Show Your Student ID

Is saving money as simple as showing your student ID? With ISIC (the International Student Identity Card) it looks like it is. With this card, students can get discounts at more than 33,000 locations in 103 countries. There are discounts on travel and hotels, food, entertainment, and online shopping.

I searched through the discounts to get an idea of the savings. Here are a few that stood out:

• Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for 91% off
• 5% off everything at Textbookx.com
• 10% off at Target.com
• $15 of flowers and gifts at FTD.com
• 15% off plus free shipping at Shoebuy.com
• Free and legal music at Ruckus.com
• 15% off the lowest available fare on AMTRAK
• A special $13 menu at Hard Rock Cafe
• The card also comes with travel insurance

There are many, many more. For $22, students can carry this card and have access to all these savings for an entire year. The way I usually figure it on these kinds of things is that you take the cost, then each time you use a discount, you subtract that amount from your cost. When you get to $0, your card will have paid for itself and all additional savings are a bonus. Since many of these discounts are on things students will be spending money on anyway, like textbooks, travel home, and stuff for the dorm, the savings will probably add up pretty quickly.

There are also cards available for youths under 26 who are not students, and for teachers and faculty.

2008 Book List

I've been reading all my life - well, since I was 5 or so - but last year was the first time I thought to keep a list of all the books I read. I used the weRead app on Facebook to keep track of them, adding them when I started reading and then marking them as read when I finished. So, this list is sort of in order. It's in the order I added the books and started reading them, but I didn't necessarily finish them in that order. I tend to have at least a couple books going at once, and some of them were audio books I listened to when I walked.

The 2008 list:

1. Queste (Septimus Heap, Book 4) by Angie Sage
2. Eye of the Beholder by David Ellis
3. Paper Towns by John Green
4. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
5. Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
6. The Dark Is Rising Sequence, Book One: Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper
7. Creaton in Death by J.D. Robb
8. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
9. Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner
10. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
11. Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon
12. Strangers in Death by J.D. Robb
13. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
14. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
15. Split Second by David Baldacci
16. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
17. Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum Novels) by Janet Evanovich
18. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
19. Fame: 1 (Firstborn) by Karen Kingsbury
20. Lilies That Fester (Bretta Solomon Gardening Mysteries) by Janis Harrison
21. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
22. Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
23. Redemption by Lee Jackson
24. Looking for Alaska by John Green
25. Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson
26. Blindness by Jose Saramago
27. Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream by Adam W. Shepard
    

I thought about linking all of them to Amazon books so you could easily click and find out more about any books that interest you, but that was going to take more time than I wanted to spend. It's pretty easy to search Amazon, anyway.

Looking at the list, I feel like I should have read more. That might be because I have friends whose book lists are a lot longer. However, when I read that 1 in 4 U.S. adults read no books last year and 80% of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year, I don't feel so bad. I feel bad for them - how in the world can anyone can survive without reading?

I'm already working on the 2009 book list, again keeping track of it on Facebook. They've added a new feature that lets me add tags to my books, so I'm tagging books with the month when I finish them. That will help me keep track of them even better. If you have any book suggestions for my list, you can leave me a comment or 'chuck' them at me on Facebook.

I Don't Know What to Say

Image by riot jane via FlickrI wanted to post something here, and say something important - but I can't think of anything.

I grabbed the photo of the dog from Zemanta (are you using it yet?) because the caption said, "our good friend, misty." I rather would have expected Misty to be a Border Collie, but at least we now have proof that she is a dog - or will be in her next life, or something like that.

It's about bedtime - another excuse for using the dog photo. Maybe that's why my brain can't come up with anything. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to give you some info you can use, like information about acne treatments or the best lotion for winter dry skin or even a great idea for getting organized.

And then again, maybe not.

For Love and For Horses

The local radio station I listen to in the mornings has an online dating club, and one of their commercials was on the radio this morning. The young lady was explaining how hard it is to meet people, and the kind of men you might meet in a bar aren't necessarily the kind you'd choose for a long-term relationship. Not in so many words, but you know what I mean. It makes me so very thankful that I met my special someone when I was 12 - even though I didn't know or admit he was all that special until a bit later.

Luckily, there are more tools and resources available now to help singles meet. One I found out about today is called equestrian cupid. It's especially for horse-loving singles. If horses are your passion, it's a good place to meet others who share your interests. Find new horse riding buddies, find new trails and riding areas, and maybe find someone to share your love of horses and your life. Judging from the success stories, this site has helped quite a few people. It makes a lot more sense than walking into a bar and hoping you will have something in common with someone there.

