we have a summer weight down comforter that we bought 15 years ago that enables us to keep the heat lower and not be too. cold. WE just bought insulating curtains for a few rooms so we'll see how that helps too.
I agree that warm feet are the key to being warm! I fill a 2-liter soda bottle with the hottest tap water I can run (don't try boiling water -- they melt), close the top securely, and then tuck one or two under a thick feather comforter. They (and my feet) stay warm for hours.
It is worth pointing out that one of the things that is being purchased along with a certificate and access to a network is the time to study and think. Certainly a determined individual can pursue study on her own, but when such study must compete with remunerative work, it invariably gets short shrift. Successful autodidacts are always exceptional cases.
most jobs do not give much vacation, a week or two if you are fortunate, and like someone said above, the everyday things you need to take off for will often eat into vacation time. especially if you have children, who get sick more often, you'll burn through your sick and personal days quickly and have to start using vacation. i'm glad you are enjoying traveling around, but most people do not have this option. it sucks, really. i think the american lifestyle is overrated in many ways.
I have never had a job in which taking time off for things like doctor's appointments, errands, and other naggling little issues didn't eat into my vacation.
For instance, the other day I had to get an ultrasound on my thyroid. This was only a half hour appointment, but it had to be followed by some lab work. My work and my doctor, while both 30 minutes from my house, are an hour away from each other. So, I had to take half of a day's vacation for roughly 1 hour of medical care (which will now cost me probably close to $600, which eats into vacation money).
The follow-up appointment with the doctor who did the ultrasound will be another hour or so, so that's another half day of vacation right there. It goes quickly, when you are only given 10 days a year.
In many of the large corporations the reward mechanism for management is tied to the idea that the ordinary people be shackled to their desks as much as possible. When your boss's bonus is tied to him finding ways to keep you from taking your vacation, who is going to lose! Regardless of how productive you are, should you choose to take your vacation, then your boss will retaliate (at review/layoff time) for the perceived loss in his bonus. Remember, to virtually all corporate management, lower level employees are nameless, faceless drudges; easily replaceable. Employees are part of the group of suckers that the current fashionable PT Barnum management style* uses, mis-uses and abuses.
PT Barnum: (In)famous American circus owner. Quoted as saying: "There is a sucker born every minute". The quote has been adapted to modern corporate management and refers to customers, employees and share-holders. The only non-suckers are top management.
Forgive my cynicism, but I've seen too many years of the management style described above.
Agree, depending on the major, college learning can sometimes be outdated by the time you graduated from when you started. There are so many life experiences you can learn from college and how to grow up as an adult that you can't learn in a classroom.
The Kirkland garbage bags are awesome. Also, the Kirkland 600 thread count sheets are better quality than the super expensive ones from Macy's, Bloomies, etc. They are not cheap ($69 queen) but they are AMAZINGLY durable and soft.
I think one point that deserves to be looked at is the small business model here in America. While there are still a lot of big businesses, many Americans work for small business where it may be more difficult to take a month or two months off at a time.
If there is only one person handling accounting, for instance, and that person leaves for 2 months, who is going to take on the added work load from her position? In a small business (say, under 10 people), this could be a very difficult problem to overcome. The accountant then feels bound to their job, either by their own doing or that of their employer in some instances.
When the bills aren't being paid, it's hard to justify a vacation. Especially when layoffs are going on left and right. Take a long vacation at work and you may not come back.
I knit "fuzzy feet" (i.e., felted wool slippers) for my hubby every year. He wears them almost nightly and they keep him from turning up the thermostat!
I sew rice into a polarfleece bag and place it in the microwave for a few minutes while I'm getting ready for bed. Once it is hot, I put it into the bed down towards the bottom.
It provides a warm pocket for my feet all night and I'm able to turn the thermostat down a little farther while I sleep because then my feet don't get cold!
We use hand/foot warmers. If it is particularly cold we will add the "toasty warmers" used by skiers. As long as our hands and feet are warm we tend to feel warmer all over. The heat stays really low and we are perfectly content.
I just sent this link to all my friends so they can choose (or not) to do the math and take a good hard look at their own addiction...or forward to someone they know who has this addiction!
This piece is a total "Keeper" and I don't need a storage unit to have it on hand!
Thanks
Redhawk, Compact member for 3 years and lovin it!
