http://ordinary.palomacruz.com Personal items, info and things that don't fit into my other blog projects... including the occasional rant. Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:39:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Some stories to watch:Target Settles Accessibility Lawsuit for $6 Million, by SitePointNeed to declutter your life? Reboot Your Workflow This Fall with tips from lifehacker.Some links to add to your bookmarks:soundunwound, from the great people who brought us imdb, it's the ultimate online database for music knowledge http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/09/07/ordinary-news-links-3/ Amazon's Universal Wish ListLooks like Amazon has taken their wish list a step further and enabled the ability to add non-Amazon items. Smart. This makes their universal wish list the one place you can add every little thing your heart (or head) desires, making it more likely you'll use it. ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/09/01/ordinary-links-news/ I changed my approach to eating last October. I started eating fruits and vegetables. I cut out junk food. I started to drink lots of water. I cut back on my caffeine. I started to use phrases like "dressing on the side" and "hold the bread." I watched what I ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/08/27/every-calorie-counts/ From ABC13's consumer blog:IF YOU GET UNWANTED TEXT ADS ON YOUR CELL PHONE TEXT THE WORD STOP TO THE NUMBER AND IT SHOULD END. IF THAT DOES NOT WORK, CALL YOUR WIRELESS PROVIDER AND ASK THEM TO STOP THIRD PARTY TEXTING ON YOUR DEVICE. IF THAT DOES NOT ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/08/27/no-more-spam-on-your-phone/ BNET asks this question and offers several views, from family ties to the rules of family governance. Then they ask: Are you in a family business? What are the pluses and minuses from your perspective?I'd be interested in that answer as well. I don't have a family business, but cannot ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/08/07/should-you-join-the-family-business/ McDonald's may end $1 cheeseburgers ABC 13 reports that the price increases in gas, and food, is being felt by fast food too. We should all prepare to see the $1 cheeseburger disappear. Prices will go up, or changes will be made to the food, but it won't remain the same. And ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/08/05/everyday-news-links/ TodayShow.com has a great reason to keep eating blueberries (my new favorite fruit): they are a memory-boosting food. "Berries have some of the highest antioxidant concentrations among fruit, and ALL berries are rich in healthy compounds called anthocyanins and flavanols… which may help protect against the breakdown of brain cells." ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/07/12/the-power-of-blueberries-and-where-to-find-them/ Need to figure out how much money you need to retire? Wikihow has step-by-step instructions on how to accomplish this. Putting it on my to do list. (Found via Lifehacker.)On a personal note, I think I need to sign up for Lifelock to do something to safeguard against identity theft. ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/07/11/financial-news-and-links/ The Big Green Purse is reporting that the Home Depot is recycling compact fluorescent light bulbs. Good news for those of use who have been using them but were worried about what happens when they have to be replace.Simply bring in your expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/06/28/recycle-your-compact-flourescent-lights/ A vacation you can affordGet Rich Slowly gives some great advice on being a tourist in your own hometown. Tips:Set a budget.Grab a guidebook.Book a tour.Be adventurous.Chat it up. Talk with the actual tourists.Be unreachable.Swap houses.Think outside the box.Cool clothes for big kidsBusinessWeek has an interesting article about retailers filling ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/06/24/ordinary-news-links-2/ Sears gets a new imageThe Associated Press reports that Sears is trying to get hip1, and catch a higher portion of the teen customer base. Why? Because, especially in today's economy, "what's certain, experts say, is that the chain led by financier Edward Lampert desperately needs to reinvent itself if ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/06/20/ordinary-news-links/ The Houston Chronicle's Shannon Buggs has some great tips on being thrifty:Make your home energy efficient.Don't buy gasoline with a debit card.Don't carry balances on gasoline credit cards.Plan daily commuting.Bring your personal life back in-house.Step away from the cutting edge. http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/06/03/tips-on-being-thrifty/ One of the luxuries I rarely get to indulge in these days is sleeping in. I am not a morning person, never have been and never will be. It's just a part of who I am. So, sleeping in is something I love. Unfortunately, it's a luxury in the truest ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/05/04/sleeping-in/ Being up early enough to make a 7 a.m. Breakfast appointment is too early for a Saturday. But here I am, at Taquería Arandas (on Shepherd, near I-10), waiting for my friends to show up. I give them even money that they won't be here anywhere near on time. But ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/05/03/on-time/ Today is the day I'm supposed to do an end-of-month inventory on my goals. But I won't, I know it. I've been avoiding looking at my status against what I'm supposed to be accomplishing.I don't want to know.I haven't reached my financial goals, I know without even looking. I haven't ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/04/30/taking-stock-of-my-goals/ Tired, hungry and short-tempered. I'm indulging today, right now, in a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a diet soda.Diet be damned, at least for today.This is my first diet cola in more than six months. It will be my first real bacon cheeseburger in just as long. I won't bother ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/04/29/bad-day/ I spend far too much money on small things. My budget is sinking, one penny at a time.Got a text message alert from my bank that an account has insufficient funds. Insufficient funds? Not possible.I logged into my account and checked against my spending list (that I keep on my ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/04/23/overdrawn/ Zen Habits has a wonderful post entitled "20 Things I Wish I Had Known When Starting Out in Life" with great info that, approaching my 40th birthday (not this year, but soon) just makes sense to me. The short lit:How to control impulse spending.You gotta stay active.How to plan finances.Junk ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/03/05/20-things-i-wish-i-had-known-when-starting-out-in-life/ Early Harris County voting for primary turnout 'unprecedented'-- Houston Chronicle2More than 230,000 people cast ballots in Harris County during the last 11 days, capping an "unprecedented" early voting period for the Republican and Democratic primaries.[snip]I'm hopeful that the turnout for the primaries is an indicator to the turnouts we can expect in ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/03/04/voter-turnout-unprecedented/ I know that a lot of us are worried about keping our jobs in today's economy. Here are five tips on how to do just that, presented by The Five O'Clock Club at HispanicAd:Keep your skills up-to-date.Take initiative. Show only your good character traits (reliable, honest).Make yourself visible to those ... http://ordinary.palomacruz.com/2008/02/10/tips-on-keeping-your-job/