Equestrian Cupid has online chat, equestrian forums, blogs, and equestrian news. They offer FREE sign-up, and it's totally free to place lifetime ads and contact hundreds of thousands of members. We have a lot of horses and trails around here. It wouldn't surprise me if several people from around here are already members.

Rebates & Movies

Jeffrey and I went and bought TurboTax today, along with a bunch of other software that will be free after rebate. I have a hard time resisting free stuff. Have you noticed? We got several different Internet security titles, a PDF converter, PrintShop 23, and some other stuff. I will have to spend a bit of time reading over rebates and making sure everything adds up, and then putting stuff together to mail, but it's all worth it in the end, right?

It will have to wait until at least tomorrow, though. Right now we're watching Ocean's Thirteen. We talked about going to a movie since we were out, but decided to come home and watch some I got from the library instead. We could have watched them on the big screen, so it would sort of been like going to a movie. I could even have made some popcorn, but instead we're just watching on the television - the one on the tv stand in the living room. It's probably too cold to go down in the basement anyway. That's our story, and we're stickin' to it.

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 1

This is my first post for Looking at the Sky on Friday.  Click the image to join.

This is the view through the sliding glass door in my dining room.  Yes, Misty actually goes outside to take her sky pics.  I just shoot from inside.  Hey – it’s cold out there!  Still, nice view, don’t you think?

Now, I really need to go through all my pictures – organize them, delete the blurry ones before I have to buy computer memory to keep them all, and get them backed up to CD or DVD.

It's Friday

Notice anything missing? Yeah, I haven't posted a Sky Watch Friday photo in a couple weeks. I'm still takings photos of the sky, because I just can't help myself, but I had some computer problems. Then, when I got those fixed, my computer wouldn't read the SD cards from my camera. Panic! If I can't get the pictures off those cards, they're gone. Forever. Luckily, Cory's computer could read them, and he put them all on the hard drive downstairs. Now I can get to my sky pictures - and all the other ones too.

Still, I think I'm going to turn in my Sky Watch Friday membership card. Before you get too worried that you'll never see another sky picture from me - you were worried, right? - let me reassure you that I'll still be posting them. I just decided to join a different meme, one I found out about on Misty's blogs, My Dogs Keep Me Sane and Misty's Words. No one ever complained, and I honestly didn't pay attention, after all, I've been posting Sky Watch Fridays for months, but apparently SWF has rules. They don't want blogs with paid posts or links to participate. I fail to understand how it matters - unless we're putting those paid links in the Sky Watch posts, but I guess it does. So, I'm quitting before someone yells at me. Luckily there's a new meme for those of us who are addicted to taking sky photos and still want to make some money with our blogs.

Next post: Looking at the Sky on Friday

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Tax Return Time

Beth got her W-2 from work yesterday, so she used the free form at TurboTax to see how much she'll get back. She wasn't sure it was right, though, because it says she'll get back more than she paid in taxes. So, not that I know much about taxes, I went over it with her.

She filled in all the info properly, except that she indicated that no one else was claiming her as a dependent on their tax return. You know the question - did your parents provide for more than half of your support? Since she pays for her own clothes, beauty supplies, and gas, she was sure that she had paid for more than half, and we shouldn't claim her as a dependent. I had to remind her that we pay for the roof over her head, her auto insurance (since she has maintained her B average), food, utilities, etc. She's nowhere close to paying more than half the cost of living her life.

It didn't make a difference, though. She should get all the taxes she paid in back, as well as an additional $300 because she missed out on the stimulus refund last year. At least, as far as we can tell. She was ready to go ahead and e-file her return - TurboTax not only lets you prepare your easy tax return, e-file is free too - but I told her I thought she should wait and have her dad go over it with her, just because he's the one who's been doing the taxes, and he might see something we missed. Now that she's seen the money she can claim, she's ready to do it as soon as possible. Can't really blame her...

Last Day

This is Beth's last day of high school. She's got one exam and has to get some teachers and administrators to sign her check-out sheet, and then she's all done.

How is that possible? How can I have a daughter who's out of high school? What do you buy for a graduation present? Do you think she'd like replica watches or a new pair of shoes? Luckily I have a few months to figure that out. She may be finished with classes and exams, but she's not actually graduating until June, with her class. In the meantime, she's just out of school.

