Healthy Savings Program by Medica

My husband and I recently received a direct mailing from Medica about a new program they've started:  Healthy Savings.

You get a little scan card that's supposed to give you discounts for eating healthy foods.

So, as I opened the envelope, my head filled with images of me walking through the produce department and actually being able to afford to buy any of the fruits and vegetables I found there.

The message accompanying the card was rather cryptic, so I had to go to the website and signup to find out more.

And that's when I found out:

This is a dumb program.  Don't bother wasting your time signing up.

The program only has a handful of actual healthy fresh fruits and vegetables- and those have to be BRANDED.  The majority of items on this program are processed foods.  I don't see what is healthy about a Lean Cuisine entree that has 200-500% of the recommended daily sodium.  I also don't see what's healthy about Bleached, Enriched Wheat Flour- that's a big no-no, and yet there are MULTIPLE PRODUCTS that are suggested by this program as being healthy, such as English muffins and Pretzels; foods that could be good for you, like applesauce don't specify that you need to buy the UNSWEETENED applesauce to be a healthy choice.

If this program was actually about helping people change their diets, there would coupons for "$1.00 per pound of any fresh fruit" or "$5.00 your total purchase if you don't buy any products with added sugars".

In fact, this program doesn't care about what people are actually eating.  This is a thinly veiled attempt for food manufacturers to find out what type of health insurance people have and what they're buying every week for their groceries.  It's spying on you and making targeted marketing attempts at prefab food, rather than caring about you at all.

Missing Placenta

I was driving down the road today and I heard one of my favorite songs- Lightning Crashes, by Live.  It's turning out to be something of an oldie now (wow- 20 years old!) and I have to say that when it came it out, it wasn't exactly one of my favorites.

But liked the message about the circle of life- from birth to death.

I think that it really became one of my favorites when I started trying to have a baby.  Or at least, trying to plan on having a baby.  At the time, my grandad died, so the circle of life really came to the forefront of my thoughts.

But I digress.

It's a fairly common song- it's been played QUITE often on the radio.  So, you can imagine my surprise when the song gets to the line about the placenta....and it's not there!  Suddenly, after 20 years, the line wasn't there!  The song skips right over that line and moves on to the part about the baby opening her eyes.

Seriously, folks, what is so offensive about the idea of a placenta?!  What uptight, sheltered right-winger decided that placentas are taboo to mention on the radio!?  or the idea that giving birth shouldn't be discussed!  It's not like this song talks about the ironically controversial topic of eating your own placenta like all other animals in the mammal family do, or having a natural birth in the fields, or getting knocked up for the hell of it.  It's talking about the cycle of life, you nimrod!  Haven't you ever heard of the phrase "ashes to ashes"?  Well, it's really blood to blood.

It is these people do a half-assed censoring of content that leads women to be confused and frightened about the idea of giving birth and gives dads the idea that it's not something acceptable.

Honestly, I've got to tell the moron that decided to edit this song:  You were not set upon this earth by the stork.  You came out of a woman.  It was messy.  It was painful.  There was crying. And there WAS A PLACENTA INVOLVED!

Good god, just when you think we live in an advanced society, you find out that we're still living in the 1950s.

Another Disappointment From Munchkin

When I was pregnant, my husband and I registered at Target.  Even though my feet hurt and my back hurt and I privately wondered if they put all of the interesting products on the bottom shelf, I had fun zapping the bar codes of all the infant things.  I have to admit that I was completely hypnotized by the bright colors and soft toys with oversized eyes.

One of the brands with the brightest colors was Munchkin.

I eagerly zapped all the Munchkin items in the baby food and baby bath sections.

Plastic spoons,

Plastic bowls,

Snack containers,

Washcloths,

Bibs,

Organizers,

Dishwasher grates,

Door safety locks,

Teethers,

Bottle brushes...

You name it, I zapped it.

And EVERY purchase I made, every item I zapped, has been AN ABSOLUTE DISAPPOINTMENT.

The bottle brushes fall apart.

The washcloths unraveled and became rough after one washing.

The cute little snack dispensers are so difficult that my daughter can't get her hand in and out without the little plastic barbs stabbing and scratching her hand.

And the latest disappointment:  The suction cup bowls.

I loved the idea of the suction cup bowl for training feeding- then the toddler can't knock it over.

