ê¿êspi20.com — watching and writing

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One of the dangers of surfing the net like I do is coming across a site that wants to load spyware or a virus onto my computer.

I try to stay updated with protection against those threats and Buy.com just made it easier to combat them by offering Webroot Spy Sweeper with Antivirus as one of their Weekly Deals sale items. This particular offering is exceptional since it’s good for 3 computers and like all Buy.com’s weekly deals, comes with FREE SHIPPING! Oh! I almost forgot the really great part… Buy.com’s price is a mere $38 (other merchants get $49.18) and there’s a REBATE for, guess what????? $38 from the supplier and that makes your net cost for this great software — do the math now…..$0

And, to keep your computer purring along like a well tuned Ferrari, they are also offering System Mechanic Pro (also good for 3 computers! Exactly how many we have! W00T!). The super cool thing about this is, Buy.com’s price is $50 (regular retail is $300) and there’s a rebate from the suppler for $50, so guess what? That makes it totally FREE!

Now you can get two exceptional pieces of software to protect and maintain your computer in top condition and it won’t cost you anything. How do you beat that?

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It appears that I’ve lost it somewhere.

Although I have this nifty computer with all it’s gigabytes of computer memory, it just doesn’t remember everything for me like I need it to. My poor overtaxed brain has to do some of the grunt work and it’s just not up to the job lately.

Maybe I’m just getting old (well I AM getting old, but that’s beside the point) or need to start taking ginkgo biloba or some other herbal memory enhancer that I can’t remember the name of now. I know I read somewhere that by doing mental exercises every day — like crossword puzzles and math problems and such — you’ll keep your memory sharp.

Not true.

I still forget names within 2 seconds of your telling me what it is.

I needed to tell HR the tag number of the car - I repeated it out loud to myself all the way up the elevator, as I made the morning coffee for the office, while my computer booted up. But by the time I was ready to type out the email, the number was gone out of my brain completely.

Of course now that I don’t need to know it, I can rattle it right off without thinking.

Guess it was moving from short-term memory to long-term memory when I needed to remember it.

Well, it sounds good.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Would you tell me your name again, please? I’m sorry I’ve forgotten it…

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I recently discussed the uses of the “big three” social networks, Technorati, StumbleUpon and Digg, but just recently I’ve come across a more specialized social networking tool aimed at those who own, breed, or deal with animals.

It’s called Zootoo.

Easy to join although a bit confusing to work. You add your pets to your profile (that would take me all day, so I only entered two of mine) and you can write recommendations and reviews on products, services and other pet-related subjects. In a Wikipedia kind of way, you write journals about your pets. Your participation can earn funding for local shelters and rescue organizations.

In addition to all these activities, you can find other pet owners in your area and add them as your friends, build up a community and interact with each other. Since you review vets and grooming salons, pet foods and suppliers, you can find out a lot about what’s available in your area and who is thought of as the best.

Some of the issues I had with the site were adding my pets’ photo — it uploaded the photo, but it’s not as the pet’s avatar. I’m not exactly sure what the points I’ve earned so far for reviews of dog food and vets is going towards, but I’m all for letting people know my opinion on such things, so I guess it really doesn’t matter.

There are all kinds of pets on the site — as you participate in the “pet wars” where you choose the cutest of two images presented, you will see everything from goldfish to chinchillas. Horses, dogs, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish — every kind of animal you could imagine having for a pet is represented there. Beware, though! Pet wars can be addicting!

I’ve also found several discussions about pet overpopulation, toxic ingredients in pet food, behavior issues in dogs and birds — just a wealth of information! It’s certainly a tool I’ll use and use often!

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Renovating an old house isn’t always easy. Small things make a big difference and making changes in the kitchen and bathrooms usually pays off in a big way but can be either the cheapest or the most expensive undertakings of your renovation project.

Replacing the sink, toilet and tub can be pretty easy and go a long way to sprucing up a bathroom. We currently have plastic sinks set into a sink base that’s just an open cabinet — no shelves or anything and since the whole thing is back in a cubby, it’s hard to get into that cabinet.

Pedestal sinkscame to mind first when deciding just how to make that eyesore go away. Lots of styles and features to choose from and what a change in the bathroom! An added benefit would be that we would lose the clutter that’s on the current sink although it’s pretty important that we find an alternative to where said clutter should reside.

Replacing the sink was pretty easy, replacing the tub less so. We had a garden tub and wanted to replace it with a shower.. We decided on a corner shower so we could install shelving in the other corner to give us a linen closet and somewhere better to put the under-sink clutter. We had to re-route some pipes under the floor so we could get the drain positioned properly as the new shower drain didn’t line up with where the old tub drain was, but that wasn’t too hard. The harder task was getting the faucet and water handles to line up with where the old ones were. Thankfully, Ken is pretty handy, so our new shower was installed and our shelves followed soon after.

Bathroom #1 is redone — well except for new towels and throw rugs. Bathroom two might be easier overall, but it’s in worse shape than bath #1 was as the subflooring there needs to be replaced. Methinks that’s a two-weekender project.

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