And the Finale!

I have absolutely no idea how to read music. I look at the sheet and know that the notes and lines mean something but am bemused.

I can draw the little squiggly thing at the start but am not sure totally what it means!

People who read music leave me in awe. My partner sat down on a piano one day and unbeknown to me started reading sheet music and playing. I was jealous but amazed.

I did learn a little at school and do wish that I had continued so that I could play an instrument and Making Music was a normal thing for me.

Make Music, Inc. is a world leader in software and systems for musicians and educators. They offer a great suite of products including Finale notation software and SmartMusic (a world best seller), which is a complete music practice system and come with the world's largest interactive accompaniment library.

A pretty impressive solution for people who want to be teach or produce music.

Their cheapest product is only $99.95 and is perfect for the individual singer / songwriter as well as teachers, band leaders and many others. The software lets you record instruments right into it or use your keyboard or the mouse to place notes and have them played back to you with human sounding quality.

Splendor

Harvey Peker was a man with issues. He worked a boring day job as a files admin in a hospitaland hated pretty much everyone.

So what did he do? He decided to start making comics about everyday boring life. Strangely he also could not draw so he started by scribbling his comics in his crappy way.

Eventually he got noticed and guest artists started drawimg for him.

The comics are hilarious and a film made about him which is part documentary and part acted film is great.

This article on wikipedia gives a detailed account of the whole saga.

Vehicles for handicapped peoples

Does anyone remember in the 1980's when handicapped people were given horrible light and bright blue cars to drive around? They did not have much choice in the matter as these were one of the only wheelchair accessible vehicles readily available. I am not sure if this was something only in the UK but my point is that things have moved on dramatically.

Now you can an almost full range of vehicles tailored for wheelchair use meaning that handicap people no longer have to drive around in stupid vehicles around, feeling awkward or embarrassed. I think this is an important step.

Mobility Works have dealerships throughout the US. They deal in new handicap vans, used handicap vans, and used handicap conversion minivans and more. Modeled on the traditional dealership format they offer a professional and comfortable surrounding in which to purchase a wheelchair friendly vehicle.

Their website is simple but offers an advanced search so you can see the range of vehicles and contact them before traveling all the way to the dealership. Good quality images are available of all the vehicle types and you can also sign up for an industry news newsletter.

It's good to see companies offering such a service in a normal environment without the need to highlight disability as a bad thing.

Bad blood

This is the brand new video for Bad Blood, the latest offering from Supergrass. Who I must add are one of my favorite bands.

The cool thing I found about this video was the way they managed to convincingly make the camera follow the movements of certain objects, such as the pendulum and the drum peddle.

As usual this new song does not sound much like Supergrass, apart from the trademark voice, but the style is different and my verdict is a thumbs up.

Blinding

I remember as a child we had a roller blind in our kitchen. I used to get up on the counter top and pull the strings back and forth watching it roll up and down and also seeing how fast i could make it release and come down. It was a pretty poorly made roller blind though and it often used to break and come down from it's mount so I would have to reach up and get it to fit back into it's plastic slots.

I had one of these blinds, and it was similarly poorly made, in one of my houses that I stayed in as an adult. Admittedly I still used to see how fast I could make it come down!

I have always liked the nice wooden blinds with thin slats. As you turn the litle metal handle then swivel and let the light in as desired. A very cool invention.

I am sure I could find just what I would want at Just Blinds. They have a very large range including aluminum blinds, wood blinds and fabric blinds in various shapes, sizes and styles.

Their website is very straightforward with easy on the eye colors and nice clean imagery. The contact phone number and when you will be able to speak to a member of staff is displayed in view at the top of the page, always an important and good thing in my view.

As they deliver your blinds and they are self install you will have to measure and install them but this is not a problem as they supply videos for each type of blind. Both for measuring and installing.

They also have a live chat, quick online quote and say that they are devoted to genuinely offering hugely discounted prices.

So if you need some blinds, check them out.

The gym, again

Ok so yesterday I went to the gym again.

I am trying to get to the gym 3 times a week normally with a rest in between but the week worked out in a way that I had to go yesterday.

I planned to concentrate on doing a 3mile run again without the emphasis on time, just on getting it done.
I did not really want to worry about the weights side of things too much.

After a 7min light bike warm up I made sure that stretches for most muscles were done and then made my way over to the treadmill.

I put it on manual and just for the hell of it started it quite fast. I ended up doing the 3miles in 21:30 minutes, meaning I ran at 7:10 per mile. Pretty good I though!

My record in the summer was around 20:30 and it has excited me that I am heading back to the same speeds so quickly. I would love to take it sub 20:00 but we will see.

Hopefully I can eventually make my run 4 miles all at around 7mins each.

Even after the run, as I felt OK, I went and did enough weights to make me ache like hell today. All in all it was a good workout leaving me feeling very satisfied.

Loans for peope with bad credit: Complete Loan Source

Complete Loan Source are a company specializing in Loans for Bad Credit.

