Genealogy #70: Genealogy 2.0

No I have never wondered which celebrities I most resemble and I don't really needthe Look-alike Meter to find out whose looks I favor but I created myheritage account anyway and used the look-alike meter to find out who my daughter most resembled although I can tell you, she most resembles me. I couldn't find a widget to add the results to your iHCPL blog so I am just loading the results as an image.
I went to Footnote and browsed the Member Discoveries. I really enjoyed what Clio puts on Footnote but then she's the resident historian so of course it's good stuff. There was a post asking for more information about photographs that someone had but they didn't know alot about where they were taken and though it's not a sure thing it could be possible that someone might recognize something in them and be able to help this person out, the ultimate in social networking. Not so helpful are the pages that have been created just to remember someone. The best and the worst of social networking.

Genealogy #69: Database Researching

Since I have an Ancestry account I already know what I'll find there so I conducted a Heritage Quest search instead. I spent quite some time searching around Heritage Quests' Search Books feature and found two wonderful books on a branch of my family's very distant history. I also was able to view the book of Salem county New Jersey Marriage records and found a surname listed in the book several times from another branch of my family. One of the nicest features of Heritage Quest was when I found something I wanted to keep, I put it in my notebook, and then was able to email the contents of my notebook to myself. This was a very nice feature. One of the jobs I'd like to do one day is be someone who scans in these documents for publishing on the web. I think that would be a very neat job.

Genealogy # 68: Detective Work

I have never pursued an oral history project except to try and pry information from my father about his mother but he was very tight lipped. His father died in WWII when my dad was 5 years old so he remembers nothing about his father. His mother was left to raise he and his sister alone. From what I can gather she had great difficulty dealing with the lose of her husband, being a a single mom in the 1940's and 1950's, and being the sole financial provider for the family. Apparently my father didn't think he had much to say about her that would be very nice so he decided it was better to not say anything at all. She died when he was 17 in a car accident. As far as doing one now there's really no one to really interview. All my relatives on my dad's side are deceased. My mom's father is deceased and her mother can not be easily understood nor can she write. We don't have an oral history however we do have all the letters that my mothers parents exchanged while he was serving in WWII. My mother and my Aunt have preserved these letters for future generations to read and enjoy. Even better than an oral history - a primary source! My mom is also an active genealogist so she is documenting more than most people do for the sake of family history. Thanks mom! If I knew then what I know now I'd have forced my father to talk and recorded it or transcribed what he said. I did make a cold call once out of the blue. I called a lady who was the witness at my father's parents marriage. She was living in California and she was probably in her 80's when I called. I explained I found her name on the marriage license and I was wondering if she could tell me anything about my grandmother or grandfather. She said that the four of them had traveled to Indiana for the weekend to see a Notre Dame football game and while there they decided to get married. So they went to the justice of the peace and were married. That's about all I got really but it was good information.

Using the Find-A-Grave site I searched West Virginia cemeteries. For the oldest grave listing I found two from the same date, 10/10/1774.
One for Croley (Crowley), Samuel b. 1750 d. October 10, 1774. He was the first american killed in the Revolutionary War. He died in the first battle of the Revolution. The monument which carries the Crowley name is located at the Battleground at the place where the Great Kanawha River flows into the Ohio. That is called Point Pleasant and is now a park, site of a battle on 10 Oct 1774 between a coalition of 800 Shawnee, Mingo & Delaware against Virginia forces under Colonel Andrew Lewis. About 51 Virginians were killed that day. Point Pleasant Cemetery, Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, USA

The other for Lewis, Charles b. March 11, 1736 d. October 10, 1774
Colonial Militia Officer. Born at Lewis Fort, near present day Staunton, Virginia, he was a prominent Virginia planter and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from 1773 to 1774. A Colonel in the Virginia Militia, he led the forces of the Augusta County Regiment at Point Pleasant, Virginia (which is now West Virginia) during Lord Dunmore's War. On the morning of October 10, 1774 he led the attack of 150 officers and men, in the Battle of Point Pleasant, and engagement that pitted his Virginians against the famous Indian Chief Cornstalk and the Confederacy Indian Nations. Colonel Lewis was mortally wounded and died a short time later. He was buried with his fellow slain officers in the magazine on October 10, 1774. A large monument in memory of Colonel Lewis stands in the Tu Eudie Wie State Park in Point Pleasant. He is remember today for leading the fight in what many consider to be the first battle of the American Revolution. His brother, Andrew Lewis, would go on to become a General in the Continental Army. Battle Monument State Park, Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, USA

IMHO, this type of website is practically pointless. Unless you are related to a famous person you will probably never find one of your ancestors on this type of website.

Genealogy #67: Genealogy Genesis

I have been researching my family for many years off and on. I had always hoped I'd find a living relative from my father's branch of the family. I have never been able to accomplish this. I know the names of everyone in this picture except the infant yet I still cannot find a living relative from this family. Pictured in this photo from the far left; Grace (my great grandmother) Grace's daughter Marie, Marie's daughter Betty and Betty's daughter Rickey. I am guessing Rickey is holding her daughter but I don't have her name. I don't have a date on this photo but Grace died in 1972 so it's sometime before that. I am a member of ancestry.com and it has been helpful but not sure it's worth the annual fee. I signed up one year I was really into family history and because I didn't cancel it - you guessed it it automatically renewed itself and charged itself to me credit card I used to pay with the first time. Well see if I let that happen again?

Advice for those new to genealogical research? Don't spend alot of money on anything because most legitimate information is nominal. If you find a source of information that you think is too good to be true, it probably is. Start by using the free resources available through your library and ancestry.com is one of those free resources. Also Houston Public Library’s Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research is the first place I would visit. I used to use Family Tree Maker software to organize my information but after the latest computer failure I never reinstalled it on our newest computer and now it's several versions old and I'm just not spending money on hobbies right now. It is helpful to have when you are computing relationships and you have alot of people but if you are just starting out it's not necessary.

Remember: There are only 933 days remaining until Sunday, April 1, 2012! (that's when the 1940 census will be released)

In Memory of Marshall the Duke of Texas

May 5, 2000 - September 5, 2009

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Crafts & Hobbies #66: Knitting and Crocheting

I have always wanted to learn how to knit. I can do some (little) crochet. I used to make these little socks for babies all white ones for baptisms, red and green for Christmas, red, white and blue for 4th of July, etc. But now most of the people I know are sending their kids to homecoming and prom instead of having babies so I don't get the occassion to make the socks much any more.

