Thursday, January 20, 2011
Poop in the pool
Who did it? Tonight a child pinched a loaf while swimming in the pool so it had to be shut down for an hour. Being that the team meets up at 7p for a 90 minute swim, it was pointless to wait an hour until it was time for us to get in. I hope this does not happen again on Saturday.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Laundry on the cheap
For many, doing laundry can be an expensive chore because of the high costs of electricity, gas and water and for some, a trip to the laundromat. In the last few years, I have been able to cut back on such spending. I haven't purchased laundry detergent in almost three years because I use Oxi-Clean. With a coupon, I purchased a large 15 lbs. box at Costco which cost about $12 or so. I bought a 69c bar of Zote laundry soap which is used to remove deep stains. Since the Oxi-Clean works miracles, I use about a half scoop in my front loading machine. If I have extra dirty and smelly clothing, I shave off a little Zote and add to the load. This combination makes washing a breeze. With the Zote, it is nearly biodegradable which means it breaks down faster than chemically laden detergents.
It is sunny here quite often so I usually do laundry when it is warm so that I can hang my clothing out to dry. I invested $40 in a Drying Tree which is wide enough to hold a load. The longest I have ever waited was two hours for everything to dry. Once dried, I iron only what is needed and fold the rest. Sometimes I have to use the dryer to soften certain fabrics but that happens a few times a year.
Since the city where I live is experiencing a shortage in water, I have hooked up a gray watering system which allows for the laundry run off to be collected in a rain barrel. It holds up to 60 gallons which is equivalent to two loads of laundry. I use the gray water to water the plants, ground cover and vegetables in the garden. I am not only recycling the water but keeping unwanted pesky insects from eating my foods.
I do not know the average cost of doing a load of laundry may run a household but I am sure by example, I am able to cut it by half if not by two thirds.
I will add that Oxy-clean is a true miracle. It removes coffee and tea stains from my ceramic mugs, works well for general cleaning of bathrooms, toilets, kitchens and floors.
It is sunny here quite often so I usually do laundry when it is warm so that I can hang my clothing out to dry. I invested $40 in a Drying Tree which is wide enough to hold a load. The longest I have ever waited was two hours for everything to dry. Once dried, I iron only what is needed and fold the rest. Sometimes I have to use the dryer to soften certain fabrics but that happens a few times a year.
Since the city where I live is experiencing a shortage in water, I have hooked up a gray watering system which allows for the laundry run off to be collected in a rain barrel. It holds up to 60 gallons which is equivalent to two loads of laundry. I use the gray water to water the plants, ground cover and vegetables in the garden. I am not only recycling the water but keeping unwanted pesky insects from eating my foods.
I do not know the average cost of doing a load of laundry may run a household but I am sure by example, I am able to cut it by half if not by two thirds.
I will add that Oxy-clean is a true miracle. It removes coffee and tea stains from my ceramic mugs, works well for general cleaning of bathrooms, toilets, kitchens and floors.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Dirty Music
Long gone are the days when most music was clean, easy to listen to, worth getting to know the beats and lyrics to, able to make one feel good about living and expressing positive messages that left an impression on the way many live today.
Being a product of the 70's, I remember hearing a wide variety of lyrics, songs and tunes that, at the time, were just music to me. Many of these songs were coming off the anti-war, free love and LSD platforms but none of it was harsh enough to make people do or think bad things. In fact, this music gave us harmonious thoughts. With artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Cat Stevens, Earth, Wind and Fire, and the Jacksons (just to name a few), songs were upbeat, poignant and positive. Many of these songs were so great that they are still being played today.
In the 80's, 90's and 2000's we had an entirely different group of sounds coming from all over the world. Still, some of the songs were positive, most were and still are awful. The invention of sampling the tunes of another has become more mainstream than Ugg boots and mini skirts. Musical talent has been kicked to the curb by technology that really does very little to improve songs and sound. The music is dirty! It is so dirty that I do not listen to it.
