Author Archives: alanhs961

Unknown's avatar

Moving Long Distance? Some Things to Do for a Successful Move

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So, you’ve gotten that job transfer out-of-town, or have just decided the time’s ripe for you to have that change of scenery or fresh start. And the place for that just happens to be far, say over 200 miles, from where you are living now.

This means a long distance move. And things to consider.

You may already know where you want to move to. But even if you’ve visited the area many times at different times of the year, it is still best to plan an extended visit, of at least two weeks, with the idea of living there. The greater the differences of all kinds between the new area and where you live now, the more this is important!

And it is also important that you make your visit during that time that you may find it most difficult to cope!

And differences in climate can be one of the biggest factors determining whether or not you will really like the area you want to move to.

I’ve heard, and I’m sure you have, too, stories of people from areas with cold, snowy weather, who went to Florida or southern Arizona for the Christmas holidays. They found the 70 degree days just beautiful and decided on the spot to move there. Then summer arrives with 90+ degree temps and great humidity in Florida, or 110+ degrees in Phoenix, and boy, they can’t stand it!

Also, even if temperatures and humidity don’t bother you much, can you cope with seasonal extremes such as droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, ice storms, or flooding?

What about earthquakes, wildfires, and landslides? Earthquakes, while not weather related, are a fact of life in California and Alaska in particular. And much of the west is subject to wildfires in summer and early fall. Any hilly area can experience landslides and can be especially treacherous in snowy or icy conditions.

I moved from southern California to the Portland area in 2004. I dislike heat and that was one of my reasons for leaving. So, I planned a two-week trip to Portland, not in summer, but in the dead of winter. I knew that if I could stand a Los Angeles summer, I could certainly stand a Portland summer. But winter was another matter. While not as cold as back east, a Portland winter is still much colder than a Los Angeles winter. While two weeks does not add up to a whole winter, I did get a good taste of what I would have to deal with yearly, and helped me make a much more informed decision as to whether I should move to the Portland area. So, if climate is a big concern and the new area has a different or more extreme climate than your current area, try to go when the new area’s climate is most disagreeable to you.

Also consider cost of living and taxes. If you’re moving from a small town in Kansas to New York City or Los Angeles, be prepared for major sticker shock!  That one-bedroom apartment you’re in now that you rent for $500 could be $1500 in Los Angeles and $2,500 in New York City! And this can apply even if you’re moving from Bakersfield, California to Los Angeles or San Francisco. Cost of living can vary even within the same county in some cases. In Los Angeles County, an apartment in Palmdale will rent for less than a similar apartment in the city of Los Angeles.

Population is another thing to consider. Can you handle the big city crowds? Will you feel like you’re living in a ghost town in that small town you want to live in? Are the neighbors too close? Or too far away?

Culture can be related to this. You want to live in the French Quarter of New Orleans? That means a huge party at your front door every year at Mardi Gras time. If you’re not sure about this, be sure to visit during Mardi Gras. You may like it or you may not.

Layout of the new area. Yes, this is also important! When I made my preliminary two-week trip to Portland, I discovered that an apartment complex that had looked promising to me on the internet, was located in an area that had only one main route into downtown, and was often crowded with traffic. I found the other side of town better laid out and traffic and crowd friendly. No amount of internet research would have told me this, which is why a personal and extended preliminary visit is really essential.

What is the local economy like? If you are moving due to a job transfer, then you won’t have to worry right away about finding a job, as you’ll already have one, but it’s still a good idea to find out what the local economy is like, just in case you get laid off unexpectedly. You can get an idea even before you take your preliminary trip. Craigslist.org is a good start. You’re able to select from a large number of locations. Check out what jobs, and how many, you find in the new area you’re moving to. And you can also browse the forums as well. You can also get an idea of rents and housing prices as well. It’s a good area to start your research.

