This is going to rock my world… I had a friend make a suggestions last night, that could change the course of my business. We were talking about how busy I have been and trying to build up my Acupuncture practice. It has been going well, but really, could be going so much better. I do no advertising, and very little promoting. All new patients come in by word of mouth. Here it is… ya ready… make a business plan.
Duh. I have been doing everything piece meal, and putting together a plan is a great idea. I have been so wrapped up in day to day tasks that I often have not looked at the big picture.
Now, to get started...
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Weekend ramblings
Another weekend has come and gone. It seems like time goes by so quickly these days. This summer is almost over and I haven’t done anything. How is that possible??? I look back at the good ole days and seem to recall that there were times when the weekend lasted a lot longer and I accomplished a lot. That does not seem to be the case lately.
Mom’s birthday was this weekend. Happy Birthday Mom! Cuz’s birthday was yesterday and BIL’s birthday is today. Whew… Lots of birthdays this time of year. It’s obvious that the cold weather of November drives couples indoors.
I wanted to head down to Mom and Dads to work on my sunburn a little more but it was not to be. I am sorry I missed it; I have been having a great time going down there this summer. Bosly and I have been doing some bonding. He is learning to swim and I have learned that his motivating factor for swimming is a female dog.
Sunday was great! For BFFA’s birthday celebration we headed out for an afternoon at the park. I can’t even tell you the last time I just spent a day at the park with friends. There was Frisbee, mini nerf football, sandwiches, cupcakes (back to that in a moment) and beverage. It was a perfect picnic. It felt so freeing having nothing to do but enjoy everyone’s company.
I didn’t want to leave, but these days the temp goes from the 80’s to the 60’s and I didn’t think ahead to bring a sweatshirt.
Ok, so the cupcake dilemma I was having the other day…. Useless. I made cupcakes out of a box and frosting from a plastic jar. How lame!!! I was slacking, what can I say? Next time I will do them the right way with interesting flavor combos discussed earlier. Sometimes I amaze myself with my laziness.
Mom’s birthday was this weekend. Happy Birthday Mom! Cuz’s birthday was yesterday and BIL’s birthday is today. Whew… Lots of birthdays this time of year. It’s obvious that the cold weather of November drives couples indoors.
I wanted to head down to Mom and Dads to work on my sunburn a little more but it was not to be. I am sorry I missed it; I have been having a great time going down there this summer. Bosly and I have been doing some bonding. He is learning to swim and I have learned that his motivating factor for swimming is a female dog.
Sunday was great! For BFFA’s birthday celebration we headed out for an afternoon at the park. I can’t even tell you the last time I just spent a day at the park with friends. There was Frisbee, mini nerf football, sandwiches, cupcakes (back to that in a moment) and beverage. It was a perfect picnic. It felt so freeing having nothing to do but enjoy everyone’s company.
I didn’t want to leave, but these days the temp goes from the 80’s to the 60’s and I didn’t think ahead to bring a sweatshirt.
Ok, so the cupcake dilemma I was having the other day…. Useless. I made cupcakes out of a box and frosting from a plastic jar. How lame!!! I was slacking, what can I say? Next time I will do them the right way with interesting flavor combos discussed earlier. Sometimes I amaze myself with my laziness.
Random meetings
This weekend was good, not what I was expecting, but good. Friday night BIL, RMB and I headed over to Brisku’s to meet a friend of mine for an early evening libation. Then I was off to a rousing ski club kick off party. I ran into a few people I know, and headed out about an hour later. The funny thing is when you go to a party like that sometimes you meet new people, sometimes you chat with people you already know. This particular evening I met some new people, but not how you might think.
I found a great parking spot just outside of the restaurant on the street. I pulled into the spot and realized that I didn’t have much cash on me so I regretfully pulled out of my awesome parking spot and headed out to a cash machine. It wasn’t that far away, and when I returned, I couldn’t believe it… the spot was still there!!! Woo Hoo! That never happens.
As I got out of the car there were some people hangin’ out on the front porch and they commented on how lucky I was. I couldn’t help but agree and told them I would probably be back in about an hour to give it to some other lucky person, you know, one of those pay it forward deals…
It pays to be friendly. When I came back out, I was offered a beer and made some new friends. That’s cool. Now I know more people in my neighborhood! I really like my neighborhood. Where else do you go where random people start talking to you just
because you got a good parking spot??? I just love it!
I found a great parking spot just outside of the restaurant on the street. I pulled into the spot and realized that I didn’t have much cash on me so I regretfully pulled out of my awesome parking spot and headed out to a cash machine. It wasn’t that far away, and when I returned, I couldn’t believe it… the spot was still there!!! Woo Hoo! That never happens.
As I got out of the car there were some people hangin’ out on the front porch and they commented on how lucky I was. I couldn’t help but agree and told them I would probably be back in about an hour to give it to some other lucky person, you know, one of those pay it forward deals…
It pays to be friendly. When I came back out, I was offered a beer and made some new friends. That’s cool. Now I know more people in my neighborhood! I really like my neighborhood. Where else do you go where random people start talking to you just
because you got a good parking spot??? I just love it!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I'm such a grown up
Yesterday I felt likesuch a grown up. I got dressed up for work, and had plans after… I went to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It’s been years since I have gone.