I hope she remembers to pay the money she owes on the lunch account.

Exam Schedule

The kids went back to school today. Even though they missed two days of school last week, exams are still scheduled as originally planned. I'm not sure what Beth's schedule is, but Cory has two exams tomorrow - well, one is just a 'culminating activity' in Phy. Ed. Then he has two on Wednesday, and he's out of school for the rest of the week. Another four day weekend!

Whatever Beth's exam schedule is, she's finished with high school when she finishes her exams. Can you believe that? She's working all the rest of the week 2-10pm, and then next week she can work even more. She says she's scheduled 35 hours next week.

I just realized this short week means I need to send the next payment for the New York trip with Cory either tomorrow or Wednesday. The good news is, Cory's portion is covered with trip points this time, and I now have some nice luggage to use for the trip. It was on sale at Kohl's, and Jeffrey had a 20% coupon on top of that - so he got a nice set of luggage for under $60 today, 3 rolling suitcases, a tote, and a toiletrie bag. It may not be the best quality, but for the amount of travel we do, it will be fine. And it's certainly better than the old suitcases we've had for years. At least these won't fall over when we roll them! Suitcases are designed so much better nowadays.

Get the Best Body Work

Until last year we had never bought a new car. They were all new to us, but they were always used cars. Then last year, Jeffrey bought his brand new from the dealer Honda. Since that time he has gotten into an accident when somebody pulled out in front of him, and had to have the car fixed. Then, he had a tree branch fall and dent the trunk, and had to have that fixed. His fog light broke, and he had to have that fixed. And now there's something on the back end of the car where someone ran into him in a parking lot or it just cracked when he went over a bump because it is so dang cold out. He has no idea, just that there's something else that will probably need fixed. We never had such issues with the used vehicles! Or maybe with the used vehicles we were more likely to overlook a little dent in the trunk or something like that.

I wonder if there's a listing of repair shops here in Wisconsin like this one of auto body shops california. Only the best of the best collision repair experts are listed there. All members of the network are committed to providing quality work and excellent customer service. You can even read customer reviews of the different shops. So, you'll know you're getting the best service possible when you take your car to one of them.

I'd rather not have to take it in in the first place, but if it's going to be fixed, I'd like it to be fixed right the first time, wouldn't you? Enter your zip code to find a shop near you.

How Secure is Your Home?

Living in a small town, we don't usually think about home security beyond locking the doors when we leave home and when we go to bed. Sometimes we even forget to do that - not often, but sometimes.

Until today I thought home security was strictly to protect your home and valuables from break ins and theft. Since we don't really worry about that, I never seriously thought about getting a home security system. However, today I was reading the ADT web site and read about a home fire survivor who would be dead if he hadn't had home security monitoring from ADT. Before the smoke alarm even went off, the heat sensor sent a signal to ADT, and they notified the fire department. Because of the quick response, the fire department was able to get there in time to save him. I can see this service would really help if you're not at home, too. Should a fire break out, the fire department would definitely get there sooner than if a neighbor or passerby had to notice and report the fire.

We may feel pretty secure from thefts and break ins here, but fire can happen anywhere. I'm starting to think that home security monitoring isn't just for the big city folks. What do you think?

You Could Carry the Olympic Torch

I was in college in Pasadena, California when the Olympics came to Los Angeles in 1984. One day, quite by accident, me and a few of my friends happened to be on the street when the Olympic torch went by. It was quite exciting just watching the runner carry the torch down the street, vicariously being a part of something important. Imagine actually being that runner.

Now, thanks to SOGO Active, when the Olympics come to Vancouver in 2010, over 1,000 Canadian teenagers will have the opportunity to be an Olympic torchbearer. They don't have to be outstanding athletes, they just have to become an active member of the SOGO Active community and demonstrate a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. SOGO Active makes it easy, too. Registration is free, and it's open to 13-19 years old. Using SOGO, Canadian teenagers can plan activities with their friends, find activities in their communities, and track their progress.

I love the idea of this. If young people get in the habit of leading active lives, hopefully that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. SOGO understands that people, probably especially teenagers, are more likely to do something if someone else is doing it too, or if someone is counting on them to be there. Back when I started walking every morning with my neighbors, it certainly worked for us. There were mornings every one of us wanted to just go back to sleep, but we knew the others were waiting for us, so we got up, and we walked. We were also a lot more low tech. We turned on our outside lights so the others could see we were up.