And of course, finding a new place to live is important. My first post is titled  “How to Find a Better Apartment: What I Did“, which I published in November, 2012. In it, I tell how to find a better apartment, what to consider, etc. Much of what I talk about in that post can also be applied to buying a house or condo as well.

Lastly, there’s the problem of moving your belongings. You can hire a moving company which can do it in one trip, but it can cost you and you do have to make sure you’re dealing with reputable people. Or you can do it yourself, which may involve several long distance trips or renting a truck. Then, if you have pets, they may require special treatment or arrangements. there are companies that specialize in transporting pets, but again, you need to do your research.

So, you can see that there are lots of things to consider for this type of move. Again, the best thing you can do to make it successful is to make sure you really want to do it, and the best thing to help you decide is to take that preliminary trip to the area you want to move to. And, if this is the result of a job transfer, and especially if the company offers to pay for a preliminary trip, take that trip!

So, best of luck with your move!

If you like what you’ve read, please let others know of this post, blog, and site. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Vibram is the Way to Walk!

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For the last 8 years, I’ve been distributing fliers door to door, which involves a lot of walking. 

Well, of course this means needing, and going through, pairs of comfortable shoes, like running shoes or deck shoes. So, I found this one brand of shoe that was very comfortable and fit just right.

However, the shoes would wear out quickly, especially in the heel section, so after 1 1/2 to 2 months, I would feel as if I were leaning back when I wore the shoes. And at 3 months, the soles were too worn and I had to get another pair at $110 – $120 a pop!

This could add up to $450 a year! Well, I decided to look for a different shoe and noticed one made by Merrell. The word “Vibram” was printed on the side of the sole’s heel. I asked a rep at the store what vibram was and he told me. It indicates that the sole is made of vibram, which is similar to what car tires are made from, and wears very well.

The shoe was also slightly less expensive, at around $90, so I decided to give it a try. And am I glad I did. The Merrell shoe fit as well as my previous brand and the sole had better grip on slippery surfaces than my previous shoes did.

But the best part? The shoes lasted over a year doing the same heavy walking that I’d done in my previous shoes! I’ve since bought other pairs, two that are waterproof and made for light rain to heavy rain and snow conditions, and a pair to wear when I’m not working. And all of these shoes have stood up really well, some for over two years now. And it’s saved me a good deal of money.

I do know other brands of shoes are also made with vibram soles and now, I don’t even consider shoes whose soles are not made of vibram.  And I recommend you do the same and save yourself a bundle.

If you like what you’ve read on this post, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

Happy walking and thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Get that True Cinnamon Flavor!

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I really like Cinnamon flavored foods, particularly, breads, cakes, pancakes, and ice cream. And I like it “straight”, that is, with no other items added, such as nuts, apple pieces, raisins, peanuts, or peanut butter.

Unfortunately, foods with just cinnamon added are quite rare, and, when I do find them, the amount of cinnamon is often very small, so you don’t get much of a cinnamon taste.

Luckily, cinnamon is sold separately, so, if you do it yourself, you can have those foods with cinnamon and only cinnamon! Pancakes is one example. My mom made cinnamon pancakes for me a few times when I was younger and they were great. Just by adding cinnamon to the batter. Now, if you’re like me, I don’t always want the hassle of making the batter itself. But there is a solution. You can find batter in a plastic container, usually where the pancake mixes are kept in the store. You just add water and shake and your batter is ready. Just add the cinnamon and you’re all set. I tried this recently and the pancakes came out great!

This can also be done when baking a cake. Just add the cinnamon to the cake mix before baking. For bread, cookies, and, if you know how to make ice cream, this can be done. And since you are the one adding the cinnamon, you get to decide how much to add and can avoid adding too little. And you don’t have to add the apple, raisins, or other things that stores and bakeries insist on adding that we cinnamon purists just cannot stand!

If you’re not into doing it yourself, you may want to give it a try. Lots of people you know may be able to give you hints about cooking that will help, and there’s always the internet and the library.