It is all about the networking. Not that we go through life on a mission to schmooze each other to death, but you meet people in college you you'll rely on and collaborate with for the rest of your life.
Everything I've done professionally has been done with a link to my college days. I got my first job because of the college Career Placement staff. I got my second job because of a friend from college who had gone to work for a different company. I started a small business with -- you guessed it -- a guy I know from college (and some others who I met through him) who I trusted and knew was bright.
When you are put in an environment with like-minded people who can elevate your thinking, you tend to want to stay in touch with them for life.
In my apartment hunting this summer, I had some specific parameters that the new place had to meet - specifically, a modern kitchen (dishwasher, finally!), off-street parking, and some preferred neighborhoods. I set up RSS feeds to match my search terms, and got a notification whenever a new listing matched. Because of this, we were able to be the first ones to see the beautiful apartment that we wound up renting and are loving it! It's a definite gem, and if we would have been even a few hours later on responding to the listing, I think we would have missed out and had to settle for something less.
Canon 5d Mark ll
***BUYERS BEWARE***
DBuys.com misleads and lies about selling Canon USA Cameras.
DBUYS.com are NOT authorized CANON dealers. DBUYS.com sell Gray market cameras with NO Canon WARRANTY cards even after specifying with the sales people and their customer service people that you want to buy a USA Canon Camera & USA Canon Warranty.
Once you have the camera and realize the scam, they will promise to send warranty cards, to prolong the return time period and then charge re-stocking fees or deny returns with RMA.
They have my $3600. I have no Warranty and its not covered by Canon. They have sent me two defective cameras with the promise of USA warranty cards and have not delivered and will not allow returning the product. Beware, they know the system and will scam unsuspecting customers!
This is also why I am applying for jobs in New Zealand. :)
we have a summer weight down comforter that we bought 15 years ago that enables us to keep the heat lower and not be too. cold. WE just bought insulating curtains for a few rooms so we'll see how that helps too.
I agree that warm feet are the key to being warm! I fill a 2-liter soda bottle with the hottest tap water I can run (don't try boiling water -- they melt), close the top securely, and then tuck one or two under a thick feather comforter. They (and my feet) stay warm for hours.
It is worth pointing out that one of the things that is being purchased along with a certificate and access to a network is the time to study and think. Certainly a determined individual can pursue study on her own, but when such study must compete with remunerative work, it invariably gets short shrift. Successful autodidacts are always exceptional cases.
http://instantwatcher.com/
Use the above link to see whats on Netflix instant watch. Then buy the $99 Roku box and hook it up to your tv. Oustanding value.
I agree with the tip about snuggling...and on top of snuggling with my husband, when the cat curls up on the bed too it makes it even warmer!
most jobs do not give much vacation, a week or two if you are fortunate, and like someone said above, the everyday things you need to take off for will often eat into vacation time. especially if you have children, who get sick more often, you'll burn through your sick and personal days quickly and have to start using vacation. i'm glad you are enjoying traveling around, but most people do not have this option. it sucks, really. i think the american lifestyle is overrated in many ways.
I have never had a job in which taking time off for things like doctor's appointments, errands, and other naggling little issues didn't eat into my vacation.
For instance, the other day I had to get an ultrasound on my thyroid. This was only a half hour appointment, but it had to be followed by some lab work. My work and my doctor, while both 30 minutes from my house, are an hour away from each other. So, I had to take half of a day's vacation for roughly 1 hour of medical care (which will now cost me probably close to $600, which eats into vacation money).
The follow-up appointment with the doctor who did the ultrasound will be another hour or so, so that's another half day of vacation right there. It goes quickly, when you are only given 10 days a year.
In many of the large corporations the reward mechanism for management is tied to the idea that the ordinary people be shackled to their desks as much as possible. When your boss's bonus is tied to him finding ways to keep you from taking your vacation, who is going to lose! Regardless of how productive you are, should you choose to take your vacation, then your boss will retaliate (at review/layoff time) for the perceived loss in his bonus. Remember, to virtually all corporate management, lower level employees are nameless, faceless drudges; easily replaceable. Employees are part of the group of suckers that the current fashionable PT Barnum management style* uses, mis-uses and abuses.