But then the suction cup would have to actually WORK.  These bowls have such a small, flimsy cup that they don't say stuck through the 3rd spoon dip.

But even that isn't the greatest disappointment.

The GREATEST disappointment is the fact they they turn out to NOT BE MICROWAVE SAFE!

In fact, none of their feeding equipment seems to be microwave safe.

It's not like I'm having to microwave things very long- 5 or 10 seconds for the baby food, but the bowls really need to be microwavable to be ANY USE.

WHO MAKES FOOD BOWLS THAT AREN'T MICROWAVE SAFE IN THIS AGE!?!

After all was said and done, I've had to repurchase everything I bought that was Munchkin brand with Gerber (NUK) or Tommee Tippee.

Save yourself the headache and don't buy Munchkin.

Taking a Day

Sorry, folks-
Taking a day to regroup.  Will return with more uplifting, joyful posts tomorrow.

Covers and Jackets

Today, I have a simple question:

Why do publishers put dust covers on children's books?

There is no NEED for a dust cover any more, since the printing on the hard-covered books is in full color nowadays.  There isn't any limit on the images that can be printed on the covers, either.

So, why do we have dust covers AT ALL!?

It's not to keep dust out.

I looked up the history of the dust cover a.k.a the dust jacket) and it was originally for keeping loose-leaf pages together- like a folder.

But we have BOUND books now- no need for a folder.

It seems that this is, in the mind of the publisher, some treat or luxury to have to deal with this piece of paper that is just going to get ripped and torn or removed and set aside...where it will be accidentally folded wrong or end up under some other object.

I feel obligated to keep them with the books, but they're a real pain in the ass...especially for a children's book!

Please, publishers:  save the paper- we don't want or need a dust cover.  Leave my daughter to practice her origami on origami paper.

Best Coupon Ever

Have you ever seen the movie, The Jerk, with Steve Martin?  There's a fabulous scene- one of the most memorable in the whole movie, where he's working at a carnival/circus as a "Guess Your Age/Weight" hawker.  One potential patron walks up and asks what he can win if Martin's character can't guess correctly.  And, well...just watch the clip...

Fantastic, right?

Chiclets, anyone?

Well, I was given a coupon by BabiesRUs that is just about as good:

our gift to you! (evidently, not the gift of grammar...of course, "Babies R Us"...I shouldn't expect much.)

save $20 on your purchase of $50 or more

Sounds great, right?

But the fine print:

Offer available in store only.  (I believe, again, that should be "in-store".)
EXCLUDES ALL TOYS,
baby food,
diapers,
formula,
wipes,
Unbeatable Price items,
Ameda,
Baby Jogger,
BOB,
Bugaboo,
ERGObaby,
Mamas & Papas,
Maxi-Cosi car seats,
Medela breast pumps,
Motorola,
Nap Nanny,
Pediped,
Peg Perego,
Phil & Teds,
Quinny,
Robeez,
Thyme Maternity,
electronic toys,
netbooks,
tablets,
video game hardware,
video games,
Apple products,
FAO Schwarz toys,
Buyer Protection Plan,
gift cards,
photo studios,
phone order,
Special Orders,
assembly fee,
breast-pump rental fee (uhm, how do you want to spell breast pump?  It's spelled differently twice here!),
delivery fee,
and shipping & handling fee.
Not valid with any other "R"us total transaction offer, on prior purchases or at Macy's Express.
Valid USA only.


So, I think it means that you can buy some BabiesRUs-brand socks and nose suction bulb, because with all these exclusions, there's not much left in the store to buy.

Oh, wait, I think it doesn't exclude you from getting a bunch of gum at the register, because we all need $50 worth of gum

"R"Us Stores:  just list what we CAN buy with this fantastic offer.

Amazon Successfully Shoots It's Own Foot Off

Amazon will begin collecting sales tax in Minnesota as of July 1, 2013.

Yup.

I can't say that this really upsets me because Amazon's fulfillment and sales processes have really dropped off in quality in the past 18 months or so, so I was already actively searching for other retailers from whom to buy my merchandise.

Other states, like Texas and Washington, have already been paying sales taxes with Amazon's purchases for years.