CuzIL had an extra ticket and invited me along. We had a great time! We started out at Macey’s for a few moments and then headed to Atwood Café for dinner. It was perfect because we both work in the loop and we had just the right amount of time to eat and head over to the show with a quick stop off at Nordstrom’s. (It was on the way… what did you expect??)
So, the show… The conductor for the evening was John Williams. Big deal right? Well, I didn’t think so until I found out who he actually is. It seems that this is the gentleman who wrote and conducted the music for Jaws, Indiana Jones, ET and Star Wars among other well known … tunes. It was truly amazing to watch, and the orchestra sounded so perfect that I kept thinking that it was computer generated save the fact that I saw them playing. It is so different to see and hear at the same time than to just hear the music, and that was the most amazing part of the evening for me.
After the first half of the show, Yo Yo Ma comes out on stage. Yo Yo Ma! He is an incredible cello player, and I have some of his music. I am a big fan! The crowd went wild! The somewhat reserved audience had apparently saved up their enthusiasm for his appearance. The music starts and about 3 rows behind us a lady pulls out a piece of hard candy. We know this because she proceeded to play with the wrapper for what seemed like the next 10 minutes. She began this process just as Yo Yo started his first solo piece of the performance. Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but going to a concert is in large part an auditory experience. What are you doing Lady???? CuzIL was so irritated that she shushed her. I almost laughed out loud.
The rest of the performance was spectacular. After 4 or 5 encores the performance was over and everyone left feeling great. How can you not when the music is so uplifting? As we were leaving we noticed that we could see the fireworks being shot off at Navy Pier out one of the windows. We stopped to watch the rest of that show and by the time it was over the crowds had cleared and we strolled out without being squished in the crush.
It was fun. Thanks for the invite CuzIL!
CuzIL had an extra ticket and invited me along. We had a great time! We started out at Macey’s for a few moments and then headed to Atwood Café for dinner. It was perfect because we both work in the loop and we had just the right amount of time to eat and head over to the show with a quick stop off at Nordstrom’s. (It was on the way… what did you expect??)
So, the show… The conductor for the evening was John Williams. Big deal right? Well, I didn’t think so until I found out who he actually is. It seems that this is the gentleman who wrote and conducted the music for Jaws, Indiana Jones, ET and Star Wars among other well known … tunes. It was truly amazing to watch, and the orchestra sounded so perfect that I kept thinking that it was computer generated save the fact that I saw them playing. It is so different to see and hear at the same time than to just hear the music, and that was the most amazing part of the evening for me.
After the first half of the show, Yo Yo Ma comes out on stage. Yo Yo Ma! He is an incredible cello player, and I have some of his music. I am a big fan! The crowd went wild! The somewhat reserved audience had apparently saved up their enthusiasm for his appearance. The music starts and about 3 rows behind us a lady pulls out a piece of hard candy. We know this because she proceeded to play with the wrapper for what seemed like the next 10 minutes. She began this process just as Yo Yo started his first solo piece of the performance. Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but going to a concert is in large part an auditory experience. What are you doing Lady???? CuzIL was so irritated that she shushed her. I almost laughed out loud.
The rest of the performance was spectacular. After 4 or 5 encores the performance was over and everyone left feeling great. How can you not when the music is so uplifting? As we were leaving we noticed that we could see the fireworks being shot off at Navy Pier out one of the windows. We stopped to watch the rest of that show and by the time it was over the crowds had cleared and we strolled out without being squished in the crush.
It was fun. Thanks for the invite CuzIL!
The begining of a project
I had lunch with BFFidea today. Whenever we get together everything just jumps up to the next level of extreme. So, here I am back to my obsession with technology. I have a need and I don’t know if there are programs that will fill it yet. So, we may have to ad hoc some of it to get it up and running. I think my technical friends who are constantly bailing me out of technical difficulty are going to hate me by the time this project is rolling. Here is the deal. I want a computer in my kitchen that is like a central household computer.
I want to be able to talk to it from across the kitchen and have it do what I want. An example would be to say something like… Google search, recipe, banana cake, full screen, scroll down, etc. or Google calendar, Monday 5:00 new appointment, dinner with BFFmusic.
I would like to be able to leave messages for the roomies and have events pop up that we all need to know about like, cleaning lady comes next Tuesday or RMB out of town until Monday.
I would like for the computer to talk to me in a James Bond accent, and my greeting will be “Hello Gorgeous”. Yes, I think that will make me happy every time I walk in. (Roomies can have whatever voice they want to to talk to them.)
I would also like for the computer to recognize each of us when we walk in the house and I would like for it to tell me certain things like… “I’ve been busy while you were out. You have 2 gmail emails, 15 yahoo emails 1 urgent, 2 skype voicemail and BFFH was trying to contact you via IM, but she has signed off. What would you like to check first? Oh, and don’t forget tomorrow is Mom’s birthday, shall I remind you again at a more appropriate time or would you like to send her an ecard now.”
It may be a good idea for it to play theme music for me when I walk in too. I have not decided what that will be yet.
In the morning when it recognizes me before I leave for work it should give me reminders of what not to forget today. “You look spectacular this morning. Make sure you take the resume into the office and the plumber will be here at 3:00 today. You will need to leave the key for him. And finally, Project Runway is on tonight at 8pm. If you are not here on time I will record it for you. Have a wonderful day at the office.”
Eventually I would like to be able to log onto the computer from anywhere to be able to turn on lights, control temp, and maybe even program the coffee maker to start. I wonder if we could get it to empty the old grounds and put in fresh ones. Ok, that may be more Jetsonesque than our time allows, but I am not ruling it out completely.