So now, you can get that true cinnamon flavor! Yea!

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Is The Advice in that Article Really for You?

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You’re in the job market and you’re looking for a position as a cake decorator for a small mom-and-pop neighborhood bakery. You spot an article on the internet regarding interviewing techniques or what to put on your resume and how to say it. The article is on a reputable career guidance website. The article mentions all kinds of things like SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and “Keywords” for your resume. Or how you should walk in a certain way, make or not make certain gestures, and try to read the interviewer’s state of mind by how he or she acts.

How good is this advice for you? 

Well, the problem is that much advice is often centered on a target audience that usually fits a certain criteria. I’ve found that most career advice centers around getting that mid to upper level office job in a well-known non-manufacturing firm. This is where your resume would be scanned by the HR department, where they will often be looking for keywords,  and where the interviewer may not be the person you would be working for and where the decision to hire you or not is almost entirely subjective and often made by those not even connected to the department you would be working in!

The bakery owner is probably not interested in SEO or keyword on your resume and is also the person who would be looking it over, and interviewing you. And, should you be called in for an interview, he or she is probably going to base the decision to hire on whether you can decorate a cake to their liking or not, and doesn’t care that your tie or earrings may not be the best color. He or she is just looking for someone who can decorate a cake, period.

Can the advice you get from articles like this help you even if it doesn’t addresses your case to a T? The answer is, in most cases, yes! If you use the things that the article focuses on and modify them to fit your situation.

On your resume, for instance, while you may not know what keywords a corporate recruiter would look for, you would know what a bakery owner is looking for in a cake decorator and what terms the bakery owner might use and recognize. Having these on your resume, and using the words in the interview will tell the bakery owner that you are at least familiar with baking terms and that he or she can give you instructions using those terms knowing you won’t need to have them explained to you.

And it’s not just articles about job hunting that can help. An article about saving money may  talk about a “latte factor’, saying that one can save a lot of money over the course of a year if they just give up having that $3.50 latte on the way to work each morning. You may not have a latte factor, but you can use, and give up, that morning donut or Friday night beer or that 3rd movie you go to see each month in order to save money in the same way the article talks about.

Sometimes an article that looks like it may have advice that, while it may be good advice, may have nothing for you no matter how much you think about it and read it. But before you toss an article’s advice out of your head completely, do think about how it may apply to you if you mentally modify things to fit your situation. You may be surprised!

If you liked what you’ve read here, please let others know!

Thank you for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Disconnect a Little!

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You may have noticed that many people today have things plugged into them, or they’re plugged into things, as the case may be. You’ve seen them. The guy crossing the street with earplugs in his ears, and maybe texting at the same time. You may even notice that when you get together with friends or family, that one or more of them may have a smart phone and a tablet or small laptop with them, and, in some cases, they may insist on texting or typing away on the tablet while they’re talking to you!

And of course, we’ve seen the commercials showing the dangers of texting while driving and the foolishness that can result when texting and walking, like the person shown falling into the fountain.

And, I’ve heard at least two commentators say that, in essence, we should not let technology take over our lives completely and stop us from interacting with one another. And they’re right.

Now, this is not completely new. It may have started somewhat with the invention of the telegraph, then was made significantly more so with the invention of the telephone, which brought ‘non-face-to-face’ communication to the masses. But, with the advent of cell phones and computers, and related software and hardware it is getting more obvious today.

I’m not saying that all of the new technology is bad and I could never be a technophobe. But I do believe in taking a look at both edges of the double edge sword that technology, as well as just about everything else, is, before jumping in. Also, there is the fact that new technology in general is at its most bug ridden, expensive, and least capable, when it first comes out and everybody ‘wants one’. But that is a different subject.

For me, while I like new technology in general, especially for what it can do for me, I do hold off in many cases, for a number of reasons. When cell phones came out, they were big and just added another thing I would have to carry on me. And, in addition, I didn’t always want to be reachable. (Read, “bothered”).