This current change in policy is because of Amazon's Associate's Program, whereby people can place advertisements on their websites to refer customers to Amazon for a small finder's fee, and because of Amazon's Marketplace Program, where Amazon serves as a middle-man for smaller businesses so that the smaller businesses can gain more visibility.  The new Minnesota law says that these entities that are associated with Amazon are extensions of its business and are, therefore, in-state sales locations....even if the people only sell to Amazon.

This means, that I will be removing my Amazon ads from this blog, because they are refusing to pay for any traffic this blog generates for them.  (Of course, their program has always sucked and I've had to go rounds with the Better Business Bureau and Amazon about their Associates Program, so I'm not really that heartbroken over closing a headache in my life).  In fact, Amazon is closing the Associate program in Minnesota entirely.  I guess we're all fired.

So, Amazon will have to start charging sales tax, or face the IRS.  Frankly, I smell a few rats in the Minnesota legislature.  Minnesota is the home base of the faltering Best Buy and Target Corps, both of whom are direct competitors with Amazon, but have been forced to charge sales tax because of their in-state locations.  To state it blatantly, I wouldn't be at all surprised if there was a direct, obvious trace of money or power from Best Buy and Target directly affecting the politicians that voted in this law.

You see, now Amazon's prices and fulfillment practices are not a great competitor with Target or Best Buy.  For example, I can go to Target and purchase anything I want.  If I later decide I don't want it, for whatever reason, I can return it to the store without having to pay shipping.

Amazon would charge me shipping unless the item is somehow damaged.

I can also take a wad of manufacturer and store coupons to Target and use them on sale items.  Like diapers.  I get the product now and I get it for a great deal less than Amazon (unless you paid the $80 per year for being a Prime Member- but then you have to factor in that $80 into the price of what you're buying).

If I want to go and buy a TV, I'm probably going to want to see it in the store, which has always been the major reason why Best Buy stores still have customers.  Now, though, the prices are not any better to buy online, so Best Buy probably dig itself out of the financial hole that it is in (too bad, in my opinion, but another topic).

I guess the major moral of this story is that Amazon got stupid somewhere along the way- I think it was about 3-5 years ago when it became a virtual monopoly of online shopping.  Their own programs have led to this requirement for sales tax.

I know that I will be shopping elsewhere now- I recommend Drugstore.com and your local Target or Walmart.

Finally Found It!

I remember this blue and red shape toy from my childhood.  I remember EVERYONE having one.    I'd been looking for it high and low, on every used toy website and in garage sales everywhere with no success.

Yesterday, I finally found it- it's called the Shape-O Toy from Tupperware.

Figures that it's Tupperware since it was so successful in the 1970s.

What I love about this toy beyond the shape toys available from Fisher Price or Playskool or Melissa and Doug is this:

1. This toy is three-dimensional; not only does the child need to know where to match the shape, but they need to know how to orient the toy in three dimensions to the shape in the hole.
2. It's round, so no sharp corners to scratch baby.
3. This toy has simple (triangle, square, circle) and advanced shapes (plus signs, stars, trapezoids).  
4. All the pieces fit inside for easy storage.
5. They can roll the ball around for a different game.
6. It has lovely handles on both ends that you can use to carry the thing.

My daughter loved the toy on site.  She spent a good 30 minutes putting the shapes in, which is something for a 16-month-old.  She knew immediately how to rotate the ball to find the right shape and the actual shapes fit perfectly in her hands.

There were only a couple of issues that seem surround the new toy that didn't happen in the old:

1. To open the ball, you grab the handles on both ends and pull the ball gently open.  In the original design, this was a twist open and close.  In the new design, it's spring loaded, so you have to watch your kid to make sure that they don't try to open the ball themselves and pinch their arms.
2. The price- I got this toy on-sale, but I thought it was expensive then.  The price on the Tupperware site is $30.  
3. And, finally, the Tupperware site does not work in the Chrome browser; it does work in Firefox and Explorer, but I'm betting with the lack of support of Chrome, the site isn't mobile-enabled or responsive, either.

I still love this toy, but I think I'd still recommend looking for an original one from the 70s.

Another Doctor's Office Disappointment

I was recently in the doctor's office for a blood test for my daughter.  Usually, I bring the whole diaper bag and whatnot in with us for a doctor's appointment, but since it was just a blood test, I figured, why bother?

So, when we got to the doctor's office, I parked, grabbed the kid, and went in.