This may get expensive...
I want to be able to talk to it from across the kitchen and have it do what I want. An example would be to say something like… Google search, recipe, banana cake, full screen, scroll down, etc. or Google calendar, Monday 5:00 new appointment, dinner with BFFmusic.
I would like to be able to leave messages for the roomies and have events pop up that we all need to know about like, cleaning lady comes next Tuesday or RMB out of town until Monday.
I would like for the computer to talk to me in a James Bond accent, and my greeting will be “Hello Gorgeous”. Yes, I think that will make me happy every time I walk in. (Roomies can have whatever voice they want to to talk to them.)
I would also like for the computer to recognize each of us when we walk in the house and I would like for it to tell me certain things like… “I’ve been busy while you were out. You have 2 gmail emails, 15 yahoo emails 1 urgent, 2 skype voicemail and BFFH was trying to contact you via IM, but she has signed off. What would you like to check first? Oh, and don’t forget tomorrow is Mom’s birthday, shall I remind you again at a more appropriate time or would you like to send her an ecard now.”
It may be a good idea for it to play theme music for me when I walk in too. I have not decided what that will be yet.
In the morning when it recognizes me before I leave for work it should give me reminders of what not to forget today. “You look spectacular this morning. Make sure you take the resume into the office and the plumber will be here at 3:00 today. You will need to leave the key for him. And finally, Project Runway is on tonight at 8pm. If you are not here on time I will record it for you. Have a wonderful day at the office.”
Eventually I would like to be able to log onto the computer from anywhere to be able to turn on lights, control temp, and maybe even program the coffee maker to start. I wonder if we could get it to empty the old grounds and put in fresh ones. Ok, that may be more Jetsonesque than our time allows, but I am not ruling it out completely.
This may get expensive...
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The dinner party
No, I didn’t throw it. I was invited to a dinner party last Wednesday. BFFperfectionist was kind enough to include me in his evening. It was a dinner of traditional ethnic foods. Middle Eastern foods have spices that I don’t use in my everyday cooking, so it was a unique experience for me.
I volunteered to help out with some of the cooking. I was very excited because his mom had given him the recipes that we were going to use for the night. All of them are very traditional. Now, normally I am a pretty good cook but this particular day I was more like a comedy of errors! What happened to my normally somewhat organized way of working in the kitchen? I fear I will never know…
Fortunately, I was not the sole participant in the food making adventure and things turned out great in the end. BFFlingere was in charge of the kebbe (sp?). And harassed heartily about it I might add. BFFperfectionist probably called her 5 times to make sure she was making it while the meat was still frozen! I was put in charge of watching the finished product while it was under the broiler for one minute… no more. Those were my instructions. I promptly forgot those instructions and left it there for 5 minutes. It was slightly crisp. Maybe more than slightly. Sorry. Prior to that I scorched the nuts that were to be used on the rice. No one was looking so I just took the burned ones out. What was happening to me? Seriously… Did I morph into some ridiculous version of Carol Burnett? I look back and just shake my head.
Despite my best efforts to char the food, everything turned out very good! The company was great and the evening ended up perfect. I got to hang out with friends and meet some new people. Thanks for the invite!
I volunteered to help out with some of the cooking. I was very excited because his mom had given him the recipes that we were going to use for the night. All of them are very traditional. Now, normally I am a pretty good cook but this particular day I was more like a comedy of errors! What happened to my normally somewhat organized way of working in the kitchen? I fear I will never know…
Fortunately, I was not the sole participant in the food making adventure and things turned out great in the end. BFFlingere was in charge of the kebbe (sp?). And harassed heartily about it I might add. BFFperfectionist probably called her 5 times to make sure she was making it while the meat was still frozen! I was put in charge of watching the finished product while it was under the broiler for one minute… no more. Those were my instructions. I promptly forgot those instructions and left it there for 5 minutes. It was slightly crisp. Maybe more than slightly. Sorry. Prior to that I scorched the nuts that were to be used on the rice. No one was looking so I just took the burned ones out. What was happening to me? Seriously… Did I morph into some ridiculous version of Carol Burnett? I look back and just shake my head.
Despite my best efforts to char the food, everything turned out very good! The company was great and the evening ended up perfect. I got to hang out with friends and meet some new people. Thanks for the invite!
Getting back into energy work
It has been an interesting week for me. I had the first Reiki session that I have done in years the other day. It was kind of fun! I did a practice session at home with X-RMJ and knocked the rust off a bit. Actually, often when I am doing acupuncture the Reiki just kind of slips out, so I guess it isn’t like I haven’t done anything. I just haven’t done a full session in a while. It felt good. I think I may start incorporating that into my practice again. It is good to have a mix of services to offer. As it stands I am doing Acupuncture, Neuro Modulation Technique, and now I will throw Reiki into the mix. The 3 complement each other I think.
It is always interesting that things seem to happen in groups. As I mentioned I did my first Reiki session in a while, and yesterday BFFMadison came to visit. She is very into energy work, and we had a interesting conversation about it and how it has really helped many of her patients as well.
But wait, there's more... today I got an inquiry about teaching Reiki. 3 mentions in one week of something I haven't done in years. Makes ya go hmmm.
Yep, I'm going to start doing it again.