But, with my dad’s urging, we both got cell phones. And, I’ve come to see where they can be helpful. And, they’ve gotten a lot smaller and lighter and their battery life has greatly improved. I now feel naked if I go out without my phone. However, regarding cell phones, some things I haven’t felt a need to jump into or add. For instance, while my phone can do a lot more than my first phone could, it’s not a smart phone, and I don’t feel the need for one. I can text with my phone, but I really see no need to use texting, when I can call and leave a voice message, or talk directly to a person. So, I’m not a ‘texter’. As a matter of fact, if someone I know sends me a text, I often call them instead of replying to the text. It’s just faster and easier for me. Also, I do take safety into account. If I’m driving, I don’t answer the phone without a bluetooth hands free device, and even then, I will pull over first to a safe area. If I can’t answer the call, my voice mail will pick it up. After all, that’s what it’s for!

And of course, I don’t make calls when I’m with other people unless it’s for the whole group, such as calling to see why one of our group is late or checking on the time that a movie is going to start that we all want to go to. And I will often turn my phone off during these occasions, only turning it on to check my voice mail later on. And of course, my phone is always off during movies, plays, performances, or interviews and similar situations.

If you want to get another opinion supporting the idea of not upgrading to a Smart Phone, click on this link here below:

http://www.xojane.com/tech/my-flip-phone-has-made-me-a-rebel

As for always being connected? Well, I do distribute flyers door to door and I’m by myself most of this time, so I do use my mp3 player, which is filled with music of my choosing, as well as having an fm radio. But, I’m alone during this time, so no one else could be offended because I’m not paying attention to them. Also, my headphones are not the noise cancelling type so I do hear things around me, including cars and my cell phone ringing.

And even then, I will often turn off my mp3 player and take the headphones off, just to hear the world around me, which I do think is vital from time to time.

My computers? I have two of them. And I’m not on them all the time, nor do I feel the need to check my e-mail every 15 minutes.

So, I guess the message here is, disconnect a little! When you’re with friends or family at dinner, take off those headphones and stop texting! Interact with the people who are with you! And by all means, make sure your kids do the same! They won’t die if they are disconnected from their smartphones for an hour. Trust me. Real life is worth it!

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and website!

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Go Ahead and Experiment! You may Like Those New Foods!

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Lately, I’ve been experimenting with different foods. You may have read about my earlier post about eggs with bacon bits and pimentos. Well, I’ve also tried some things with pasta recently.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

Spaghetti and chili. Combine spaghetti with Hormel chili without beans. It was different, certainly not as Italian tasting, but good nevertheless, especially when shredded mozzarella cheese is put on top. It does taste good, but I’ve only tried it once, and more can be added, such as spices or garlic salt.

Spaghetti and lentils. I used a packet of Tasty-Bite brand lentils in a tomato like sauce and poured this over spaghetti. It also was different, giving an Indian taste to the spaghetti. Again, I’ve only tried this once and more can be added.

Lastly so far, I’ve made capellini, a very thin spaghetti, with Trader Joe’s brand roasted garlic blend sauce. It does taste very garlicky, and the capellini tends to bunch together a lot more than thicker angel hair, spaghettini, or spaghetti. But it does taste good, especially the leftovers.

I do plan more culinary experiments, so stay tuned!

Bon Appetit, and thanks for reading!

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Unknown's avatar

Don’t Wait til Spring! Plant that New Tree Now!

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You’ve just bought a new sapling at the nursery and can’t wait til Spring to plant it in your yard, right? Well, Spring may not be the best time to plant that new tree. At the time of this writing, it is Winter. And that can be the best time to plant a new sapling into the ground.

I once was employed distributing fliers for a landscaping company. In hearing discussions at the office, I found that some people had new plants and trees placed in the ground during the winter. Curious, I asked about this, thinking winter was the worst time to put a new tree into the ground, due to the cold and elements.

