Finding a Certified Expert

Owning your own home is just the beginning - you may find yourself up to your eyeballs in directories looking for general contractors such as flooring specialists, roofing specialists, tree loppers, heating specialists and plumbers. The question is, how do you know your expert will have the right qualifications?

The ClickSmart directory contains a listing for various contractors. The ClickSmart contractors are listed as certified experts and licensed in the state in which they do business. For example, the listing for Miami general contractors will be for contractors licensed in the state of Florida. The contractors are also required to be in good standing with the Better Business Bureau, which makes for a better experience when choosing the right person for the job. Remember to do your research before you commit and you will save yourself a lot of difficulty in the long run.

Public Transport Hell

The train was into the second stop on the line when she sat next to me.

I was secretly annoyed because I was talking on the phone. One minute I was in full flight in a conversation and two seconds later I had a stranger sitting next to me.

Staring right at my face.

Now, far be it from me to call "weirdbag alert" but the signs were not looking good. So, suddenly I had to get off the phone from a conversation I was enjoying because I didn't feel comfortable with this strange woman listening in.

Stop 3 - I'm off the phone and thinking "oh, she's probably not a weirdo. Look, she looks quite normal." And she did, maybe in her 30s or 40s, normal looking as far as I could tell.

Then the smell hits me. Ammonia. Cat's p!ss? Human? Eeek.

Out of everyone on the train I get the lucky seat. The insides of my nostrils stung.

"Tough it out." I said to myself. "Is it coming from her?" I sniffed again, nearly gagging.

Yes it was.

She then proceeded to put her feet on the seats in front of her. The smell got stronger. That meant one of two things. Either she had stepped in... or....I didn't want to think anymore.

Then I realise something. I'm trapped in. The seats are three on each side. I was seated near the window, she near the aisle (do you call it an aisle on a train? That makes it sound so much more exciting). She had placed her feet on the seat opposite her so I was trapped in. I had to get her to move her feet in order to get out.

Okay, I'm trapped in. I thought. No! Even better, I'm trapped in and now she's got her eyes closed.

Oh, crap.

So I can't signal that I want to get out because she can't see me. But I must get out because if I don't, my nostril hairs will never be the same again.

Stop 4 - I start taking shallow breaths.

Stop 5 - I think I can make it.

"Wouhoughagh!"

She coughed so loudly it made me jump. What the hell?

Lucky me, the cough had been coming my way without a courtesy cover. Sh!t, now her eyes were closed again. I'm not touching her leg. That's just it.

The smell got so strong I started to absorb it through my eyes, nose and ears.

"Wouhoughagh!" "Cack!"

I saw my chance! She had just opened her eyes momentarily to make that horrendous sound. Without a pause I leapt up and stood for a second, not breathing, while she slowly lowered her legs from the seat.

I walked calmly, very quickly away from the area, stopping at the other end of the carriage. I will never forget that smell as long as I live.

When I got off the platform for some reason someone was smoking some green stuff at this very busy, very popular Melbourne station.

I stood with my nose in the air, taking very deep breaths.

technorati tags: train public transport weirdo

Online Shopping Protection

An article has been brought to my attention - tips for protecting yourself while shopping online. I found the article to have a number of good points, many of which could be elaborated.

I agree that the most important thing to notice is the URL bar and whether or not it says "https". Some commenters made additions to the shopping security checklist. For example, don't enter your credit card details from a public computer (ie. internet cafe). To add my own points to the article, don't send your credit card details through email - email is notoriously unsafe for this kind of information. Make sure you enter these details on a trusted, secure site.

technorati tags: shopping online safety

Baccarat 18cm Saucepan

This latest purchase from an overstock outlet is testament to my rabid addiction to quality cookware. 18cm, 16/18 stainless steel and copper base for even and rapid heat distribution. And a lifetime guarantee.

It's perfect for such gourmet delights as macaroni and cheese and two-minute noodles. The first dish I cooked in it was macaroni and cheese. Since then, I haven't cooked anything else of note, I generally use it for heating sauces made in the larger pots. One of these days I'm going to cook something extremely nutritious - every pot needs a christening and in my mind, macaroni and cheese doesn't count. It really needs to be something home cooked. Fresh ingredients. That is, something that doesn't require the use of a noodle packet and a can of cheese goo.

retail price:$69.95
my price: $44.95 (hee hee!!)

Embarking on my cooking exploits I will need some inspiration. French onion soup is the one foremost in my mind. It's very easy - you basically need garlic, herbs, a bag of onions, vegetable stock and some bread. Perhaps some gruyere cheese. I can't stop thinking about food because I am really hungry. Here's a picture to prolong the torture.


