Saving Money On Electricity

The bills you spend for living in a house you own or even in a house or apartment you rent can be a huge headache. After all, living somewhere is more than just paying rent or mortgage; you also have to pay for water, gas, and - of course - electricity. It might seem like you are doing everything you can to cut down on your electricity costs, but you might want to think again. If you start to understand the small things that can contribute to the rise of your electricity bill, you can begin to save a lot of money.

It is important to remember that all the little things add up; for instance, leaving a light on might only cost you about seven cents an hour. That seven cents for an hour becomes one dollar and sixty-eight cents for a day if you leave that extra light on all day. If you left just one extra light on all day, every day, for an entire month, you would be spending over fifty extra dollars every single month! Of course, it is unlikely that there is a light in your house that you leave on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but if you start to add up the extra lights you do leave on, you might realize that this example is not far off!

Shop For Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs.

Fans are another way by which electricity bills go up; if you are using a fan to cut down on air conditioning, this is a worthwhile cost. But many people leave ceiling fans and even stand-alone fans running in rooms that no one is even in, and this can add a lot to your electricity bill over time! Don't leave something running if it is not in use; start to pay attention to what is being used and to what can be turned off.

Leaving things plugged in is one power drain you might never have thought of, and it can make a difference over time. Anything that is plugged in continues to use small amounts of electricity, even when not in use; if you get in the habit of unplugging things that are easy to unplug whenever they are not in use, you will see a difference.

It is not difficult to save money on your electricity bills; all you truly have to do is realize that the little things truly do add up, and then you must understand what these little things are.

Training Your Cat

Many people harbor the misconception that it is impossible to train cats, and that they must put up with whatever their cat chooses to do. And while you will not have quite as easy a time training your cat as you did your dog, the training of the two certainly share similarities. Once you understand the little things you need to do in order to train your cat, you can have a truly well-behaved feline sharing your home with you!

The first thing for you to realize about cats is that, like dogs, they respond well to the tone of voice you use. You should always keep your voice at the same level (never yell!), but use a stern tone when they have been bad and a happy tone when they have been good. This goes for anything you might be training your cat in, from clawing the furniture to litter box usage to (when they are a kitten) biting.

Your cat can also be conditioned to respond to certain auditory signals, which can be used when they are in trouble or can even be used to call them. For instance, if you have a bell or something similar and find that your cat does not like it, use it when they are doing something bad. On the other hand, if your cat has a favorite treat, you should clank the fork against the plate any time you are feeding it to them. Over time, they will come to associate this sound with a call to come your way, which will enable you to "call" them just like you would a dog!

And one of the most effective ways to keep your cat from doing things you do not want them to do is using a spray bottle. If you fill a spray bottle with water, and spray your cat in the eyes when they are scratching your furniture or doing whatever else you do not want them to do, they will not only quit, but they will also know what the spray bottle means when they even just see it!

Once you follow these tips, you will realize that cats can be trained just as well as dogs, and it is not really so difficult to have an obedient cat!

Choosing A Digital Camera

Even if you have purchased a digital camera before, you need to know what to look for if the time has come to buy a new one; and if you have never bought a digital camera before, this is the case to an even greater extent. Of course, depending on exactly how you plan to use your camera, the specifics of what you need can vary. If you are simply wanting to take pictures of your family and friends, you need a camera that is compact, sturdy, and easy to carry around with you. If you want to begin dabbling in photography as a hobby, you might want to look into higher-end options. But no matter how you plan to put your new camera to use, there are a number of things you need to keep in mind across the board.

First off, know what sort of zoom you will be getting with your new camera, and know what sort of zoom you will need. There is a difference between optical zoom and digital zoom - optical zoom is "real" zoom, while digital zoom begins to sacrifice picture quality in order to zoom in further. Think about whether you will want to zoom in on targets from far away, and make your purchase accordingly; if you will want to use your zoom liberally, avoid those cameras that balance low optical zoom with high digital zoom.

Secondly, remember that you will get better quality pictures with higher megapixels. One of the things that will immediately raise the price of a camera is higher megapixels, but if you are wanting to take good pictures, don't sacrifice quality for price. A few extra dollars now will give you better pictures later, and you will likely be happy that you made this decision.

Finally, know what sort of lens your camera is equipped with. The slight escalation in price from a plastic lens to a glass lens will give you higher quality pictures, and will probably be well worth the money.

A good digital camera can be a wonderful and faithful companion as you travel through the adventures of your daily life. By making sure that you buy a good camera that fits your needs, you can ensure that this "good companion" is a companion worth keeping around.

Making Your Fantasy Football Draft A Success

Now that the end of the NFL lockout is nearly upon us, one thing that people are starting to get excited about is fantasy football starting up again, and of course, the very first step to the start of the fantasy football season is the fantasy football draft. You might think that you already know what you are doing when it comes to the draft, especially if you have been playing fantasy football for years, but you should also be aware of the fact that it never hurts to learn a little bit more to help you on your way; and of course, if you have never played fantasy football before, these tips will help you draft successfully and set yourself up for a successful season.

When it comes to the common mistakes made in the fantasy football draft, one of the biggest ones is that many people fail to adjust their draft strategy to their position in the draft, but you cannot construct your team the same way if you are drafting at the bottom of the first round as you could drafting at the top of the first round; be aware of the players that will be available in your spot in the draft, and adjust the manner in which you are constructing your team accordingly.

Learn how to be a fantasy football champion!

