GSVU

« August 2008 | Main | October 2008 »

It seems that these days the world is just moving faster and faster. With less time to get together and meet up with people which makes the internet ever more valuable. The only problem is I really do like to talk with people on the phone and I find it a better, more interactive way to deal with people, especially as a group. I like my 3 way calling, but I find that sometimes 3 ways just isn't enough and that we need more of a conference call system to be able to get everyone together at once and talk about things, especially when I am planning things with my friends back home for breaks, or when we can't have a club meeting it would be great to be able to conference call and get things done. I began looking online for a conference call service and I found free conferencing by Rondee. Rondee is a company that provides you with free conference call numbers and allows you to schedule a time and date in advance, so that you can get everyone together at once to hold meetings, plan events, even surprises. And don't be thrown just because it's free conference calling. You can have up to 100 people on the line at once and the clarity is great. You do need to be careful to run it like a meeting when you have that many people on the line because you don't want to get too many people talking all at once. Well, I told a friend about it and she said that she has been using Rondee for conference calls for a while now. She says she just goes onto their website and schedules her time, and it always goes really smoothly.

Well, with her recommendation I couldn't help but try it. I went online and signed up, it was really simple, and I scheduled a free conference call. I just really wanted to try it so I invited 10 friends, just to see how it worked. It was great we really had a blast and were so thrilled I think that we spent most of the phone call laughing about how cool it was. I know this is a service that we will be able to give plenty of use to both when we are here at school and when we go home on break. It will be fun to be able to get everyone on the phone over the holidays when we have all gone our own separate ways and the great thing is that it's free!

When my first child was born, I knew nothing about parenting. I was a 23 year old single mother and was living with my parents. From the day my daughter was born, I took my responsibility for her very seriously. She was my responsibility and I had my own perspective on life, which was just a bit different from my parents perspective. In any case, I would listen attentively to their parenting tips and parenting advice, but when all was said and done I would do things my way, and I think that my mother thought I was way off base, honestly, she probably still does. It really doesn't matter though, because it is always good to hear other people's take on things and listen to the advice and their experiences, you can take some information from them, but parenting is a delicate balance between that parent and that child, and that is why it is not such a simple thing to parent a child. It is like a dance, and each child is a different partner and in need of their own style, which you can only adapt so much to, because there is only one you. Sure you can read books, they do help, especially if you can really find one that deals with what you are going through at the time and resolves using a method that suits your personality style. For instance, I was kind of poopooed by people for allowing my children to sleep in bed with me. I was told I just needed to put them in a crib and let them scream until they fell asleep night after night, and eventually it would break their will and they would learn to go to sleep on their own. Well, that may have been true, but I would have needed to be highly sedated to make it through their crying for a half hour or so a night. Now granted, I am not saying that is a bad method, I am just saying for me, I couldn't stand it. In any case, I think that you must find the parenting methods that work best for you, and I really think that there are a lot of good parenting resources to help you through the process. Checking out websites and forums in addition to books and television, I have found out some very helpful things and have gotten tips from some very wise seasoned parents on issues that were relevant to me at the moment. Using all resources available can help to put your mind at ease. Parenting is not easy, not for any parent and you are not alone.

Last weekend a friend of mine asked me to come out with her to a new nightclub in town. I was a bit hesitant because I am not really a big drinker and I didn't know the other people who were going, but at the last minute with nothing else to do I said yes. We got to this place around 9:30pm and I was already thinking it was a big mistake as there was already a line in the retractable queue equipment that went all they way around the block. My friend apparently new a person who worked in the club, so we got to go right to the front of the line and they let us in. They had some really big bouncers who were obviously just there for crowd control, but one was looking at me, and he was pretty good looking so I was looking back at him. I couldn't believe how many people were in this place and even thought that it must be a fire hazard. We sat and had a drink and listened to the band and we were having an enjoyable time, until someone who was obviously intoxicated knocked down the cafe barriers in front of the band. Once that happened a fight broke out, and when the bouncers were trying to break up the brawl, they apparently left the door unattended and a crowd of people from outside came barreling into the place. Once that happened, the lights came on and the music stopped and the band fled the stage. Management came on to say that they were closing for the night, but no one moved. Well, I tried to get out, but honestly there really wasn't any place to move and no one seemed to be getting the hint that they didn't want us there anymore. Then the police were called in and they sent everyone who was still waiting outside home and then proceeded to move the people out of the building. All in all I think that about 4 people were seriously injured and about another 25 had bumps and bruises, including one guy who looked like he had been sliced with a broken bottle. I am not sure if they plan to reopen or not, but the one thing that I am sure of is that they will have stronger barriers in place and heavier security available for crowd control. It is exciting when a place is a hit, but no one wants to have to close early because things get out of control.