They offer a large range of loans including payday, cash advance, personal and bad credit loans to suit many needs.

They also offer Car Loans. This is something I have never had to use but a few friends of mine have been in the situation where they have been stuck with bad credit but would like to borrow money to get a new car. Now as long as you are in a steady job and are realistic with your loan deals then borrowing for a car could be a good thing. A friend of mine went crazy and purchased a car way above his means. He paid for it when he sold it and was left with huge debt. So just be realistic and the loan will be perfect.

Complete Loan Source have an easy to understand website. It's not the most fancy site I have seen but it does have everything you need including online applications, detailed explanations and a contact at easy reach.

They are definitely worth some more research if you are in need of a loan.

Pringles, once you pop.... yeah you know.

Last night whilst watching a few more episodes of Lost I decided I was a little peckish.

I had nothing at home as I don't usually buy snacks so I got my winter clothes on, tied my boots up tight and braved my way to the corner store.

Looking through the array of chocolates, cookies and crips I saw the dreaded Pringles section.

I don't buy Pringles often as I know what happens but last night I did. I got the reduced far red pack. The regular salted flavour.

As you well know when such a thing happens, there are none left this morning.

It was an accident, but that does not mean it could not have been prevented!

Compensation culture is a strange subject. In some ways it has gone too far, most people think. That is until something happens to you personally and then..... it feels like you don't have enough rights.

I think we need to find a decent middle ground. If you injure yourself at work or in the street and you lose your ability to support yourself for a short while or longer then the peoples / company responsible should be financially supporting you.

I remember being ill one day at college (it was actually a very bad hangover, but don't tell anyone!) and the teacher saying to me that I could go home. I was so desperate to get home (and quite probably still drunk) that I went running down the street.

Bang, I felt a huge sharp pain run across my head and face and I was on my back on the floor with a workman looking over me. What happened? I asked. The workman had just opened a metal shutter as I was running past.

My immediate reaction was to sue, especially since my glasses were bent. I never did. The fact that I was drunk made me feel bad. However it was not my fault. The workman had not made the area safe before throwing the metal shutter open out onto the street where anyone, sober or drunk, could have walked (or ran) into it.

So I think there is a place for the compensation culture but it needs to be a genuines claim and reason.

Keypoint Legal Services deal with Accident Claims. If you have been genuinely injured at work or have a long term condition related to your work then they can help. You can file your claim online and their website looks very friendly.

Just make sure your claim is genuine before you go ahead with such a move. I am sure if it is then an accident claims company could be very helpful and get you the monies that you deserve.

Slipping

I recently purchased a pair of walking boots, well I say recently, just after Christmas.

They have been doing me pretty good in Montreal but they still are not perfect for all conditions a I found out.

I was scurrying down the road and i felt my legs slipping due to black ice. I carried on thinking I could handle it and then, my legs went out from underneath me and I did a full on comedy fall.

A man walked past and laughed, then carried on. I laughed too, it was funny.

About 10 meters ahead out of no where the man did the same as me. Naturally as walked past and laughed...

Can't wait to get paid

How many times have you been trying to fight your way through to the next payday and have had something bad happen right at the wrong moment?

I used to find that I would go away for a few days or just a weekend and deplete my funds for the rest of the month. A perfectly planned budget would be set up and my path to the next pay day would be perfectly planned out. Then bang something requiring money would turn up. It could be as simple as losing your travel card or forgetting an important night out or birthday celebration. It's only a little amount of money you need, maybe £100 or maybe £300.

Possibly an easy way to get through this is to look at payday loans. As with all loans you must be sure you are in the right position to pay it off and not harm yourself long term but in the right situation they could be for you.

They work by allowing you to quickly apply and instantly receive small loans of money up to £750. Now the interest is very high but you pay back in one lump sum on your pay day. For example, right now if you borrow £200 over a 30 day period you pay back £250 in a lump sum. If you use then when really needed and do not abuse the system then it could be put to get use.

Payday UK are a specialist UK pay day loans company and here are some simple Q&A's related to their service.

How do yo get a payday loan?
Borrowing from Payday loans requires a simple online application. Once submitted and accepted you just supply your bank and direct debt details. You agree to the loan terms and conditions and then the money is wired the same day. Some banks may require an additional 48 hours for clearing but it's still pretty instant.

How do you repay a payday loan?
When you apply you give your direct debit details. On the agreed date tgelump sum is direct debited from your bank account, simple and with no hassle.

So if you are in a pickle and you know you know this is right for you they could really be a help. All I advise is that you use these loans respectfully and do not become reliable on them. They can be great as a saviour but I would never advice them to be a monthly thing.

Bad habits with sleep patterns and water

I am actually up pretty early today, considering.

I have been getting into the bad habit of sleeping until midday or later and going to bed around three... or later.

Last night I didn't sleep until late but I decided to force myself awake today.

I have also been very bad when it comes to drinking water. For some reason I get dehydrated very easy and feel thirsty a lot. However I seem to ignore it.

