Equestrian boots

Christmas Ideas #6If there is a budding cowboy or cowgirl in your family, you may well be looking at investing in some equestrian boots at Christmastime. There are many different styles available for youngsters an adults alike.
Traditionally these boots are made from leather which adds to the price, but also to the elegance of the boot. However, for the budget-conscious, or for those who object to leather, manmade materials are also quite popular.

Arm Update

Finally the artist has been at work and decorated the cast on my arm as you can see. I am hoping that I will only have this on for one more week as I have an appointment next Wednesday. The cast is awkward and preventing me from getting a good nights sleep amongst other things, so I really hope it will be gone soon...
There are so many things I can't do easily although I have a good go at most things. I definitely can't drive, it is not so hard to get dressed now, but taking a bath is quite hard with one arm held up in the air. A colleague kindly makes sandwiches for me at work, and even answering the phone is tricky because if I need to write anything down, I don't have a spare hand to do it with!
Having said all that, I don't have much pain, and I have use of the hand at least if not the arm, I can hold things (as long as I don't have to really grip hard) in my left hand. As far as broken arms go, I think I have got off fairly lightly.

HCG weight loss program

I noticed a few people talking about the hcg weight loss program recently. the great thing about this weight-loss program is that it appears to be individually tailored to suit the client.
It also appears to be aministered by doctors, which is just as well when you look at the measures taken in oder to reduce weight. The methods include hormone injections and various medications. As ever with weightloss programs, these are not quick-fixes and for long term effects, willpower will still be a major factor

Wedding photography raleigh nc

If your 'big day' is looming, then you will want to ensure that you get the best that you can afford when it comes to the venue, the caterers, and the photographers etc.. In many cases, local services will have formed a kind of community and will be used to working with other local services.

For instance your wedding photography raleigh nc company will probably be familiar with the local venues and the best spots for taking photo's - they may also know good caterers and a good band or entertainers/caterers and be able to make some recommendations.

The venue for the reception will probably be able to recommend caterers and musicians etc.. They will probably also be familiar with the work of some local wedding cake manufacturers. Once you start the planning, you may find all the other players falling into place quite naturally.

Update

It's day 12 of having most of my left arm in a cast, and although it was a novelty for this first day, the novelty-factor quickly wore off... I can't drive which is quite frustrating, I can't play football which is even worse.. and it's difficult to sleep soundly. In fact I am getting a bad back because I am sleeping in an uncomfortable position. There are 12 days to go before my next appointment, and hopefully removal of this massive yellow appendage!

There is one great mercy from all this though, and that is the fact that with all the treatment I am getting, the x-rays and the casts (this is my second, and I may need a third, hopefully smaller one). The NHS takes care of everything so I don't have to worry about the cost as there will never be an invoice dropping on to my mat for all this work. It's a pity other nations can't get the same sort of treatment without worrying about insurance - just saying...!

Eyelash enhancer

Christmas Ideas #5
If you are looking for a present for a friend who likes their makeup, eyelash enhancer is a good choice as the current trend is in favor of accentuating fuller darker eyelashes.
Despite the fact that I am not keen on a face that is overly 'made up', I do think that nicely enhanced lashes attract attention and make eye contact far more likely. It doesn't matter what you are wearing, you will never make an impression if you don't make eye contact..

Get romantic

If you want to get romantic this Christmas, you could find something in the 'sweetest day' department.
Apparently 'Sweetest Day' is an actual calendar event in some parts of the US believed to have been started by confectioners who gave gifts of sweets to the needy and encouraging others to do the same.
This has developed into something of a rival to valentines day judging by the type of gifts on offer. The actual event is in October, but don't let that stop you sorting out something sweet for a loved or needy friend..

Casters

In years gone by, if you needed casters, fixings or door handles etc., you made do with what was available at your local hardware store. If you were ambitious and optimistic, you might head for the nearest big town in the hope of unearthing exactly the right make and model.
With the advent of the internet as a shopping tool, you can now track down more or less the exact bits and bobs you need from the comfort of your own armchair.

Update

Well, the plaster on my broken arm is still clean, my daughter has not decided what she wants to write on it yet... The whole experience is very frustrating, but not stopping me from doing very much - everything is just more of a struggle... A lot of paid posts have suddenly turned up right in the middle of when I have a load of tapes to do... If I can get everything finished in time, this should be a relatively big earning month for me - thankfully, I can manage my on-line work with just my right hand..
I just checked my GoDaddy affiliates and there is about $7.50 sitting there, $25 payout, so no realistic likelihood of a payout any time soon from them. Adsense is ticking along, but there is too much to do to spend time trying to maximise those earnings at the moment. I bought a new domain for my cassette to CD business, and it does not show up high enough in search results yet - I really should spend some time and effort promoting it - the older site gets quite a lot of traffic, so I am not really missing out, but I would prefer to have people visit the newer designed site.
I haven't even had time to put any more laptops up for sale - I may investigate using gumtree and other sites rather than pay the fees on eBay...