As I age, I find that I am more interested in listening to jazz (acid/contemporary/smooth) because there is, if at all, very little sampling and is performed by actual musicians and singers. There is usually a message of love or how to appreciate one another and the planet. Some of my favorite artists and bands that I listen to regularly are Basia, Incognito, Maysa, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Candy Dulfer, Anita Baker, Fertile Ground, Boney James, Julie Dexter, Carol Duboc and Rhian Benson. I love their songs! I never hear about a girls rump, how to do the police wrong, how the systems oppress people who wish not to do right, how important it is to have money, big cars and homes, or any other superficial stuff that the media finds the need to shove down our throats anymore. Grills, thrills and houses on the hills is all talk that can be found in dirty music.
I wonder how music will be in the next ten years with so many great musicians aging and retiring and fewer and fewer musicians are being produced since music is being fazed out of education. I fear that I will not have new beats to keep me moving fast while exercising or to help keep my mind from thinking about the bad in the world. Say "NO" to dirty music.
Being a product of the 70's, I remember hearing a wide variety of lyrics, songs and tunes that, at the time, were just music to me. Many of these songs were coming off the anti-war, free love and LSD platforms but none of it was harsh enough to make people do or think bad things. In fact, this music gave us harmonious thoughts. With artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Cat Stevens, Earth, Wind and Fire, and the Jacksons (just to name a few), songs were upbeat, poignant and positive. Many of these songs were so great that they are still being played today.
In the 80's, 90's and 2000's we had an entirely different group of sounds coming from all over the world. Still, some of the songs were positive, most were and still are awful. The invention of sampling the tunes of another has become more mainstream than Ugg boots and mini skirts. Musical talent has been kicked to the curb by technology that really does very little to improve songs and sound. The music is dirty! It is so dirty that I do not listen to it.
As I age, I find that I am more interested in listening to jazz (acid/contemporary/smooth) because there is, if at all, very little sampling and is performed by actual musicians and singers. There is usually a message of love or how to appreciate one another and the planet. Some of my favorite artists and bands that I listen to regularly are Basia, Incognito, Maysa, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Candy Dulfer, Anita Baker, Fertile Ground, Boney James, Julie Dexter, Carol Duboc and Rhian Benson. I love their songs! I never hear about a girls rump, how to do the police wrong, how the systems oppress people who wish not to do right, how important it is to have money, big cars and homes, or any other superficial stuff that the media finds the need to shove down our throats anymore. Grills, thrills and houses on the hills is all talk that can be found in dirty music.
I wonder how music will be in the next ten years with so many great musicians aging and retiring and fewer and fewer musicians are being produced since music is being fazed out of education. I fear that I will not have new beats to keep me moving fast while exercising or to help keep my mind from thinking about the bad in the world. Say "NO" to dirty music.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Junky Food
I don't understand why there is junk food in the world and why it is loved so much. For as far back as I can remember, junk food has been a part of my life since it started to gain ground in America in the late 60's - early 70's. I remember watching television with my sister and seeing junky cereal commercials with cartoon characters. All of it looked so fun that we wanted to try them. Our parents allowed for us to try what we wanted. Fortunately, they were stern and allowed only so much in the house. The notion was short lived because neither my sister or myself enjoyed the greasy feeling left on the roof of the mouth or the sweet milk left in the bowl once done. Like our parents, we grew to love granola and other healthy cereals along with fruit and tea.
We had our share of the McDonalds Happy Meals (pre toy) with puzzles on the boxes and Pup'n' Taco bits washed down by a Slushee. My parents never made this food part of our daily diets because it wasn't good for our growing bodies and not as cheap as cooking healthy meals at home. As more and more junk foods were being created, found other things to nibble on. I discovered a love for candy. When a teenager, I developed a strong sweet tooth that I still have. It is awful and needs to be pulled but since I like to have all of my teeth, it remains.
As I age, I have more and more of a dislike for junky foods and have a hard time being around the smell of fried foods. In fact, most food, especially fried chicken and potatoes, make me want to vomit. I do not allow for it in my house anymore.