Hopefully I can keep a conscious pattern with water drinking and if I keep forcing myself up early hopefully I will start to sleep earlier.

Lost is partly to blame!

Have you ever had any problems like this?

Bak from the gym

I have been finding it hard to go to the gym recently. No real reason just always another excuse.

Sometimes along the lines of "I have work to do" or "I still hurt from last time". I am trying to remedy that though and spent this afternoon treading away and pushing some weights.

In the summer I had a 3mile run down to about 20:30 but today that took me 24:20 so I have slipped a fair bit. This is the one activity I get really competitive with myself about so hopefully it will give me the motivation I need to keep going on a regular basis.

What fitness goals do you set yourself?

Fertility help

Many are trying for a children. Sadly due to various circumstances many of these couples are unable to have children without professional help.

After trying various natural methods many couples seek that professional help and IVF is a popular and can be a very successful choice.

A basic explanation of IVF is: The joining of sperm and egg in a lab, which is then reintroduced back into the female body and treatments are then administered to begin and aid pregnancy.

IVF1 is an in vitro fertilization and PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis) center located in Chicago and Naperville, Illinois.

Dr. Randy Morris, is a specialist that can help couples understand and diagnose infertility.

Their website is easy to use and you will find phone numbers and contacts easy to obtain meaning that you can speak with a real person to discuss your needs.

Always carry a condom!

Have you ever been lost in the woods, no civilization in sight and only a can of baked beans to keep you going.

You remembered your pocket knife so opening the can or killing wild boars is no problem. But how are you going to cook them? Hours of watching survival shows and you can't remember the type of wood you need to rub together.

Do you have a condom in your wallet?

Yes.... you do! Well you know that it will get cold when the sun goes down so you better get that condom out now and get a fire going.

Just take a look at this video...


Use Condom To Make Fire! - For more funny movies, click here

Pocket money isn't what it used to be!

According to a story found on Magicloans.co.uk a recent Scottish Widows survey says that parents are giving huge amounts of their retirement money to their children.

On average parents are giving £12,610 to their grown up children, meaning that collectively parents are loaning £67 billion to their adult children. This is also known as a 'sap fund'. I guess it's because it's sapping retirement funds as this is what most parents say the money was going to be used for.

The adults children are using the money mainly to pay off loans, many of that being college loans I suspect! Or to pay for property or deposits on property.

I don't really know what to make of this. Parents are giving huge amounts to their children but surely it has always been that way. It is just that things are more expensive now? Compared to earnings, property used to be much more affordable now you hear rumors that people are borrowing 9 times their salary. I borrowed a huge amount when I purchased my apartment and now that it is sold I am still living with the consequences of not being able to save any money during that time and not making enough money on the sale to be in a good financial position.

I think parents should think twice before handing over their money. They need a retirement and if they have the option to live that comfortably then they should. Obviously if a child is desperate and a parent can help then this is a different matter.

The details of this story was found on Magicloans.co.uk. They offer Secured Loans and at present are offering an interest rate of 10.9%. You will also find up to date news and commentary from the financial and loans industry.

Their site offer a nice orange colored interface and easy to use loan calculators as well as access 24 hours to their customer services via an 0800 number.

Spaced

For those of you who love Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Spaced is a must see.


Written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright and also directed by Edgar Wright, Spaced is created by the same team of the above movies and i in a very similar vein.

It was 2 series each comprising of 6 episodes that the comedy duo created before the movies.

Set in North London due to various circumstances Tim ends up meeting Daisy in a cafe. Both are looking for somewhere to live and when they see the prefect place but are required to be a couple they fake their relationship in order to rent the place.

The house is owned by a crazy, heavy drinking, chain smoking landlady by the name of Marsha and an eccentric artist names Brian lives downstairs. Throw in Tim's best friend, Mike, a veteran of the territorial army and Colin the dog and you can see a madcap and intelligent show awaits.

I suggest you look it up and then search high and low for the DVDs.

Affordable furniture, Az

When I first moved away from home all of my furniture was hand me downs from family members.

After a while you start to want your own stuff so you start shopping around. Luckily I found a few local shops where I could buy decent furniture at decent prices and I started to get a few pieces of my own. When I moved I had to get rid of it all so next time I have my own place I will be starting from scratch.

If you live in Phoenix / Tempe, Az or nearby then Mitch’s Furniture & Bedding Liquidation may be worth checking out. They offer a wide range of bedding and furniture at rock bottom prices. furniture Tempe, Az and Mitch all go well together.

I want to be a door

I don't know how big The Stone Roses were in the USA or Canada but they were huge and a quite important band in the UK. I was a little young to appreciate them first time round but fell in love with them in my indie loving teens.

Around the same time as the Smiths these guys knocked out some amazing songs and the one above is probably my favourite.

It's called "I want to be Adored" but I can't help but thinking he is saying e wants to a door!

Oh well, what do you think?

Wheelfire