Candy apples for sale

Christmas Ideas #4
This is probably not the best way to get one of your 'five a day', but at berries.com, I have just seen the most delicious looking candy apples for sale.

Talk about a festive treat - I'm not that keen on fruit usually, but would certainly make an exception if one of these made it's way into my Christmas stocking.

Available for all types of festive occasions avail yourself of this treat packed with fruity goodness..

Commercial litigation lawyers

There may be a fine choice of commercial litigation lawyers raleigh nc, but how do you choose the right one? A good starting point with any company is their website, it can tell you a lot about a firm, but not everything.

More importantly, it would be helpful to get some references from satisfied (or even unsatisfied) clients. Finally, having done some research, you should at least have a short-list of potentials.

Spinal laser surgery

I am a complete coward when it comes to surgery and have never had any surgical procedures carried out. I do however get chronic back pain, and some shoulder and neck problems, and have regular treatment from a chiropractor.
Apparently though, some back pain issues can be treated with spinal laser surgery which is more or less non-invasive although does require some keyhole incision. I certainly do not like the idea of having open surgery on my spine, and would need to be in quite a lot of discomfort to risk it. However, I would be a lot happier with the idea of a simple procedure after which would not leave me laid up in bed for days if not weeks.

Yellow!

I had my initial cast removed today and had a choice of colours for my new platic cast (broken arm story below..).
I know my daughter would wanted to have had me with pink (which was offered first..), but I think it would be a bit of a distraction (not that my choice was any less loud). Purple, navy blue and black were all offered and if it were just for me, I would have gone for one of those. However I settled on yellow because if my little one wants to write and draw on it (and I am sure she will), I figured yellow would be a good colour for background.
I am quite sure that I will be posting more pictures of the cast as the artwork builds up - This one is one for three weeks, hopefully I will have a smaller one after that if I need one at all. This one goes right over my elbow to completely imobilise my arm - three weeks until I can bend my arm again at least...

Storm shelters

In a recent TV program about storm-chasers, we had the chance to see the value of having storm shelters installed in the home. Many homes in the US are not built to withstand extreme storms, yet are built in areas that are subject to hurricanes.
The solution to this problem is to have a secure chamber installed in the home - one that can withstand the rigours of a severe storm.
Shelters can be constructed within the home itself or elswhere in the grounds of the property, and come in various sizes to suit different situations.

Pool fencing

I have friends who holidayed in a 'gite' with a pool in France. Fortunately, the pool had an alarm fitted that sounded when someone enters the water.
A child who was with them wandered into the pool unsupervised, and the pool alarm sounded so that the parents were able to get the child safely out of the water.
If you have a pool, or even rent a place with a pool, having adequate pool fencing, or netting or an alarm is absolutely crucial. Even if you don't have small children yourself, you may well have visitors with youngsters who won't be able to resist the lure of the water...

Broken arm!

Oh dear, everyone keeps telling me I'm too old to carry on playing football which I think is a bit harsh, but having broken my arm playing football on Saturday, I am forced to lay off physical exercise for a while...

I have discovered that having an arm in plaster is pretty inconvenient, although I can still type (!) and can even manage to type with two hands although my left arm is getting a bit heavy to hover over the keyboard... I have a stack of tapes to convert to CD at the moment, but fortunately I can do those one-handed!

The most inconvenient thing is not being able to drive, so at least I will be getting plenty of walking exercise. Luckily I am close enough to my day-job to be able to walk into work, hopefully the weather won't be too bad over the next few weeks.

I have a bit of blogging work to catch up with, so I have plenty to do for those nights in the week when I would normally be gadding about..

The temporary cast (pictured) comes off on Wednesday, I should get a nice light one then, and hopefully some idea of how long I will be incapacitated for (ie. how long before I can play football again!)

Alec Bradley

Christmas Ideas #3
I have often see selection boxes of the chocolate variety at Christmas in fact I was only talking about them today with a friend. I am also familiar with the idea of a selection box af wine containing a range of wines from a region, or a variety of reds or whites from around the world.
For the first time today, I saw a 'selection box' containing samples of elite cigards from the alec bradley brand on the famous smokes website. What a great Christmas idea for a cigar smoker a variety of cigars to try out or save for special occassions...

Admissions Director Jobs

Healthcarejobsite is a great tool if you are employed in the healthcare sector and are looking for a new position. You may have never worked in this sector, but are attracted to the wide range of roles available in healthcare such as Admissions Director Jobs, Finance jobs, Corporate services etc.. as well as the normal nursing staff roles that you would expect.
This website covers jobs available the US and Canadian Regions.