Having a list of the players you want to target, just like the NFL teams have for the actual draft, will also be helpful; in this way, you will know what players you want to pick, and which players you want to avoid.

And finally, you should realize that many people will "reach" for players they want in a draft, and this allows good players to drop further in the draft than they should; make sure you are one of the participants who is picking up the good players who have dropped in the the draft, instead of being one who is reaching for players too early.

There are no "perfect" strategies when it comes to finding fantasy football success, but when you keep these tips in mind for your draft - and when you practice with mock drafts and put in some time studying - you will be in great shape when draft time rolls around.

Optimizing Your Computer's Battery Life

If you have spent any significant amount of time trying to figure out how you can make the battery on your laptop last longer, you have probably come across a seemingly endless number of (often contradictory!) methods. The reason there are so many different methods presented for "how to increase battery life" is because, quite frankly, the battery on your computer will eventually die no matter what you do (even if you removed your battery and hid it for the next ten years, you could come back to find that it no longer works at all!), and because of this, people are always assuming that the advice they followed was wrong, and that the "other" advice must be right. But while there is nothing you can do to make your battery last forever, there are a few specific things you can do to help your battery last longer.

First off, you should neither overcharge nor undercharge your laptop battery; if you can help it, you should never charge your battery all the way up to 100 per cent, and you should never let it run all the way down to empty.

Heat is another thing that can make your batteries run down, and as the temperatures inside your computer can often reach 110 degrees, this spells trouble for your battery; the best way for you to avoid heat damage to your battery is for you to remove the battery completely when you do not need it (that is to say, when you are simply running off of power).

Of course, some laptops these days are constructed in such a way that it is impossible for you to remove the battery; the good news is that these same laptops usually keep the battery in a "cooler" compartment than everything else, and they also use technology that keeps the battery from overcharging - so with such a laptop, you will never have to worry about what you are doing to increase the battery life, as the laptop will take care of all of that on its own!

Increasing Your Vocabulary

The more you advance in age, and the more life experience you accumulate, the more you come to realize that your English teachers were not just blowing smoke when they told you that it would be useful to have an extensive and well-rounded vocabulary. At the same time, however, it can be difficult to know exactly what to do in order to increase your vocabulary at this point, especially when there is not exactly the immediate motivation that used to be there when you needed to take a test in school!

Of course, the fact that you are no longer in school corresponds with the fact that you are no longer receiving grades on how well you can define a particular word, which means that you do not need to be able to give a word-for-word definition of what a particular word means; rather, you simply need to be able to use words correctly, and you need to understand what people are meaning to say when they use a particular word.

Students tend to think that the advice that they can "increase their vocabulary by reading" is funny, as they wonder how reading the word will help them if they do not know what the word means; of course, the reason students feel this way is because they are used to having to “define” words, but once you no longer need to create word-for-word definitions, reading is a great way to expand your vocabulary.

Another excellent way to expand your vocabulary is by listening to such radio stations as National Public Radio, or by listening to talk radio stations, or even by listening to books on tape; the more you spend time listening to “words” instead of listening to music, the more words you will learn.

And of course, “studying” words is the best way of all to learn new words – and even though you are no longer in school, and therefore no longer “have to” study words, taking the time to do this can go a long way in improving the vocabulary you have to work with!

Shopping For Tents And Knowing What To Look For

If you are shopping for a tent, you can quickly become overwhelmed by how many different options there are in so many different price ranges. After all, many of the descriptions for these tents do not explain what the major difference is between the $40 model and the $400 model! So when it comes time to shop for a tent, how are you supposed to figure out which choices fit your needs when there are so many unexplained options?

Well, the most important thing for knowing what kind of tent you should buy is knowing exactly what it is you need in a tent. For instance, a lot of people shopping for tents simply want something that their children and their children's friends can pop up in the backyard. If this is the case, you do not need a tent that is waterproof, because you are unlikely to set it up outside when the weather is bad. Furthermore, you do not have to pay the extra money for the tent to be lightweight; in fact, it does not even need to be easy to set up! On the other hand, if you are shopping for a camping tent, you definitely need something that can withstand wind and rain. Furthermore, a tent for camping should pack up small and be lightweight so it will be easy to carry all day on your backpack.

When it comes to the price differences in tents, a large part of the differences comes down to a tent's ability to pack up small and be light to carry. If your needs for a tent are more recreational than this, however, you can get away with a model that is not nearly as sturdy or transportable.

When it comes to choosing a tent, there are really only two things you have to do to make sure you are getting the tent that is right for you. Firstly, you need to figure out exactly what you need, which you can figure out by figuring out what you will be using the tent for. And secondly, you need to dig into the reviews that have been written about the tents you are looking at, making sure that the tent will give you everything you actually need!

What Is The Best Betting System For Roulette?

While some people enjoy playing games of chance such as blackjack, roulette, and craps just for the fun of it, there will always be others who think that they can “hit it big with these games,” to where they can take Vegas by storm (or worse, these days, take Internet gambling by storm) and make a whole bunch of money; one thing to realize, however, is that casinos make money on these games specifically because there is no “perfect betting system” that works every time.

Because you have nearly a 50-50 chance of winning in roulette if you play either black or red (or play odds or evens, or play high numbers or low numbers), the most common betting system used by people who think they can beat the system is the martingale system; this system calls for you to double your bet each time you lose – for instance if you lose one dollar, your next bet would be $2, and if you lose that your next bet would be $4, then $8, then $16, and so on – with the thought that you will eventually win, and win that $1 every time. The problem with the martingale system is that it is quite possible to lose 10 times or more in a row (just as a coin might land on tails 10 or more times in a row), at which point you would be betting over $500 just to try to win that $1 – which will eventually push you against the table maximum, and will put you in a position where you are risking big losses for small gains.

