I’ve seen said craft room, and she’s right – she’s got a TON of stuff – cool stuff.

Well, anyone who’s seen my office knows that I, too, have a ton of stuff I could unload. Mostly books. And computer stuff.

So, I signed up, and sure enough, I got 400 credits for doing so, an extra 50 credits for hooking it to my Facebook account, and another extra 50 credits for hooking it to my Twitter account. Nice.

Then, I got another 100 credits for listing my first auction (which you can see in the box to the right.) I have no need for this tripod any longer, since my Flip cam grew legs of its own and crawled mysteriously away sometime in the last few months. (I may possibly have left it somewhere in Atlanta last summer, too.)

So, I ask you – don’t you have stuff, perfectly good stuff, that you don’t need or use anymore? Wouldn’t it be grand to give it away to someone who really needs and wants it? There’s good karma in this, folks. Our stuff wants to be where it’s loved and valued, not gathering dust and being ignored.

Go on ahead and get 600 free credits and get started! You know you’ve got stuff to list.

Keepin' it real in the bloggerhood,

After going eyeball deep in a UK mortgage site, I thought, “Let me see what, if anything is different about car insurance over there.” I found this site Cheap Car Insurance.

Oh boy.

The first thing I noticed is all this talk about whether your car is imported, or not. At first, I thought, “What’s the big fuss? We have imported cars here…I’ve even owned a couple in my lifetime.” But this is not what they’re talking about. I have never gone to the UK and purchased a car and tried to bring it here to drive it. It finally dawns on me that we’re dealing with an area of the world in which several countries will fit into the square miles that make up the 48 States I’m used to wandering around. So, of course imported cars are going to be more of an issue to deal with there…duh.

See? Because I’ve never been abroad, look how limited my thinking and perspective is. Some things just don’t occur to me, and why would they? Being able to get parts for my imported car was never a problem for me, but with this perspective, I can definitely see why an insurance company might be hesitant to insure my imported car, simply because if I crack it up and the only available parts are half-way around the world, that’s gonna be a whole lot more expensive for them than fixing a domestic car.

The other major thing I noticed is something the UK does better than us (in my opinion) and that is they have three kinds of coverage:

1. Third Party Only cover – this is analogous to our liability only coverage.
2. Comprehensive cover – this is analogous to our comprehensive/collision coverage.
3. Third Party Fire and Theft cover – This covers third party risks as described above plus the risk of fire and theft in connection with your vehicle in accordance with relevant policy terms.

I think that 3rd option is great. I mean, if you’re a good driver, and your car is older, it might not make sense to pay for comprehensive coverage, but you might still want coverage for it getting stolen or burnt up.

So, while I might not be all that keen to buy a house over there, insuring a car might not be all that bad. LOL

Keepin' it real in the bloggerhood,

Interestingly, I found this site, Fixed Rate Mortgages based in England. The first thing that jumped out at me is their description of a fixed rate mortgage. Sure sounds an awful lot like my ARM to me!

In exploring this site, which was actually quite an education for my provincial little self, I could not find anything close to a 30-year fixed mortgage. I found myself quite happy I’m not trying to buy a house in England.

So, I left that site feeling a little less persecuted by my ARM and a whole lot more educated. Yes, I pay an outrageous amount of mortgage interest each year, and if I were still an employee, that would totally be money out the window because I don’t have enough personal deductions to itemize. But since I’m self-employed, I am getting the benefit of deducting a good chunk of that mortgage interest through my home office deduction. The other thing I try to remember is that while my house payment is almost double what it was when I bought this house 11 years ago, the market value of my house has more than doubled and I have about 20% equity, even with that ridiculous mortgage. In the end, I guess I’m not getting screwed quite as badly as it feels like, sometimes.

Keepin' it real in the bloggerhood,

Is It a Stroke?

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say any bystander can recognize a stroke asking three simple questions:

* ask the individual to smile.
* ask him or her to raise both arms.
* ask the person to speak a simple sentence.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of nonmedical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions.

They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association’s annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.”

PASS IT ON!