It is always interesting that things seem to happen in groups. As I mentioned I did my first Reiki session in a while, and yesterday BFFMadison came to visit. She is very into energy work, and we had a interesting conversation about it and how it has really helped many of her patients as well.
But wait, there's more... today I got an inquiry about teaching Reiki. 3 mentions in one week of something I haven't done in years. Makes ya go hmmm.
Yep, I'm going to start doing it again.
Important decisions
There are times when you need to drop everything and make some decisions. You can gather all of the information, and probably continue to do that from now until forever, but the decision needs to be made and there is a deadline.
My decision is not an easy one to make. But it has to be done… Maybe some help from anyone reading… What kind of cupcakes to make for BFFA’s birthday picnic.
I’m torn. Here are some options…
Mint Cream Filled Cupcakes with Raspberry Mousse Frosting
Grapefruit Curd Filled Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Thai Ice Tea Cupcake
Blueberry & Raspberry Ricotta Almond Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Tarragon Cupcakes with Tarragon Cream Cheese Frosting
Lime tart cupcakes
You see my dilemma…
I do have to throw out a quick thanks to Cupcake Blog for all of the great ideas and recipes.
My decision is not an easy one to make. But it has to be done… Maybe some help from anyone reading… What kind of cupcakes to make for BFFA’s birthday picnic.
I’m torn. Here are some options…
Mint Cream Filled Cupcakes with Raspberry Mousse Frosting
Grapefruit Curd Filled Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Thai Ice Tea Cupcake
Blueberry & Raspberry Ricotta Almond Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Tarragon Cupcakes with Tarragon Cream Cheese Frosting
Lime tart cupcakes
You see my dilemma…
I do have to throw out a quick thanks to Cupcake Blog for all of the great ideas and recipes.
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Cheese
We made the cheese. I was so excited about making cheese. Fresh mozzarella. It would go so perfectly with the fresh basil and tomatoes in my garden. A touch of olive oil and fresh pepper… I am hungry as I think about it.
But, alas, it was not to be. BFFH and BFFA came over and we poured over the directions to make sure we had everything just right. We took all of the ingredients out of the kit and got our freshly purchased milk out of the fridge. It seems that there are a few things that can lead to problems in the cheese making process which we promptly found out.
One is using chlorinated water. Since this is what comes out of the sink, the water has to be purchased. I didn’t know this before we started, but I did have some distilled water lying around so we used that. The other potential problem is the more pasteurized the milk, the less likely it will be to set. I will admit that I have no idea how to tell how much pasteurization has taken place in the milk.
Long story short, our cheese did not set up, so we ended up with a ricottaish cheese like substance. For sake of argument we will call it a motzicotta. I thought the flavor was lacking quite a bit so we chopped up some basil and added garlic and pepper. That was pretty good, and we ended up having fresh tomato bruchetta on top of the cheese spread.
While it was not exactly what we were expecting, it did turn out pretty good after it set up overnight. Tips for next time… Look specifically for water without chlorine and less pasteurized milk. If I could get my hands on some raw milk that would be ideal…
Was it a success? yes and no. I was happy with the outcome and our very own version of cheese, but I am still going for the traditional motzerella that I know and love.
We will try this again.
But, alas, it was not to be. BFFH and BFFA came over and we poured over the directions to make sure we had everything just right. We took all of the ingredients out of the kit and got our freshly purchased milk out of the fridge. It seems that there are a few things that can lead to problems in the cheese making process which we promptly found out.
One is using chlorinated water. Since this is what comes out of the sink, the water has to be purchased. I didn’t know this before we started, but I did have some distilled water lying around so we used that. The other potential problem is the more pasteurized the milk, the less likely it will be to set. I will admit that I have no idea how to tell how much pasteurization has taken place in the milk.
Long story short, our cheese did not set up, so we ended up with a ricottaish cheese like substance. For sake of argument we will call it a motzicotta. I thought the flavor was lacking quite a bit so we chopped up some basil and added garlic and pepper. That was pretty good, and we ended up having fresh tomato bruchetta on top of the cheese spread.
While it was not exactly what we were expecting, it did turn out pretty good after it set up overnight. Tips for next time… Look specifically for water without chlorine and less pasteurized milk. If I could get my hands on some raw milk that would be ideal…
Was it a success? yes and no. I was happy with the outcome and our very own version of cheese, but I am still going for the traditional motzerella that I know and love.
We will try this again.
There's something about a clean closet
Ahhh, the weekend… And what did I do??? I went to bed at 8:30 on both Friday and Saturday and cleaned my closet on Sunday. Doesn’t that sound exciting? Well let me just tell you, it was. I don’t know what it is about cleaning out the closet that just makes me feel good; more settled.
It started out with a trip to the big blue store. That is right, I tempted my sanity and went to IKEA on a Sunday. Surprisingly the crowd wasn’t too bad. I ended up being there from 9:30 – 1:30. Yikes! It was almost like a full day of work just being there. I had measured my closet and was armed with what I wanted.
My house is old, and my closet has one of those ceilings that slants with the roof line. It seems that the people who design storage have completely negated the idea that anyone has anything but a completely square room to deal with. So, the hunt was on for a solution. At IKEA they have about a million different shelving options. They do not however have the same sizes or consistency between them. In the closet area they have great stuff for organization, but none of the organization components fit into any of the other shelving units. Hmmm. All of the closet shelving is 24 inches deep. I don’t have that much room. I ended up with book shelves and it turned out perfectly. I have a stair step arrangement now that works with the ceiling issue.