With the illness and obese rates increasing, I continue see even more junky foods on the shelves and on billboards. I would like to know how people still think this food is okay to eat and give to children regularly. Do people not care for themselves or their offspring anymore? I know that people are stressing out over nearly everything from being jobless, nearly homeless, low on funds and all of the rest but junk food only adds to the problem. I wonder how difficult it really is to pick up an apple or carrot to eat rather than a half gallon of ice cream? No one ever died of a heart attack from eating fruits and vegetables. Since present day food is much worse than when I was a child over thirty years ago so I can't imagine feeding children things I would not feed myself. When I see preteens triple the size of myself walking down the street, the first thing I wonder about are the parents. Do the parents not see that they are killing their children? Do they not realize their children, at such a rate will not live to be as old as their grandparents? I do not understand the madness. Parents need to be parents and take responsibility for their parental wrongdoings and work with their children rather than pacify them with bad things in life.
I remember many of the times when my parents were physically active with my sister and I and how much we were encouraged to stay out of the house and play rather than drool over food. I am very thankful my parents limited my junk food intake because other than candy, I don't care to be around it.
We had our share of the McDonalds Happy Meals (pre toy) with puzzles on the boxes and Pup'n' Taco bits washed down by a Slushee. My parents never made this food part of our daily diets because it wasn't good for our growing bodies and not as cheap as cooking healthy meals at home. As more and more junk foods were being created, found other things to nibble on. I discovered a love for candy. When a teenager, I developed a strong sweet tooth that I still have. It is awful and needs to be pulled but since I like to have all of my teeth, it remains.
As I age, I have more and more of a dislike for junky foods and have a hard time being around the smell of fried foods. In fact, most food, especially fried chicken and potatoes, make me want to vomit. I do not allow for it in my house anymore.
With the illness and obese rates increasing, I continue see even more junky foods on the shelves and on billboards. I would like to know how people still think this food is okay to eat and give to children regularly. Do people not care for themselves or their offspring anymore? I know that people are stressing out over nearly everything from being jobless, nearly homeless, low on funds and all of the rest but junk food only adds to the problem. I wonder how difficult it really is to pick up an apple or carrot to eat rather than a half gallon of ice cream? No one ever died of a heart attack from eating fruits and vegetables. Since present day food is much worse than when I was a child over thirty years ago so I can't imagine feeding children things I would not feed myself. When I see preteens triple the size of myself walking down the street, the first thing I wonder about are the parents. Do the parents not see that they are killing their children? Do they not realize their children, at such a rate will not live to be as old as their grandparents? I do not understand the madness. Parents need to be parents and take responsibility for their parental wrongdoings and work with their children rather than pacify them with bad things in life.
I remember many of the times when my parents were physically active with my sister and I and how much we were encouraged to stay out of the house and play rather than drool over food. I am very thankful my parents limited my junk food intake because other than candy, I don't care to be around it.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Next Best Bike Deal
If the Chiquilo doesn't work, the next best deal roaming the net is the Fuji Aloha 2.0. It too, is a triathlon bike with excellent reviews and priced right for an entry level bike. It retailed at $1389.00 and has been marked down to $1199.00. This bike can be found at Performance Bike. Do not forget to use the code 727 to save 10% in addition to the 4% from the link.
A review on this bike:
The Aloha is Fuji's lowest entry level Tri specific bike, it doesn't act like it. Very comfortable aero position, tried aero bars on my Roubaix and never felt like I could stay tucked for very long. Tracks well when your head is down for a break and seems to have Fuji's reliability and tolerances.
A review on this bike:
The Aloha is Fuji's lowest entry level Tri specific bike, it doesn't act like it. Very comfortable aero position, tried aero bars on my Roubaix and never felt like I could stay tucked for very long. Tracks well when your head is down for a break and seems to have Fuji's reliability and tolerances.
Favorite Sites
My favorite websites vary across the board but most pertain to saving money, gathering and sharing fitness and travel information and helping others.
While trying to save money I click on Shopathome for additional savings.:
REI.com because great deals can be found, especially at the outlet store. From time to time there will be a 20-30% off deal on one item. Since I like a good deal, I place multiple orders and have them shipped to the store for free.