Remembering

'Lest we forget' is the phrase we always associate with Remembrance Day, and it is worth considering once again what it is that we remember. Although the World Wars are inextricably linked with poppies in many peoples minds, the poppy is also meant to symbolise those who were lost or maimed in other conflicts around the world, from the Falklands to Afghanistan. As such, the poppy should not be politicised, should not be a matter of debate for FIFA or those with a political agenda of any hue. The poppy is a symbol of (mostly) young men cut down in their prime doing their duty, nowadays sadly we are adding young women to that number too. Honouring people who have lost their life in public service is not an issue where sex, colour or creed has any meaning. Remembrance Day is not a day when political parties should be allowed to use the dead to further their own agendas. Poppies are not a symbol of 'crusade' or 'imperialism', they are to honour those who have fallen doing their job protecting their friends and their nation

Work clothes for men

Christmas Ideas #2
There is no better time than the winter time to give the gift of good rugged outerwear, and you need look no further than carhartt work clothes for men to find just the right attire.

Women may get a glow from clothing that looks pretty, but men want good practical hard-wearing kit with style too.

From boots to shirts, dungarees to jackets, Carharrt have a range of clothing that covers every aspect of winter wear. Not only are their designs rugged and stylish, their prices are attractive too.

Log bedroom furniture

It's not really the time of year for outdoor wooden furniture, but the wooden furniture suppliers have thought of that and come up with bedroom furniture to see us through the winter nights.

From beds to bedside cabinets, chests and dressers, along with accessories such as mirrors, the warm rustic look is now available for your bedroom. The great advantage of real wood in a rustic style is that it is timeless, your bedroom will never look dated!

incontinence products

It's a fact of life that some subjects are not often talked about, and one of those subjects is incontinence products, it's an area that we are uncomfortable discussing. It would not be acceptable to openly discuss a problem of this nature, which is why discreet solutions to the problem are required. Having a solution keeps the afflicted person active and comfortable both physically and mentally, enabling them to go about normal activities.

This is one of those areas where the internet provides a great solution not only for anonymously discussing conditions like incontinence, but also for purchasing suitable products without having to buy it on a public high street.

October 2011

A few months ago I started picking up broken laptops on eBay with the idea of either breaking them for spares or fixing them up. I have sold a couple of fixed laptops now, but with the costs of purchasing from eBay - I have to say I don't think it's going to be an avenue that I will be exploring any further... To be fair though, I have enjoyed fixing the laptops up and restoring their usefulness.
I have done a few tapes in the last month and am promised a whole stack of them next month, but paid posts have been very few and far between. I have bought some stock for cassette conversions so that accounts for the outgoings of £16. I had no 'hits' for affiliates paid out during October, but have had some recently that will be paid out soon I think..
In other news I had £135 back off the taxman for overpayment of tax on a company car - not strictly income, but helped to swell the coffers a little... That little payout added to income from eBay this month is building up into a decent amount. I am possibly looking at about £200 in tape conversions on the horizon at the moment, so if I can find the time to do them, that should help ease the Christmas squeeze on the wallet!

Epson TM-T88V Receipt Printer

Printers have evolved considerably over recent years, and the Epson TM-T88V receipt printer is one of those single-purpose printers that has developed to be used with a range of equipment to the extent that it has USB connection for connection to your laptop or PC.

Since the days of the dot-matrix printer, the printer market has seemingly split into two directions. The home/office printer has developed into a combination printer/scanner/fax, the business market has also developed single-purpose units for printing labels or receipts. These smaller purpose designed units come with specifications that are honed to give excellent results for their specific use.

Discount dental supplies

In recent squeezed economic conditions, some industries are establishing purchasing groups such as the discount dental supplies group which has been established to combine the purchasing power of smaller businesses.
A scheme of this sort allows the smaller players to compete on a more level playing field with the bigger concerns because they can demand the same sort of discount structure. This is a pattern that is likely to be repeated across a wide rage of industries where there are enough smaller local companies willing to cooperate with like-minded brethren in other areas.

Aluminum Briefcases

Christmas Ideas #1
Yes Christmas is fast approaching, and finding useful, exciting and affordable gifts is always a challenge. Some recipients will get cash because it's easier all round, but there some family and friends that I like to get a useful gift for - even if it means spending a little extra, I would rather get something useful than spend a little less and waste the money.

I currently have my eye on an aluminum briefcase which would be ideal for a laptop user needing that extra bit of protection and security. These are surprisingly affordable, and are definitely a step up from the standard soft case. They seem to be on the market with a starting price of under $60 (£50) depending on size and style - some smaller ones are even cheaper than this and could de ideal for a netbook or tablet computer.

I imagine this would be an ideal gift for someone who you know is getting a new laptop/tablet for Christmas, an equally useful gift for the businessman or computer-mad teenager alike..