1. The knitting and crocheting websites included in this iHCPL module were very good but one of my favorites is Lion Brand Yarn. If I had time to crochet for a purpose it would be to make blankets for nursing home patients.

2. Our branch has a sit and stitch group where you can bring any kind of knitting, crocheting, embroidery, cross stitch, etc, that you like. It is run by a patron volunteer.

Walter Cronkite

On Sunday July 26th the Discovery channel re-aired an eight part series called Cronkite Remembers. It was fantastic!

He tells a wonderful story about when he was a football radio annoucer which is funny but even more interesting is when he shares his story years later with President Ronald Reagan who in his early years also did radio annoucing for baseball games but the ultimate is when Reagan steals Cronkites story! It really is an amazing show and one truly worth watching. Don't wait for it come on TV again go to your library and check it out. And if they don't have a copy ask them to get you a copy using interlibrary loan - they will know what you mean and should be more than happy to get it for you.

Crafts & Hobbies #65: Coin Collecting

My father bought my first proof set. It was a Kennedy Half Dollar from 1965 (a very significant year). He was an avid coin collector. Later when he had two granddaughters he started collections for them as well.

I looked around the Historical Image Library website but didn't find much that I have in my personal collections or in my daughters collections. It seems like the name of the library is miss leading "historical" as I didn't see anything in the library older than 1982. As usual the Red Book was much more helpful and more thorough.

I did use the Professional Numismatists Guild’s dealer search to find a local coin dealer and found several here in Houston. Although tempted to make a visit to a dealer to sell of the coin collection to help pay for college my father's voice rings in my ears everytime I even think about it so I won't be doing that. Coin collecting was always something he enjoyed doing but not for the investment potential so we'll be hanging on to the collections he so lovingly put together for us.

I don't forsee any new hobbies in my immediate future. I don't have enough time to pursue my current hobbies, let alone taking up a new hobby. But I do have the three collections so maybe someday (when I'm retired) I'll pull them out and try and learn more about them and who knows it might just lead to a new hobby.

Feeling Unmotivated? Try this.....

Let's hope Larry Summers is right

President Obama's top economic adviser, Larry Summers, speaking with the Financial Times, hopes the future for the American economy, "will be "more export-oriented” and “less consumption-oriented”; “more environmentally oriented” and “less energy-production-oriented”; “more bio- and software- and civil-engineering-oriented and less financial-engineering-oriented”; and, finally, “more middle-class-oriented” and “less oriented to income growth that is disproportionate towards a very small share of the population”.

The most important part of that future imho, is that we must be "less oriented to income growth that is disproportionate towards a very small share of the population."

Crafts & Hobbies #64: Zines

When I first started looking around at the zines I was reminded of the character, Emily Posa in the movie Seven Pounds. She ran a printing company that used antique printing presses to create her products.

Another term you must learn when talking about zines is distro, which Urban Dictionary defines as "a distribution source for independant publishing (like zines), indie music labels and other diy crafts. Some of the more established distros include Pander Zine Distro and Moonrocket, though there are literally hundreds of distros worldwide. Generally speaking they don't turn much of a profit as stocking and selling their products is a labor of love, much as it is for those who create what they sell. Additionally, the process for being distributed (or distro'ed) is much less formal than with conglomerate publishers - sometimes zinesters can just send in a note and a copy of their zine and, if the owner of the distro likes it, they'll agree to sell any number of copies. Currently, the most up-to-date listing of distros can be found in Stolen Sharpie Revolution, put out by Microcosm Publishing."

I would never publish my own zine, I have this blog which is enough for me. If I ever had to publish a zine it would be all pictures with some titles but not much written word. Even my scrapbook friends tell me I should journal more in my books. I just don't have that much to say really and on those occasions when I do, I write it, re-read it and it never really sounds right so I end up erasing or deleting it anyway. If I really must write, I perseverate way too long. I did take a look at the LJ reviews. Cindy Crabb's Doris is a little dark for my tastes but she makes cute skirts! Artnoose is very nice, nostalgic. I liked The East Village Inky because she's a Hoosier and a mom, both things I understand. When I'm in Austin visiting Danielle, I'll be sure to seek out Monkey Wrench Books for the latest copy of The East Village Inky. Fish With Legs looks pretty cute, at least from his blog, but without a distro I couldn't find a copy of his zine to view online. As far as reading zines, I just have more than I can handle when it comes to reading material so I wouldn't seek out zines. Most of what I read though comes from the library so of course I would say there is certainly a place in the library for zines if your partons are reading them.

Check out the latest from Johnny Depp, Tim Burton and Walt Disney Studios! To be released March 5, 2010, this film is a sequel to Alice in Wonderland that finds Alice back in Wonderland at 17 with no memory of ever having been there in the first place. USA Today describes the story as being “freshened with a dose of girl power” by Beauty and the Beast script writer Linda Woolverton.

Crafts & Hobbies #63: Digital Scrapbooking

I've been scrapbooking since I was old enough to work the tape dispenser. I saved my birthday cards, christmas cards, movie ticket stubs and school programs. Yes, I even saved my hair when I got it cut and put it in my scrapbook. I would also cut out pictures I liked from magazines and created scrapbooks from those. Shortly after I got married (1987), I went to my first creative memories party. I've been a Creative Memories customer ever since. Their slogan back then was from shoebox to showcase, or something like that. So for editing and managing my digital pictures I use Creative Memories Memory Manager 3.0. At $39.95 it is an affordable alternative to more expensive Adobe products and as an advanced scrapbooker and it has done everything I've ever wanted to be able to do. For creating the digital scrapbooks I use Creative Memories Storybook Creator Plus. I have the purchased edition however there is a free version you can download and it makes beautiful books but if you want advanced flexibility when it comes to design, you may want to investigate the purchased edition. CM came out with this product in November 2006 and I ordered my first book the very same month. I have made many books since then but I continue to do traditional scrapbooking as well. Another thing you can do with CM is create and print pages not just books. If you just want to create and print a 12 x 12 page you are able to do that with Storybook Creator Plus (the purchased as well as free editions). You can upload these pages to CM and have them print them or you may print them out on your own printer or have Costco print them as they are able to print sizes including 12 x 12. The one thing that makes CM digital scrapbooks better, imho, then the competitor's books is that they are sewn books rather than just glued together. I did take a quick look at Scrapbook Max, Scrapbook Artist and Scrapbook Factory Deluxe but I just feel like CM is a superior product to these. In addition it comes with built in support from your CM consultant who is always ready to help. One time I had a problem which my consultant couldn't help with but instead of passing me off to technical services she called tech services for me and got the solution and came to my computer and helped me fix the problem. I don't know of any other scrapbook software company that is able to do that! Scrapblog is the only program I checked out in more depth because of the idea that it does not require any software download, library patrons would be able to use this program unlike all the others. So I went to Scrapblog.com and took the Scrapblog Quick Tour and The Printing Quick Tour, and several other Episodes on how to use Scrapblog. Next I created a layout using their terrific program. I liked it alot but did find things that I wanted to use in my layouts that had to be purchased. I also found that some of the things I do with my CM program you were not able to do with this one, for instance grouping items on a page so that when you move them around they move together as one piece instead of pieces. Also with CM, you can choose a sticker or embellishment and then change the color of it to match your page, not so with this program. But overall it's a good program since it's FREE!

