Archive for April, 2012

#MythBusters (ep186)


30 Apr

Shoes do not make a difference in how you drive, but a full bladder does. While I agree, it is definitely not as bad as driving intoxicated, a lot more people are likely to drive with a full bladder than do drunk. Given that, I think it is important to show people that they are not as good of drivers when they are that distracted by discomfort. Remember when you were a child and your parents made you go to the bathroom before getting in the car, even if you did not have to go? Everyone should remember that lesson.

Support SNOPA


29 Apr

What would your response be, if, in an interview, your potential employer asked to tap your phone, read your mail, or be given the password to your email?  What if your child’s school asked to monitor your child that way? Chances are, you would say no, that those things are a gross violation of privacy.

It’s the same violation to require a job applicant or a student to provide their FaceBook log in information. If they make a public post that can be seen by anyone, that’s one thing, but if their account has privacy locks, that makes it private.

Blog Feature: Something Wagging this Way Comes


28 Apr

Pamela has not been blogging there much lately, but it still surprised me when realized I had not yet done a blog feature on Something Wagging This Way Comes. I consistently enjoy Pamela’s writing, her positive attitude, and the lessons she is able to learn from her beautiful Golden Retriever, Honey. In fact, my favorite posts of hers are from her Puppiness Project series, where she attempts to learn lessons about how to be happy from Honey. The latest, The Blessing Accompanies the Curse, is a reminder to see a silver lining in every cloud, just like our dogs do.

Your Money Friday: Federal Student Loans


27 Apr

I can’t believe it’s already that time of year, but current high school seniors who are going to college next year are starting to get their financial aid award letters. So the question over at Your Money is about federal student loans- if both subsidized and unsubsidized are offered, do you have to take both? The answer is NO. Subsidized loans are a great deal- no interest while you’re at least half time in school and for a 6 month grace period after you graduate. Fur unsub loans, interest accrues and capitalizes. If you can afford it, subsidized loans only.

Movie Review: Real Steel


26 Apr

Robot boxing and Hugh Jackman- what’s not to like? I really did enjoy this movie. Yes, it was formulaic, and we all knew that Hugh’s character would end up having to “box” at the end (after all, we’d seen it in the previews), but knowing where a movie is going does not mean you can’t enjoy the ride. I like fun. I do not think every plot has to be complicated and full of twists to entertain. This movie satisfied.

My only issues were with our numerous “bad” guys, none of whom were fully formed characters. There were, instead, caricatures.

#TheVoice (s2, ep17)


25 Apr

For once, all of my predictions came true. I think that is because last night, we had the most clear cut choices of the season. I could see Cee Lo wavering, with the comment about Cheesa having a voice- she does. But I do not believe that diva voices are necessarily better voices than rocker voices. Juliet will never sing Whitney Houston, but Cheesa couldn’t pull off Stevie Nicks- who sang with last year’s winner of The Voice during the finale.

For Team Adam and Team Cee Lo, the best singers and performers are definitely made it to the semi-finals.

#TheVoice (s2 ep 16)


24 Apr

Can I just start by saying Tony Lucca singing “One More Time” was brilliant! It wasn’t the best singing done all night, but it was the best performance. Absolutely fabulous.

Elimination wise, Cee Lo made the only choice he could. My bet for going home tonight is Cheesa. Jamar and Juliet are just so powerful. But if America saves her, it will be a hard, hard choice for Mr. Green.

Either Pip or Mathai could have gone home last night from Team Adam. I think Mathai should go tonight. I believe America will save Tony, and Katrina wowed last night.

#MythBusters (ep 185)


23 Apr

I don’t disagree with the methodology or even any of the experiments conducted last night. However, I’m not certain that in most cases what the MythBusters were testing was the result of those differences. Maybe the emotional recognition and maybe the special recognition result from the physiological differences. But driving or map reading or grilling? Not so much.

They may have been a social construction. Women are worse drivers because we’ve heard comments all of our lives about “women drivers”. Men may have a harder time recognizing emotion because they are not raised with the belief that it is important.

Movie Review: Off and Running


22 Apr

Off and Running is a documentary a very untraditional family. Made up of a Jewish lesbian couple and their three adopted children, a Puerto Rican boy, an African American girl, and a younger Korean son. The focus is on Avery, the daughter, as she tries to establish contact with her birth mother and begins to connect to her African American heritage.
It was an interesting look into how rejection from someone you have never met can change a life. Avery responds by rejecting her adoptive family until she reaches a crisis point, when she reaches back out for their support.

Blog Feature: Family Money Values


21 Apr

I absolutely love the concept behind Family Money Values- basically, Marie believes money is a family issue, not something secret to be hid from your parents or your children. She believe the path to growing wealth, real wealth, takes generations, and specifically, generations working together to accomplish the goal.

This week, she wrote about the lessons learned from their first family meeting- what went right, what went wrong, and what they needed to change in the future.

I love this concept and hope that I will be able to take Marie’s teachings in to my own family as it grows.

100 Words On

topics explored in exactly 100 words