I was staying with a friend of mine last week, she is pregnant and her husband had to go out of town, and he wanted to know if I would stay with her while he was away, just in case. I agreed and thought it would be fun to get out of town for a few days and go for a visit. Katey had always been the type who was very green, you know, really into the environment and recycling and all that stuff. This girl wouldn't throw anything away, and now was no different. I went to her house and there were all the recycling bins and the super energy saving light bulbs. They had solar powered lights in the yard, and basically their house was even part solar powered. I have always enjoyed Katey's company and she has always been a lot of fun to hang around with. It was going to be a great week. We caught up with each other and watched movies and laughed. We had pizza and pigged out, because after all cravings are the center of a pregos world. One day Katey went in to take a nap, and I asked if she would mind if I used her computer and printer to print up some stuff for school. She said that was fine and so I hopped on to do some printing and sure enough about half way through I ran out of printer ink. I didn't really know my way around town, and I waited until Katey got up and asked her if she had any more ink, I handed her the cartridge and she said that she didn't have any more ink, as she tossed the cartridge in the trash. I couldn't believe that miss recycle 2008 had just thrown out the cartridge. When I asked her what she had done, she said that she had nothing else to do with her printer ink cartridges. That is when I told her that ink cartridges can be recycled. She didn't know that, because she said that her husband Jim usually took care of the computer, and she didn't really know that she could bring her used ink cartridges back to the store to be recycled or she could buy a kit and refill it herself. She said that she preferred the idea of refilling it herself, and so I took her to the store and we got a kit and refilled the cartridge. It was easier than I anticipated, and was a fun afternoon project for the two of us.

Relocating is never an easy thing. Growing up for my whole life it has always been just my mother and I and we always lived in these Irving apartments. Don't get me wrong, the apartments were very nice, safe and clean. I enjoyed living there, however, many of my friends had houses, and so I always felt a little awkward telling them that I lived in the Irving Texas apartments. I guess it was really more so because I really already felt different. Growing up with my only family being my mother, I felt a little strange. My mother always kept our apartment really nice. It was nicely furnished and she always decorated with light colors and lots of plants to give it that homey feeling. I was always very proud of my mother for working so hard to give us a good life, and of all the apartments in Irving Texas, we lived in the best ones. My mother always told me that when she first contacted a rental agent about finding apartments in Irving, that they told her these were the best and were in the best school district. I think they were right.

Well, I think my mother was right to keep us right where we were. On the day of my graduation from high school, she gave me an incredible gift. She had saved 10,000 for me to use to go to college, and since I didn't know that, I had made sure that I had already gotten paid tuition for a local school. Well, we agreed that we would figure out what to do with that money together and we decided to use it to get a house. Well, we found a great place and we put both our names on the house and we were both really excited.

As we packed up to move, I realized that I was really going to miss our Irving apartments. After all, this had been my home for almost my whole life, and as much as at one point in time I would have done anything to move, now I felt quite a bit of sadness about leaving my childhood home. We laughed and we cried as we took the last boxes out. Starting over is not a bad thing, but it can be a little emotional.

