The Edge of Empty

Now that the holidays are over, I am willing to venture near a mall.  Since I offered to buy lunch, the boys decided that they could be seen in public with their mother. (They also had gift cards that were begging to be used).  During the course of our trip, I ventured into the ladies room and this is what I  saw: Okay, this isn't the nicest mall in our area and the bathroom was small so I originally thought that it was nice that they at least thought about providing a lounge area.  However, once I got closer, I was infuriated by the sign shown below. To be honest, I can barely stand to go to the bathroom in a public restroom.  I sure as heck would never eat in a bathroom.  That the management of the mall thought that they were being considerate providing a bench in the bathroom for a mother to feed her child astounds me.  But then again, I don't think that they were trying to be considerate.  At 5'6", I am just above average height, and I ...

For cyclists, the Tour de France may be the only reason to sit on a couch in front of the tv instead of in the saddle.  Of course, the cyclist in my house often sits in the saddle with the bike on a trainer to watch the Tour.  In our area, one of the major advertisers for the Tour is Conte's Bike Shop.  What I didn't know was that all of that advertising had planted the seed that Conte's was Bike Mecca. This year during the tour, Conte's revealed their new name of  Fresh Bikes . The Hubster has been wanting to make the trek to Fresh Bikes for a long time.  After some less than stellar tuneups by local bike shops, I agreed that it was time to find something better. When his birthday was getting near, I surprised the Hubster by agreeing to a trip to Bike Mecca.  From the moment we walked in the door, I have to admit that this shop truly seems to deserve its reputation. I know that the Hubster enjoyed the visit very much. 

Many of us inherit the tracking and billing software that we use daily.  For those of you who have the opportunity to compare systems, I am listing the options that I have found. AOT Public Safety Corporation's CryWolf    ATB Services'  Alarm Tracking & Billing Digital Design Group's False Alarm Software EnablePoint Corporation's False Alarm Information Tracking Software Moose Rapids Technologies' False Alarm Tracking PMAM Corporations' False Alarm Management & Reduction Solution Purvis Gray Technology Group's False Alarm Reduction System Many CAD vendors also have some version of alarm tracking software as well.  Have fun comparing the options. If you are a member, FARA has published a guide to choosing software that may be helpful. If you know of other programs, please let me know so I can add them to the list.

As a person with sensitive skin and a mother of a child with sensitive skin, we don't do a lot of soap and detergent changing.  Once we find a product that doesn't irritate our skin, we stick to it for life--or as long as they manufacture it.  One product that I have been using since I was a child is Ivory soap.  It's gentle, reasonable priced, and it floats .  When Youngest was packing for school, I picked up a multi-pack when I was at a local retailer.  One day in the shower, I noticed a pleasant new scent.  I didn't equate it with the new bar of soap though because everyone knows Ivory is unscented.  After several days of trying to find the source, I finally concluded that Ivory must have added a scent to the soap even when I knew how ridiculous that was. When I finally took a look in the closet, here is what I found: The scent is Simply Aloe (the classic is now called Simply Ivory).  But wait, according to their history timeline , Ivory in...

Do you remember those old Apple ads where a nerdy PC interacted with a cool Mac?  If not,  go here for a YouTube refresher. For several years now, our house has been undergoing a transformation back to Apple from PC domination.   I started out using Apple computers way too long ago and have been pushing this transformation.  The first computer that I really remember using was the  Apple IIe .  I remember going to the Apple retailer with my dad to purchase it, and I can still see multicolor apple logo.  After the Hubster and I married, I would have to say that PC's entered our home due to the lower cost and ready availability. A few years ago, I started the move with a Mac mini.  Other MP3 players have been replaced by iPod Touches in all of our pockets except the Hubster who has an iPad.  When I went back to school, I purchased a MacBook Pro.  The transformation is nearly complete and I couldn't be happier. However, I'm ...