With Christmas right around the corner and the other winter holidays in full tilt, I thought I would write a little something more positive here than the normal doom and gloom of the undead. Yes, I celebrate Christmas, but to be fair to all that read this, Happy Holidays. I hope your days are bright and your family is loving.
One of the things that made me smile this year was the Layaway angels I read about in the news. These are people that have gone into store and found those people that are in the most need of help to pay off their purchases. They then pay the layaway off for them, allowing them to actually get their gifts. Most people have only spent about 100$, but I read of one person that spent nearly 10k doing this. That article made me smile and to think how great people can really be.
Of course, there is the flip side of that. On back Friday their was the woman that peppered sprayed a crowd of people just so she could get a deal. I was disgusted by this and it hurt me to know that some people truly do not know what it means to help others and to be their for them.
What I really want to point out though is the spirit of the season and the fact that no matter how tough things can get at times, there are those willing to help their fellow human out. This year has been very tough for me and my family. I am working a lot less and therefore we were not able to get much for the holiday for our children. I am not saying that w still would't have had a wonderful day, because we are lucky enough to have a wonderful family here, just that the kids would not get very many gifts.
My wife was on this website called cafemom.com that is a forum for mothers to talk about all of life's issues and to get support from one another. This is a wonderful place to get many ideas that we would not have thought of on our own. She was asking in one of the forums about simple homemade gifts that we could do for the kids. One of the other mothers on the site asked if it would be OK if she sent us a few things. My wife agreed and this other mother sent us a few gifts for the kids. Some clothes and a toy for each of them. It did bring tears to my eyes that there are strangers that are willing to help others out. We plan on recording our kids opening the gifts and sending the video to her in thanks, so that she can see what her generosity has done for them.
On a different note, I am also going to be trying to see if I can do more. I am trying to be more sustainable in my own ways. Basically growing some of my own food so that I do not have to buy it at the store. One day I hope to be able to help others with some fresh food. There is a great kickstarter program here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/488253196/freight-farms-grow-fresh-food-in-any-environment that could have some very large implications. One of these could be placed somewhere and the food used for local needs. If I was running one, I would ensure that at least a part of the food produced went to hungry people in the area.
No matter what your life is like, this is the time of year to put down old hatreds and to love one another. We can look past different beliefs and just work together to make a better future. One of my favorite lines ever is this, "It is not how you believe, just that you believe." And maybe, we can believe in a better future where we help one another and we all are better for it. Peace, hope and love.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Extreme Couponing
Normally I wouldn't write an article like this, but tough economic times have come and I thought it would be nice to share this with the rest of you. Most of you have most likely seen on TV the show about couponing and the crazy amount of money that these people save, but also the amount of time and work that goes into it as well. I am here to tell you that you can do this, without as much work.
The thing is that you do not have to do the same amount of work and still you can have savings, this is what I do. To start off, I will buy several papers each week. I have a newspaper for 1$ on Sunday, but even if you buy multiple ones for more, the coupons can save you money. You do not have to cut them all out at this point, just look through them and see what you have.
The next step would be to look at your supermarket flier for what is on sale. Here you can see if you have any coupons for the sale items. I usually only buy items that are on sale, and I stock up a bit. This is whether I have a coupon or not. It does save a lot of money.
It doesn't even have to be extreme. Using just one coupon can save the cost of the paper. Do more than one, and you are saving extra money. By shopping smartly and using a few coupons one can really save a bunch of money. With the current economic state we all could use to save some money. It is easy to do, you just need to try.
On one shopping trip I saved about 15 dollars, more if you counted the sales savings. It is not much, but that 15 dollars bought more food later in the month. Food I would not have had if not for those coupons. I only spent 4 dollars on papers. Add to that, I am still saving from other coupons. Trust me, it is worth it.
And for those of us that are always thinking of ways to be prepared for disasters, this method could allow one to build a stockpile of items that normally you would not have much of. Think on it, and before you shun couponing, think of the savings.
The thing is that you do not have to do the same amount of work and still you can have savings, this is what I do. To start off, I will buy several papers each week. I have a newspaper for 1$ on Sunday, but even if you buy multiple ones for more, the coupons can save you money. You do not have to cut them all out at this point, just look through them and see what you have.
The next step would be to look at your supermarket flier for what is on sale. Here you can see if you have any coupons for the sale items. I usually only buy items that are on sale, and I stock up a bit. This is whether I have a coupon or not. It does save a lot of money.
It doesn't even have to be extreme. Using just one coupon can save the cost of the paper. Do more than one, and you are saving extra money. By shopping smartly and using a few coupons one can really save a bunch of money. With the current economic state we all could use to save some money. It is easy to do, you just need to try.
On one shopping trip I saved about 15 dollars, more if you counted the sales savings. It is not much, but that 15 dollars bought more food later in the month. Food I would not have had if not for those coupons. I only spent 4 dollars on papers. Add to that, I am still saving from other coupons. Trust me, it is worth it.
And for those of us that are always thinking of ways to be prepared for disasters, this method could allow one to build a stockpile of items that normally you would not have much of. Think on it, and before you shun couponing, think of the savings.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Blindness is the key
I have recently read the latest paper by the Madore brothers. Again, I am shocked at how straightforward their findings are and how shocked I am that I did not think of it myself. If you would like to read it yourself, you can find the link to it here: necropology.com
I am going to go into some detail and my thoughts on their findings. Basically they found that it really is a lot easier to blind a zombie than it is to kill it outright. In this way, we now have the ability to control them in a fashion that would have been deemed unsafe in the past. Because of this, we now have another tool at our disposal to take care of a zombie menace or to manipulate the hordes of undead.
The first thing I would like to look at is the methods to blind. They state multiple methods, but I have to say my favorite would be the bird shot. It is quick and effective, and with the right weapon one could conceivably take out many targets to deem them less lethal than they were. The other method that I really like is using the paintball gun to blind them temporarily.
What I think I would do though, is blind an angry zombie, then fasten them to a point, maybe on a pedestal surrounded by a deep ditch. Other zombies would be attracted and fall into the ditch. This could be like a cockroach motel. They enter, but never leave.
It is hard for me to really explain how interesting this new tactic can be. Although this will not change how my zombies behave, I think that I could definitely see some of my characters using this method for some of their own purposes.
The only thing I had a question about in the paper though was that once a blind zombie became enraged, they would never calm down again. It makes some sense, but a part of me seems to think that eventually a zombie would calm down. I think I would have to think on it a bit more.
I am going to go into some detail and my thoughts on their findings. Basically they found that it really is a lot easier to blind a zombie than it is to kill it outright. In this way, we now have the ability to control them in a fashion that would have been deemed unsafe in the past. Because of this, we now have another tool at our disposal to take care of a zombie menace or to manipulate the hordes of undead.
The first thing I would like to look at is the methods to blind. They state multiple methods, but I have to say my favorite would be the bird shot. It is quick and effective, and with the right weapon one could conceivably take out many targets to deem them less lethal than they were. The other method that I really like is using the paintball gun to blind them temporarily.
What I think I would do though, is blind an angry zombie, then fasten them to a point, maybe on a pedestal surrounded by a deep ditch. Other zombies would be attracted and fall into the ditch. This could be like a cockroach motel. They enter, but never leave.
It is hard for me to really explain how interesting this new tactic can be. Although this will not change how my zombies behave, I think that I could definitely see some of my characters using this method for some of their own purposes.
The only thing I had a question about in the paper though was that once a blind zombie became enraged, they would never calm down again. It makes some sense, but a part of me seems to think that eventually a zombie would calm down. I think I would have to think on it a bit more.
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