Travel Ideas

by: Candace J. Marley

Brrr! It’s definitely winter here in the Carolinas! Snow backed up traffic in Raleigh, NC today with some people being stuck in traffic for 5 hours!!! Four different schools have children spending the night because driving conditions were too hazardous for the buses and parents could not get through the traffic to pick up their children! People are in ditches and cars are stalled. An older couple found themselves stranded for more than 4 hours after going off the road into a ditch. Police could not get to them sooner…they had to attend to more serious accidents.
So…what have you done to prepare for any emergency that may mean you are stuck in your car for an extended period of time? Think about what is necessary and what can keep you comfortable should you get stuck in freezing temperatures.
To start off with, find a car organizer. Put all items that you can fit into it so you will have an easy time to finding them when the emergency arises. I personally think that Kid’s Organizer that is sold at http://www.thebusywoman.com is the perfect one for this! It may say it’s for kids, but it has so many more uses! And it’s the perfect size to pull together everything you need for emergencies. Just make sure that the organizer you choose is a good size for carrying the needed items.
Next, pull together items that will assist you in the case of emergency. A small first aid kit in case you have had an accident and someone finds themselves with minor injuries is a must! Some good extras would be some flares and a flashlight (check those batteries on a regular basis!) You might even want to throw in an extra pack of batteries for that flashlight JUST IN CASE!
Consider a few of the small emergency flashers that you can set around your car. They could also be useful if you find yourself in a ditch and your car is sitting lower than the road. Place one of these emergency flashers on the top of your car to help alert authorities where you are.
Now think of comfort. A blanket, a bottle of water (or two), and if you’re anything like me, a book to read (provided you have daylight.) If you carry other people with you on a regular basis, like the youngsters, make sure to have a blanket for each row of seats that are regularly used in the vehicle. For most people that would be two, but if you drive a mini-van, then consider a 3rd one as well. And for those with kids, keep some objects that can keep the kids busy! Wal-mart sells these wonderful little travel games for a very small price and the kids can play these while waiting for help. It helps take their mind off the situation and calms them. And if you want, throw in some snacks that will keep for a while. We all know that Twinkies will survive a nuclear war…so why not throw a few of them in the organizer.
You might want to throw in a few pairs of gloves or extra hats in case you do need to get out of your vehicle for any reason. Think of things that will help you and your passengers stay warm until help arrives.
And of course, if at all possible, have a cell phone with you when driving in hazardous conditions! You don’t want to find yourself walking to find a payphone to get help!

About The Author

CJ Marley is the CEO of WebGoddess Industries (http://www.onlinewebgoddess.com/) and a partner in East-West Design Team (http://www.ew-design-team.com/) and is based out of North Carolina.
cjmarley@onlinewebgoddess.com