Performance Bike also has a lot of great deals on bikes and cycling gear. Sometimes free shipping is offered, even on oversized items. Performance Bikes usually offers a 10% off coupon but at times will allow them to be stacked. Currently, coupon code 727 should get you 10% off and an additional 4% savings by clicking on the link above.
Steep and Cheap offers flash sales on certain items for a minimum of 30 minutes. This site can be addictive so buy it is advised to buy only what is needed. If time permits, a quick price search should be done to make sure the deal is sweet enough to jump on.
Geartrade offers new and used deals on a host of items from clothing to kayaks. It is much like the worlds largest outdoor flea market. Items sold are from people wanting to get rid of things or items that have been returned without tags and cannot be sold as new. I have bought and sold items here and have been satisfied. One thing I noticed is that prices tend to drop by a few cents on a daily basis. I believe it is sponsored by Backcountry.com because their name is on a lot of seller listings.
Speedo USA is another good one for gear. Often coupons from 20-25% with free shipping over $70 are offered. Currently SPD181 is the code that offers 25% off as well as 7% rebate from the link.
Amazon is where I find deals on books and music especially since most items ship for free when $25 or more is spent.
For information on fitness, I visit:
Runnersworld to find out about all things running and triathlon related.
Slowtwitch for triathlon relate topics
Bikeforums for ALL things bike related. This is one of the best cycling sites in the world.
IAMTRI for all things tri and race locations around the world
Raceplace events and race listings in California
Beginnertriathlete known as BT is a site for triathletes of all levels who share information and tips.
Being a travel agent, I enjoy learning and reading about the worlds destinations and how I can help others with their travel plans. I like to visit:
Flyertalk for ways to make and save money, maximize my travel earnings and gain travel tips from frequent travelers.
Tripadvisor to read travel reports
American Airlines for travel deals since I hold miles with this company.
While trying to save money I click on Shopathome for additional savings.:
REI.com because great deals can be found, especially at the outlet store. From time to time there will be a 20-30% off deal on one item. Since I like a good deal, I place multiple orders and have them shipped to the store for free.
Performance Bike also has a lot of great deals on bikes and cycling gear. Sometimes free shipping is offered, even on oversized items. Performance Bikes usually offers a 10% off coupon but at times will allow them to be stacked. Currently, coupon code 727 should get you 10% off and an additional 4% savings by clicking on the link above.
Steep and Cheap offers flash sales on certain items for a minimum of 30 minutes. This site can be addictive so buy it is advised to buy only what is needed. If time permits, a quick price search should be done to make sure the deal is sweet enough to jump on.
Geartrade offers new and used deals on a host of items from clothing to kayaks. It is much like the worlds largest outdoor flea market. Items sold are from people wanting to get rid of things or items that have been returned without tags and cannot be sold as new. I have bought and sold items here and have been satisfied. One thing I noticed is that prices tend to drop by a few cents on a daily basis. I believe it is sponsored by Backcountry.com because their name is on a lot of seller listings.
Speedo USA is another good one for gear. Often coupons from 20-25% with free shipping over $70 are offered. Currently SPD181 is the code that offers 25% off as well as 7% rebate from the link.
Amazon is where I find deals on books and music especially since most items ship for free when $25 or more is spent.
For information on fitness, I visit:
Runnersworld to find out about all things running and triathlon related.
Slowtwitch for triathlon relate topics
Bikeforums for ALL things bike related. This is one of the best cycling sites in the world.
IAMTRI for all things tri and race locations around the world
Raceplace events and race listings in California
Beginnertriathlete known as BT is a site for triathletes of all levels who share information and tips.
Being a travel agent, I enjoy learning and reading about the worlds destinations and how I can help others with their travel plans. I like to visit:
Flyertalk for ways to make and save money, maximize my travel earnings and gain travel tips from frequent travelers.
Tripadvisor to read travel reports
American Airlines for travel deals since I hold miles with this company.
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