Contest: Transform Your Home April 23, 2008

I’m pretty happy with the new house. There are a few issues that need to be addressed, however. The photo above is the master bedroom. I’m not sure why it was called that, as it is the only bedroom that has low ceilings, and it is the farthest from the bathroom. You’ll notice the track lighting located directly above the bed. It really makes you wonder if this room had quite the colorful history, you know? At this point, it should be noted that the bed above is not mine. These photos were taken before the prior owner moved out. My bed is a mod piece made by my grandfather. That one above is so not my style. Also not my style are the stains on the not-my-style ceiling tiles. The stained Berber carpet has to go as well.

This room has more than style issues. It also has scent issues. Remember the rotting meat? The smell lingers. There is also a faint smell of mildew, most likely coming from that horrible carpeting.

I wouldn’t mind a big redo. The former owner had plans to square off that bedroom with the rest of the house, creating a very large and quite masterful bathroom.

I can imagine what it would look like with vaulted ceilings, a huge comfy bath, and polished wooden floors. A coat of paint wouldn’t hurt it either. And to top it off, the smell of vanilla would replace the mildew/rotting meat smell. That would be nice. Very nice, actually. I mean, what do you notice first in someone’s home–how it looks or how it smells? What do you remember after you leave? I like for my house to always smell welcoming–I figure it helps me get away with more clutter. Renuzit TriScents has a couple of selections that definitely fit the bill–Morning Meadow and Seaside Breezes. Unlike my candles, these offer the opportunity to adjust the amount of scent that you want to have. In other words, if the dog’s been in the house all day, turn it up!

At any rate, I don’t imagine that I’m going to be doing any remodeling soon, since I still need to put in central heat and air. Still, if I happen to win the $20,000
Transform Your Home promotion, it could become a reality. If you’re interested in getting a room makeover, you should enter as well. To be eligible, all you have to do is embed an original photo or video of the space you want to change in a post that tells about why your home needs a makeover. Tell how Renuzit TriScents can help you accomplish this goal. To have the best chance,
be sure to follow the official rules.

5 Thinking Errors That Guarantee You Will Never Lose Weight April 20, 2008

Photo by smcgee

Despite the Lean Cuisines I eat for lunch and the miles on the treadmill, nary a pound has budged. I’m not going to fool myself and blame my metabolism, though. It’s my brain that’s making my butt big. Here’s some of the extremely ineffectual things I catch myself thinking about food and weight loss:

1. Grocery shopping counts as exercise. Granted, some stores are as big as Maui. Still, pushing around a cart and filling it up with stuff, however healthy, doesn’t really count for much. Especially when you get “just one” candy bar and eat it immediately after shopping.

2. Telling myself, “I’ll never eat again!” Unfortunately, the morning after binging on chips and queso is not the same as the morning after you have had crazed sex with a hot, anonymous stranger or drank five Long Island iced teas (or perhaps both). You can’t just swear off eating like you can drinking. Trust me on this one, I’ve tried. My resolve usually weakens around 10 o’clock.

3. I’ll have “just a bite.” Usually, the bite is of something like Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake. One bite of that stuff has like a zillion calories. Anyway, who can have just one bite?

4. Counting on the energy crisis as a fallback diet plan. At work, we talk a lot about what will happen if food prices rise too much. We talk about the gardens we’ll plant as we nibble at the frosting on the birthday cake left over from last week. I imagine what my body will look like once I’ve eaten zucchini for about six months.

5. Telling myself I’ll get the child’s plate. I did this today at a Mexican restaurant. The child’s plate was considerately served with a huge basket of chips. The food on the plate looked like it would feed a 450 pound child. Maybe it has something to do with living in Texas, where everything, including the people, is bigger. I dunno.

Sometimes I figure the only way I’ll lose weight is if I travel to a 3rd world country and get thrown in jail as a political prisoner or something. Then, after a couple of years, I would be released from prison with much fanfare, and my emaciated (but fashionable) body would be in all of the newspapers.

Surprise Your Kids With A Trip! April 20, 2008

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a spring vacation. You know that you’ve gotten older when you refuse to go places during Spring Break because there’ll be too many people around celebrating Spring Break. Actually, it has been so long since I’ve been on a vacation during springtime that the last one I remember was one I took when I was still living in Phoenix.

What we did has not tell our six-year-old that it was Spring Break. We loaded up the car at night, and then, the next morning, did everything as usual and set off for school. Supposedly. We had been in the car for about half an hour when Sky realized we weren’t going to school. So we told him we were going to the beach, which is one of the many
things to do in Los Angeles. We got to the beach and had a fantastic time. Although I grew up on the Atlantic, it was my first time experiencing the Pacific Ocean, which is a whole different ballgame!

After the beach, we were tired, and went to the hotel. The next morning, we grabbed some donuts and headed down the street to…Disneyland! The expression on Sky’s face was just priceless. He’d had no idea that we had planned a trip to Disneyland. That is one of the really awesome things about that age–kids don’t know enough geography to ruin a surprise!

I definitely need to take more vacations, and that is probably true for a lot of people. Whether you are looking for
things to do in Las Vegas, or want to walk the hills of San Francisco, Trusted Tours & Attractions has
sightseeing tours that will be sure to show you a good time. If you’re not sure what you want to do, sign up for their
newsletter. By doing so, you have the chance to win a handheld GPS. This offer lasts until Monday, April 30, 2008, so if you don’t like getting lost, get to it! Also, GPS systems are great for geocaching–so fun, and a guaranteed way to see out of the way places on those vacations.