Messages

16

Off-Topic / Re: why do parents name they kids weird names for

« on: January 27, 2013, 11:24:55 pm »Message ID: 678273

Some people like to be unique, and what is considered weird is definitely subjective. However, they were having this conversation on the radio a while ago and asked people to call in with unique names they have heard or considered. One person called in talking about a road everyone here passes on the way to Las Vegas, Zzyzzx (?) Road. She, like many people, thought this was a random collection of letters. Turns out, this is an actual word. She called to say that she has wanted to name a kid this one day ever since she found out it was a real word, even though she doesn't know what it means. In my subjective opinion, that's just dumb, not unique.

17

Off-Topic / Re: Peppermint or Chocolate mint?

« on: January 27, 2013, 11:15:44 pm »Message ID: 678271

Gotta go with the chocolate mint, but I do love peppermint too. Someone suggested to me once that I should make chocolate chip cookies with mint chocolate chunks. Sounds yummy, and the chocolate mint would definitely win in this recipe.

18

Off-Topic / Re: i am so tired of being sick

« on: January 27, 2013, 11:13:00 pm »Message ID: 678270

Lots of rest, lots of water, lots of vitamin C, and lots of echinacea. All will boost your immune system and give your body a chance to heal itself. One of the best ways to get better (and to help prevent getting sick in the first place) is to reduce stress in your life, haha! If you have a sore throat and are feeling under the weather, try looking up the recipe for Nancy's Russian Tea on Prevention's website. It's kind of an acquired taste (to be perfectly honest, so far I'm the only one I know that actually likes it), but it's a pretty easy homemade remedy. The steam from the hot tea can open up your sinuses. It has Tang for lots of vitamin C. If I remember correctly, I think it also has cinnamon and nutmeg, both of which have natural antibacterial qualities. The result is an immune boost that also coats and soothes your throat while reducing the sick bugs in your throat. If you can handle the taste, I find it really does work when you don't feel well.

19

Off-Topic / Re: landline or cell phone

« on: January 27, 2013, 11:02:18 pm »Message ID: 678266

Cell phone only. I'm not home enough to make having a land line worth the money. However, I am considering hooking up a basic phone for 911 purposes, just in case. I will probably also consider a land line one of these days when I have kids. Gotta be able to get a hold of the babysitter.

20

Off-Topic / Re: Most Misused Words in the English Language

« on: January 27, 2013, 10:58:59 pm »Message ID: 678264

I think my pet peeve with spelling and grammar is when I'm reading a written statement (post, memo, etc.) by someone who is in a relatively high position of power or who is trying to "show off" their intelligence then makes an utterly ridiculous mistake that can't just be chalked up a typo. Apparently I'm not the only one either. Some of my managers and supervisors have notoriously poor spelling and grammar skills. Two of them started asking me to proofread their memos before they posted them because they grew tired of people crossing out and correcting mistakes.

21

Off-Topic / Re: which search engine do you like the most?

« on: January 27, 2013, 10:49:38 pm »Message ID: 678257

I mostly use the search engine from PCH. They keep promising me I'll win something, but it hasn't happened yet. 
For images, though, I use Google.

22

Contests & Promotions / Re: ONGOING: Post a screenshot of your payment or picture of your check - Get $1!

« on: January 21, 2013, 01:02:14 am »Message ID: 675205

Cool  

Hope this works. I couldn't figure out the screenshot, so I might need to take a closer look at that later. It's nice getting paid. 

Transaction details
   

      
Payment Received (Unique Transaction ID # ************0583V)

Sent by:      FusionCash, Inc (The sender of this payment is Verified)
Payment sent from:      paypal@fusioncash.net
Payment sent to:       *********@yahoo.com

Business Contact Information
Customer Service URL:      http://www.fusioncash.com/
Customer Service Email:      support@fusioncash.net
Customer Service Phone:      714-276-9105

Amount received:      $33.89 USD
Fee amount:      $0.00 USD
Net amount:      $33.89 USD


   Issue a refund Help
    You have up to 60 days to refund the payment.

Date:      Jan 17, 2013
Time:      10:48:47 PST
Status:       Completed

Subject:      Your FusionCash Cashout
Custom Note:      Cashout 77238 2012-12-30
Payment type:      Instant

23

Off-Topic / Re: Photography

« on: January 21, 2013, 12:48:57 am »Message ID: 675201

I think some people are natural photographers...

but I don't fall into that category.  I wish I was better at taking photos.  A while back I bought a little Vivitar digital camera that requires batteries.  I just gave it to goodwill because I never bonded with that object.

Can anyone recommend a nice little camera?