Crafts & Hobbies #62: Decoupage

Decoupage is one of those crafts that goes why back. I can remember decoupaging pictures we cut out of magazines or books onto pieces of wood that we then covered with mod podge, added a hook and it was ready to hang. I remember making one in particular with a picture of Holly Hobbie on it for my room. Though that was over 30 years ago I have decoupaged in more recent times. I remember one time I decided to decoupage a notebook for everyone in my group of almost 30 ladies and I bought a new product I'd never used before and it never dried? It was a sticky mess that never worked out and I ended up throwing all 30 notebooks away. I never told that ladies in my group either, hope none of them are reading this now. Most recently I've made decoupaged clipboards and composition notebooks. They make great gifts for teachers and teenage girls that like to keep journals. If you purchase the right kind of pen you can make matching pens by wrapping a small strip of the same paper you used to cover the clipboard or composition book, around the ink inside the pen and reassemble the pen and you have a nice matching pen.

I loved the poster chairs mentioned in the iHCPL blog! Another site to look at for ideas is Split Coast Stampers.

Geek the Library

Ok though I am not sure when the word Geek became a verb and not a noun and of all words to associate with Library I'm not sure geek is the best choice but nonetheless check out this campaign to increase awareness and and therefore support for our local libraries.

The ‘Geek the Library’ campaign, was made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and built by OCLC. It highlights what people are passionate about and how libraries can support them, in an effort to heighten awareness about the critical funding issues public libraries face.

Whatever You Geek, The Public Library Supports It All

"Public libraries inspire and empower. Everyone is welcome. Almost anything can be explored. And they play an important role for individuals and for communities."

Make sure you check out the facts section!

The Goal of the "campaign hopes to inspire a conversation about our incredible public libraries and their urgent need for increased support. We hope you tell people what you geek, how the public library supports you and your community, and that everyone in your community benefits from the services your local library provides."

Crafts & Hobbies #61: Craftspiration!

I have been a crafter of all sorts for as long as I can remember. It started with coloring books, construction paper and Elmer's glue but since then I've done many things including; cross stitch, (even went as far as to cross stitch a monopoly board) hooked rugs, embroidery, crochet, quilting, scrapbooking, stamping, and sewing. I've taught myself how to do all these things though my grandmother, great aunt, aunt, mother, and mother-in-law were all crafters and definitely helped me with things like putting in my first zipper, making my first french knot and holding the yarn and hook just right so you could control the tension. I did take a quilting class once, in which I made my first quilt, as a way to keep busy while we lived in an apartment which I found a lot less work than owning a home. I have always wanted to learn how to weld/solder because I thought that had huge crafting possibilities but I have yet to do that. I discovered Etsy almost a year ago and love the ideas there but it is time mainly that keeps me from visiting the site as often as I'd like and completing any projects I see there. The only thing I'm tempted to do is spend money because that's quick. However, if I were ever looking for a project to undertake, I'd certainly turn to Etsy for ideas. One craft I have spent time doing lately is scrapbooking. I was trying to get my daughter's scrapbook all caught up by the time she graduated. That did not happen as she graduated in June but in her scrapbook she's only almost 4 years old. But I am still plugging away at it. I love to go on scrapbook retreats where you arrive Friday night and stay until Sunday afternoon and all you do is scrapbook. Your meals are prepared for you, there are no family obligations to run someone to the movies, work, etc.., no phone calls (unless of course you choose to answer your cell phone), nothing but scrapbooking. I've been to 4 now in the last several years and they are great. Some of the sites I use for ideas are Split Coast Stampers and Creative Memories.

I did check out some of the craft sites as suggested in this module and loved some of the crafts I found particularly, the Snowman Ornament Pattern from Roxycraft

I thought the idea of Repurposeful was pretty neat. When my kids were little we used to get ice cream from Schwan's and it came in these plastic tubs which we always saved and reused to store their little toys in. Schwan buckets are how we organized many things even my craft supplies. To make them look nice in the closet I even sometimes covered the lid with fabric. They were white and we could easily mark the container with a sharpie marker noting the contents. At one point they even gave out handles that could be attached to the sides making the containers even more useful.

I can see how learning a craft technique or hobby by watching a video could be helpful especially if you didn't have someone to show you how. You may also want written instructions but sometimes written instructions aren't as helpful as watching someone show you how.

What libraries are worth to us by Krista Ramsey

It is needlessly provocative and shamelessly antagonistic behavior to pit books against technology. No one should ever do this. They are both sources of information. They are entirely different species, never meant to compete with each other. None of which explains the delicious thrill some of us feel when we hear that book reading in the Public Library system of Cincinnati and Hamilton County skyrocketed 12.5 percent last year while audio-visual circulation climbed a "mere" 5.7 percent.
No insult to DVDs, CDs, Twitter, Flutter, Flipper, Dipper or Gumby. It's just great news to learn that books, whose death is periodically predicted, are no longer on the endangered list - at least not here. Last year 15.6 million items were checked out of the 41 libraries in the Hamilton County system. The Main Library downtown is the single busiest library in the nation despite serving the 34th largest market. People may have stashed their credit cards in a drawer, but 250,000 Hamilton County adults, teenagers and kids flashed their library "plastic" last year.

