tires

Winter is fast approaching and I am facing another big expense. No, I'm not talking about Christmas presents, that's another story. I need to get my all-season tires replaced. I've been browsing online and to replace all four tires, it would set me back at least $600. Yeah, I could probably find something cheap, but I'm not taking any chances. I want quality tires to match my car's diablo rims. Besides, I am concerned about safety as well. I am not taking unnecessary risks just because I want to be cheap.

Culture clash

I love Germany and I must admit I consider it my second home. I miss being around people who didn't care much about what other people think. The germans, like most Europeans, are not inhibited. The culture is open, and accepting. Take nudity for example. While some of their western counterparts view nudity as taboo, the Europeans treat it as something that is normal. I could go in and out "adult" stores and get a cupless corset without fear or worry about being judged. Like I said, it's "normal" and there's no need to hide.

Weekend adieu

Darn it! I have at least two name tags and I can find neither! I need it for work and i don't really have time to look for them tonight. I guess I'll be "out of uniform" until I find them. Not a good way to start the week. Oh geez, why does the weekend have to end?

Speaking of weekend, I can't believe next weekend is already Halloween weekend. We haven't even decorated yet. We wanted to go to the pumpkin patch today but I can't get motivated. I took a long nap on the couch this afternoon. I wonder how we can find the time during the week to get the pumpkins for carving.

Le Camping.

We went camping for the first time ever as a family over the summer. Obviously, that meant that we had to buy all of the camping necessities before we could do anything. We bought air mattresses, flash lights, sleeping bags, nemo tents, and more at Dick's Sporting Goods. It cost a lot of moolah, but it was definitely worth it; our camping trip was one of the more memorable events of the summer of 2011. We definitely won't be forgetting about it any time soon. It was a good family bonding experience for all of us!

Smiley.

The internet has brought a lot of good things to mankind. Old pals reconnect and families keep in touch by using free greetings online. I've been using Smilebox lately to send personalized e-greetings to my friends and family. You can send themed greetings as well, such as holidays and birthdays. Right now I've been sending all of my friends Halloween-themed messages via email. I can even include pictures in my messages as well, which I think is a really cool feature.
Smilebox is probably one of the most helpful discoveries I've made lately to help me communicate with my loved ones. I will definitely be using this a lot in the future!

brrrrrr

What's up with the wind? It's been blowing like crazy! I'm glad I'm not skinny or the wind would've blown me away! The temperatures dropped to an almost uncomfortable level as well. I couldn't believe Alexis asked us to turn the heat on last night. We refused of course. We told her to bundle up a bit more. She refuses to wear long sleeve shirts or put socks on. The girl is silly. We are thinking about getting a
heated mattress pad for her. That ought to do the trick!

confused woman

I've never heard of latex mattress until hubs and I went to the biggest furniture store in our area last week. I was impressed by the vast selection of mattresses. We were looking for the "perfect" one but it was such an impossible task. The salesperson was very helpful but we walked out of the store empty handed. It was more than I can handle. We ended up going to a smaller store and found one that's just right. whew. Sometimes it's not the quantity after all.

easy fix

We've been wanting to have our flat screen TV installed above our mantle but we are always afraid of how it will look like. We don't want cables hanging all over the place. We don't want a sloppy job. Thankfully, our contractor told us that it's an easy fix. All we need to get are cable covers to take care of that little nuisance. Now if we can only find time to get it done.....hmmmm..

Unsure

Sometimes, life takes you down the road you've never been before. When this happens, most of us are caught off guard and just don't know what to do about it. We might be healthy today and unwell tomorrow. We just never know. A great uncle of mine suffered through such fate. He was a proud man. Healthy for the most part, and a successful businessman. Until he feel ill one day. He refused seeing the doctor until it got to bad. By then it was too late. He became what he feared the most...a burden (to his eyes at least). Thankfully he had a good wife and family that took care of him. He had to rely on incontinence products to keep his day going. He led a good life, and he kept his dignity even in times of sickness.

Partyin', Partyin' (Yeah)!

The Internet is rapidly replacing several things we used to use only a few years ago. For example, hardly anyone still writes handwritten party invitations anymore because of Facebook's Events features. It's a really cool tool to use and it saves you from paying postage fees, but sometimes it's nice to see an invitation from someone in the mail - it makes things feel more personalized and it shows more effort. It's not a big deal though; I actually really like the event reminders that Facebook provides us with. It's really cool to see what sorts of new things technology brings us.

February 14th.