I've heard that a Canon Powershot is a decent camera.  Is that true?  

i have a small nikon coolpix camera that i've had for about 4 years now.
it's held up extremely well for as clumsy as i am! i love it because there
are so many settings and the photo quality is awesome for such a small
and inexpensive digital camera. i have thought about upgrading it, but
not because of the performance at all, but because i know a newer
version would be even better.

mine was less than $100 and it has definitely paid for itself.
[/quote]

Canon Powershots are great point and shoot cameras. They have a reputation for being easy to use and good picture quality, and I know a couple of people who have them and love them. Nikons are great too. I have a Nikon Coolpix I bought in 2006. It still works despite being dropped and needing the shutter to be manually opened since I got dirt in it.

Probably the best thing to do is find someone knowledgeable about cameras (like at a specialty shop), tell them what you want to photograph, and get some recommendations. High resolution is pretty much par for the course for almost everything out there now, but you do have a couple of things to consider. For instance, if you'll be using it mostly near home or on day trips, a rechargeable battery might be better since they usually last longer. But if you're thinking about going camping at won't be near a power source, regular (AA or AAA) batteries may be the way to go since you can pack extras to take along. Shutter speed is also a consideration if you're planning on taking action shots. If you need to capture a moment quickly, high shutter speed is a must. The big DSLR cameras are still the only digital cameras that have shutter speeds that rival traditional film cameras (as far as I know), but I know a couple years ago Panasonic point and shoots had the top shutter speed out there. Once you find a few models that will work for what you want to shoot, it's all a matter of personal preference.

24

Off-Topic / Re: Can you do this?

« on: January 21, 2013, 12:37:48 am »Message ID: 675200

Can't do it. Most of the time I can feel my way around fairly well, but we have added moving obstacles. We have two all black cats and one mostly black cat. Usually they're pretty good about staying out from under our feet, but one of my little girls who is really attached to me hasn't yet figured out that I can't see as well as she can in the dark, especially right after turning out the lights. Every now and then she tries to lead the way to bed. She squeaks when I accidentally kick her.

25

Off-Topic / Re: Power Off

« on: January 21, 2013, 12:33:23 am »Message ID: 675199

Ooh, bummer. Hope you have lots of flashlights or candles. I used to spend a lot of time in the summer in Arizona where power outages are fairly common due to the electrical storms during monsoon. You never realize how much you use electricity until you don't have it. Best of luck!

26

Off-Topic / Re: News Stories - Strange and Funny

« on: January 21, 2013, 12:30:52 am »Message ID: 675198

I love crazy news stories.

One I read recently was about a shelter in Australia that trained some of their dogs to drive cars. It was a publicity stunt to raise awareness about how smart shelter animals can be. The story that I read had a link to a TV news website that had a clip of the dogs driving. Even though they drove slow and not very far, it was still pretty cool.

27

Off-Topic / Re: Colony on Mars

« on: January 21, 2013, 12:18:21 am »Message ID: 675197

As my situation stands right now, I definitely wouldn't go. No way I could leave behind my cats and horse. I would be willing to visit another planet if possible though.

As for colonizing other planets, trying to colonize a "local" planet like Mars is only useful as an experiment (as far a survival goes. The scientific gains are another matter entirely). Regardless of any doomsday predictions made, one day the Earth will cease to exist whether we're here or not. Either entropy will destroy the universe or our sun will die (explode) and this whole little galaxy we know an love will be gone. But for that range anywhere from the tens of thousands of years to billions of years in the future. I think we've got time to figure it out.

28

Off-Topic / Re: Pancakes Or French toast

« on: January 21, 2013, 12:10:29 am »Message ID: 675196

Both with butter and powdered sugar. Mostly homemade. I've only found one restaurant that makes pancakes the way I like, and the French toast quality all depends on the bread you use. Yum!

29

Off-Topic / Re: where did you go up city or country

« on: January 21, 2013, 12:08:29 am »Message ID: 675194

City/suburbs. I love the "pseudo"-country though. I used to live in what is technically defined as a medium-sized city (and now live just a city over), but they pride themselves on their small-town country feel (California style). Most of the streets don't have streetlights, and throughout most of the city there are horse trails instead of sidewalks. Lots of horse property, but I've also seen goats, cows, llamas, alpacas, a bison, and even a couple of camels. The best part is it's within an hour of some of the best So Cal attractions - Disneyland, Knott's, Big Bear, the beaches, etc. Best of both worlds.

30

Off-Topic / Re: Jelly Bean

« on: January 21, 2013, 12:01:46 am »Message ID: 675191

I love the black ones! I cannot stand watermelon tasting ones.

Lol, I'm the exact opposite. I'm not a big candy eater, but I love watermelon jelly beans so much my mom would let me get them every time we cruised the Knott's Berry Farm shops. For anyone who hasn't cruised the shops, there's quite a few outside the park you can go to including a candy shop where you could fill up a bag to any size you want and just pay per pound. Once upon a time this was the only place I knew of where you could do this, but now they're in candy shops all over the place. The best part is I can make 1/2 a pound last for months. Lots of fun, little guilt.