Careers in Golf
This is a great video on the college of golf programs for careers in golf.
4Ps of Dog Training
This video is a great introduction to dog training, and offers instruction on the 4Ps of dog training. These are essential basics for anyone interested in training their dog.
Looking to Donate to a Worthy Cause?
If you’re looking to donate to a worthy cause, consider donating to Naturopath’s International. Here’s a video discussing the work they’re doing.
How Shopping Has Changed as I’ve Gotten Older
I have always been a bit of a shopper. However my shopping habits have changed as I’ve gotten older. I think that they’ve mostly changed for the better.
Some of the changes that have happened as I’ve aged include:
- I stopped buying things just because they were trendy. I know my own style now so I don’t have to buy the hottest items in the store. I buy them if they fit my style and budget. I leave them if they don’t.
- I do more shopping around before making big purchases. I used to buy things on impulse a lot more than I do now. When I buy important items now I usually shop around, read reviews and try to make a smart purchase that will last me a long time.
- I shop alone. I used to do a lot of my shopping with my girlfriends. Eventually I realized that I make smarter purchases (and actually enjoy the experience a lot more) when I shop alone. I get coffee with my girlfriends but do my shopping by myself.
- I buy things made for an older woman. I’m not exactly in the realm of purchasing diabetic socks but I have been known to buy comfort shoes. I’m willing to buy what’s right for me.
Have your shopping habits changed as you’ve gotten older?
The Gift of the Magi
One of my favorite Christmas stories is “The Gift of the Magi” — a short story written by O. Henry about a hundred years ago. It is about a poor young couple who, with no money to buy one another gifts, each sells their one thing of value in order to buy a gift for the other. Unfortunately, it turns out their gifts are useless with their valuables gone. The real gift was not what they bought for one another, but what they were willing to give up for one another.
I think of this story when I think about this Christmas. We have been in tough economic times for a while now, and a lot of people are either reluctant to spend money, or have no money to spend. But for many folks, giving up Christmas is not a possibility.
If you need money for Christmas presents for the family, consider what valuables you might have to sell. For instance, you might be able to sell jewelry that you no longer wear in order to raise some money for Christmas presents — there are plenty of gold buyers and pawn shops that will give you cash for your jewelry. Electronics and certain valuable collectibles, such as antiques, also provide a way to raise money quickly.
There is something about giving up something for ourselves in order to do something nice for another person that makes us feel good — more human, in a way. And after all, this is the spirit of giving. What can you do for your loved ones this Christmas?
Halloween for Disabled Kids
Tonight we’ll be taking my nephews trick-or-treating with us. Their father is overseas on a private security contract, and their mother has to work that night, and we didn’t want them to have to miss out on Halloween.
My main source of experience with kids is from a job working in child care when I was younger, and one year we had a kid with a physical disability in the classroom. We always had to be sure the tables were spaced out enough so that a wheelchair could get between them, and other accessibility precautions like that. So this time of year I can’t help but wonder how kids with disabilities do the other things kids do — such as trick-or-treating.
Think about it. There are no stairlifts or wheelchair ramps on most people’s houses. And some costumes obviously won’t work with some disabilities.
While I was searching for information online, I found this article, about finding appropriate costumes for kids with special needs. The article comments about ensuring the costume is safe — obviously, if the child has severe vision problems you won’t want to make it worse with a mask that limits his field of vision or prohibits him from wearing his glasses. Likewise, if a child has a physical disability you need to make sure the costume won’t restrict his movement too much.
Next you may need to find somewhere else to trick-or-treat. Either find a neighborhood where the houses don’t have lots of stairs in front, or look for a trick-or-treating event someplace else, such as in your local mall. You may also be able to find Halloween parties specifically for kids with disabilities — check with your local support organizations for more information.
Happy Halloween!
Add Beads to a Hearing Aid Tube
There are a lot of children in the world who have to wear hearing aids. Most of them go through a period of being uncomfortable with the fact that they have to wear a hearing aid. This is normal to experience since it sets them apart from other kids.
One way that you can help your child get through this tough period is to find ways to decorate the hearing aid. Instead of hiding the hearing aid, your child will be proud to show it off. Plus decorating the hearing aid can be a great fun project for you and your child to do together.
I found one great set of instructions for doing this online. These instructions suggest that you and your child add colorful beads to the tube of the hearing aid. You simply purchase beads that would be made to make jewelry. Choose a size that will fit tightly (but not too tightly) around the hearing aid tube. You can create neat designs and change them out for different outfits or different holidays.
It’s tough having a child who has to wear a hearing aid. Kids all want to fit in and this is something that will make your child stand out. By helping your child stand out in a positive way, you’ll make the whole thing go more smoothly and create positive memories for your kid. In fact, I think every hearing clinic should have a craft room for doing things like this!
Sleep Apnea and Sore Throats
One of the most frustrating things in the world is when a cure for an illness causes a new symptom. These side effects typically aren’t as bad as the condition itself but they’re still annoying. A common problem for people who are being treated for sleep apnea is that they get a sore throat from using their CPAP machine. Luckily this is a problem that can easily be treated.
The most common reason that people get a sore throat from their CPAP machine is because the machine causes their throat to dry up too much. The solution for this is to get a heated humidifer designed to work with your CPAP machine. This will allow for increased moisture which should reduce or eliminate the sore throat. These humidifers are available at most stores that sell CPAP supplies.
If this doesn’t work then the other methods that you normally use to treat a sore throat may be effective. Gargle with warm salt water. Drink a warm cup of tea or milk that has honey in it. Suck on a lozenge. Having a sore throat isn’t nearly as bad as being unable to breathe at night so this is considered a minor side effect but you should still treat it to alleviate your discomfort.
Post Shuffleboard Rules at the Bar
I never knew much about the game of shuffleboard until I met my boyfriend. He was the one who told me about all of the little dive bars in our area that had shuffleboards for the patrons to play. It was a favorite game of his. Since we were a couple, I felt like it was important to learn to play the game.
It turned out that I really enjoyed playing shuffleboard. However, I couldn’t ever quite seem to remember all of the shuffleboard game rules. I knew the basic rules but my boyfriend would constantly tell me that I couldn’t do something I’d just done. I was never really sure whether he was just joshing me or whether I was really breaking the rules of the shuffleboard game.
That’s when I started to wonder why they don’t post the rules for shuffleboard at local bars that have the game. It seems like it would be a smart thing to do. As I have proven, not everyone knows how to play shuffle board when they first enter a bar that has the game. People would benefit from having the rules posted. Plus then I would know whether or not my boyfriend was telling me about the right rules while we played!
Date Capture Is Not Data Entry
I recently got into a disagreement with a friend about what data capture means. She insisted that data capture and data entry are the same thing. I don’t think that she could be further from the truth. The main difference is that data capture is automated and data entry requires manual work.
Data capture systems include a variety of different types of things but they’re all automated. For example, a barcode reader is a data capture system. It reads the data from a product’s barcode and stores it in the computer. Electronic document management systems are another example of data capture. They automatically back up computer files and save them in an organized fashion for later retrieval.
Data entry requires that you manually enter information. Instead of using a barcode reader, you would write the product’s description and sales information on a piece of paper or into a computer program. The barcode reader does it for you. So, in a sense, data capture is kind of like data entry. I’ll give my friend that much. But because it’s an automated process, it’s a whole lot different than data entry in terms of the work required by the person who is doing the job.
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