I don't understand why people spend a lot of money on Valentine's Day. The gesture is sweet, but they typically spend dozens of dollars on candy, which seems like a waste for something that will only last temporarily. I know I would never do that, but to each his own, I suppose. However, I have nothing against those who do purchase expensive chocolates or romantic gift ideas from Sharis Berries. - I'm sure your sweetheart will appreciate the thoughtful and kind gesture!

Congratulations!

My friend Christopher recently proposed to his girlfriend of four years, Katherine. He bought her a beautiful diamond engagement ring, and I know that Katherine is really excited about it. At the wedding they will be getting matching diamond rings as well. But before they get there, they still have a lot of planning to do.
Congratulations to the happy couple! I wish you guys the best!

Tech Talk.

I don't know where we would be without our wi-fi network. We've had it for nearly four years now and we definitely put some good use with it. We're almost always on the computer and I know Alexis takes good advantage of it on her iPod.
Speaking of computers, we've had two PCs at our house for a while now and we have just recently purchased a computer network cable to connect the two computers together. It will be a lot more efficient for our family and I'm really pleased with my purchase!

Holiday Food

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and as much as I love a good Thanksgiving dinner, it is going to be hard trying to not eat too much this year. I've looked over some appetite control reviews, and I think this year I will try some appetite suppressants. It won't be anything permanent though, just something to save me from all the food from this winter's holidays. :-)

Anti-Homecoming

I saw a really nice TJ Formal prom dress at the mall last weekend, and I was prepared to buy it for Alexis, seeing as her school's Homecoming Dance is this weekend. It really seemed like something she would wear and I thought she would really love the dress. Needless to say, I was surprised when she informed me the other day that she is not going to Homecoming. Instead, she and her friends formed an Anti-Homecoming Party and they're going in their pajamas. Oh well, maybe I can talk her into going next year!

labor day weekend

I had a fun time in Toronto last weekend with my girlfriends. Mom was with me and it was quite an experience for her as well. My friends are a bit on the wacky side, just like me so there was no boring moment at all. We sang karaoke like there's no tomorrow. I wonder what the neighbors think? Food was abundant. We had a variety of all things good. We ate to our hearts desires. Good thing we don't drink alcohol or we would have ended up in an alcohol detox facility. :-).

Cigars

Hubs is not a smoker. That's why it was so amusing when he got invited to a cigar party at a local cigar shop. It was laugh out loud funny when he posted a picture of him on facebook smoking high quality macanudo cigars. It was like a scene from the Godfather. I got a big kick out of it.

I'm pretty sure it was a one time deal. He said he wasn't sure what to think of it anyways. He just went along with the flow. Nothing wrong with that, I think.

Grocery

I'm not a big mall shopper. But I find grocery shopping to be therapeutic. Take me to a grocery store and I'll be happy. I would walk up and down the aisle looking for sale items and almost always I end up with more than what I came in for. I love stocking up on items that we use frequently. In the store, I notice everything. The displays, the discounts, the end caps, and even the Honeywell Barcode Scanners the merchandisers use. I find it fascinating to people watch as well. It's weird, but I find it amusing.

Accidents happen

How can someone be so irresponsible as to drive without insurance? An acquaintance fell victim to such a butthead. He was on his way home when his car got hit by a lady who not only didn't have an insurance but was also driving with a suspended license. My friend's car got totalled. Fortunately, he has collision insurance against uninsured motorists. His only gripe is, the collision estimation was way below the value of his classic car. It barely paid for it. What a headache!

It was noticeably cooler this morning and I can't help but reminisce about the wonderful summer we had this year. I'm not ready to say goodbye to warm barbecue weather yet, but I don't stand a chance. All I have now is the warm memories of our camping and road trips. The family bonded well during those times. The camping tent and the matresses were definitely a wise investment. I wish I can go camping even in the winter. Maybe I should get a camper and get an rv insurance quote to see if we can spend more time outdoors during the winter. It'll be cold as heck but might be worth a try!

Work

How many people dread going to work everyday? Many, I tell you. I wonder how that works. Fortunately, I love what I do. If I'm not busy with conference calls, I get to spend time with my customers. That's the part I love most. Human interaction. What better time to get to know people. It's amazing what you can learn from people just by listening. I give each and every encounter my 100%, and I get back more than that.

Questions

The recession has hit more people in the United States than we can ever imagine. Unemployment rate is steadily on the rise, and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. Even Janitor Jobs are hard to come by. Credit card debts keep on piling up. Foreclosures left and right. People lost home. Many lost jobs. Most lost hope.

How do we start again? Where do we go from here? Is there still hope?