It is funny, when you buy things from IKEA you see it all put together, then they give you a box to take home that has everything in it. I spent the afternoon with RMD putting the shelves together and pulling everything out of the closet. Only one piece left to assemble and I will be done. Thanks RMD!!!!
Only one piece left to assemble…. Since I am the queen of starting projects and not finishing them (this is something that I have come to accept about myself) I have to do something to motivate myself. What to do? What to do? Maybe a little get together at the tiki bar will do the trick? A celebration if you will. We will see if this is enough to get the project done. When you see me ask how it’s coming along…
It started out with a trip to the big blue store. That is right, I tempted my sanity and went to IKEA on a Sunday. Surprisingly the crowd wasn’t too bad. I ended up being there from 9:30 – 1:30. Yikes! It was almost like a full day of work just being there. I had measured my closet and was armed with what I wanted.
My house is old, and my closet has one of those ceilings that slants with the roof line. It seems that the people who design storage have completely negated the idea that anyone has anything but a completely square room to deal with. So, the hunt was on for a solution. At IKEA they have about a million different shelving options. They do not however have the same sizes or consistency between them. In the closet area they have great stuff for organization, but none of the organization components fit into any of the other shelving units. Hmmm. All of the closet shelving is 24 inches deep. I don’t have that much room. I ended up with book shelves and it turned out perfectly. I have a stair step arrangement now that works with the ceiling issue.
It is funny, when you buy things from IKEA you see it all put together, then they give you a box to take home that has everything in it. I spent the afternoon with RMD putting the shelves together and pulling everything out of the closet. Only one piece left to assemble and I will be done. Thanks RMD!!!!
Only one piece left to assemble…. Since I am the queen of starting projects and not finishing them (this is something that I have come to accept about myself) I have to do something to motivate myself. What to do? What to do? Maybe a little get together at the tiki bar will do the trick? A celebration if you will. We will see if this is enough to get the project done. When you see me ask how it’s coming along…
Sunnin' ourselves
I found out late on Friday that there was a renewable energy fair over the weekend out by Rockford. I have been looking for information about this topic for about the last 2 years, but it was such short notice. Given that I had patients on Saturday morning and cheese making plans on Saturday night, this presented a bit of a problem. Never fear, no scheduling problem is too large to overcome… We pushed the cheese making back by an hour or two and I took a quick 2 hour drive out to Rockford for some info.
In particular, I was looking for information on solar power. There seems to be a gap in between what I am looking for and what is actually out there. I am looking for a couple of things here. I would love to cut down on my electric bills for one, but also while I am not a card carrying tree hugger, it seems to me that there has to be a better way to power our lives without depleting the natural resources. This is what I found out. This is not terribly efficient, nor astatically appealing. I have seen solar panels before and know what they look like but I am looking for something that is not so obtrusive. I had found some shingles for the roof that are solar panels and are incorporated into the roofing and don’t stand up on the roof on the internet, but they were not at the show.
From what I gathered, to create electricity you need to have a minimum of about 6 of the huge solar panels facing south with no shade what so ever. This means no tree that shades even a corner of the panels, no telephone pole or electrical wires that run over the area. If you have any shade it will knock out the power that is made from a large portion of that panel. Hummm. This could be a problem unless you live in an open field. The other problem is that my roof is angled east/west so for a southern exposure to the sun I would have the huge panels up there as though I were trying to pick up signals with the outside universe. I am not poo pooing the idea, just rethinking and waiting for something better.
I am sure as the gas prices go higher there will be more and more innovation when it comes to renewable resources, but so far they seem pretty clunky and not terribly consistent. There is no power produced at night, and understandably so, but also very little options about how the excess power that is produced during the sunny hours can be stored for back up power.
Here is what I would be looking for. Something that looks good, either by incorporating into the roof or the side of the house in a non obtrusive way. A system that has some consistency to it where you wouldn’t be loosing power if it was a cloudy day or at night. If that is a storage system or something else that would make it a consistent source of power. The powers that be are working on it but so far this is all in my dreams… in the mean time I will wait.
In particular, I was looking for information on solar power. There seems to be a gap in between what I am looking for and what is actually out there. I am looking for a couple of things here. I would love to cut down on my electric bills for one, but also while I am not a card carrying tree hugger, it seems to me that there has to be a better way to power our lives without depleting the natural resources. This is what I found out. This is not terribly efficient, nor astatically appealing. I have seen solar panels before and know what they look like but I am looking for something that is not so obtrusive. I had found some shingles for the roof that are solar panels and are incorporated into the roofing and don’t stand up on the roof on the internet, but they were not at the show.
From what I gathered, to create electricity you need to have a minimum of about 6 of the huge solar panels facing south with no shade what so ever. This means no tree that shades even a corner of the panels, no telephone pole or electrical wires that run over the area. If you have any shade it will knock out the power that is made from a large portion of that panel. Hummm. This could be a problem unless you live in an open field. The other problem is that my roof is angled east/west so for a southern exposure to the sun I would have the huge panels up there as though I were trying to pick up signals with the outside universe. I am not poo pooing the idea, just rethinking and waiting for something better.
I am sure as the gas prices go higher there will be more and more innovation when it comes to renewable resources, but so far they seem pretty clunky and not terribly consistent. There is no power produced at night, and understandably so, but also very little options about how the excess power that is produced during the sunny hours can be stored for back up power.