I think I'll go trolling for recipes, see what I can dig up. I'd like to try an asian soup as well, maybe udon noodles or crazy mushroom dish. I'm fascinated by Chinese mushrooms - they're dried, weird and I'm terrified of them. But I am determined to use them. I once tried wood-ear fungus and seriously could have eaten the whole plate had politeness not been a concern. I will become proficient with the mushroom, no matter how long it takes!!

technorati tags: cooking baccarat saucepan shopping

Legal Advice

Sometimes you find yourself needing a lawyer and may be at a loss as to who to use. It's a situation you don't want to encounter but sometimes it is necessary to get help. If you are in the Los Angeles area you can find Criminal Defense Attorneys in Los Angeles | Southern California Criminal Defense with as much as 50 years experience and top 5% law firms. My advice would be to find out about their win/lose record and go from there.

This post brought to you by Kestenbaum, Eisner and Gorin, LLP

Luggage Hijinks

Let me firstly say one thing. I hate packing. So I have to be anal-retentive about it. I write a list of things to pack, then on the other side of the page I write a list of things that are packed in the suitcase. That way I can't forget anything because its either on the list or in the bag. Clever eh?
Somehow I still manage to forget something vitally important like toothpaste.

The things I hate packing the most:

Shoes - why oh why are shoes so bulky? And why can you only fit one pair of shoes in your suitcase no matter how hard you whack everything into the corners? I always thought I was a minimal shoe person. When I pack, I find out that I have dress shoes, runners (for golf!!) and even my Maseur sandals need to follow me everywhere I go. Especially if the hotel has a communal bathroom. There's nothing worse than looking down at your feet and seeing someone else's hair or worse. Eeek! Thongs or sandals - mandatory.

Vitamins - for some reason when I go away I get the fear that I will die of malnutrition in the 4 or 5 days I will be gone. So I pack vitamins. B Complex, Ginkgo and Brahmi Complex, Women's Multivitamins, Ferro Grad-C, various protein supplements and Growling Dog energy bars. By the time I have packed all this I have room for about 3 socks.

Electronics/gadgets - my mp3 player, mp3 fold-out speakers, 2 small headlamps for reading/mood lighting, digital camera, batteries, batteries and more batteries. I end up with about 12 AAAs and 12AAs for the trip. Last trip even included a small 2000W fan heater my partner and I dubbed "Picachu". Why? Because its fins are reminiscent of Picachu, the cute little Pokemon character.


See the resemblance?

The upshot of all this packing drama is that I had to buy myself a new Skyway tote bag (shown above). The normal price was $59.95 but I happened to find it when it was on special for $39.00 at Strandbags. It fits my shoes, vitamins, toiletries and everything else I could possibly think of. It also fits nicely over my matching Skyway in-flight luggage by slipping the tote bag over the handle. Just don't change direction suddenly while you're wheeling it or you might find yourself walking like Quasimodo.

technorati tags: Skyway luggage shopping

Birdie comes before Par

Birdie comes before par - this is the way it went in my case anyway... I got my first birdie recently at Elsternwick Golf Course on the 2nd hole (approx 128m). I teed off using (of all things!) a 7-wood.

I drew the club back about 90 degrees (I think - this expertise apparently comes from playing Tiger Woods on Playstation - and they say computer games have no real-world applications!)

The two guys who had just left the 2nd green stopped to watch.
I made contact.
I heard an expletive and joyous sounds from my partner. The two guys kept watching.
I saw the ball land on the green and thought "well, that's good. I won't have to chip."
The closer I got to the green, the more I started to realise what I had just done.
The ball was possibly a metre or more away from the flag.
But it was no gimme.
My brain went haywire.
I crouched at one end, then at the other. I think I was holding out my putter to line it up. Little did anybody know, I didn't quite know what the putter-holding was actually for. All I knew was that it looks good. Tiger does it all the time.
It was time to putt.
I took a deep breath.
Then another.
Then another.
I started to get lightheaded and decided to stop taking deep breaths.
"Stop looking at it and just putt!" I thought. I couldn't stop looking at it. Was there something I missed? A secret break? I didn't know. The importance of the shot started to weigh upon me.
"If you don't do it now you're going to freeze and f@ck up!"
I finally hit it.
The ball coasted on a straight line, then rolled towards the outer left of the cup. It was heading to lip out.
"Oh well," I thought "at least I'll get a par. I've never got a par before. I got a bogey once but that's not the same as..."
I heard a shout. My partner was practically levitating off the green. The ball bent neatly to the right and went in. I was stunned.
Nobody said anything for a second as we stared at each other.
"Rasthermathugraaaa!!!" I shouted.
"Woohooo!" he yelled.
"Yeaaaaahh!! Haaa!! Whooo!!!" I shouted again.
I celebrated Tiger Woods style by leaning back almost horizontally and pumping both fists in the air. Then I looked around, adjusted my cap like I do this all the time, and walked off with my clubs muttering "Haaaa!!" breathlessly.
We continued in a daze. I think it took me a few holes and many wistful "I got a f@cking birdie" repetitions for it to sink in.
If you pardon the pun.

And no, I still haven't got a par yet....

technorati tags: golf birdie elsternwick golf course