Another system that is often used is the anti-martingale system, where you increase your betting when things are going well, and decrease your bet size when you are on a losing streak; even when you use this approach, however, the fact remains that the house has about a 5% advantage no matter what you do, and there is no betting system you can use that will change this.

If you have a trip planned to Las Vegas or Atlantic City and want to play some roulette, your best bet is to sit down with a certain amount of money you are willing to bet, and to stop as soon as you have bet this money; so for instance, perhaps you will sit down with $100, and some of your bets will be for $2, some will be for $5, and some will be for $10 or more, but regardless of what you win or lose from this $100, you stop as soon as this original $100 has been bet; when you do this, you will be able to keep your losses under control, and may even make some money over your weekend in the city!

Basics of Diamond Buying

If you are looking at purchasing a diamond, there are a few things you should highly consider. It is best to have some knowledge about diamonds before you actually start to purchase one. Find a store that has their diamonds graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). This is important so you know the quality of the diamond you are purchasing. Don’t trust the stores grading on a diamond.

The four C's are what dictate the quality of a diamond.  They include cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. These four things dictate the cost of the diamond. For example, you may have a diamond with a perfect cut, clarity, and color that is a quarter of a caret that is more expensive then a full carat with a poor cut, and ok clarity.

The cut of the diamond is about the proportions of the diamond.  If done correctly this maximizes the fire the diamond can exhibit. The cut is not the shape of the diamond such as round or heart shaped. This has to do with the angles of the crown (the top of the diamond) and the pavilion (the bottom of the diamond).

Clarity is the next big factor in the flare of a diamond. Clarity has to do with how many imperfections and impurities are in the diamond. Though a diamond free from imperfections is great it is not totally necessary. An eye clean diamond is perfect for most purposes. This means that with the naked eye you don’t see any imperfections by just looking at it.

Whether the diamond is clear or yellow tinted or colored will be indicated by the color rating. Again you don’t have to have a perfectly colorless diamond to get a nice diamond. There is a second category called nearly colorless that at would be hard to distinguish from the colorless category. The grades of G and H are at a great place in the color scale to look at.

When you are referring to the size of a diamond you will be referring to the carat weight. The size of a diamond should be completely dictated by personal preference. If you are not purchasing the diamond for yourself please make sure you know what the other person prefers. Typically the higher the carat weight the higher the price will be on the diamond.

Diamond purchasing can be tough when you don't know what you should be considering. If you decide to purchase from a brick and mortar store, make sure you get a feel for what you are looking for.

Tips For Breaking In Your Hiking Boots

If you picked up a new pair of hiking boots sometime recently, you might be planning to take a hike soon - but before you take this hike, you should know that one of the worst mistakes you can make is to take your hiking boots from the box to the trail! If you do not take the time to break in your hiking shoes or boots before you hit the trail, you may very well end up with blisters on your feet within the first mile or two - and when your day is supposed to consist of walking, blisters are the last thing you want!

If you want to break in your hiking boots, the first thing you need to do is actually wear them - it might seem silly to slip into your hiking boots and wear them around the house, but this is the best way to make sure you are breaking them in. Once you make it home from work, slip into your hiking boots (along with the socks you plan to wear while hiking) and walk around the house in them; if you want to really break in your boots, you should also spend some time walking up and down the stairs.

You can take your hiking boots outside after you have spent a number of nights wearing them around your house (make sure you do not take them outside right away, as they might get too dirty, and might keep you from wearing them in the house). When you walk outside, try to walk over tree stumps and uneven ground; you should be able to find these sorts of areas around your house by going to a park or a more rural area. And even if you are in the city, you can break in your boots outside by using a curb - stepping up and down from a curb over and over again, rocking both feet as you do this.

After you have made sure to do these things with your hiking boots, you will be able to hit the trail with a pair that is fully broken in, and you can feel comfortable walking all day - without risking blisters on your feet!

Tips For Keeping Your Dog From Getting Lost

If you have a dog that has a knack for adventure (that is to say, if you have a dog that sometimes tries to escape from your yard!), you should make sure you are aware of the things you can (and should) do to keep from losing your dog. After all, the last thing you want is for your dog to get out of the yard, run off, and never be seen again, and the good news is that it is not difficult to keep this from happening.

The first step in making sure that you do not lose your dog is to keep your dog in the yard to begin with; if you have had problems before with your dog getting out, check the perimeter of the fence and figure out the spot he might be using to escape from the yard. Consider putting up chicken wire around the outside of the fence, deep enough into the ground that your dog will not be able to dig underneath it, as this will go a long way toward keeping your dog from leaving your backyard.

Dog Training Master Class.

You should also teach your dog the boundaries of your front yard; this is easiest if you have a young dog, as you can teach them the boundaries of the yard by taking them out into the front yard sometimes to play, and training them to know where they are allowed to go and where they are not allowed to go! There are plenty of people whose dogs can escape from the backyard and still never leave the front yard, because they have been trained to know the boundaries of the yard and do not stray outside of these!

How To Train A Happy Dog In 15 Minutes A Day.