Here is what I would be looking for. Something that looks good, either by incorporating into the roof or the side of the house in a non obtrusive way. A system that has some consistency to it where you wouldn’t be loosing power if it was a cloudy day or at night. If that is a storage system or something else that would make it a consistent source of power. The powers that be are working on it but so far this is all in my dreams… in the mean time I will wait.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Happy Sunday
It was a great weekend!!! I love weekends where I feel like I have gotten things accomplished and also have had some time to relax. Let me tell you, relax I did…Thanks to BFFH. I probably would have been running around doing a million things if it weren’t for her. We were talking and I mentioned that I would be going to Mom and Dad’s on Sunday and invited her along. M&D live on a great little lake that is only about an hour and a half away. It is the perfect get away. Anyway, much like myself, BFFH works quite a bit with little free time. It was really a fluke that we had time off at the same time. So, as we were talking about it she mentioned that she hadn’t had a summer vacation, so this would be it. This one day at the lake = summer vacation. That made it BFFH’s day! I love to celebrate days like that.
We took a boat ride, went swimming, relaxed, had a shrimp boil, ate burgers from a little 50’s joint and basically taught the dog how to swim (that was more of a task than one might think). All in all it was a very relaxing day in the sun.
We have had a little trouble getting the dog to swim. He is a bulldog with a stocky body and short legs, and let’s face it, bulldogs sink. So, he wears a life jacket when he goes by the water. Given the fact that he is wearing a life jacket, he should be able to swim. Dad built him a ramp to get in and out of the water. He was so cute. He kept walking down the ramp and getting his feet wet then running back up. He actually got in the water a few times and was quite proficient at scratching Sis and I up while trying to drown us.
Speaking of that… I look like a tomato. Yes, sun screen would have been a great idea, but here is a tip for all of you out there that have sunburns. Emu oil is great stuff for sunburns.
Thanks M&D for a great summer vacation!
We took a boat ride, went swimming, relaxed, had a shrimp boil, ate burgers from a little 50’s joint and basically taught the dog how to swim (that was more of a task than one might think). All in all it was a very relaxing day in the sun.
We have had a little trouble getting the dog to swim. He is a bulldog with a stocky body and short legs, and let’s face it, bulldogs sink. So, he wears a life jacket when he goes by the water. Given the fact that he is wearing a life jacket, he should be able to swim. Dad built him a ramp to get in and out of the water. He was so cute. He kept walking down the ramp and getting his feet wet then running back up. He actually got in the water a few times and was quite proficient at scratching Sis and I up while trying to drown us.
Speaking of that… I look like a tomato. Yes, sun screen would have been a great idea, but here is a tip for all of you out there that have sunburns. Emu oil is great stuff for sunburns.
Thanks M&D for a great summer vacation!
Friday, August 8, 2008
In search of good coffee
I love doing tastings to see what I like. One day my roomies and I tasted 3 different kinds of peanut butter to see what we would buy for the household. Turns out we all liked different ones, so we have 3 brands of peanut butter sitting around. But, now we know. We have also done tequilla tastings, vodka tastings and miscelaneous other tasting events.
Now, I am looking toward coffee. When we were in Vegas we had the BEST coffee. I want that. So, there are a couple of things that I want to try. Percolated, french press, regular (from coffee pot) and cold brewed. I would also like to try each of these methods with different kinds of coffee.
I may go down to the local cafe and get my caffine buzz on one day to get a jump on it by trying a few different styles. If there are any suggestions, please throw them my way. Also any favorite brands of coffee would be great.
Now, I am looking toward coffee. When we were in Vegas we had the BEST coffee. I want that. So, there are a couple of things that I want to try. Percolated, french press, regular (from coffee pot) and cold brewed. I would also like to try each of these methods with different kinds of coffee.
I may go down to the local cafe and get my caffine buzz on one day to get a jump on it by trying a few different styles. If there are any suggestions, please throw them my way. Also any favorite brands of coffee would be great.
Turn that frown upside down
Ok, not really a frown, but it was a catchy title and turn that attitude just doesn't work.
It is funny how the world works. It seems sometimes that when you need something... it happens. This is what I mean. I have been working quite a bit lately, and have not been doing much for fun. A few things here and there, but I think my realization about this may have started with my post about doing things instead of sitting around a few days ago. While it is nice to kick back and relax, I have found that I feel so much better about myself and have more energy when I am out being social.
I noticed a few weeks ago that I haven't been doing much, and honestly I was feeling a little blah. It is a vicious circle where I don't feel like doing anything, then I don't and I get lazier and lazier. Anyway, earlier this week I was talking to BFFmusic and we decided to go to see Tributisauraus (a group that does a tribute every month to a different band) do a tribute to Elvis!!! Of all things, and especially just after getting a picture taken with the semi-real thing! Oh joy. Then I got a call from BFFperfectionist who is having a dinner party next week, and BFFbears who invited me to a Bears game. I also got invited to the Symphony Orchestra for 2 weeks from now to see Yo-Yo Ma. And, the girls from up North and I have set up a time to go country dancing. It has been probably a year since we have done that. When it rains it pours and I love it!
I guess what I'm getting at is when the realization strikes that there is something that I need, seemingly without any prodding, my friends and family have come out of the woodwork and now my social calendar is full and I am feeling good. Thanks everyone!
