Tuesday, February 23, 2010
We received a phone call from Visa about three years ago asking if we made a $400 purchase in an Ohio Walmart. Uh… no? The rep said our card number is compromised and he will remove the fraudulent charges and cancel our card.
Good thing we answered the phone! How could this happen? The Visa rep said that the most likely reason is that we handed our card to a waitress to pay for our dinner, she went to the back, wrote the number down then sold it later. Whaaa!
So… here are some tips to avoid being ripped off:
1) Use cash. Carrying $100 in cash won’t make you any more of a target for a mugging than if you carry credit cards.
2) Use PayPal for online transactions.
3) Store your social security card, passport, etc. in a safe deposit box.
4) Never use non-bank ATMs like those at gas stations or convenience stores.
5) Use a secure place to receive mail with a locked box – not a street mailbox.
6) Shred pre-approved credit offers.
7) Review your bank statements, credit report, and social security report.
9) Install Antivirus and Firewall protection on your computer.
10) Sign up for automatic payroll direct deposits.
11) Sign up for paperless bills and statements.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Ahh… the things we get excited about. I picked up a new trash can the other day. I love my new garbage pail so much that I had to write about it.
This purchase was long overdue. My old trash can works great in theory. It works similar to the fast food restaurant trashcans – you have to push the swivley lid to insert your trash.
Well, that’s fine unless I want to scrape food off a plate. I have to hold the lid open while I scrape which works poorly. To curb the problem I just remove the entire dome lid and set it on the floor so I can trash without hindrance. Lame!
Now… I own a sturdy, hard-bodied sleek trash can with a step-lid opening. It has an inner container that lifts out so that you can tuck in the trash bag for a snug fit. I also bought lemon-scented trash bags. Oh yeah! Open sesame Mr. TrashCan. I’m gonna stuff your face!
The black one is new and the white one is old. Click for larger views.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
I found this clipart on Microsoft’s website. It was too cute to pass up so I decided to write a Valentine post.
A little history about Valentine’s day…
In pre-Roman history pagans celebrated a festival called Lupercalia. They festival was held from Feburary 13 to February 15 to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility.
Noble youths would run up and down through the city naked for sport and laughter striking those they met along the streets. Many women purposely got in their way and presented their hands to be struck, believing that the pregnant will be helped in delivery, and the barren to pregnancy.
Source
Thursday, February 11, 2010
I shot this photo on January 30th from my front porch. Let me explain the objects in this photo…
Click for a slightly larger photo.
- The big blob of puffy brightness in the top-right of the photo is the moon covered in clouds.
- The circular orb that looks like the moon at the bottom is actually lens flare reflecting off my camera. So, it is a picture of the moon – but just its reflection mirrored in my camera lens.
- And the tiny little white dot at the top-left is planet Mars.
Cool huh?
Also, here is some fun food for thought… Our solar system’s star is named “Sun.” And our moon is named “Luna.” How funny that we refer to them as the sun and moon instead of the star and moon or the Sun and the Luna.
More for your reading pleasure… “Nasa’s Article: Close Encounter with Mars”
Monday, February 8, 2010
I just found this post in filed away in my drafts! Ha! I have no plans to improve my Wordpress blog beyond this point… so here’s my draft. This is a list of helpful tutorials. I’ve referenced these links so much at one point that I felt it was necessary to give them credit for their awesomeness (hence my awesomeness). Feel free to add your most useful links by commenting below.
Apple-Mac Specific
Word Press
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.
Wikipedia
So, I guess if we see a bunch of groundhogs running around then we know spring has arrived. But I heard a rumor that the same holds true of skunks. Not skunks looking at their shadows, but that the first dead skunk on the road indicates that winter is over. I can’t find any documentation to back that up. I think people just want winter to be over. Which is comical since people just want summer to be over too.
Let me know if you have any springtime skunk theories.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
I forgot about this photo that I took last summer! I had to write about it. So… there I was walking around my property with my hubby. I was trying to collect turkey feathers but I only found two the whole summer! Anyway, I saw this pile of neatly stacked sticks at the base of a pine tree. “What kind of animal made that pile?” He said, “Ants made that.”
Click for a larger view.
What! So I got up close and sure enough – it’s covered with big fat red ants weaving in and out of the sticks! I couldn’t believe it. Apparently this is a small anthill. Really! Some go up to my waist – maybe bigger as the legends are told.
But this is my backyard! It’s not some freaky African forest. I guess “normal” is just defined by one’s perspective. Earthquakes are normal where I come from. Seeing who can sit in a giant anthill the longest… well, I’m sure just the boys do that.
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Hey, I don't want this picture. What gives?