I've never seen anyone wait for a blood test at this office.  It's out in the middle of nowhere semi-suburbia/semi-rural Shakopee, Minnesota.  So, it's not a busy office, especially when it comes to blood tests.

Well, we ended up waiting for about 15-20 minutes, just to get back to see the phlebotomist (that's the person who draws blood). The blood draw itself was fairly quick.  In fact, it was the quickest, best draw that we've ever had for our daughter.  (If you've ever had to  have a blood test for an infant, you KNOW the parental trauma that occurs when you have to hold down your kid to let them get stuck, so when I say that she didn't cry at all, it's really something)

Anyway, so now we're about 25 minutes later than I thought we'd be.  Like all good parents, I had taken a slot during my daughter's "active time", which for her is first thing in the morning.

Of course, it's also when I have coffee.

Can you see where this is going?

Well, after the blood test, I REALLY needed to pee.  So, after I make sure my daughter's calm, I find the bathroom in the doctor's office to take care of business.

And that's where I found the problem:

There is NO PLACE in the doctor's bathroom to put your kid while you pee.

Literally, when you walk in, you find the typical tiled bathroom of a doctor's office, with a sink and handicapped railings around a toilet.  There's the little trolley with urine sample cups.  And there's one of those scary Koala Kids changing tables.

That's it.


Where are you supposed to put your kid!?!

You certainly can't put them in the Koala Kids changing table- it specifically says DO NOT WALK AWAY WHILE YOUR CHILD IS ON THE TABLE.  It's because those are UNSTABLE.

Now, luckily, my daughter is old enough to stand on her own AND I had put shoes on her.  I managed to have her stand, with her hands against the wall while I put my hand on her back and squatted to take care of business.  I then had to manage to continue to entertain and hold her against the wall while I finished with the toilet paper (luckily, it wasn't a open bar style), and then guide her over to the sink to wash my hands before picking her up.

Now, I have seen a solution to this problem in the local mall:  in the bathrooms, there are little jump seats that you pull down to have your kid sit in while you pee.

What I don't understand is why a doctor's office, particularly a General Practitioner's office in the middle of young family-land wouldn't have the same set up.

How to Cook a Tri-Tip

It sounds like a little more on tri-tip is needed for people in Minnesota (especially butchers) to "get it".

Tri-tip is NOT a steak.

Tri-tip cannot be cooked like a steak.

Tri-tip is a BIG, tough cut of meat.

So, here's a picture of what it looks like raw.  You can see the entire bottom of the cut is fat.  If you don't have a triangle piece of meat about 3-5 pounds in weight and with the large slab of fat on the bottom, you don't have a tri-tip.  Please go back to the store and ask for a California-cut tri-tip. (I don't know if other places cut it the same, but Minnesota DOES NOT).



Here is what a tri-tip looks like that is cooked correctly.  You notice the obvious triangle shape.  You cut the tri-tip across the long axis of the meat.  Because tri-tip is very cartilaginous (tough with connective tissues) by nature, DO NOT CUT ON THE BIAS.  You need to cut straight up and down or the meat will seem tough and difficult to chew.

As you cut the meat, the tips should be the well-done ends.  The middle should be deep pink, if not red in color.  There should be juice running all over if you cooked it properly.  (Save the juice- you'll have to pour it over the left over slices to keep them moist).

How to Cook a Tri-Tip, California-Style

What you'll need:

• 3-5 pound tri-tip
• Santa Maria Seasoning
• Charcoal Grill  (sorry, gas really doesn't work for this)

1. Purchase a tri-tip that has an even thickness through the middle- it will taper off at the ends, but a good tri-tip will not taper across the whole cut of meat.  If you're in the central valley of California, I recommend The Meat Market.  They even ship!  (exorbitant amount for shipping, but it's possible).
2. Marinate the tri-tip in Santa Maria seasoning- the longer the better.  You do need to cook raw meet withing a few days of purchase or freeze it.  Tri-tip does freeze well.  Pappy's makes a fairly good Santa Maria style seasoning.  It's a dry-rub marinade, so you just rub a thick layer of the seasoning on the raw meat.  If you do decide to freeze it, make sure you marinate first.
3. Start your charcoal grill up about 20-30 minutes before you're ready to cook.  You want the grill hot when you put the meat down so that moisture in the meat is sealed in right away as the meat cooks; if you put the meat down on a cold grill, the moisture will evaporate (steam out) of the meat while the grill comes up to temperature.
4. Place your tri-tip FAT SIDE DOWN on the grill.  CLOSE THE LID AND DO NOT PEAK.  You want to keep an even convection heat on the meat.
5. TIME the cooking for 30 minutes.  
6. At the end of 30 minutes, open the grill and flip the meat upside down.  CLOSE THE LID AND DO NOT PEAK.
7. TIME the cooking for 15 more minutes.
8. Remove from heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  This is to make sure the juices don't spill out from the meat and dry it out.
9. Cut and serve.