Although these steps will make it far more likely that your dog never leaves your yard, you should still take one final precaution: Make sure your dog's collar has a tag that includes the dog's name and your phone number, as this will allow you to always retrieve the dog, no matter how far away it roams!

Tips For Paying For College Without Going Into Debt

One of the things that causes many adults to really feel stress is wondering how they can realistically expect to pay for their children's college (which can especially be a concern for parents who have several children!), but while college is certainly expensive - and while paying for college is not necessarily easy - it can be much easier to pay for college than many parents realize, especially considering that there are ways by which you can pay for college without spending any money at all!

The most obvious of these "ways to pay for college without going into debt" is to gain scholarships, but one big mistake a lot of parents and high school students make is that they only think of looking into the scholarships that the school itself provides; when you are trying to figure out how to pay for college, start looking around for scholarships that you can apply for from places besides your school of choice, and you just may be surprised to find how much money is out there.

While scholarships tend to be based on merit in at least some way, grants are typically need-based, or are based off factors that no one especially knows; you can find grants for everything from your nationality to your desired area of study to your family's income, to things far more random than these, so start looking for grant opportunities, and you may find out that paying for college is no problem for you at all.

And nowadays, there are many schools that have moved completely away from offering loan-based student aid, as they do not want their students to go out into the world needing to work for ten years just to pay off their schooling - and even many of those universities that have not yet made this switch have moved away from loan-based aid as much as they can. Look for schools that offer student aid that is not centered around loans, and if you are looking for ways to save money on college - and if you are not able to garner as much scholarship and grant money as you would like - consider shooting for these schools, and money will not be a problem for you at all!

Taking A Look At Writing Groups Versus A Writing Partner

One thing you will hear a lot of as you first get started as a writer is people suggesting that you get involved in some sort of writing group, as they imagine this will benefit you as you as you progress as a writer, growing your skills and your understanding of the craft, but while there are certainly some positives to writing groups, there are also some negatives, and in taking a look at these different attributes of writing groups, you will be better able to decide whether a writing group or a writing partner is the right fit for you.

The great amount of accountability a writing group will give you will be the biggest pro of joining one; one of the toughest things of getting started as a writer is finding the time to write on a consistent, daily basis, but when you need to have a piece to present to your writing group each week, this can help you to be far more motivated.

At the same time, when you are part of a writing group you will also have to deal with the inherent negative of showing new work all the time, and while the time is sometimes "right" for you to show fresh work to other readers - and to have it critiqued by them - there are also times when this is not especially beneficial, particularly early on in any particular piece you are working on.

Being able to develop a relationship with one person whose opinion you respect will be one of the benefits of choosing to go with a writing partner instead of with a writing group, as you will then be able to share your work with them when the work is ready, rather than simply because a schedule tells you it is time to share your work. But of course, with a writing partner, you will need to show self-motivation in order to get your writing done when you are not facing deadlines by which you must show your work - so before you make a commitment to one side or the other as an upstart writer, make sure you are weighing the pros and cons of each side, and are choosing the side that is right for you!

Taking A Look At The Movie "Casablanca"

With how many different choices there are for movies, it can sometimes be difficult to figure out what you and your spouse should watch on your next movie night; when this becomes a difficult choice to make, the best approach is often to fall back on a classic. And when it comes to classic American movies, there are few that can come close to the esteem in which the film Casablanca is held; even sixty-nine years after its original release in 1942, this movie is a great viewing experience!

Casablanca - which is considered by many to be the finest screenplay ever written - was not expected to meet the success it did while in production; the film was written by the Epstein twins (Julius and Philip), and it starred Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman (each of whom were huge Hollywood stars at the time), but the studio imagined it being something that would simply round out their year of movies. As it turned out, however, Casablanca became an immediate success, drawing large audiences and taking home three Academy Awards - including Best Picture of the year!

The focus of the movie is an American expatriate played by Bogart, who is living in (and running a saloon in) the French-controlled, African city of Casablanca - a city that was teeming with Europeans at the time who were fleeing the devastation of World War II in Europe, trying to leave from Casablanca for the safety of America. This seemingly simple premise rapidly grows into a thick, finely-designed love story - a love story that contains all the tragedy of war, all the agony of betrayal, and all the mystery of unrevealed secrets - which leaves the viewer feeling satisfied in a way few movies can achieve!

Casablanca is a reminder of what movies can be, and even after all these years, it is a perfect movie to watch on a movie night with someone you love.

How To Take Care Of Your Garbage Disposal

When it comes to taking care of a house, there are a lot of things that go into it, and regardless of whether you are a homeowner or are simply renting, it is likely that your focus will usually be on all the “big things” you have to keep up with in order to take care of your house, but it is also important for you to realize that the little things should be paid attention to, as it is often the little things that can give you the biggest problems.

One of the “little things” that can give you problems if you do not know how to take care of it is your garbage disposal, and the first thing you need to be aware of in taking care of your garbage disposal is that there are certain things that you should not put into your garbage disposal to begin with; when you put items such as celery, onion skins garlic skins, or anything else that is a rough or stringy into your disposal, you will increase the likelihood of problems with your disposal, and will decrease its lifespan.

Of course, on top of the things you should make sure to not put down your garbage disposal, there are also some things that will be helpful to put down your garbage disposal; periodically, you should put a lemon, orange, or lime down your disposal, and then run the disposal, as this will help to clean out your disposal and prevent problems from occurring.