The answer was that most trees go dormant in the winter months, especially if they are deciduous trees, the ones that lose their leaves in the fall and grow them back in the spring, such as Maple, Elm, and Aspen trees.

When a sapling is planted into the ground, there is actually a sort of “Shock” as the tree must “get used to” the new soil of the yard. This would go for shrubs, too, or any plant that is “transplanted” to a new location. The tree’s dormancy in winter lessens this shock greatly and helps insure that the tree will take to its new location. Not only that, but the lessening of the shock will also keep the tree’s natural defenses against insect pests from being overtaxed and weakened.

So that’s why, unless the ground is truly covered with ice, it’s often better to plant a new sapling or shrub in the winter months.

If you liked what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post and blog! Also, check out this site’s other pages!

Thanks for reading!  🙂

Unknown's avatar

Miss that Old TV Series or Movie? See it on You Tube!

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Don’t you wish that you could watch that old TV series or movie that is rarely or no longer shown on tv? Well, if you have a cable or satellite tv subscription, you may have a channel or two where they feature some old series’ and movies. Then there’s Hulu. 

But the place where I’ve seen some old series’ and movies is You Tube. I haven’t tried Hulu.com yet, so I don’t know how it would really compare with You Tube, but I do know that, on You Tube, I’ve been able to see a number of shows, tv series’, and movies, at my discretion. Among the shows I’ve seen are, Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, The Big Valley, Charlie’s Angels, Wagon Train, The 6 Million Dollar Man, and an Australian series, Prisoner, Cellblock H. 

Now, there are some disadvantages to using You Tube:

  1. Not all shows are available, as it depends what has been uploaded.
  2. Some series’ and movies are only available as truncated versions, having left out less important parts of the stories.
  3. If you are following a series on You Tube from the first to the last episode, you may find that some video posters don’t have all of the episodes and the whole series may be spread out among several video posters.
  4. Some videos may just be slow to load.
  5. Not all episodes of a series may be available.

Of course, there are some good advantages to using You Tube:

  1. No need to sign up for anything, create usernames, or passwords, etc., in order to view videos on You Tube. You just go to http://www.youtube.com, type in the series or movie you’re looking for in the search box, and, if it’s available, you can watch it!
  2. You can pause a video at anytime, and also go back if there was a part you didn’t quite see or hear!
  3. No fees!
  4. Videos are usually on You Tube for some time, even years, so, if you have to stop watching a series for a time, it will probably still be there when you resume.
  5. You can sometimes find videos of rare movies or series’ that you may not be able to find on cable channels.
  6. You can watch videos in full screen mode and, if you have your computer connected to your big flat screen tv using an HDMI cable, it can be like watching the show on broadcast tv!

So, if you’re really wanting to see that old series or movie that is just not shown anywhere, You Tube may be the answer!

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and website! Thanks!

Happy watching and thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

How to Organize Your E-Mail Folders Without Getting Scatterbrained!

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The easiest way to organize your e-mail is to simply read your e-mails then delete them. Of course, for many, if not most of us, this is just not practical, so we organize our e-mail by creating folders, and this is a good idea.

But, how you organize and name the folders can have an impact as to how easily you can find any particular old e-mail.

Like most people, when I had my first e-mail account, I would have folders created for family members, topics, subscriptions, etc. Examples of folder names that I used would be for various relatives such as, “Uncle John & Aunt Kate”, cousin “Brad”, etc. Then there would be folders for friends like “Terry”, “Bob”, “Cheryl”, then other folders for different things like, “ABC Magazine”, “BRX Co.”, “My Employer”, “CMS Insurance”, “IFLY Airways”, “Annual Car Show”, and “Park Fair 2013”.