Pointers:

1. If the meat is too raw for your tastes at this point, wrap it in foil.  The heat from the meat will continue to cook it.  If you leave it on the grill, it will eave the entire cut TOUGH AND DRY.
2. I was always more interested in the ends as a child (yuck- pink meat!) but that changed when I wanted to have a tri-tip sandwich with the leftovers.  The well-done ends that I loved when they came off the grill NEVER made a good sandwich- it was always the tender center cuts that made the great sandwiches.

Can't Get Tri-Tip in Minnesota

Last week, Cub (the local grocery) had advertised "Tri-Tip" for $4.99.

Now, my family and I have searched for tri-tip in Minnesota for the past 20 years and have never found it.  Evidently, butchers don't cut the cows the same east of the Rockies.

In California, tri-tip is the bottom butt of the sirloin.  It's a large cut, rough cut of meat- about 3-5 pounds with a large slab of fat on one side. We've been so desperate for tri-tip that we had relatives go to the butcher in California and have them deep-freeze tri-tips for us, then bringing them out on the airplane when they came to visit.  Ahhhh, Santa Maria seasoning.  (Can't get that in Minnesota, either)

In fact, the fat is critical, as the only ways to cook this tough cut are on the barbecue or, evidently, roasting in the oven.  Tri-tip the California tailgate food; tri-tip, pilaf, and garlic sourdough bread...San Francisco-style sourdough..the fact that the rest of the country can't get "sourdough" right, is a different story.

Anyway, the grocery store's sale.

I cynically went to the grocery store looking for their tri-tip.  It wasn't out in the beef section, so I asked the butcher that was stocking the shelf.  He acted like I didn't have any idea what I was asking for:
"Where's your tri-tip that's on sale?"

"Well, I'd have to go get you one."

"Oh." (I was in a hurry and made to walk off)

"It's a steak about an 1" thick about about this big (two hands-sized)."

"That's not a tri-tip.  A tri-tip is the bottom butt of the sirloin.  It's a huge roast, like 3-5 pounds, with a huge slab of fat on one side."

"No it's not- it's a little steak about a pound"

"I suggest you check the internet or call a butcher on the West Coast.  Thanks, anyway"

Sigh

So close and yet so far.

Butchers in the twin cities:  with all the California immigrants in Minnesota, whoever figures out how to cut the cow the California way is going to make a fortune...particularly for their tri-tips.

Torquing Toilet Paper Rollers

Today, I'd like to talk about something that has split marriages, divided the country, and who knows, possibly resulted in international incidents:

Is there a right way or a wrong way to hang the toilet paper on the roller?

If you have a toilet paper roller like this...

...then the answer is YES.

Despite what you think, it has nothing to do with how the pattern is printed on the paper.  It has to do with physics.

Ever been sitting taking care of all things natural when you reach for the toilet paper and the whole roll goes shooting across the floor, leaving you seated on the throne with long white streamer as the whole roll unrolls itself?

Well, there's a solution to that:  the toilet paper was put on wrong.  

In physics, there's a force that is call "torque".  Torque is the likelihood that something will want to turn when force is applied.  So, if you push down or pull, does the object turn?  

If you've ever been to the Exploratorium in San Francisco, you'll probably have done this experiment:

While seated on a rotating chair, you hold a bike wheel and spin it.  If you tilt the wheel to the right, you spin around in a circle.  If you tilt the wheel to the left, you're brought to a halt. 

This is torque.

Interesting as it may seem, torque is a right-handed force, which is why you spin when you hold the bike wheel to the right. When you turn the wheel to the left, the torque is forced to an axis that cannot turn, so you can't spin in the chair, but if your chair was somehow suspended in the air horizontally, you would spin.

Well, you can apply this advanced knowledge of torque to your toilet paper problem.