Here is my review of events...
If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest seeing Tributisauraus. I have been to see them twice now. They are a great band and have excellent singers. They play fun music, and everything about the atmosphere is pretty laid back. This time they played at Martyr's on Lincoln and the pizza there was really good.
Bears games are fun if you are there with friends and you get quite a bit of exercise being there. Between walking from where we parked and going up and down the stairs, I think my legs will be a little sore today (That really says something about the intensity of my lack of work outs lately). They have hot dogs, nachos and beer. How could you possibly go wrong at one of these things???
It is funny how the world works. It seems sometimes that when you need something... it happens. This is what I mean. I have been working quite a bit lately, and have not been doing much for fun. A few things here and there, but I think my realization about this may have started with my post about doing things instead of sitting around a few days ago. While it is nice to kick back and relax, I have found that I feel so much better about myself and have more energy when I am out being social.
I noticed a few weeks ago that I haven't been doing much, and honestly I was feeling a little blah. It is a vicious circle where I don't feel like doing anything, then I don't and I get lazier and lazier. Anyway, earlier this week I was talking to BFFmusic and we decided to go to see Tributisauraus (a group that does a tribute every month to a different band) do a tribute to Elvis!!! Of all things, and especially just after getting a picture taken with the semi-real thing! Oh joy. Then I got a call from BFFperfectionist who is having a dinner party next week, and BFFbears who invited me to a Bears game. I also got invited to the Symphony Orchestra for 2 weeks from now to see Yo-Yo Ma. And, the girls from up North and I have set up a time to go country dancing. It has been probably a year since we have done that. When it rains it pours and I love it!
I guess what I'm getting at is when the realization strikes that there is something that I need, seemingly without any prodding, my friends and family have come out of the woodwork and now my social calendar is full and I am feeling good. Thanks everyone!
Here is my review of events...
If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest seeing Tributisauraus. I have been to see them twice now. They are a great band and have excellent singers. They play fun music, and everything about the atmosphere is pretty laid back. This time they played at Martyr's on Lincoln and the pizza there was really good.
Bears games are fun if you are there with friends and you get quite a bit of exercise being there. Between walking from where we parked and going up and down the stairs, I think my legs will be a little sore today (That really says something about the intensity of my lack of work outs lately). They have hot dogs, nachos and beer. How could you possibly go wrong at one of these things???
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Where ideas come from
I was having a conversation with a co worker today, and as I sometimes do, I was talking in a bit of a stream of consciousness. He had asked me a question about where would I find new companies to talk to. Here’s the deal… I am a Technical Recruiter, and part of my job is to call companies and see if they need help finding people to work in their IT departments. So I gave him a run down on about 50 places to start looking. He looked at me like I had lost my mind and couldn't seem to figure out where I came up with these ideas.
It made me think about where we get ideas from, and for that matter think about some of the experiences in life that make you think in certain ways.
In looking back, I had watched a movie about 10 years ago called Working Girl. I really like the movie at the time, but didn’t necessarily think that it would have a lasting impact on how I decide to do things. You may be familiar with the movie where the secretary is a hard worker and going to school to improve herself, but keeps getting shut down. Eventually she takes a chance and has a deal pending when a high powered person tries to steal her idea and pass it off as their own. The part that struck me was when the secretary had to talk about where she came up with her idea. She got the initial idea from a society column where some guy who owned a company’s daughter was going to get married. She thought the father’s company might be a good fit for something else she was looking at from some other angle, so she put two and two and two together and came up with an idea for a solution. I think this way too!
It's like there is no straight line from A to B. It is more like random thoughts get you to B.
So, where am I going with this? I was just thinking that I learned and started applying a way of thinking from a movie that I saw over 10 years ago. It is amazing how something as simple as watching a movie can set the path for a lifetime of a way of thinking and doing things. It just hit me as interesting where we get the paths that we follow and eventually make them into our own. This is just one thing of many but it just shows that every experience that you have regardless of how insignificant it seems at the time can shape your life and how you decide to live it.
It made me think about where we get ideas from, and for that matter think about some of the experiences in life that make you think in certain ways.
In looking back, I had watched a movie about 10 years ago called Working Girl. I really like the movie at the time, but didn’t necessarily think that it would have a lasting impact on how I decide to do things. You may be familiar with the movie where the secretary is a hard worker and going to school to improve herself, but keeps getting shut down. Eventually she takes a chance and has a deal pending when a high powered person tries to steal her idea and pass it off as their own. The part that struck me was when the secretary had to talk about where she came up with her idea. She got the initial idea from a society column where some guy who owned a company’s daughter was going to get married. She thought the father’s company might be a good fit for something else she was looking at from some other angle, so she put two and two and two together and came up with an idea for a solution. I think this way too!
It's like there is no straight line from A to B. It is more like random thoughts get you to B.
So, where am I going with this? I was just thinking that I learned and started applying a way of thinking from a movie that I saw over 10 years ago. It is amazing how something as simple as watching a movie can set the path for a lifetime of a way of thinking and doing things. It just hit me as interesting where we get the paths that we follow and eventually make them into our own. This is just one thing of many but it just shows that every experience that you have regardless of how insignificant it seems at the time can shape your life and how you decide to live it.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Love/hate
It's true. I have a love/hate relationship. Those of you who know me, and act as my support structure will understand this. By support structure I mean those of you who keep fixing things for me.