So, if you're a Canadian teenager, do yourself a favor. Register at SOGO Active. Get off the couch and do something. Instead of just watching that Olympic torch go by, you could be carrying it. How cool is that? You'll earn entries according to how active you are, and torchbearers are being chosen every month now. So the sooner you get active, the better your chances are. And you'll be having fun and feel better, too.


This program is a Coca-Cola initiative, executed by ParticipACTION.

Keeping Really Cool

This may not seem like the time to ask whether or not the Air conditioning compressor in your car is working or not. After all, winter has just started, and it's cold outside. You're more worried about the heat, right?

Now would probably be a good time to think about that auto air conditioning, though. If it needs fixed, you can get it fixed before summer sneaks up on you and it gets hot. For those of you who live in Florida, that's next week, right? You don't want to be driving down the road with the windows rolled down and the sweat running into your eyes, do you?

For the best selection of auto air conditioning parts, with free shipping and full warranties, check out 1airconditioning.com. It sounds like they do everything but install it, but with their low prices, you should be able to afford the installation charges. If you know how to do it yourself or have a friend who does, even better.

Fiskars Wants to Help Your Community Garden Grow

A couple years ago our Library Director decided that we needed some flowers out in front of the library. She got a local business to donate the plants, and she got a group of community residents together one Saturday morning. Together, they planted a beautiful flower garden in front of the library building. Now, instead of dirt and a few bushes, visitors to the library are greeted by colorful blooms. I don't think anyone realized what we were missing until we had it.

A community garden, whether to grow flowers or vegetables, is a great way to bring your community together. That's why Fiskars has created the Project Orange Thumb grant. They are going to award up to $1,500 in Fiskar's garden tools and up to $800.00 in gardening-related materials to 20 groups or organizations in the US and Canada. The grant is available to groups like schools, youth groups, clubs, and, I'm sure, libraries. You have to submit an application in two parts, an electronic submission to answer some questions about yourself and your organization, and a creative portion that can be about anything. You get to use pictures, words, video, whatever you can think of to help an alien understand how gardening makes you feel. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

So, if your group is interested in starting or maintaining your own garden, be sure to check out Fiskars Project Orange Thumb. The deadline for submitting your application is February 17, 2009 and recipients will be notified by March 25th.

Free Internet to Phone Calls

We have VOIP. That means, for $24.99 a month, plus taxes and fees, we have unlimited long distance to the US and Canada, among other things. Now, does that mean I pick up the phone and call anyone? I'm so bad. I'm paying for it anyway so I really should use it, but I don't. If someone calls me, I'm more than happy to talk. It's just the picking up the phone to make a call. Don't ask me why, I don't know.

Because of this, I'm always looking for ways that let other people make free calls so they can call me. Today I tried CallingAmerica.com to see how that would work. Anyone with a broadband internet connection and a headset can make calls for free. The service is supported by advertising, so the person who places the call has to listen to a short ad, but the person on the other end of the call won't hear it. They just get a call on their cell phone or landline, just like any other call.

If you register, for free, you can place as many calls as you want. The calls are limited to 15 minutes, which could be a good thing because you might actually get off the phone and get something done. Otherwise, if you still have things to say, you can make another call. If you don't register, you can only make a 2 minute call. I guess that's enough to say, "Call me back with your unlimited long distance!" but that's about it. So, to really get some use from CallingAmerica.com, registering would be a good idea.

If you don't have your own unlimited long distance, this may just be the service you're looking for. I didn't register because, like I said, I'm already paying for VOIP, but I am going to remember this site. One of these days I may be away from home and need to make some phone calls. We have been known to take our phone adapter with us, just in case, but this would be much easier.

To the Bitter End

Cory has pep band tonight at the girls' basketball game. Since he brought home the schedule, I actually knew ahead of time and was thinking about going. Except that he and his friend Pam didn't want to stay for the whole game. The band gets to leave at half time, and they don't want to stay for the rest of the game. They just want to come home. I said, if I was going to go and pay to get in ($3?) then I wanted to stay for the whole game. So they decided Pam would drive, and Jeffrey and I stayed home.