If you have a toilet paper roller like the one above and you want to have the pretty printing on the top of the toilet paper, then you need to install the roller either on the left side of the toilet with the opening pointing to the toilet, OR on the right side of the toilet with the opening pointing away from the toilet.

If you don't have a drill handy when you sit down for your constitutional, take a look at where the toilet paper is.

If it's on the left side of the toilet with the opening pointing away from the toilet, then you need to put the toilet paper on upside down to keep it on the roller when it spins.  If the opening is pointing to the back, then the toilet paper needs to be with the printing on the top to keep the paper on the roller.

The opposite is true if the toilet paper is on the right:

If the opening is away from the toilet, then the printing should be on top.

If the opening is towards the toilet, then the roll needs to feed from the bottom (upside down).

If you don't believe me, try it out the next time you're having a length sit.

Who would have thought physics would be so down to Earth?

Miss Lass and Ma'am-ing

I've recently started rewatching Downton Abbey.

It's a shockingly well done PBS show about life of an Earl and his family in the last 1910s.  (Earls are low-end nobility of England- equivalent of a Marquis in France)

Anyway, what I really notice about the production, besides the costumes and the attention to set detail, is how everyone addresses each other as "Mr." and "Miss" and "Mrs.".

I really miss that (ha, no pun intended).  Where have all of the manners gone in America?  What is it with people with whom you're not familiar addressing you by your first name?  It's just rude.  I remember in German class how it was taught to be very rude, still, to address people in the familiar without actually being familiar with them.

I have taken to correcting people now- "You may call me Mrs. Lass, please".  A lot of times, it just shocks them into silence, especially telemarketers because they're just reading a script.

Along the same lines, is the American "Ma'am"ing.  Honestly, people, don't "Ma'am" someone unless they obviously a senior, senior citizen.  It's just dishearting to be called "Ma'am" when you're in your 20s.

That's when it happened to me- my first "Ma'am"ing.  I started to walk off without my receipt from a store and the cashier said, "Ma'am, you're receipt".

What a lousy day that was.

My advice to all of you in similar situations:  we're all "Miss" unless we have so much gray hair and a walker that you can't go wrong "Ma'am"ing us.

Still, I guess I prefer the "Ma'am"ing to strangers addressing me by my first name.

What Not to Buy in A Coffeemaker

A couple of years ago, I needed to get a new coffeemaker.

Or so I thought.

The Krups that I had wasn't staying as hot as I like it.  It was one of the older Krups models, with the original water filter option, 12 Cup, hot plate, cone filter...black.  It cost me about $50 back in the day, which I thought was outrageous and quite a splurge.

It was nice.

Now I have a "nice" coffeemaker...

...and even after all of my research, I still wish that I could have just gotten the same old Krups that I had gotten before.  (But of course, they don't make that model anymore).

What did I get?

I got a Capresso.

It's a 10 Cup, basket filter model that has an on-board grinder.
It has several nice features like an aroma button (which I still don't quite understand what it does, but it changes from an outline of a coffee bean to a solid coffee bean on the display- cool).
It has a cup setting (only even numbers, though...what's with that?)
It has a timer.

Unfortunately, you always find out what you REALLY wanted in an appliance when the one you purchased doesn't do it.  This is what I found I REALLY wanted:

I wanted an on-board grinder....but you can't change the amount of coffee that is ground unless you "trick" the machine into thinking it's going to make a 6 Cup pot of coffee, then turning it off once it's ground, and changing to to the full pot size.  Otherwise, it uses HALF THE BAG OF BEANS when it grinds a full pot.  YIKES!

It coffeemaker also doesn't come with a removable carboy for the water.  I mean, if you're going to pay a couple of hundred for a coffee maker, shouldn't it either have a sink hook-up or have a removable carboy so that you don't have to bring a pitcher over to fill it?

I wanted a HOT cup of coffee.  The trend at the time was for all the coffee pots to have these thermal pots and no hot plate....so that the hot plate doesn't continue to cook your coffee, leave you with a sludge that resembles coffee, or be a fire hazard because you basically left a mini stove on unattended.  WELL, I DON'T like the thermal pot AT ALL.  It never gets hot enough.  Give me my old Krups with the hot plate any day.  I like my coffee as hot as possible without boiling it (so, probably about 208* F...which is the same temperature you should brew black tea, by the way).  Anyway, I like it HOT.  I don't like it when it's cooled off.  I don't like it when I have to microwave it- it's just never the same as fresh, hot brewed.