Finding a good solid health insurance policy with a reasonable premium may seem impossible, but there are affordable options out there, sometimes it just takes a little leg work to find them. Be sure to figure out what you need from a plan before you begin searching for one. Think about how many times you and your family have gone to the doctor. Are the well visits important to you? Is someone very sick and requiring regular medical treatment? Do you need the extras that go along with medical insurance such as hospitalization, vision care, dental benefits? You really must assess your needs prior to shopping because this will help you when looking for a policy. Many policies offer many different deductibles and coverages, and sometimes when looking at the price of a policy, you may overlook the fact that one policy offers much less coverage than the other. Keeping this in mind, the availability of certain health insurance plans can vary by state. For instance Florida health insurance may not be the same as Pennsylvania health insurance. The differences in the laws from state to state may make health insurance more reasonable in one area of the country as opposed to another. Keeping this in mind will help you look for health insurance in your area and may keep your premiums down. Also, steering clear of just the "name game", meaning don't just go with an insurance company that you recognize, this is a trap that a lot of people fall into. There are very many reputable companies out there that can provide you with good insurance coverage at a reasonable rate. Don't just think that going with a name will mean that you have better insurance, many times this is not the case. I have seen some really great companies out there with quick and reasonable claim times, that pay when you need them to and they don't have a name, but what they do have is a reputable insurance company.

Whatever you do in this difficult financial time, do not sacrifice your family's health to save a few dollars. Finding a reasonable insurance company with reasonable premiums is fine, just don't sacrifice the coverage you need to save a few dollars in the short run, because in the long run it will wind up costing you more.

Sometimes these telemarketing people go over the top. For instance I got a call from a telemarketing company that was trying to sell me some search engine marketing for my website. I told the guy that I didn't have a web site, but that didn't really seem to matter to him, he just kept telling me about how they could maximize my exposure and about pay per click ads and on and on. He barely took a breath and when he did I again tried to tell him that I really didn't have a website and how did he get my name and could he please take me off his call list. Well, he said fine and hung up and that was the end of that or so I thought, but the next night while I was eating Chinese take out with my girlfriend, she answered the phone and got the same thing all over again. Again she tried telling them that she didn't have a web site and then after a few minutes they agreed to take the name off the list again and on and on.

It reminds me of that old Jerry Sinefeld where he answers the phone for a phone solicitor and he says I am sorry this is not a good time, why don't you give me your home phone number and I will call you back later. When the solicitor refuses, he says why won't you give me your number, oh, I guess you don't want people disturbing you at home, do you, and he says well neither do I, and he hangs up on him. I just think that is the funniest thing, the idea of calling these people at home just to ask them to buy a product or service. In any case, I don't think that phone solicitation is probably the most profitable marketing option, but it must be doing something for these companies, or they wouldn't consider doing it. I don't really like shopping over the phone, and I am also a little bit uneasy about giving personal information to someone who calls me on the phone representing a large company from an undisclosed 1-800 number. I always worry, what if they are not who they say they are, and they take all the money out of my account and run, what will I say, somebody called me and asked for all of my personal information and I just gave it to them. Well, I figure I am better safe than sorry.

Other countries have a much more advanced system of health care than we have here in the US. In many countries, health care is partially or completely subsidized by the government and is available to all people. Everyone receives the same care for the same problems, whether they are rich or poor. I personally think that this is the best system, even though there are plenty of people who disagree with me on this. Health insurance is very expensive in the US and there is a lot of talk about moving to a system more like standardized health care as is available in Canada. In Canada each providence takes care of its own health care for instance in Ontario it is the Ontario Ministry of Health that takes care of the health coverage and compensation in that region. Also known as OHIP, this branch is responsible for coverage in that region of Canada where other regions cover their own people as well. Many people in Canada also carry a private insurance to supplement this primary insurance, but there is about 30% of the population in that region that only carry their primary insurance.