And realize that if your disposal suddenly stops working, you do not need to immediately call an expert to come fix it; oftentimes, simply turning the garbage disposal off and on again from underneath the sink will help to reset it - and if this fails to work, there is a small, ratchet-like tool that you can fit into a slot at the bottom of your disposal, and by moving this around, you should be able to clear out any items that are lodged in the garbage disposal itself.

As you pay attention to all the things you must focus on in order to keep your house in good shape, remember that the little things are important as well, and you will have fewer problems as you learn to take care of all these little things.

A Gaming System that Delivers the Goods

There are many new video game systems available on the market. Two of these systems are the popular Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Video game systems never before have included some of the features that these two are packed with. Yet simply playing the games is enough for some people who can do away with the many features. People that feel this way should usually just stay with the PlayStation 2, which is often looked at as the best video game system of all time.

During its hey day the PlayStation 2 was the best there was. At this time the original Xbox came out, but it came nowhere near matching the popularity of the PlayStation 2. The video game market was owned by the PlayStation 2 for around a full decade. Even today companies continue to make new games for it since so many people still prefer the system. There is new life given to this system consistently which makes it still the number one video game system.

The system can do other basic things in addition to playing games made for it. Playing original PlayStation games is a feature it has that most people will not use very often. Old favorites from the original system are typically the games that may be played using this feature. Regular DVDs can be played as well. Owning the PlayStation 2 allows the owner to get rid of their stand alone DVD player and stick with the system only. Movies and TV shows can be watched on this system in addition to the systems ability to play games.

A brand new video game system isn't something that is needed for everyone. The newer systems have run into hardware issues in many cases where the system has stopped working. A PlayStation 2 in its new compact casing is something that will really last. You can watch all of your DVDs on the system in addition to the thousands of games you can play. You will have a system that will last for many years to come since there are still new games being made for the PlayStation 2.

PlayStation 2 System

Three Things For You To Make Sure You Know About Writing A Novel

If you have ever had a desire to write a novel, you might have thought that the process for accomplishing this task goes something like this: sit down, start writing, and when you finish, get the book published; actually, however, there is plenty more that goes into the process than this. Even though you will face a long and arduous road toward publication, the rewards at the end of the road are great; before you ever get to the "business side" of the process, however - with agents and editors and bookstores - there are a few important things you need to make sure you know about the writing process itself.

Write with the door closed: One mistake many people make is "sharing" their story with people while they are writing it; it is natural to be excited and to want to share, but it is important to "write with the door closed." When you start to share bits and pieces of your story early on, your story will have a much harder time growing and maturing; because of this, you should "write with the door closed" - waiting to share your story with anyone until it is finished!

Become a part of the Novel Writing Academy!

Pick the right "first readers": You will need to find some "beta readers" after you have finished writing the first draft of your story; these should be readers who you are close to, and who will be honest with you about what they do and do not like about your story.

Edit, edit, edit: The biggest mistake many green writers make is assuming they have "finished" their novel when they write the last word, but actually, the writing of the novel is the easiest (and least time-consuming) part of the whole ordeal; now, it is time to edit your story and make it perfect - and patience will be a big part of this portion of the project!

After you have finished editing (and have a product that you truly feel belongs on bookshelves), you will be ready to start approaching agents and editors, enjoying your novel's emergence into the world!

Organizational Tips For Your Home Office

Getting the home office organized can be a very painful job. It is common to have the paperwork tend to get stacked up everywhere. Having bills get lost in the shuffle. And we get very frustrated when we cant seem to find the sheet of paper we need. So what do you need to do to get your office in order? Having a functional routine going is a great start.

First thing to do is get used to shredding paper that you no longer need. This helps to save you room on the desk and help to prevent identity theft. Using a cross shredder is preferable because it creates tiny chips instead of long strips that can be pieced together again.

Shredding the paper immediately after you need it, helps to seriously cut down your paper clutter.

Second you need to get the paper you must keep for taxes or for book keeping organized. You have a few different forms to choose from. Some people find it most simple to keep binders with plastic protector sheets adequate for keeping their things in order. Other people prefer an accordion file system that keeps things very orderly. Once you decide on a system the biggest thing you can do is stick with it. Make sure you file your paperwork immediately and don't procrastinate.

Third you will want to get an organizer for your office supplies. It can be incredibly frustrating to need a pen and not be able to find one with all the cluter. A supply caddy is very handy for keeping odds and ends in one spot of your desk. You will have ot play around to figure out what works best for you. A canister organizer might be needed if you have lots of stuff you need store.

It is up to personal preference.

Finally, get into the habit of putting things away immediately. You will find that most of your clutter will come from not finding a proper home for your paperwork and other items on the desk. Once that pile starts, it is hard to keep it from growing. The key is not creating the pile in the first place.

Taking A Look At Three Mistakes To Avoid When Approaching Literary Agents

If you want to get a book published (regardless of whether you are wanting to publish a novel, a nonfiction book, a book of short stories, or just about anything else!), you will need to have a literary agent – but anyone who has ever gone through the process of trying to land a literary agent has found that this can sometimes be the most difficult obstacle of all in getting published! The biggest reason why so many people find it to be borderline impossible to land a literary agent is because they do not know the mistakes to avoid (the mistakes so many writers tend to make!), but when you take these steps, you can avoid these mistakes yourself.

Because of the fact that it can take such a long time to actually land an agent, a lot of writers think that they should “get the ball rolling early,” contacting literary agents before their work is complete; this is an absolute “No,” however – not only should you wait until your manuscript is completely written before approaching agents, but you should also wait until you have thoroughly edited it, so that it will be ready to send if an agent shows interest.