In lean times and fat times alike, the public library is the one place where it's always OK to overindulge. The economy is no doubt a factor in the library's banner year. Not only did the borrow-rather-than-buy principle find new appeal, but people flocked to reference materials and programs that helped with job searches, resume writing and interview skills. Still, there is more to the library's appeal than economics. Much of it has to do with how a library makes you feel.
Sanctuary might be an overly serious word, but a library projects an unmistakable sense of civility and calm. Young and old come together peaceably here, rich and poor, readers of mysteries and lovers of ancient philosophy. A library is a bastion of non-judgementalism and one of society's great equalizers.
This atmosphere is in no way accidental. Librarians are almost eerily aware of what goes on inside your head. They know your tastes better than you do, being trained to cut through your vague references to plot or author and put their hands on what you need.
So they know, for example, about that independent streak that makes you want to handle your library business yourself. When 12 libraries put in self-checkouts last year, usage soared. There's something oddly empowering about knowing how to unlock DVD cases all by yourself.
Equally appealing is the library's unusual status as an intensely private public space. It's the one place you can move in the presence of others without saying a word and not be thought rude. The library "dance" is the epitome of socialized behavior, strangers gracefully giving way to one another as they peruse books and DVDs. Yes, cell phones ring and children sometimes use their playground voices, but library users still rank among the most civilized creatures on earth.
That is not to paint too Victorian a picture. The library's Web site had 87 million hits last year, making it the far busiest "branch" in the family. Patrons download audio books onto their MP3 players and reserve books at 3 a.m. from the privacy of their home computers. This week, the library's summer reading program kicks off for children, teens and - this year - adults. There are prizes to be won, plus you get smarter. Nice way to spend a summer.

Next fall, Hamilton Countians may be asked to support a library levy. The state has cut $10 million from the local system, and its reserves are being eaten through.
It wouldn't hurt a bit, as we enjoy their bounty this summer, to think about what public libraries are worth to us, and how to keep them strong. Bad economy or good, it's never wise to let such a gem slip through our fingers.

Krista Ramsey is a member of the Enquirer Editorial Board; kramsey@enquirer.com.

Cy-Woods Inaugral Graduation 2009

Congratuations Danielle, We are so proud of you!

Recession Busters # 60: Food, Fun & Frugality

I absolutly adore Clara! I watched several of her videos. Does anyone remember the Tightwad Gazette? I used to read her newsletter long before she was published in books. Amy Dacyczyn was my hero. In looking for a recession recipe to post to, I found a recipe that I used to make all the time when I was a kid. The person who posted it to her blog called it Ghetto Pizza

Ghetto Pizza
2 tbsp spaghetti sauce from a 26 oz. $2 jar — $0.071

slice of white bread — $0.101

slice cheese (mozzarella, swiss, etc.) — $0.15
optional pepper, dried oregano — negligible
Total: $0.32

When I was in college I worked in the Rathskeller, our college's central gathering place where you could buy a drink and a snack. We made something similiar to these pizza's but we used a bagel instead of bread and pizza sauce from a jar instead of spaghetti sauce. I wish I could remember what we charged for them.

You may also want to check out this title - 10,001 Ways To Live Large on a Small Budget. by The Writers of Wise Bread. The bloggers at the personal finance site WiseBread.com offer thousands of ways to spend less while still enjoying life. The frugal living part includes ideas from gourmet cooking on a shoestring to cheap sunburn remedies. There are money-saving tips on travel, entertainment, and most other aspects of life. The book's second half is devoted to personal finance topics like budgeting, credit, housing, and even how to hire and/or fire a financial adviser.

It cracks me up that a lot of the money saving ideas (getting in free here, save 15% percent there, etc...) still all involve spending money of some sort. How about staying home? You could:

• Watch TV which you are probably already overpaying for because you have cable or a satelite dish.


• Play a game, which you probably already own a closet full of.


• Clean out your junk drawer, you might even find some money in there.


• Clean out your garage, you might find some things you haven't touched in years, list them on craig's list and make some money that way.


• Read a book from the library - free except for the gas to pick up and return the book.


• Listen to an audiobook you downloaded from Overdrive - free except for your internet service.


• Knock on the door of the person that lives across from you and introduce yourself, if you already know your neighbor stop in and have a chat and get caught up on one another.


• Take a walk around your neighborhood, free and good for your health.

Yes, it is hard to be a bored teenager in my household because this is just a sample of the things I say to my girls when they say they are bored. Being bored is just one of those things I have never been nor can I imagine myself being. That coupon you just got in the mail from Kohl's that will save you 15% throw it away and you'll save 100%! What do you really NEED anyway.

Money & Finance #59: Credit, Money Management, and Saving

What a Good Fico score looks like!

Read the article How Credit Scores Work - Ok the article says " Fair Isaac and Company, which developed the score, felt that the score would only confuse consumers since there was nothing to tell them what it meant or what lenders were looking for." I don't know who they think they are kidding I don't believe for a minute that's why credit scores used to be hidden from consumers. And even now that they are available, we must pay and it's not inexpensive. IMHO, I think they should charge the business for accessing our credit scores and if they already do then charge them more! and not charge the consumer at all (it's their information after all). Then companies might think twice about offering credit so easily and ultimatley the consumers may be in less trouble. Thankfully I have good credit not because of anything I've gone out of my way to do just used common sense and paid back what I borrowed when I said I would. However I can see where this would be helpful information to someone who didn't know about credit and how it works, got into a bit of trouble and is now trying to work their way out of the problem. I took the Credit Score Quiz and scored a 10 out of 10.

I've never made a formal spending or budget plan but I looked around at the resources listed in the blog. The one you can complete in about an hour looks pretty basic and easy. It really is wise to know how much you make, how much you spend on absolute necessities, how much you spend on things you don't really need and how much is left over and what you are doing with it. Everyone should have an education on budgeting and managing your money. If I were to make a formal spending plan I would use the Quicken software that we have and use for daily. Once in awhile my husband and I will say to each other hey where's all the money going and we'll sit down and run a few reports on Quicken and it will tell us and we'll say hey, we really need to cut back on eating out, buying gifts, boy that phone bill is out of line with all the others did we (teenagers) go over? or that water bill looks high do we have a leak? etc...

With regards to the TCDRS site I did check it out and was happy to find that even though I am part-time I may still receive retirement benefits. Now start the countdown...29 years, 9 months, and 29 days to go....

