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Don Lapre was an interesting and tragic figure in American business. You may remember him from his late night tv commercials during the 1990′s. His incredible enthusiasm was contrasted starkly by the deep depression he suffered in his later years. I recently wrote the article linked below which explores the life and troubles of this controversial man. In the end, I leave the final decision up to you.
I had my debit card number stolen this week! The physical card was always in my wallet, so I’m guessing that a website I purchased from was hacked. Luckily, I get e-mail alerts when there is activity on my account, so I was able to catch it quickly. First, the thieves tested the card with a $1.00 charge to Apple iTunes. After that, there were 2 charges to Skype and 1 charge to Wine.com (!), all within the span of 1 hour. I alerted the bank right away, and I’ll be reimbursed for the loss, but I do have to start over with a whole new account number. So, I just thought I’d give a heads-up to everyone. If you see a mysterious $1.00 charge on your account, call the bank immediately, because you’re about to be violated.
Some people count sheep to battle insomnia. I count Tom Pettys! Here is a list of 10 reasons why Tom Petty is awesome (which I literally created in my head last night while struggling to fall asleep).
1. Every album, every song is amazing
2. Epic music video collection
3. ‘Running Down a Dream’ (the movie)
4. He’s the voice of ‘Lucky’ on ‘King of the Hill’
5. Hilarious cameos on ‘It’s Garry Shandling’s Show’
6. He loves Elvis
7. Long blonde hair FOREVER
8. Advocate for marijuana legalization
9. Real men wear top hats
10. Creepy is hot
I’m big into TV series! Every night, in bed, before falling asleep, I like to settle in by watching 1 episode of a show on DVD before I drift off into dreamland.
I’m also big into lists. So, here is a list of the series that have captured my attention nightly over the past year:
January 2011-May 2011 | It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, The Complete Series. I love Garry Shandling with all my heart. The first season of this series is sheer brilliance. It smashes through the 4th wall, not only acknowledging openly that it’s a TV show, but incorporating it into the premise. I have never seen another show like it. It’s transparent, it’s absurd, it’s silly, it’s Garry Shandling! With a great supporting cast and probably one of the best TV show theme songs in the history of ever, I became quickly obsessed with this pure 1986 series. Unfortunately, by season 2, the shark had been jumped. Rather than focusing on Garry’s life as a comedian, the powers that be seemed determined to force Garry into a mainstream life, giving him a job at a travel agency (blah!), a wife (double blah!), and a child (seriously?!). The supporting cast was pushed aside, and the show just stopped being funny. A switch from airing on the Showtime network to Fox may have contributed to the problem. In the end, Garry said his final ‘How’s my hair?’ and died on the living room floor. Strangely, I laughed more during that episode than I did in the entire final two seasons.
December 2010-April 2011 | Northern Exposure, The Complete Series. I had very low expectations for this early 90′s Dramedy. The first several episodes were pretty slow. It was a ‘fish out of water’ story about a Jewish, New York doctor, Joel Fleischman, who runs a medical practice in rural Alaska to pay off his student debt. It wasn’t until the end of Season 1 and into Season 2 that the show really started to develop into something significant. Through Season 6, this series turned out to be thoughtful, funny, and poignant. The quirky small town residents provided very strong storyline support and became just as important to me as the main character. Although Dr. Fleischman’s character was written off the show just a few episodes before the finale, I felt satisfied with how his journey ended. The actual series finale, on the other hand, was sadly anti-climactic. Still, I would rank Northern Exposure among the best television series. I’m looking forward to watching it again in the future.
November 2010 | Deadwood, The Complete Series. Staggering. The story of a goldrush town in the Old West, performed by an absolutely incredible cast. Ian McShane as Al Swearengen ripped my guts out and replaced them with sawdust. The series ended much too soon after only 3 seasons and no real conclusion to the story. I could kick someone in the balls at HBO for that.
October 2010 | Daria, The Complete Series. This show was always on in the background of my teen years, but I don’t think I ever intently watched it. Great themes about friendship, growing up, finding yourself, and fitting in (or the lack of fitting in). Twenty years later, it holds up!
September 2010 | Better Off Ted, The Complete Series. Unlike any other sitcom I’ve ever seen. A dark and subtle humor set against the backdrop of a cold and uncaring multinational conglomerate. One for the times!