Learn more from the Complete Idiots Guide To Getting Published.

Another mistake many writers make is “trying to save time” by approaching a lot of agents at once – sending out a mass email, and/or addressing their emails as “Dear sir or madam”; take the time to approach each agent individually, and you will have a much greater chance of success.

You should never try to be “cute” or “gimmicky” in your query letter to literary agents either; your goal should be to display good writing, and to get an agent to your sample pages as quickly as possible with an idea as to what the story is about – nothing more than this!

You would also be wise to study some of the more valuable resources online if you are serious about getting published; one such resource is Query Shark, which is one agent’s edits of query letters that have been sent to her, and the blog post The Biggest Mistakes Writers Make When Querying Agents, in which the poster emailed over fifty agents to get their response to this single question.

How To Deal With Your Parents' Divorce As An Adult

As an adult, it can be very difficult to deal with parents who are getting a divorce, as it can be tough to understand how two people could be together for so long before deciding to split up, and as it can call into question the permanence of relationships as a whole. While there will still be a measure of pain and frustration present no matter what you do, there are a few things you can do as an adult whose parents are getting a divorce that can make it a little bit easier to deal with.

When you were a child, it is unlikely that either of your parents ever came to you with their marital problems, as they knew it was not your job to be the confidant, but now that you are an adult, it can be natural for them to think of you as someone in whom they can confide; while it will be good for your parents to be able to express their thoughts and pains to someone, you should not allow yourself to be this person, as it will be important for you to not get involved.

Understand more about children and divorce.

When you keep yourself from getting involved in the problems your parents are facing, it will help you to not judge one or the other of your parents—and this will be important, as you will want to still maintain a relationship with your parents even after the split is finalized.

And if you want to still have a relationship with each of your parents - even after a divorce - one of the big things you will need to make sure you do is to see each of your parents for the person they are, instead of for the action (or actions) they did.

While none of these steps will completely eradicate the pain and frustration of watching your parents split after so long together, these things will make it easier for you to maintain a good relationship with each of your parents throughout all of it, and will help you come through on the other side with the pain and frustration minimized.

Exploring Three Things To Know About French Press Coffee

If coffee is something you are a pretty big fan of, you have probably heard it said that one of the smoothest cups of coffee you can enjoy is coffee made in a French press, but while this is certainly true, this statement comes with an "only if"; French press coffee is some of the smoothest and most delicious coffee you can enjoy, but only if you make it the right way!

As is the case with any type of coffee you venture to drink, the beans you use will be an important part of the equation, but in addition to making sure you are only using high-quality beans for your French press, it will also be important that the beans are ground properly; if the beans are ground too fine, your coffee will not only taste too bitter, but will also be grainy, as pieces of the grounds will make their way into your cup, so either have your beans ground coarse when you buy them, or purchase a burr grinder and do the grinding on your own!

Making French press coffee is easy, but you must make sure you are not skipping any steps in making it, or it will not turn out right; when you pour the hot water over the beans, pour slowly and evenly, so that all the beans are hit directly with the hot water, then stir using a plastic spoon (so as not to scratch the glass) and let your coffee concoction sit for about four minutes to get the full flavor.

Finally, realize that French press coffee is the ultimate "drink it black" coffee - but even if you are not a fan of black coffee, you should drink your French press coffee right away, as it is best enjoyed fresh, rather than stored in a thermos and saved for later.

If you have a French press, or if you have been thinking that you might pick up a French press, follow these tips when you make coffee in it, and you will be able to get the most out of the wonderful flavor and experience afforded by this type of coffee.

Ideas on How To Cool The Kids Off For Summer.

As the heat rises with summer, you kids will soon be asking to cool down. There are plenty of ways to help them stay nice and cool this summer in the heat. I know, the obvious way is to stay inside with the air conditioner. However staying indoors is not a great idea if you want to see them burn off any energy.

An inflatable pool like the Rainbow ring pool play center is a great way to keep your smaller children happy and cool.

This awesome little pool comes provides a number of activities for your children to play with as they enjoy the water. If you have a little older children that don't mind being sprayed in the face with water a Geyser blast sprinkler may be ideal for your needs. This crazy toy will cause your children to scream in excitement. These sprinklers are perfect recipe for not only hours of fun for your kids, but also watering your lawn.

Those kids who really enjoying running around and playing most likely will enjoy a number of super soakers or water gun / tubes available now days.

The days of the small squirt guns that barely held water are long gone. Super soakers puts out a wide array of guns and tubes that are meant to completely drench those who are playing with them and even some by standers who happen to be used as human shields.

After everyone is done running around it is very refreshing to sit down and eat a cold sweet treat such as popsicles or ice cream. There are a number of great produces that allow you to make your own ice cream or popsicles.

You can make these great treats a bit more nutricious as well.

Learn a Little About Las Vegas Before You Go

Traveling around the world offers up many great places to visit. The United States houses a large percentage of them. Three examples of locations that many people from around the world visit each year are the Grand Canyon, Chicago, and New York City. Las Vegas is the one city in the US that people from all over visit in order to truly let loose and go a little bit wild. This is a place that not only offers up world class amenities for it's guests, but also will provide them with the option of staying awake all night to do what they please.

It is also a place that can be very overwhelming. Once they arrive there are many guests that cannot settle on the first thing to do. Before you to for the first time it isn't a bad idea to read a traveling guide on the city. The best guide to what there is to do once in the city is probably Las Vegas for Dummies. This book reviews all aspects of a visit, from which casinos offer the best gambling bets, to which hotels have the best restaurants.