PT Barnum: (In)famous American circus owner. Quoted as saying: "There is a sucker born every minute". The quote has been adapted to modern corporate management and refers to customers, employees and share-holders. The only non-suckers are top management.
Forgive my cynicism, but I've seen too many years of the management style described above.
Agree, depending on the major, college learning can sometimes be outdated by the time you graduated from when you started. There are so many life experiences you can learn from college and how to grow up as an adult that you can't learn in a classroom.
The Kirkland garbage bags are awesome. Also, the Kirkland 600 thread count sheets are better quality than the super expensive ones from Macy's, Bloomies, etc. They are not cheap ($69 queen) but they are AMAZINGLY durable and soft.
I find when it gets cold it is all the more reason to snuggle with a loved one. I love knerling up with my wife Linsey on those cold winter nights.
I think one point that deserves to be looked at is the small business model here in America. While there are still a lot of big businesses, many Americans work for small business where it may be more difficult to take a month or two months off at a time.
If there is only one person handling accounting, for instance, and that person leaves for 2 months, who is going to take on the added work load from her position? In a small business (say, under 10 people), this could be a very difficult problem to overcome. The accountant then feels bound to their job, either by their own doing or that of their employer in some instances.
Just my 2 cents.
I bake a cake. The extra heat from the oven helps keep the place comfy and the cake ain't too bad either! ;)
When the bills aren't being paid, it's hard to justify a vacation. Especially when layoffs are going on left and right. Take a long vacation at work and you may not come back.
I am a hot beverage fiend. I try not to buy cocoa mix anymore. I'm always testing out new recipes for it instead. I just saw this one yesterday:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/hot-cocoa-recipe/index.html
We use the plastic wrap for our windows & door snakes for the doors! Thanks!
I knit "fuzzy feet" (i.e., felted wool slippers) for my hubby every year. He wears them almost nightly and they keep him from turning up the thermostat!
I sew rice into a polarfleece bag and place it in the microwave for a few minutes while I'm getting ready for bed. Once it is hot, I put it into the bed down towards the bottom.
It provides a warm pocket for my feet all night and I'm able to turn the thermostat down a little farther while I sleep because then my feet don't get cold!
We use hand/foot warmers. If it is particularly cold we will add the "toasty warmers" used by skiers. As long as our hands and feet are warm we tend to feel warmer all over. The heat stays really low and we are perfectly content.
I just sent this link to all my friends so they can choose (or not) to do the math and take a good hard look at their own addiction...or forward to someone they know who has this addiction!
This piece is a total "Keeper" and I don't need a storage unit to have it on hand!
Thanks
Redhawk, Compact member for 3 years and lovin it!
It is all about the networking. Not that we go through life on a mission to schmooze each other to death, but you meet people in college you you'll rely on and collaborate with for the rest of your life.
Everything I've done professionally has been done with a link to my college days. I got my first job because of the college Career Placement staff. I got my second job because of a friend from college who had gone to work for a different company. I started a small business with -- you guessed it -- a guy I know from college (and some others who I met through him) who I trusted and knew was bright.
When you are put in an environment with like-minded people who can elevate your thinking, you tend to want to stay in touch with them for life.
In my apartment hunting this summer, I had some specific parameters that the new place had to meet - specifically, a modern kitchen (dishwasher, finally!), off-street parking, and some preferred neighborhoods. I set up RSS feeds to match my search terms, and got a notification whenever a new listing matched. Because of this, we were able to be the first ones to see the beautiful apartment that we wound up renting and are loving it! It's a definite gem, and if we would have been even a few hours later on responding to the listing, I think we would have missed out and had to settle for something less.
Canon 5d Mark ll
***BUYERS BEWARE***
DBuys.com misleads and lies about selling Canon USA Cameras.
DBUYS.com are NOT authorized CANON dealers. DBUYS.com sell Gray market cameras with NO Canon WARRANTY cards even after specifying with the sales people and their customer service people that you want to buy a USA Canon Camera & USA Canon Warranty.
Once you have the camera and realize the scam, they will promise to send warranty cards, to prolong the return time period and then charge re-stocking fees or deny returns with RMA.
They have my $3600. I have no Warranty and its not covered by Canon. They have sent me two defective cameras with the promise of USA warranty cards and have not delivered and will not allow returning the product. Beware, they know the system and will scam unsuspecting customers!
the first point above about "What is Location Independent" is must