I just think that the US government needs to do a better job of making sure that all families can afford health care and the medications that they need to keep them healthy. The middle and lower class need some type of tax break or something at the very least to cover the overwhelming costs of even health insurance, and it should be required and expected for every person in this country. Covering and taking care of our own people should be a priority and making sure that everyone in this country has health insurance and a term life insurance plan, is the very least our country should do, and as far as life insurance, I am talking a little higher death benefit from social security. Did you know that the current Social Security death benefit in the US is not even enough to bury you? As a country, don't you think that it is about time that we took our fellow citizens well being into account? Being supposedly one of the most advanced countries in the world, you must wonder why our health care system is so far behind everyone else's?

Chocolates are a girl's best friend. It seems like chocolates are the way to go when buying a gift for a girl on Valentine's Day. How come shopping for guys isn't as easy? Flowers and chocolates are the go to gifts for women (or jewelry of course), but when you ask people what you should get a man for Valentine's Day they are clueless. It seems like this holiday is mainly for women, especially the red and pink decorations and the love theme and while men participate in it (mainly because if they didn't they would end up alone most likely) should you get a man a Valentine's Day gift? Shopping for men for Valentine's Day is hard but even shopping for a regular holiday or occasion is difficult. It seems like when I am shopping for one of my female friends I have so many ideas of what to buy her that it is hard to just choose one. But when having to shop for a boyfriend or even my dad it is hard to know what they would possibly want or need. So what do guys want for their birthday or Christmas or even Valentine's Day? When I asked around to my girl friends about what they have gotten their boyfriends or dads they almost all responded something edible for Valentine's Day and something to do with sports or electronics or alcohol for any other occasion or holiday.

So is that how men can be summed up? Food, sports, electronics and beer? Actually that sounds about right to me, the problem is that women don't know very much about these subjects usually so it is hard to find a present for a guy that they would really appreciate. Everyone always says that he'll like your gift no matter what you get him because he loves you, but let's face it we aren't 8 years old anymore making our parents homemade Christmas ornaments, we are adults and that excuse just doesn't cut it anymore. So from now on I am going to rely on other guys to help me pick out gifts for boyfriends in the future or even for my dad, because what does one sports loving, steak eating, beer drinking guy know better than anything? Another guy just like him. So instead of fretting about what to get a guy I'm going to just straight out ask him or a friend, because while it takes away the element of surprise, you can avoid getting him something he hates.

There is a blog for everything now it seems, even outrageous things like a party planning blog where people put their ideas for parties like themes, food and music. Blogs like these are great because it's like getting together with your best friends to talk about planning ideas, yet you made a whole lot more friends. You can get ideas from so many different people, like on www.partyplanningthoughts.com and you can also share your ideas so that other people can hear them. It's so easy to go on the internet and look something like this up online than to go to a store and have to spend money on a book full of ideas. These ideas are original and tried and true. You can hear about great ideas and also what went wrong so you can prevent those mistakes at your own party.

Another weird but great blog is a blog about banking. There is one called www.bankingthoughts.com which is full of people's thoughts and experiences about banking. People from all over the world with more and less experience with money and banking than you describe their financial plan and thoughts online for you to read and learn from. They talk about seniors having to go back to work and college students using credit cards. The subjects are endless and something on that website is bound to be an experience you have had or will run into, like social security. It is nice to know that other people out there are going through similar things and are sharing their experiences with you openly.

One of the blogs that we had to go on for our financial planning class is called www.homemarketthoughts.com. This real estate market blog showed me and the students in my class about the realities of home owning and all the aspects that go along with it. Everything from getting your home ready for the winter, to insuring your home and belongings to foreclosure and the reality of the market today is on the blog.

Blogs are a great way for real people to communicate with other real people going through the same experiences and to learn from what they have gone through and may have done right or wrong. They are also a way to see that you are not the only one going through something and that there are other people out there (a lot of them) who can support you.