Las Vegas For Dummies.

Gambling isn’t the only reason that millions of people visit Las Vegas each year. Las Vegas hotels are amazing when beheld on their own. More than half of the world’s 20 largest hotels are located in Las Vegas. The largest of this group is the MGM Grand, also the largest in the world. Each of these hotels offers amenities that can’t be found anywhere else for the same price. Unique dining experiences are offered by almost every single hotel where famous chefs open restaurants.

Las Vegas is a place that truly has something for everyone. When you arrive in the city it is hard to decide on what to do and this book will make that decision easier. Remember one simple idea when you go though. Your plans may go straight out the window once you get inside of the city and start to explore.

Studying With Active Reading

If you will soon be returning to school as a high school or college student, one thing that will be important in order for you to achieve success this this year is that you understand how to study properly. A lot of people go through school saying that they “have a hard time learning” or that they are “not a good test taker,” but the fact of the matter for many of the students is simply that they do not know how to study properly – which is to say, they do not understand how to study by actively reading.

There are two types of reading, active reading and passive reading; while passive reading is what you do when you are skimming, for instance, a magazine article or a blog post, active reading is what you should be doing when you are studying – paying attention to and absorbing every little thing in the writing.

Most people are not really used to active reading, and because of this, it can take a little while – and a bit of practice – before you become truly adept at it; one of the best ways to begin practicing active reading is by using your fingers or an index card to “guide your eyes,” which means moving your fingers or this index card underneath the words you are reading, so that your eyes are following both the words and the “guide” as you read.

Another great way to practice active reading is to stop after every 2 or 3 paragraphs and recap in your mind what you just read; although it might seem like this takes more time, it will actually save you time in the long run, as you will be continually learning things rather than having to go back and “study” these things later on before a test.

And the final thing you need in order to become adept at active reading is patience; if you have spent years passively reading when you should have been actively reading, it can take a little while before your mind is trained to read the right way, but as you continue working on it, and as you have some patience, the results will eventually come your way!

Tips For Having A Game Night With Your Friends

When planning things with your friends, it can be easy to feel like you have run out of things to do, but one idea that is great for groups of friends of all ages is planning a game night. Even though this might sound like a "lame idea" (especially to younger groups of friends, who often look for rowdier plans than a "game night"), it can often be surprisingly fun - and this is the case to an even greater extent for those groups who were not expecting it to be fun at all!

In order to plan a successful game night, the first thing you will need is games that everyone will enjoy; talk to your friends and see if they own any board games, or if they have any suggestions for games you might consider. When it comes to playing games with big groups of people, some of the best games (games that are easy to learn, easy to play, and a lot of fun) are Uno, Apples To Apples, and Cranium; all of these games are inexpensive, and they will all be great games for your inaugural "game night."

Another aspect of having a successful game night is having a plan, which is an area many people do not think about; if you get everyone over to your house and then ask everyone what they want to play first, you will be starting out on a slow, dragging note, which is something you can avoid if you tell everyone what games will be played, and in which order!

Finally, one idea that many people find is a lot of fun with their game nights is the idea of having prizes; you can give out prizes for the winner of each game, and you can even come up with a system to combine the scores of all the games to award a grand prize in the end!

In the end, the success of your game night comes down to how much fun everyone decides to have - but with these tips as your guide, you will be much closer to a fun and successful game night!

"The Old Man And The Sea" By Ernest Hemingway

When you are looking for a book to read during this time of year, one of the things you will want to look for is a book that is not only great to read, but that is great to read during the summer - and while this can mean any number of things to any number of people, one thing this generally means to most people is a book that is "surrounded by" water, and a book that is light and breezy to read. "The Old Man And The Sea," which is not actually a novel, but is a "novella" (which means a short novel) is Hemingway's masterpiece that fits both these criteria; this book was the last work of fiction Hemingway put out during his lifetime.

The name "Hemingway" has a tendency to strike fear in the hearts of many readers, because they immediately think "classic literature," which makes them think of books that are dense and stuffy and difficult to read - but while Hemingway is certainly one of the kings of classic literature, he is also among the most accessible of all writers, regardless of era.

Hemingway originally wrote "The Old Man And The Sea" as one of four parts to his novel "Islands In The Stream" (which ended up being published after his death), but he ended up deciding that this section did not fit well with the others, and so he published it on its own. "The Old Man And The Sea," quite simply, is the story of an old Cuban fisherman who is down on his luck, but who catches a magnificent marlin while deep out to sea by himself; this powerful tale of one old man's struggle reinvigorated Hemingway's literary career, and was the catalyst to him receiving the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature two years later.

While the works of Hemingway, no doubt, are not for all readers, "The Old Man And The Sea" is a very short and very breezy read, and it is certainly a book that is well worth checking out during the months of summer.

How To Keep Your Home's Value High

Even though your home is the place where you live and make memories as a family, it is also one of your biggest investments. And while it is no fun to spend all your time worrying about "your investment," you can have fun in your home and still help the value of your home. In order to do that, however, there are a few particular things you need to make sure you pay attention to.

One of the biggest aspects of your home's value is its curb appeal, as it will be difficult for you to sell your house if the outside looks bad. Of course, this does not mean that your yard has to always look immaculate if you are not selling right now (which can be impossible anyway if you have kids!). But you should be fully aware of the condition of the outside of your house and the landscaping of your yard. It is far easier to take care of these things continually than to try and take care of them all at once, whenever it is time to sell your house at last.