Now, I want you to know I checked this out before I posted it. Here’s what I found at http://urbanlegends.about.com:

Though it’s of unknown origin, the above text captures the essence of a scientific study discussed at the 28th International Stroke Conference in February 2003. The study was summarized in a press release as follows:

A bystander may be able to spot someone having a stroke by giving the person a simple, quick test to see if they can smile, raise both arms and keep them up, and speak a simple sentence coherently,” states an abstract of the report. “The test, which takes less than one minute, has helped healthcare professionals accurately identify stroke patients. If bystanders can relay results of this test to an emergency dispatcher, it could speed treatment to stroke patients. Time is crucial in treating stroke.

While the accuracy of the study hasn’t been seriously disputed, the American Stroke Association issued a disclaimer stating that it does not endorse “The Simple Test for Stroke” (or “The Smile Test,” as it is also known). The ASA recommends that the public familiarize itself instead with the following stroke warning signs and call 9-1-1 immediately if these symptoms appear:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

For more information on stroke symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, visit the Website of the The American Stroke Association.

Keepin' it real in the bloggerhood,

WeAreWhatWeDo.org

Their motto: Small actions x lots of people = BIG CHANGE.

Check it out!

Keepin' it real in the bloggerhood,

Keepin' it real in the bloggerhood,

First, let me say: God bless the Internet!

I have made a Great Discovry:$ 8 Prescription Glasses From Zenni Optical No more of this “get two pair for only $99″ crap for me! Now, for $99, I can get 10 (count them! 10!) pair, pay for shipping and still have a few bucks left over! Oh yeah, I can have a whole wardrobe of vision correction!

I’m calling my optometrist tomorrow to get my prescription!

Keepin' it real in the bloggerhood,

There are a lot of different options, but this is the one that fits me best. Thought I’d hip everyone to this site, just in case you need one.

Keepin' it real in the bloggerhood,

Make the Impossible Possible by Bill Strickland

227 pages – 7 hours and 15 minutes in one sitting – and I am going to read it AGAIN on Thursday for Day to Read.

Read. This. Book.

Seriously.

In fact, let me give you a taste:

“In fact, I now understood that saving other people wasn’t my primary mission at all. I couldn’t save anyone, in fact, until I saved myself, until I knew myself and knew what I wanted my life to be. I was only twenty-one years old. It wasn’t that long ago that I’d been a troubled Manchester kid myself, defined and limited by low regard for my own potential and false assumptions about what the world had to offer a person like me. In those days, I would hear people speak about life as a journey, and meaning and fulfillment as if they were distant destinations. In Manchester, all the roads were dead ends or led to places I didn’t want to go. If the kind of life I longed for lay off somewhere in the distance, it was hidden in some place I couldn’t get to, on paths I couldn’t find. I had felt defeated before my life had even begun.

But Frank Ross had shown me a better metaphor for life in a shapeless lump of clay. He taught me I could dream my future the same way I shaped a pot or vase, with vision, skill, and care. Watching the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild grow from a mere dream, my dream, into solid reality was proof that Mr. Ross was right. In just a few years, the Guild had become one of the brightest points of light in th neighborhood, a source of hope and direction for hundreds of disadvantaged kids, in its modest way helping to transform the world. But for all the good that came out of the place and all the lives that were touched, the person it helped the most was me. It gave me the space to find out who I really am. Years before, I had envied those white folks in Ligonier for the deep roots that gave them such a solid foundation for their lives. But now I knew that identity isn’t something you inherit, it’s something you must discover. The Craftmen’s Guild was helping me discover mine. Who was I? I was the guy who believed art and creative experience are stronger than fear and ignorance. I was the guy who created this place out of passion and vision and sweat. I built the Guild out of ideas and things I treasured, or needed, or believed in, and in doing so, I created the kind of personal foundation Frank Ross had talked about – a foundation crafted from genuine values and passions that would serve as a base for a rich and meaningful life.”

It’s not preachy, it’s not cliche – it’s real. But beware, it strips you of your excuses in the most subtle of ways.

Read. This. Book.

Keepin' it real in the bloggerhood,