May 2010-August 2010 | Ally McBeal, Seasons 2-5. What a journey! Equal parts funny and poignant. Very underrated. Peter MacNicol as John Cage is one of the greatest characters in American television history.
April 2010 | Carnivale, The Complete Series. A hidden gem. Epic storytelling, colorful and unqiue sets, a stellar cast, and lots of hot sexuality. The series ended abruptly after only 2 seasons with no real conclusion to a story that was just barely arching. I was really pissed to reach the end of this tale.
March 2010 | Ally McBeal, Season 1. Quirky and fun! The starting point for what would become one of my favorites.
December 2009-February 2010 | Six Feet Under, The Complete Series. The greatest television series of all time. Owned me from beginning to end… and what an end!
November 2009 | The X-Files, Season 1. Strange and enjoyable, but they lost me at Season 2.
September 2009 | Twin Peaks, The Complete Series. Brilliance! The cast, the music, the bizarre storyline. I am forever a fan.
I shop for groceries at a very small town market. Lately, the store almost never keeps products on the shelves consistently. One week, I’ll try to buy my favorite cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds) or my favorite tea (Bigelow Earl Grey). The next week when I return, these items are completely sold old for a month. Finally, after 2 months of waiting around for a re-stock of my shampoo/conditioner (Loreal Vive), I knew it was time to make a change – and not just to some other junk on the shelf.
Slowly, over the course of the past 3 years, I’ve become very conscious about the food I buy. I won’t eat frozen meals, most processed foods, or anything with high fructose corn syrup (which is nearly everything, even bread). I only drink tea, water, and unsweetened juice. Also, I try to buy organic, local produce when possible. It’s not about being picky or trendy. I just genuinely want to live a long, healthy life. I want to take care of myself. To do this, I try to be mindful of what I consume. So, it seems like the same practice should be applied to the household products that I use. Now that the small town market doesn’t carry my shampoo/conditioner anymore, it seemed like a good time to make the switch to organic. I had to mail order the items, but it was totally worth it!
Here are some photos of my new Avalon Organics lemon shampoo and conditioner. I also decided to try their lavender daily moisturizer. Hey, why not? I’ve secretly hated Oil of Olay for years, but I kept buying it anyway out of habit. Avalon Organics is certified organic, and I really love all of my new products. I feel fresh, clean, healthy and happy. Yay!
Find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area at LocalHarvest.org. This happy, healthy website connects you with fresh local produce, grass-fed meat, and other organic goods, available for pre-order or even home delivery.
We should not pretend to understand the world only by the intellect; we apprehend it just as much by feeling. Therefore, the judgment of the intellect is, at best, only the half of truth, and must, if it be honest, also come to an understanding of its inadequacy.
Today, I’d like to share with you a genuine testimonial for a website that has made a huge impact on me. Lynda.com is an online video training library, created by Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, with thousands of video resources for learning computer and technology skills. Over the past few months, I have completed courses on Adobe Dreamweaver and Photoshop (10+ hours each). I’ve also taken shorter courses on Color Management, Podcasting, and I just recently started learning Adobe Illustrator. Each topic is sectioned into bite-sized topics, which comprise the chapters that make up an entire course. So, you can learn things by very specific topic or watch every chapter for an in-depth mastery. With knowledgeable instructors and the super user-friendly video player, I have literally gone from wondering, “How in the world do they do that?!” to “WOW! I can do that!”
Some sample courses include: Digital Photography, Graphic Design, Animation, Video, Web Design, SEO, Programming, Microsoft Office, Anything and everything Adobe, and so many more! The website is completely subscriber supported (no annoying ads!), with membership costing only $25/month and the option to cancel at anytime — or a yearly membership for $250. Feasibly, you could get the equivalent of a full college education (or just the info you need to give your career/business a boost) for less than $1K. Even if you’re already a pro, it’s worth the investment to keep your skills current, given how fast the technology is changing. Best of all, everything is learn-at-your-own-pace. I watch training videos late and night, in my jammies, in my bed!
Last, but not least, I have to say that I’m very inspired by Lynda Weinmann’s story. She has been on the forefront of web development since the very beginning. She has persevered through many obstacles in her life, both professionally and personally. She has a self-starter attitude that I totally identify with. She is compassionate, respectful toward her clients, and truly believes in providing this valuable service. I have benefited enormously from my Lynda.com education. I really hope you check out the site and start learning today!
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