So, if you like HOT coffee, not medium-hot coffee, don't bother with a thermal pot.

And let's not forget the "best" feature of the thermal pot- it's narrow, lipped opening.  It turns out that the very last 1/4 cup of fluid NEVER comes out!  The only way I can get the coffee out of the pot is to fill the whole pot with water...which, when I tip and shake and shake and shake, leaves about a 1/4 cup of water in the pot.

Sometimes, technology really ISN'T better than the old-fashioned way of doing things.

Happy Father's Day

I went shopping for my father's day cards early this year.  I was hoping to find something really cute- perhaps with a cat on it since my dad and husband both have cats in their lives.

But, no real luck there.

What I found in cards was the same content I find year after year- neckties, golf, fishing, and drinking beer.

What year were these cards actually written in!?

Of the men I know, I only know one that wears a tie.  The rest wear khakis and polos to work.

Of the men I know, I don't know ANY who actually get to play golf AFTER they have kids- where's the time!?

Same with fishing.

The drunk A$$hole on the couch in a wife beater- I just don't understand these cards at all.  If you have a dad like that, you're probably not getting him a card, so why are there so many cards like that?  It's insulting to what it means to be a father.

It's like there were 5 father's day cards written back in 1950 and they haven't been updated since.  I don't see any about playing on an Xbox (which, you still don't get to do once you're a dad.  Again, where's the time?!).  Nor do I see any cards about gardening or bird watching, which is a shame because I know MANY dads who are into both.

So, to all of you dads out there, especially my dad and my husband, let me be the first to say, "Thanks", for not fitting the images portrayed in cards for Father's Day; thanks for caring more about me and the family than your own interests.

Thanks for being a great dad.

Best Cat Litter Box I've Ever Had

I don't know what it is, but it seems that my cats REALLY love to hang their butts over the edge of the litter box when they use it.

It's been a horrible journey of trying different styles of litter boxes- covered, not covered- different containers AROUND the litter box to keep their pee from damaging everything in the house....

NOTHING has worked.

Finally, I decided to take matters into my own design hands.

I went to Menards (it's a local hardware store).


I bought one of the cheap 20 gallon, narrow storage containers.

I took my pair of utility scissors....

...and  I cut a walking hole in one side of the container.

Now, I have a great litter box that is too high for the cats to hang their butts out of when they pee.

AND because it was a cheap, $5 container, even the opening is protected from wayward urine because the opening that I cut collapses a bit on itself- so they can get out, but they'd they to have REALLY good aim to pee outside of it....or enjoy rubbing up against the contractor-grade plastic bag I have as a liner.  (Also a Menards purchase)

So, save your money.  Spend approximate $7 and get the best litter box you've ever had.

Remove Yourself from PeopleFinders

Last but not least in my series on personal information privacy, is PeopleFinders.com.  They are not as insidious as USSearch or Intelius, but they do sell their information to MANY sources.  They also utilize Amazon.com information to augment their own databases, so I HIGHLY recommend that you remove yourself from this site.

What you'll need to remove yourself from PeopleFinders.com:

• The website

Step 1:  Navigate to PeopleFinders.com.

Step 2:  Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Help" link

Step 3:  On the Help page, click on the "How do I remove my information from your website?" link.

Step 4:  The website will open a page of explaining how they have your information.  Click on the "click here" link to continue.

Step 5:  Type in your names and state to search.  If you want to remove your information, you have to follow this process- you can't remove it from just a simple name search.

Step 6:  Locate your identity in the listings.  Click the "This is me" button.

Step 7:  The website will refresh to show only your information.  Click the "Opt out my info" button.

Step 8:  Type in the security codes and click the two checkboxes.  Then click "Continue".

Step 9:  The website will ask you if you want to purchase something (the ad changes every time).    IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU CONTINUE WITH THE PROCESS AND DON'T CLICK ON ANYTHING ELSE ON THE PAGE OR YOU'LL HAVE TO START AGAIN.

Step 10:  When you are done removing your information, you'll see a receipt page.  

Be sure to remove all of your information from all addresses and aliases.  PeopleFinders.com does place a limit on the number of identities you can remove from a computer (based on IP address), so remove your own information first.