Nothing wrong with these folder names, but, it can get complicated with the more folders you add. Let’s look at how they would be arranged in most e-mail systems below:

FOLDERS:

ABC Magazine

Annual Car Show

BRX

Brad

Bob

CMS Insurance

Cheryl

IFLY Airways

My Employer

Park Fair 2013

Uncle John & Aunt Kate

You’ll notice that friends, family, and business and events folders are split among each other. Now, this is a small number of folders, so it wouldn’t be much of a problem. But if you have lot’s of family members, friends, and businesses and events that you communicate with or receive e-mails from, this can get complicated.

In this type of organizing, your cousin Brad’s folder will be far from your folder for Uncle John & Aunt Kate, and if you’re looking for an old e-mail that involved you and both of them, those two folders won’t be together. If you have to look in several family members’ folders, this could become a real chore if they’re scattered among your other folders.

Now, some e-mail systems allow you to create sub-folders, that is, a folder within a folder. If your system is like this, you can create a “Family” folder instead, then within this “Family” folder, you create folders for your family members. See the example below:

Family

Brad

Uncle John & Aunt Kate

As you can see, this groups all folders with a similar relationship to you, together. Believe me, this really helps if you have lots of folders.

But what if your e-mail system doesn’t allow creation of sub-folders?

Yes, I do have this problem and I solved it. The best way is to use a category word, such as “Family”, or “Friends” in front of the folder name. I abbreviate these category names to make the full folder names shorter. Of course, these are abbreviations that are mostly made up, but they are easier for me to understand. You may have your own abbreviations that only you can understand, and that’s fine, as you would be the only one who would need to know in most cases. I use “B” for business, “Fm” for family members, “Fr” for friends, “Ent” for entertainment or events, “Tr” for travel or travel businesses, “”Fx” for various information sources, and “Ins” for insurance companies. You can always use different groupings, like placing insurance under business, or separating cousins from other family members as you wish. See the example below:

FOLDERS:

B ABC Magazine

B BRX

B My Employer

Ent Annual Car Show

Ent Park Fair 2013

Fm Brad

Fm Uncle John & Aunt Kate

Fr Bob

Fr Cheryl

Ins CMS Insurance

Tr IFLY Airways

As you can see, this will still keep related folders together. Notice that by using the abbreviations “Fm” and “Fr” this keeps the family and friends folders next to each other. By the manipulation of the abbreviations you use, you can keep groups of folders in close proximity to one another.

If you get to have 40, 50, 100, or more folders, this can be a really big help!

Hope this makes your e-mail life easier!

If you like what you’ve read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and website, so they, too, can make their e-mail life, and other things, easier too!

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Unknown's avatar

Holiday Get-Together? No Place for Issues!

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Now that it’s the thick of the holiday season, a family or office get together is probably on the horizon. And that may mean seeing that relative, friend, or colleague that you have some big issue with. And, you may be thinking “When I see (whoever), I’m really going to let them have it!”

Before you do, try to see that scene as an independent observer, like a friend who’s been invited by one of the other people who will be there. This person would be coming for the first time. If you were that person, and you saw “John” go up to “Bill” and yell at him in front of everyone, what would you think? How would you feel about John? Or his family, or company if it is an office gathering?

And of course, you may feel uncomfortable as a result of John’s actions, but what about the host? Or the other people at the gathering? John’s actions could mar the whole thing for just about everyone there.

Do you really want to be John?

My belief is that, If I have an issue with someone, it’s much better to deal with that person privately and settle things, peacefully, preferably before said gathering. If that can’t be done, then I do not try to hash things out at the gathering, but instead, act only to keep the peace where that person is concerned. Even if that means saying ‘hello’ to that person and even making small talk with that person. If I feel beforehand that I can’t keep my emotions in check, I just won’t attend the gathering. Luckily, I have no such issues with anyone, nor have I really had any in a very long time. But if I did, I certainly don’t want to be remembered as the one who ruined what could have been a great holiday celebration. Because that’s what would happen.

Wishing everyone one who reads this a merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!  🙂

If you liked what you read on this post, please let others know of this post, blog, and website.

And thanks for reading! 🙂