. I am sure its that way for a lot of people. I was always told to work smarter rather than harder. But I never really took it to heart. Well that is until recently. One of my old friends visited me for a day and we talked. He quit his job the week before and came out to the new england area for a wedding. But the question of now what came up. His plan was to make cash on the side with plasma donations. Said it was okay, not a whole lot but didn't take a whole lot out of his daily life. It got me thinking... What else is out there?

So I look to the google! I decided to do a little research in between my job hunting. I found out about clinical trials. Very interesting topic. I had no idea I could get payed one grand, ya 1000 bucks, for 4 days in a study dorm doing anything I want. Some studies even went up to 175000, but that was by nasa. They're pretty selective for it. Theres some nice potential for some quick cash. I signed up for quite a few.

My journey into this world starts wendsday actually, 11/9/2011. Well technically it began last thursday when I did my first check up and screening. I passed, yay. But on Wednesday is the day I know for sure if I get in. Im a back up, long story short if someone fails the last check up and I pass. I get in. If no one fails and I still pass, I get a free 100 bucks for nothing. If I get in, well I'm in the study for the whole 1000. Not bad either way. 100 bucks isn't a ton but hey its essentially free money. I can not complain.

If your interested in clinical trials and research stuff I highly recommend looking into your local craigslist under the ETC jobs. Sometimes you'll find some there. A lot of the studies can be found on the official government website: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ But to be totally honest that sites a little annoying to work with. I personally love this one: www.gpgp.net It made my life so much easier.

I plan to do these studies along with other sources of income. Maybe I can make my own source of cash with out needing to be employed. Maybe... Well heres to trying.

Braces - Coming off finally

Well this has been a long time coming. Back when I was in middle school, around age 12 I got braces. A story that most kids go through. However nothings ever simple for me. As such why would this be any different? As time went on it was apparent my bottom jaw was going to grow past the normal point.

So I needed jaw surgery. But I needed to wait for my jaw to finish growing. I had a year or two of reprieve with out them on during this growing phase. I liked not having them on for a while. However I got them back on right around when I went back to college. Not so fun.

I got my surgery earlier this year, I was 21 then. I am 22 now. 6 months ago I had that surgery. Along with 30 some odd hooks of metal in my mouth for 4 weeks prior to it and a while after it. (Man, those hooks were not fun at all.)

Hooks:

Post-Surgery Face:


The bloated face has gone down completely now. I can eat now. Previously I had to food process everything. Even noodles. It was pretty sad for me. Even afterwards I had to use bands and elastics which made eating a pain even after the swelling went down. Any ways I just got back from the orthodontist. I am ready to loose these braces. (About time!) Age 22, braces coming off finally. 10 years later. Appointment made for October 6th, 2011.

I am happy. That is all.