Besides the money thing, I just think it's kind of rude. People go for the band or to watch the dancers, and then after half time they leave. I know they are there to support their own kids, but their kids are there to support the basketball team, and it only seems right to support them until the end. Leaving at half time is kind of like putting in hardwood floors, but not getting any area rugs, or fixing dinner but not serving it. Or... never mind - it just seems rude to the kids who are playing. Win or lose, they work really hard and deserve the support.

So, when I do go to a basketball game, or two, I want to stay to the end. Yes, I'll enjoy the part when the band is playing best, but I'll stay until the final buzzer.

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We Are Living in a Material World

I just joined a new consumer network called acobay. It's like a social network, only with stuff. What that means is you add the things you have to your account, rate them, review them, and even upload photos. Then, you can connect with and make friends with other people who have the same stuff you do.

I added my digital camera and my cell phone to my stuff, but I haven't connected with any people yet. I'm not sure that's really what I want out of this, considering I have enough friends to keep up with on Facebook. What I think is going to be helpful about acobay is the ability to see what other people think about the stuff they have. For instance, when I or one of the kids is ready to get a new cell phone, we can find people who already own that phone and see what they think of it. The same goes for new cameras, televisions, MP3 players, cars, books, and even restaurants. Just add the item to your wishlist and join the discussion.

Oh, I should add my MP3 player! Back when I first got it I was having trouble getting it to work with some of the audio books I downloaded from the library. I searched all over the Internet trying to find some answers, but didn't have much luck. A network like acobay would have let me ask the people who owned the same MP3 player to see if they had the answers. Now that I've figured it out, when I add the player to my stuff, other people will be able to ask me.

I'm also thinking this could be a very handy way to inventory all the stuff we have. You know how you're supposed to do that for insurance purposes? I keep meaning to do that.

So far, the only thing I don't like is that I have to put a price in when I add stuff. If I start adding as I acquire, that won't be a problem. I love telling people what a deal I got, but for the stuff I've had a while, I really don't remember. That's pretty minor, though compared with all the possibilities. What are you waiting for? Go add some stuff!

Cleaning Today

I don't have much time for blogging today or playing the new game on Facebook, Lexulous. If you haven't checked that game out yet, do it, you'll be glad you did. It might even already be your turn - I'm just sayin'.

Instead of having all that fun, I've been trying to get my house cleaned up. I tried the new hypo-allergenic Endust and dusted all my furniture. Why didn't someone come up with this before? No perfume and a reduced mist spray. It didn't bother me at all, and I feel like my furniture is dusted better now. I've been using a static duster that just never seems to work for me. Static gets me every time I get out of the van (OW!) but never seems to be there when I want it, like when I'm dusting. So, with this new Endust, I think it's back to the dust rag.

Now I've got to go clean my bathroom. Since I polished it up with the Turtle Wax cleaner, I've mostly wiped the sink down with a towel after a nice steamy shower. I polish the faucets to get them shiny, and I'm good to go. However, I think it's time for a real cleaning, so I need to get that done.

Oh, and I have to finish this library book, too since it's due today. Why is there not more time in a day?

I Need New Cookie Sheets

I think it's about time to buy new cookie sheets. I used my first set for I don't know how many years, until they got all nasty looking. Then I found some non-stick ones on clearance and bought those. Unfortunately they weren't real high quality so the non-stick coating started coming off pretty quickly. I guess you get what you pay for, huh? The ones I have now started out real nice, but at some point in time my kids didn't dry them properly, and now they rust very easily. That also adds an unpleasant taste to the food, so I am going to have to break down and get some new ones. The question is, what do I buy? Do I just buy the same kind, or do I try to upgrade in the hopes that they will last longer? Maybe even something completely different like this silicone baking sheet?

I'm looking at this infinite circulon bakeware because it says it's designed for frequent use. I do bake a lot, so I want something that will stand up to that and not have to be replaced frequently. I really want to get something that I can use without ever having to worry about it again. At least not for a long time. These circulon steel elite pans come with a lifetime guarantee, so I take that to mean they will last a good long time.

While I was browsing the bakeware, I got distracted by these art and cook utensils in all kinds of fun colors, but I think I've got plenty of utensils. Still, they are kind of fun. What I'm really thinking I want to try is the silicon bakeware. It comes in all kinds of fun colors, too, and it's completely nonstick, odorless, and saves space. If you've tried it, please let me know what you think. Do you like it? What kind of new bakeware should I buy?