Money & Finance #58: Banking, Budgeting, and Spending

The first thing I did was of course take the quiz; I love taking quizzes. I scored a 70 on the quiz and it said "You've got a solid grip on your finances."
On to the exercises....

• Yes, our bank offers free online banking and we use it regularly. I only use online banking from my home computer which is not a shared computer. I like that you can see images of the checks written so in case you forgot to write the complete information done I can still enter it in Quicken with the complete information. In addition to the user name and password they use a sitekey as well.


• We use Quicken and have for years. I like that it is only on my computer and I don't have to upload all the information to a website to track my spending. When you enter expenditures in Quicken you categorize everything so whenever you want you can see where your money is going. For example, you can ask for all restaurant purchases in specfic time frame and see what you've spent eating out. If I were to use one of the budgeting tools I would probably use Mint because"Mint is led by an experienced team including industry veterans drawn from the ranks of Charles Schwab, eBay, Expedia, Intuit, PGP and other leaders in the finance, security and software industries." I don't think I'd use expensr because of the social networking aspect. "The idea behind the social networking aspect is depending on your tags and categories you can compare yourself against other persons similar to your financial situation and as a result determine whether your spending practices are good or bad." I don't think my financial decisions can be determined if they are good or bad based on how they stack up to persons similar to my financial situation. I feel confident that my financial decisions are right for me but not necessarily everyone in my "financial situation" and the same goes for others financial decisions maybe be right for them but not me. I'd also want to know more about Shawn Gupta and Reman Child before I used expenr. Wesabe's executives, directors and advisors appear impressive so they might be second in line to Mint if I were to ever use one of these online tools. Foonance looks like the bargain basement alternative to online budget software. I couldn't even explore the site without logging in. Buxfer - good visuals but the professional "Team" consists of one guy? Shashank Pandit who is "currently on leave until Buxfer makes me rich or bankrupt." Spendji may know what they are doing when it comes to financial services and entrepreneurship but they didn't know what they were doing when they loaded a video to their website that is a copyright infringment. Rippleplay sounds like a system very similar to your mortage company selling your mortage and how some financial analysts try and explain how we got in the financial mess were in now. It almost makes for humorous reading. Scred didn't look helpful to me at all because I never do anything with others in which there is a financial obligation so complicated that we would need software to assist us.


• From the CR article - I've aways questioned this advice. "Shop around for the lowest gasoline prices. One way to do that before leaving the house is to check http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ for a list of Web sites where motorists can report and check out the latest prices by location." But how do you decide when to drive further for a better price? I buy gas from the Kroger's that is just outside my subdivision and generally notice when looking at prices at other stations while driving around that the price I pay there is right in line with the other places. I know gas is expensive but my time is valuable too and spending time researching the best price on gas and then driving to get it seems to be alittle overkill but to make sure I went ahead and checked the website just to see how much of a difference in price stations could be and how far away I'd be driving to get this less expensive gas. So the last time I filled up I paid $1.82 ($1.85 less my .03 discount for using my Kroger card). According to the gas price chart the cheapest place to get gas in my zip code is at Murphy USA @ 290 and Cypress Rosehill @ $1.78. According to Google Maps that is 6.6 miles and 17 minutes from my house. I work in the opposite direction and if you've ever been near the intersection of 290 & Spring Cypress you would avoid it like the plague, trust me. Buc-ee's has gas for $1.81 but that is even further away and would still require I drive past the dreaded intersection of Spring Cypress & 290. Kroger's, H.E.B and Randalls came in next with prices of $1.81, $1.82 and $1.83 respectively but all of these are off 290 and again in the opposite direction of my work or any places I frequent so they would all require a special trip which goes against the "plan your outings" advice from the same CR article. So I think I'll stick with my neighborhood Kroger and spend the time I save researching gas prices deciding what to make for dinner. Read the article on ways to cut back on your speam ending. Blog about 2 or 3 ideas mentioned that you'd like to incorporate/implement into your financial plan.


• Groceries - I spend what I spend and my kids still say "there is never anything to eat here."


• Utilities - My thermostat is on 65 in the winter and 78 in the summer. Hmmm....


• Phone, Internet, TV - As far as I am concerned it is all overpriced! Ok maybe you can save lots of money with promotional rates but when the promotion is over you have to keep switching and that takes time waiting while your put on hold to cancel the old service and sign up for the new service. Whatever happened to paying for loyalty? Taking advantage of promotional rates is something I just don't have the time or patience to deal with especially since you really do have to read the fine print and sometimes that is similar to reading assembly instructions written by a technical writer.


• Personal finance - I never use ATM machines unless they are my own banks even then I almost always go in the bank. I don't like to pay any fees at all. I've never paid any fees for banking as I used a credit union from the time I opened my first account till I moved to TX. Even though I still have the credit union at home as my main bank, we did open a local bank account and until recently it was "free" as well. However when we paid down a loan we have with them to under a certain limit (set by them) our accounts were no longer free. So let's see we were penalized for paying back our debt. That doesn't make sense, it would seem to me that's the kind of customers they want, ones that take out large loans and actually pay them back as opposed to those who don't pay them back. Suddenly our monthly bank statements had $20.00 maintenace fees on them that were never there before. Whatever happened to keeping the customers you have? It seems to be all about getting new customers. Again I don't have the time or patience to be switching banks very couple of years.


• Insurance - We did our homework when we shopped for our home owners and car insurance when we moved to TX. I marked that off my list then and frankly I've never had any reason to put it back on the list. I like our coverage, our company and the service they provide. Our rates have flucuated and again I suppose we could have saved some money by switching around but I value the security I have knowing that our insurance premiums are taken directly from our bank regularly and it's one less thing to worry about.


• Health care - my health care alternatives are decided upon by my insurance. The only decision I can make is whether or not to go to the doctor's, get the prescription filled, or go to the hospital.

Mine, a customized magazine from Time

Want a magazine made especially for you? Try Mine Pick 5 titles from Sports Illustrated, Real Simple, Money, Travel & Leisure, In Stlye, Golf, Time and Food & Wine magazines and in two weeks you'll receive the first of 5 issues, either in print format or digital format, tailored specifically to your interests. You have till June 15th, 2009 or until the first 31,000 print subscribers or 200,000 digital subscribers join.

Ever wonder what the "I'm Feeling Lucky" tab on Google is?

I found this on Wikipedia explaining how Google loses $110 million a year as a result of this feature.