Technology. I love it; I love the new gadgets, computers and programs. I hate it; I can barely make any of it work.
One day I will be able to get technology to do what I need it to do. Until that day I will be running in a neverending loop and chasing my electronic tail.
Technology. I love it; I love the new gadgets, computers and programs. I hate it; I can barely make any of it work.
One day I will be able to get technology to do what I need it to do. Until that day I will be running in a neverending loop and chasing my electronic tail.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Dreams that will someday become reality
I was having lunch with some friends today and we got started on an interesting subject. Food. One of my favorite subjects really. I am a big fan of all food and specifically food that is not genetically modified. I am currently reading the book In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, and so far it is very interesting.
Anyway, our conversation got around to growing food, and knowing what we are putting into our bodies. This brings me to another of my soon to be realized dreams. I want to have a farm/bed and breakfast. Nothing large, but a self sustaining farm. Grow the veggies we eat, some cows, chickens, pigs. My Bro and SIL had something similar to this and Sis and I got a half of a pig from them. We had heard about everything that happened from the time the pig was born. I would love to be able to do that again, but with my own animals. I would like to take it a step further and make it into a bed and breakfast. With all food being served from what is grown fresh.
I get some of my inspiration from BFFmusic and BFFhost who both do a lot of cooking with fresh quality foods. Every time I eat with either of them I can’t help but appreciate the meal, the food, the texture, the flavors, the company… everything. It makes me want to share with other people like they have shared with me. I have been doing more cooking with fresh foods and making items that you could buy in the store from scratch. The cheese I was talking about the other day is a prime example (hopefully that will happen next weekend). Around the house we have also been baking our own bread and we are starting on pasta. No preservatives, no extra stuff.
Back to the farm – I spent some time looking for a farm where I could go and volunteer to help for a weekend at a time to get my feet wet. I wanted to do that over my birthday weekend, but I think I started looking too late. Anyway, I will continue to look and hopefully find someplace that I can at least visit this summer if not get on a work schedule.
Keep dreaming...
Anyway, our conversation got around to growing food, and knowing what we are putting into our bodies. This brings me to another of my soon to be realized dreams. I want to have a farm/bed and breakfast. Nothing large, but a self sustaining farm. Grow the veggies we eat, some cows, chickens, pigs. My Bro and SIL had something similar to this and Sis and I got a half of a pig from them. We had heard about everything that happened from the time the pig was born. I would love to be able to do that again, but with my own animals. I would like to take it a step further and make it into a bed and breakfast. With all food being served from what is grown fresh.
I get some of my inspiration from BFFmusic and BFFhost who both do a lot of cooking with fresh quality foods. Every time I eat with either of them I can’t help but appreciate the meal, the food, the texture, the flavors, the company… everything. It makes me want to share with other people like they have shared with me. I have been doing more cooking with fresh foods and making items that you could buy in the store from scratch. The cheese I was talking about the other day is a prime example (hopefully that will happen next weekend). Around the house we have also been baking our own bread and we are starting on pasta. No preservatives, no extra stuff.
Back to the farm – I spent some time looking for a farm where I could go and volunteer to help for a weekend at a time to get my feet wet. I wanted to do that over my birthday weekend, but I think I started looking too late. Anyway, I will continue to look and hopefully find someplace that I can at least visit this summer if not get on a work schedule.
Keep dreaming...
Things happen for the best
It seems like it can be very easy to go from a very high high to a very low low. I am not manic depressive or anything, but sometimes it just seems like everything is going great, then it all goes down hill. This happened last night. I have been working on building up my business, and had 4 appointments scheduled for last night. That is great!!! 5 is the number of appointments that I am shooting for, but 4 is a really good number of appointments. Well, by the time that 5:00 came around 3 of the 4 people had either canceled or rescheduled. AAGGHHH! What happened?? Now my first appointment is at 9:00pm.
Ok, stop and think… all 3 had very good reasons for changing the appointments, and all 3 rescheduled. That is good news. But, it gets better. I have a really busy weekend coming up with 2 birthday parties and an all weekend seminar. I know, how much can I cram in to a weekend… Well, it turns out that since I had some unexpected time on my hands I was able to stop and pick up some things to bring to the parties and even take care of some personal errands. Now I also have a new outfit to wear to above mentioned parties and won’t be running around 10 minutes before the parties feeling like I couldn’t find what I wanted to bring. Less stress = happy me = more fun at parties.
By the time I got ready for my 9:00 appt, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated; almost like I had a full day off of mentally relaxing. And, with my 9:00 appt I still got some productive work done.
All in all, everything happened for the best.
Ok, stop and think… all 3 had very good reasons for changing the appointments, and all 3 rescheduled. That is good news. But, it gets better. I have a really busy weekend coming up with 2 birthday parties and an all weekend seminar. I know, how much can I cram in to a weekend… Well, it turns out that since I had some unexpected time on my hands I was able to stop and pick up some things to bring to the parties and even take care of some personal errands. Now I also have a new outfit to wear to above mentioned parties and won’t be running around 10 minutes before the parties feeling like I couldn’t find what I wanted to bring. Less stress = happy me = more fun at parties.
By the time I got ready for my 9:00 appt, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated; almost like I had a full day off of mentally relaxing. And, with my 9:00 appt I still got some productive work done.
All in all, everything happened for the best.
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