When it comes to the inside of your house, the "first glance" impression is also important, so make sure you keep the walls and floor of your house in good repair. There is no need to have to replace these things when it comes time to sell the house, as long as you take care of them now. If you have children, this can also be more difficult, but train your children to look after things and clean up after themselves, and your house will remain in good shape.

And finally, there are those things in between what you can see on the outside and what you can see on the inside. These things, such as the pipes and the electrical wiring, need to be kept in good shape if you want to be able to sell your house for what you feel it is worth. Check up on these things every so often, inspecting them yourself or having someone come out to do so!

It is a whole lot easier to keep the value of your home high by looking after it consistently, rather than trying to take care of things all at once - regardless of whether you are selling soon or not for a long time!

Which Has More Caffeine, Light Roast Or Dark Roast?

Many coffee drinkers drink coffee for the caffeine content, which makes it worthwhile to understand which type of coffee has the most caffeine. After all, you will find a stronger, smokier flavor in dark roast coffee, but does this necessarily mean that it also has more caffeine? There are actually two answers to this question; the first answer is that, actually, dark roast does not have more caffeine; the second answer, on the other hand, is that it is complicated.

It is extremely beneficial to understand how coffee becomes "dark" or "light" roast before ever trying to understand which has more caffeine. Some people believe that how light or dark a coffee is comes from the sort of bean used for the coffee, but actually, this is not the case. The truth is, the difference comes in the roasting process, as the beans used in light roast coffee and dark roast coffee are usually the same.

The coffee bean expands and loses both water and caffeine when it is roasted in preparation for brewing. From this knowledge, you should take three distinct things: 1) As a bean is roasted longer, it loses more caffeine; 2) As a bean is roasted longer, it loses more water; 3) As a bean is roasted longer, it continues to expand!

If you are making coffee at home, or if you are buying coffee at a typical coffee shop, your beans are measured out with a scoop. Dark roast beans are larger than light roast beans, which is important to remember when you picture your beans being scooped up; and also, these dark roast beans have less caffeine content per bean. Because of this, one scoop of light roast beans actually has more beans in it than one scoop of dark roast beans, and each bean in this scoop has more caffeine in it than a dark roast bean has. In other words, light roast coffee has more caffeine than dark roast coffee in any place where the beans are measured by volume instead of by weight, which is the case in just about any coffee shop.

How To Take A Safe And Successful Vegas Vacation

There are, of course, some people who travel to Las Vegas in order to take a vacation they will never forget by trying to make it something they will later hope to forget, but for each person who take a trip to Vegas with this idea in mind, there are plenty of others who simply want to enjoy and explore the city. If you are planning a trip to Vegas (or if you have always wanted to take a trip to Las Vegas), here are a few things for you to keep in mind in order to make your trip both safe and successful.

Before you go to Las Vegas, you should have a general plan in mind as far as where you want to stay, what you want to do, and what you want to see; because a large portion of the money made in Las Vegas comes from gambling profits, you can always find great deals on hotels and food, as even the big-name casinos will give good deals in order to get people inside their doors.

You should always stick with at least one other person while you are in Vegas; while it is unlikely that you are going to find yourself in any situations similar to movies like The Hangover, it is good in any city - and especially in Las Vegas - to stick with someone else.

There is a lot more to Vegas than just The Strip, and while it can be nice to visit downtown (which is the "old" part of town), and while Vegas is even a very pretty city to drive around in, there are also parts of the city (as is the case with any city!) you will want to avoid, so always make sure you know where you are, and do not travel on foot outside of the areas where tourists generally go!

If you make sure you keep these things in the front of your mind while planning your Vegas vacation, you will have no problem enjoying a safe and successful Vegas vacation - one you will not mind remembering at any point down the road!

Can I Add A Moorish Idol To My Saltwater Tank?

The moorish idol (frequently called the "toby") is one of the most beautiful fish in the ocean, and is therefore a prize of saltwater enthusiasts the world over; you should make sure you know whether or not the moorish idol will be a good fit for you, however, before you add one to your tank.

The moorish idol is among the most difficult fish to care for in an aquarium, and because of this, it is not a good fish for beginners; unlike hardy fish that are great for beginner saltwater enthusiasts, the moorish idol is highly sensitive to any fluctuations in their water conditions. If you are wanting to add a moorish idol to your own tank, you will need to make sure you have become an expert at keeping the water conditions in your tank completely consistent - and even though this will help your moorish idol survive, it is still no guarantee!

Another reason why the moorish idol is a difficult fish to take care of is because they are extraordinarily picky eaters; in fact, a moorish idol will go without eating rather than eat a food that it does not want to eat, and they are also shy eaters in captivity, which means you need to make sure they are getting their food. If you are going to keep a moorish idol in your tank, you should find out what they have been fed before you purchase them, and you will most likely need to make sure they are provided with live brine shrimp and fresh algae.

A moorish idol should be kept quarantined from your regular tank for a couple weeks after you purchase it; this means that you will need a second functional tank that has identical water to the primary tank, and in this tank you can make sure they are healthy and eating regularly before you put them in with the other fish.

Saltwater Reef Aquariums 101.

Even if you make no mistakes in the care of your moorish idol, it is unlikely that it will live longer than a couple years in captivity - but as long as it is healthy, it will be a worthwhile addition to your tank during this time!