"Google's homepage includes a button labeled "I'm Feeling Lucky". When a user clicks on the button the user will be taken directly to the first search result, bypassing the search engine results page. The thought is that, if a user is "feeling lucky", the search engine will return the perfect match the first time without having to page through the search results.
According to a study by Tom Chavez of "Rapt", this feature costs Google $110 million a year as 1% of all searches use this feature and bypass all advertising."

Pot Luck #57: TXT U L8R - Texting

Text messaging is essential when you have teenagers, sometimes it's the only form of communication in our house. I can confirm what the NYT article states "Many teenagers prefer them to actually talking." I have had my woes with my own personal cell phone and right now I do not have a working cell phone despite a $178.00 monthly bill. When we text we don't use lingo but we do use abbreviations so we don't exceed text length and for ease of typing, though the girls have a full keyboard on their phones, I do not and it's much easier to type r instead of are. When texting you lose some key parts of the communication process, including body language, facial expressions, eye contact, voice quality, emotion, and speaking style including rhythm, intonation and stress; which can alter the way the receiver decodes the message considerably. With these elements lacking it can be vital that your message is as clear and concise as possible so keeping the lingo to a minimum when the message is important might be something you want to consider. I think the best thing about text messaging is you can get a message to someone without interrupting what they are doing like a phone call. Receiving a text message is also alot easier than retrieving your voice mail messages. So as a sender and a receiver I prefer text messages to voice in many situations. I don't however want it to take the place of voice communication all the time. There are still some things that I don't want to find out about via a text message, (someone's died, someone's been in an accident, I'm fired, etc..) There are still some things that must be conveyed verbally.
In regards to my thoughts on the New York Times article:

• I liked what Caitlin Williams said, "We are not at a point where there are a whole lot of rules for proper etiquette for texting. I think as it becomes a more acceptable form of communication, people will regulate themselves a little more" except I don't think it's a matter of time I think it's a person's willingness to adopt the rules of etiquette. Cell phones have been around for years now and there are still many people who conduct their business on their cell phone in public.
• "Usage controls were developed at the request of customers" according to Jack McArtney who says, “We know of some people who want to keep the kid’s phone from buzzing all night. They want them to get some sleep.” Hello parents? be parents and take the phone away if it's interferring with a good nights sleep, or what about turning if off? The on/off switch is the most important usage control and it's already a feature of your phone so no new developments necessary.
• Concerning safety - texting, like anything else that requires your attention (listening to music, talking on the phone) while trying to do anything else like driving, walking, even working out, is going to take your attention away from your primary activity and has potential problems. Yes, you can sometimes do two things at once but not always. If someone runs out between parked cars while your driving and your eyes are not on the road because your looking at your phone or even adjusting your radio station your level of attention is not the same as it would be if you were just driving. Does that mean we need laws governing our use of our cell phones while driving? I don't know the answer to that. I have been behind a driver who is not driving as attentively because they are on their phone and yes, that frustrates me to no end but do I pull over every time I get a call or place a text? No, I honestly can say I don't do that either. But then there are speed limits too and I don't always stick to those either. So laws may be one way to discourage an activity but it's not foolproof.
• Another kind of safety that you may not have considered when you provided your child with a cell phone. "We found that 44 percent of the high school boys that we have polled have seen at least one naked picture of a female classmate, and the boys are sharing their pictures too," Aftab said. Even if your children are not the ones photographed they may be sent these photos and view them without realizing what they are about to see. And if they are among those participating in sexting, Mark Rasch, a former cybercrime prosecutor for the Justice Department says it best. “The combination of poorly drafted laws, new technologies, draconian and inflexible punishments, and teenage hormones make for potentially disastrous results.”

Potluck #56: To Tweet or Not To Tweet...Twitter

I created a Twitter account back in iHCPL, the first generation, but I've never really found a use for it for others keeping up with me or me keeping up with others.

In browsing a couple of different Twitter profiles (news, fashion, celebrities) and read through a few updates. Do you think this is something you would adopt for personal use? Is there a particular topic you'd like to tweet about?

I have zero interest in keeping tabs on celebrities so Celebrity Tweet is something I would never follow. Entertainment Weekly's The Truth about Twitter says it best, "many celeb posts are either purely promotional ... or simply boring."

The 10 Traits of Highly Effective Twitter Users imho, are 10 traits of highly effective _____ (and you can fill in the blank with just about any word) but people comes to my mind.

2) I used the search feature to find tweets about one of my favorite things - Sonic Route 44 diet cranberry limeades! I found:

• "I hate you Sonic for not Dieting my Route 44. Blergh." and I can totally relate I hate it when I ask for diet and it ends up not being diet that could throw someone into a diabetic coma!

3) Not really sure what the buzz is all about but for me I'm too busy living life to stop and get on a computer to twitter to let the anyone know what I am doing and my cell phone despite the $178.00 monthly bill associated with it is useless!

"After years of bemoaning the decline of a literary culture in the United States, the National Endowment for the Arts says in a report that it now believes a quarter-century of precipitous decline in fiction reading has reversed." For the complete article

Playing for Change

Mark Johnson is the co-director of a remarkable documentary about the simple but transformative power of music: Playing for Change: Peace Through Music

Something Bill Moyers says really resonated with me in regard to how foreign the past political campaign seems to the reality of my everyday life. He states, "How foreign and fraudulent the politics of sleaze, the polarizing almost savage pursuit of power that strokes the paranoia in us in order to divide and conquer."

So if you are like me and need to meet someone "who hasn't given up on either our humanity or our future together." Let me introduce you to Mark Johnson.

Pot Luck #55: Getting the Most Out of Facebook

1. I already have a Facebook account

2. I currently have 43 friends and have searched for new friends in all the ways described.

3. The applications use on Facebook include Living Social: Visual Bookshelf, Shelfari, Bumper Sticker, WorldCat, and My Music among others.

