Category Archives: Uncategorized

Cleaning Tips

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I recently got an e-mail newsletter from Eureka, the company, not the fictional community, with some useful cleaning tips.  And since I’m slowly making this blog the “bookmark” of my life, it only made sense to stick the tips here:

Rid your home of smelly pet messes

Soak up as much of the mess as possible and then scrub the affected area with vinegar to offset the smell. Lint rollers and hand vacuums should be stored discreetly near your pet’s favorite hangouts for an easy and quick pick-up at any time.

Get a cleaner can

Garbage cans can leave unpleasant odors long after the trash is taken outside. Mix one gallon of water and three cups of bleach to neutralize the smell. Then, let it dry out in the sun where the ultraviolet light will kill the remaining bacteria.

“Shoo-in” cleaner footwear

Running around outside can take its toll on summer sandals or flip-flops. Wipe down each pair of shoes with rubbing alcohol and place them on their sides in a well-ventilated area, followed by a light coat of baking soda, to soak up any excess moisture.

To eliminate everyday odors, use premium allergen vacuum bags by ARM & HAMMER®, which have built-in baking soda to eliminate odors while vacuuming.

credit: Eureka August 08 e-newsletter

Mac Attack

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I thought I should share…

About 2 weeks ago I received a new Mac I had purchased. Before you ask me what is wrong with me, you though I was a PC guy, let me clear up a few misconceptions about myself.

1) I’ve always liked Macs.

My art teacher in High School, Dane Penny, who was as much a good friend as a teacher, bought a Mac my senior year. This was in 1988 and it was over Christmas break. He called me at my home and told me to come over and show him how to use it. I told him I had a date and he said he didn’t care, to get my tail over there now, ha! It was about noon, so I had time to goof off with him and still make my date.

This Mac was one of the Macs that was all built into one, screen, hard drive (oh wait, no hard drive, just one floppy and an external floppy), etc, much like the iMacs of today. I thought it was an amazing, EXPENSIVE machine.

2) Price has always been the problem.

I never felt like I could justify spending the extra money for a Mac. What has changed? Intel. About 3 years ago (in June of 2005, if I remember correctly), Apple announced they were going to an Intel processor. The prices of Macs have come down over the last 3 years, making them more affordable, if you price them out compared with a PC with the same specs, they are very close

3) I already owned a Mac.

You may already know that I have owned a Mac Mini for almost 3 years. It is an Intel Mac Mini, and I bought it with minimum ram, only 512mb. I’m about to upgrade it to 2 Gigs, (which cost me $60). You can stop laughing now, I do know that is a ridiculous amount of RAM for such a little computer. The mini is actually Jennifer’s computer, and it is an amazing little powerhouse, even with 512 mb of ram. It is our Answering machine, an intranet (web server for our home network), and she uses it for her business.

4) What about PC software

I have certain applications that ONLY run on a PC. I also don’t believe in stealing software, so I own legal copies of Adobe’s Photoshop and GoLive. Yes, they are expensive and the version I have are only for the PC. So my new Mac came with VMware’s Fusion. You may have heard of Bootcamp or Parallels, it is similar, but got better reviews on a few web sites like lifehacker.com. It is AMAZING. I can run my Windows applications seamlessly with my Mac OS, I even forget that the computer is running Windows.

I do plan to eventually upgrade to the Mac versions of Adobe’s stuff, but not any time soon.

I’ve already converted my sister, brother, and mom to the Mac fan club, they all own, or use a Mac. Will you be next? ha! ha!