Last year, our dog, a collie named Muffin ran out into the road and got hit by a truck and died. Since that time I have really been wanting to get another dog, but my husband is totally against it. He says that we have enough to do with caring for the kids and we have cats and hamsters and who needs something else to take care of. I do agree with him on some level, but I think that taking care of a puppy would be good for the kids and growing up I always loved having a dog, the cat's on the other hand, I could really do without. I really don't like cats, and if it weren't for him and a trip to the pet store I still wouldn't have any. You see one day I had to go to the library to do a paper for school, when he needed to go to the pets store to get something for the hamsters, I can't remember what now. Well, it was during the summer and the kids were off school, so he took them with him to the pet store. Once there the kids fell in love with a cat, who is now named Sweetie, and he decided all on his own, with the help of the kids to bring home a little surprise for me. Well, I don't think I need tell you that I was FURIOUS!!! However, then he tells me that the pet store won't take the creature back and the only way I can get rid of it is take it to the humane society. Here that meant letting them destroy the cat, so I said to him, sure you are the good guy and buy the cat and I am the one who gets to rip it from their arms and have it put to sleep. In any case, I couldn't do that, although, I did consider having him put to sleep, but that is another story. Anyway the cat stayed, and then she started going outside and then she had kittens. Again, I hadn't much experience with cats, did not see any around, but I guess they met up somewhere. Watching the kittens be born was amazing, but cats like to keep having kittens over and over again, so this wasn't so cool. Bottom line, I prefer dogs to cats and puppies to kittens any day of the week!

My friend just gave me her new phone number and it is a New York area code.

She lives right up the road from me, so I thought maybe it was her cell number or something, she said no that she had just gotten a new phone service called voip, she said that it stands for voice over ip, meaning that her home phone line now runs through her computer. I asked her why the area code was different, and she told me that she could pick any phone number in any area code that she wanted and she picked New York because that is where she is from and a lot of her family and friends live up there so that is how she decided. I don't know much about the telephony trends, but I don't really see why she chose an area code from another state, it just strikes me as a little bit odd, but anyway, she did and I guess it is working okay, but I will probably just call her on her cell since that has a local area code.

I am not very into information technology. I do know that different things exist, but I am very leery to try new things. Call me old fashioned or stuck in my ways or something like that, but I like having a plain old home phone no worries just plug it into the wall and it works. Now a days, you have all these gadgets it becomes so difficult to keep on top of it all. I have a hard time just checking the messages on the voice mail system of my cell phone. And lately I have been hearing stories about cell phones and brain cancer, and I keep thinking to myself, well if that is true than we are all dead. I mean is there anyone who doesn't have a cell phone anymore. Heck even my great grandfather has one, and my niece who is eight, even I have a cell phone and I am probably as old fashioned as they come. Well, learning about all the phone technology info is really neat and using it can be a lot of fun, but I am just not ready to enter the 21st century quite yet, maybe soon, we'll see.

Every single college student in American who does not have the luxury of having received either a college scholarship or parents who can pay their tuition, should formulate a debt elimination plan at some point before they graduate. In all of the growth experiences and changes that we undertake during our time in college, most of us actually miss the point that we are having fun while our names are increasingly being buried under a mountain of debt. The sooner in a college student's schooling that they begin to contemplate their own debt elimination, the sooner they will be relieved of these chains. As you begin to look at ways in which to minimize your debts and maximize your routes for relief, the more you will find. At first this search and all of the different avenues that are available seem to be a bit daunting, but it will become clearer the more you look and find.

One of the best ways that I found as a means for relief from asking people like bankers and investing agents, is to simply improve your credit score. Start off small with something like a student credit card. The important thing there is to make sure that you pay all of the payments on time and don't forget. You can also help this by making sure you pay all of your bills on time. Having a good reputation with those service companies is always a good way to increase your credit standing. Another way that will help you in two ways here is to pay the interest on your loans as it comes. Whenever you get those notices that say they are not bills but just reports of how much interest has accumulated on your loans, just look at those as a way of getting ahead of the game. When you pay those you are essentially getting a good name with your creditor as well as making all of your future loan interest payments and post-graduation payments lower.

There are countless sites out there for students to look at when deciding how they are going to pay off their debts. Many of these websites like www.debtnav.com can help you lay out a plan that doesn't play in to the hands of the banks which just want you to pay forever. So good luck, and much success on minimizing your debt.