4. Looking at my applications was a good chance to "clean house." I removed several applications that I don't really use. What happens is when someone sends you a Valentine's Day present for example and you accept it that adds the Valentine's Day gift application to your applications when really all you may have wanted to do was accept the gift. I never really got into giving because they are not all free. So I took this opportunity to clean up my applications. I also have a better understanding of how they work, for example, if you ignore something your friend will NOT be notified so I don't feel as obligated to accept invitations to join groups, mailing lists, petitions, etc. I like Facebook because I have out-of-state friends and family and it makes keeping in touch with them very easy. No more getting double prints and mailing them in snail mail, yes this is what I did when my kids were growing up with out-of-state grandparents. Today I have a niece with a 7 month old little girl who lives in Indiana and I get to see photos of her almost daily and even videos of her. Though my friend list is nowhere near the hundreds like my daughters are I am guessing this is because Facebook is much more popular with the younger set. I do occassionally find a new friend who I graduated from high school or college with has recently joined Facebook so I guess it's catching on with those my age.

Books, Readers and Beyond: #54 Social Networking Through Books

Exercise One:
I am currently a member of a book club that I started with some friends and neighbors almost 6 years ago now. It is a diverse group of women who have learned a great deal from each other and the books we've read and discussed. We meet once a month usually at my home. My preference would be to participate with people in-person rather than online though I do like using Visual Bookshelf by Living Social on Facebook to see what others are reading and keep track of my own reading. I do not regularly give a review when finishing a book but happily give others my feedback when asked personally for it. I do enjoy reading others reviews though. I'll leave the writing up to the talented people like Secret Asian Girl and LoneStarLibrarian.
Exercise Two:
Our library has a book club that meets monthly though I have never attended a meeting. Our patrons are busy people and I am not sure there is a demand for another book club here at Fairbanks. Judging from what people ask us for we would be better served having computer classes and workshops for typing a resume.
I did checkout all the resources as listed on #54.
Houston Great Books Council - I found a group that meets at the Panera Bread at 12220 FM 1960 Road W. So when I am ready to tackle Canterbury Tales someday I know where I can go and discuss it. Don't hold a seat for me quite yet.
ReadingGroupGuides - I have used this website many times in the past to get discussion questions for my book club to help keep our members talking about the book. It of course is a good source of ideas for what to read next but that usually isn't a problem as I have a list of books I want to read a mile long by the time I'm done with all the professional reading I try to keep up with. We also take turns picking the book for book club and rarely does anyone have trouble finding something to read. Based on my most recent visit here I would add Things I Want My Daughter To Know to my list of suggestions for book club.
Reading Group Choices - Another website I am familiar with and enjoy, however it doesn't have as large a selection of books to choose from for the discussion questions. I do enter the drawings when I visit the site. It seems some of the links are not updated regularly; i.e. the News and Events section's most recent listing is from 2007.
Readerville Forum - My least favorite of the four because in order to search you must login. The last thing I need is to join yet another blog/forum/website etc.. Not being able to search for a specific discussion, I just looked around at some of the discussions but found like my book club there was more discussion about off topic stuff than books including bacterial meningitis, Java installation and when they will be making a movie of the book. However, Readerville has additional resources so there is more to it than just the Forum.
I have a LibraryThing account which I started in June 2006. I've always wanted to enter the books I own but still have not done so.
I took a look around Goodreads but since I knew people on Shelfari I opened a Shelfari account instead of using Goodreads.
And finally, I have a visual bookshelf on my Facebook.

Exercise Three:
I looked up People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. On Shelfari they had 181 reviews of this book and 7 posts under the discussions. Most of the reviews were favorable though not all. One of the reviews quoted one of my favorite passages from the book. "...there were people who could see that what united us was more than what divided us. That to be a human being matters more than to be a Jew or a Muslim, Catholic or Orthodox." Goodreads had far more reviews of this book at 7574 and they broke down the reviews into categories for 5 star, 4 star, 3 star, 2 star, and 1 star ratings and gave you the average rating which was pretty helpful. And lastly, I looked at Visual Bookshelf on Facebook for People of the Book and found 923 reviews, 5323 people who include this title on the "bookshelf", 2 discussions, and 50 books under "similar titles."

From HBO Films: John Adams

Last weekend we completed the John Adams mini-series. There is a part where Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington and Alexander Hamilton are discussing the establishment of a national bank. I am not sure how much of what is said by Thomas Jefferson's character in the movie can be attributed to the real man and how much is "screenplay" however, it is uncanny how closely what he said more than 225 years ago resonates with situations we face today.

"I fear our revolution will have been in vain if a Virginia farmer is to be held in hoc to a New York stock jobber who in turn is in hoc to a London banker. The opportunities for avarice and corruption would certainly prove irresistible."

Irresistible indeed...

Books, Readers and Beyond: #53 Finding Books Online

Exercise One
Using Google the three closest booksellers to our library are Scholastic Books, Hollingsworth's Books, and Faith Assembly Bookstore. I wouldn't consider any of these traditional booksellers. There is a Scholastic Books warehouse just around the corner from our library at 7400 Security Way #200 Houston, TX 77040 and they do have a small store where you can go in and purchase books and of course they have warehouse sales periodically however they do not operate the same as a traditional bookstore. Of course they have an online presence but not in the sense that you can browse their offerings or inventory however it is loaded with resources for librarians, teachers, parents and kids. Hollingsworth's Books at 9118 Vinetree Ln, Houston, TX‎ 77066 appears to be in someone's residence but they do have a webpage thru Biblio.com where you can search the inventory. Books start at $7.00 and go up to $800.00 with 4674 titles available. Faith Assembly Bookstore is the third closest bookstore to Fairbanks Library. The bookstore has no web presence other than address and telephone listings. The closest traditional bookstore is Waldenbooks in Willowbrook mall which is a subsidiary of Borders. Finally, Barnes and Noble Booksellers at The Centre in Copperfield is just a few tenths of a mile further than the Waldenbooks.

Exercise Two
I searched for People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. I wanted to take a closer look at BookMooch so I searched there for a copy but found none available. It is also listed as "not available yet" on What's on My Bookshelf. Of course Amazon has it for sale in hardcover it is $16.29 and $9.00 for the paperback. Both are also available in previsously owned (used) versions starting at $6.00 for the hardback and $12.99 for the paperback. The audiobook on CD is also available new for $26.37 or used starting at $6.75.

It's funny how sometimes the timing of these exercises and the things I do everyday in my job overlap. For example, the seniors at Jersey Village High School are reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and I've had four students in the past two days come in and ask for the book on audio. Our branch doesn't own this on audio and the copies owned by the library either weren't available in the desired format or were too far away and therefore would take to long to receive. So, I first directed the students to Overdrive (one of my favorite HCPL resources). The next day I had a third student come in and ask for Frankenstein on audio. I went to Overdrive but the 2 copies available just the previous day were now checked out and I am guessing wouldn't be available for 14 days since they had just been checked out. So we went to Project Gutenburg where I was able to find the audiobook which can be downloaded for free. Later this same day a 4th student came in for Frankenstein, I showed him Overdrive but now not only were the two copies still checked out but now there's 1 person on the waiting list.

Exercise Three
So for this exercise I downloaded the ebook of Frankenstein in graphic novel format from Overdrive. I enjoyed reading this graphic novel and didn't mind at all that it was on the computer screen as I suspected I might. The screen was nice and big showing both left and right hand pages at the same time, or just one page at a time. You can also adjust your fit to make the page larger. The largest setting is obtained by closing the navigation pane. "Turning pages" was very easy and overall Adobe Digital Editions is very easy to use. Since that only took a few minutes to read, I checked out The Union Square Cafe Cookbook. I didn't like this one because when it comes to cookbooks, I love/need photos! This had no photos. I am unsure as to whether or not this is an aspect of the ebook or the book in any format. So I tried another cookbook just so I could see the photos and decide whether or not I could enjoy looking at cookbooks this way. The second one I chose had no photos either????So one more try for a cookbook with photos and I chose The Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book which also had no photos. So I am not sure what to think now if those cookbooks really don't have photos or if just the ebook versions don't have photos?

One very nice feature of the ebooks on Overdrive using Adobe Digital Editions is you can return an item you are no longer needing when you are finished. That was very nice. So you can check something out, browse it and if you decide you don't want it you don't have to wait till your checkout expires for it to come off your account. Which really helps since you can only check out ten items via Overdrive. As far as I know you cannot do this with audiobooks. You just wait for the item to expire. Lastly, I downloaded Luxe by Anna Godbersen, a young adult title I've always wanted to read. I read long enough for my leg to fall asleep as I sit in a bar stool at my kitchen counter. Off the top of my head, since I tend to be a night owl, library hours vs the 24/7 availabilty of online digital editions comes to mind as one of the biggest advantages of ebooks. Having all these books at your fingertips and downloadable to your computer in a matter of mintues, even seconds really, is awesome. The time to download an ebook is incredibly fast in my experience. Luxe is 451 pages and didn't take more than a minute to download and view on Adobe. However, I can't imagine dragging the computer in to my daughter's room so I could read her a bedtime story from the computer though, even though sadly, those days for me are over. It's not a kindle after all. I am not sure but I think I would miss the tactile experience of reading a traditional printed book. Seeing as how I am torn between taking my laptop to bed with me to read more of Luxe or powering down and just reading the book on the nightstand next to my bed (The Red Necklace by by Sally Gardner) it could easily be a toss up. If we abandon the printed book for digital versions what would we do when the power goes out? especially when the power is off for days or weeks like it was for many last September? Technology is great as long as it's working.

Stupidest thing I heard today

Mayor Oscar Goodman is upset over President Obama’s comments that corporate executives from companies getting federal bailout funds shouldn’t be going on corporate trips to Las Vegas, saying the comments were hurtful to the convention industry.
When CNN news anchor Campbell Brown asks "Mayor Goodman, do you really believe that the president owes Las Vegas an apology?" Mayor Oscar Goodman replies, "Not so much an apology as more of righting a wrong."
The definition of apology: is a noun that means an expression of regret for having done something wrong.
What exactly is he trying to say here? Does he even know?

Danielle's Horse Show

Books, Readers and Beyond: #52 What to Read

1. I first chose Geraldine Brooks author of People of the Book because I enjoyed that book so much. However when I performed the search on Novelist Plus it offered no Author Read-Alikes. Next I tried Kate Jacobs and it returned one Author Read-Alike for Jennifer Chiaverini. Next I tried searching Library Booklists and Bibliographies for both Geraldine Brooks and Kate Jacobs and received no hits. I also tried Fiction_L Booklists but there were no lists for Kate Jacobs or Gerladine Brooks. On What Should I Read Next? I received the following suggestions for Read-Alikes for Kate Jacobs.

Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner - Lisa Wingate
The Hakawati - Rabih Alameddine
Flames of Rome, The: A Novel
RUN WITH THE HORSEMAN - Ferrol Sams
Table For Five - Susan Wiggs
The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society: A Novel - Beth Pattillo
Summer Blowout - Claire Cook
A Case of Bad Taste - Lori Copeland
Island of Lost Girls: A Novel - Jennifer Mcmahon
Off Season - Anne Rivers Siddons

It seems most of the sites are helpful if you read people like Nicholas Sparks, Janet Evanovich and Dan Brown but less helpful for authors like Kate Jacobs author of three books and Geraldine Brooks author of five books.

2. Using NoveList Plus I found the following two books for my fourth grade female patron: The underneath by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by David Small
A dog's life: the autobiography of a stray by Ann M. Martin
and for her 13 year old brother:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Seer of Shadows by Avi

3. Using What Should I Read Next? You have to type in a book and the author and depending on the Dean Koontz book you choose you get a different listing of suggestions which included; Bernhard Schlink's The Reader, Sara Gruen's Flying Changes , and Seldom Disappointed: A Memoir by Tony Hillerman. Using Library Booklists and Bibliographies lead me to Wake County Plublic Library's page If You Like Dean Koontz ... where I found 11 suggestions including these three authors; Greg Bear, Bentley Little and John Saul.

4. Using Mid-Continent Public Library's Juvenile Series and Sequels webpage I found the following information for my patron who wants to read Alanna: the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce and the other books in the series in order.
Series : Song of the Lioness
Book Title
1 Alanna: The First Adventure
2 In the Hand of the Goddess
3 Woman Who Rides Like a Man, The
4 Lioness Rampant

My Dewey Decimal System Classification

Monica's Dewey Decimal Section:

004 Data processing & computer science


Class:
000 Computer Science, Information & General Works


Contains:
Encyclopedias, magazines, journals and books with quotations.



What it says about you:
You are very informative and up to date. You're working on living in the here and now, not the past. You go through a lot of changes. When you make a decision you can be very sure of yourself, maybe even stubborn, but your friends appreciate your honesty and resolve.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Try it out and find out your Dewey Decimal System Classification @ Dewey Decimal System Number

44 US Presidents Video

Since my husband was "quizzing" me on the 44 US presidents last night, I thought I'd share this.