It’s Fun To Make Useful Homemade Gizmos

by: Alan Detwiler

It’s fun and satisfying to design and then make simple items that serve some purpose. I find it very rewarding to conjure up designs out of my imagination and then build them using common tools and cheap or free materials. I’ve made all kinds of things. Most of them performed some function that no readily available, store-bought device offered.
I do a lot of text keying at a computer keyboard. After many hours of keying, day after day, my hands and fingers tell me (as in pain) that they’re pushing too hard, too many times. After going from store to store looking for a keyboard with easy to press keys, I realized that I needed something to measure the force needed to press the keys on a particular keyboard. Trying to judge the force by typing a little with each keyboard wasn’t separating the Tylenol endorsed keyboards from the more finger friendly keyboards. So I rigged up a plastic tube taped to a vertical wire a few inches long. Pennies could be put in the tube. The lower end of the wire is rested on a key. The number of pennies needed to push a key down is a measure of the key’s required press force.
Then there was the see through, wall hung beehive that I put on my bedroom wall. My father used to keep bees to harvest honey. One cold day in March, I discovered an abandoned hive that had fallen over exposing the bees to the elements. There was only several hundred bees left out of what was once thousands. I put a sheet of glass, about 2-foot by 2-foot, onto a wooden frame that I attached to my bedroom wall. Then I carefully transported the faltering bee colony to their new home. A tunnel made of metal window screening provided a path for the bees to come and go under a slightly raised window. The colony’s queen had not survived being exposed to the weather, so I knew no new bees would be reared. This colony would only last as long as the lifespans of its currant members. But it was interesting to watch the bees doing what bees do throughout the next several months. And the bragging rights for having a bee colony on ones bedroom wall was something to envy.
Both the keyboard force-o-meter and the wall-mounted beehive were inspired by circumstances. I just saw the possibility of what could be done and wanted to do it. I try to be open to possibilites for other gadgets and gizmos that would be of value. It is well worth the effort: It is fun to make improvised gizmos, and you get a valued item. The item may suit your needs better than a purchased item because you make it the way you want it. And it feels good to prove that your ingenuity and imagination can produce things of value.
Below is a description of a couple of items you may like to make.
Bootjack:
image WIDTH=”304″ HEIGHT=”224″ at www.leisureideas.com/excerpts/homemade devices/homemade devices 07.gif
If you often find it annoying to remove boots as you enter the house, this project is for you. The bootjack makes the task easier especially if the boots are tight fitting or you are carrying something so that your hands are not free.
Begin with a 3/4 inch thick board that is about 2 feet long and 6 inches wide. Cut a V shaped notch in one end. Use nails to attach a small piece of wood to keep the notched end raised above the floor. Keep the bootjack near the door where you most often enter wearing boots. Put one foot on the jack to hold it in place. Put the heel of the other foot in the notch and pull your foot out of the boot.
Wall display cubby box:
Small cardboard boxes can be fastened together and hung on the wall. Small and valued objects can be placed there to be displayed and admired.
Save boxes from muffin mix, artificial sweetener, rice or other often used food items. When you have enough, cut each box to an appropriate size. I started with boxes 4-inches wide, 2-inches deep, and 6-inches tall. I cut each box to half height, so that each box was 3-inches tall. Boxes that are twice as wide as they are deep can be arranged as shown in the diagrams of this article. If you use boxes with other ratios of width to height, use a different arrangement or use pieces of corrigated cardboard to fill any gaps between boxes.
Lay a piece of plastic sheeting such as a plastic grocery bag on a flat surface. The plastic will keep excess glue from sticking to your work surface. You can use white glue to fasten the boxes together. To help keep the glue from running down the side of the boxes, use a method similar to that used by bricklayers applying mortar to bricks. Before putting a box into position, put glue on each side of that box that will be against a box already in place. That way, while applying glue, you can turn the box in any way that makes it easy to apply the glue. And the glue will quickly be between two surfaces. That helps keep the glue in place. A good glue pattern is shown by the red lines below.
image WIDTH=”172″ HEIGHT=”160″ at www.leisureideas.com/makegizmos/graphics/c13b.png
As you assemble the boxes together, use a straight edge such as a wall or a large box as a guide to align the boxes in straight rows. Set something heavy against the boxes to hold them together while the glue dries. Bricks or large books work well. Use the plastic sheeting to keep oozing glue from sticking the boxes to the books or bricks. You can use paper clips to hold the edges of the boxes together where gaps occur.
image WIDTH=”262″ HEIGHT=”256″ at www.leisureideas.com/makegizmos/graphics/c13a.png
When all the boxes are in place, let the glue dry for about 12 hours. Then use a nail to punch holes for a string that will go around the group of boxes. Two holes near each corner will keep the string in place. Tie the two ends of the string together. Hang the box display from a small nail.
image WIDTH=”304″ HEIGHT=”400″ at www.leisureideas.com/makegizmos/graphics/c13c.png

About The Author

Alan Detwiler is the author of the ebook “Homemade Devices For Inventive Teens” available at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000231WF2/. He has a web site about homemade items at www.makegizmos.com

Did I Pack My Toothbrush? Getting Organized for Travel

by: Stacey Agin Murray

For many of us summertime = vacation time. Some people will spend their days off at the local pool. Some may choose to sightsee in their own town. Many will leave behind the comforts of home for the open road. Regardless of the destination or mode of transportation, it is important to be organized for travel.
A few benefits of being organized for travel:
1. Being organized will save you time.
Having a copy of your packing list on the computer will cut down on the time used for re-creating it every time you travel.
2. Being organized will save you money.
Doing pre-travel shopping at home will save you big bucks (especially on film and batteries…) that might be otherwise be spent at a tourist trap.
3. Being organized will save you stress.
No need to stress while scrounging for your tickets and ID at the airport if all of your paperwork is organized in one place.
Follow these organizing tips to keep your vacation a stress-free, time and money saving event:
Plan ahead. Create a general itinerary before you travel. Grab pen and paper and jot down your travel times, hotel check-in/check-out times, and a list of activities/places you?d like to visit. This will help you make sure you have allowed enough time to get to your destination, and whether or not you?ve scheduled too many activities for one day.
* Stop by your local ?AAA? office for a Triptik and other travel-related services to help map out your route if driving.
Create a checklist to help you pack. Keep it on the computer so you don?t have to write it over every time you leave home. Use it as a template and update it before each trip to include anything new such as medications, toiletries, accessories, etc.
Keep all information related to your trip in one place. Create a folder for papers such as reservations, confirmations, and tickets. When you look for the information you need before or during your trip, you?ll have it all at your fingertips.
Keep a toiletry bag packed with small sized travel sized-containers all year round. By doing so, you?re always ready for a long trip or an overnight stay. Take a quick inventory of its contents before you leave home?you might have run out of toothpaste on your last trip.
*If your favorite products don?t come in sample sizes, purchase small, travel sized containers and fill them with your favorite shampoo and creams. Label them clearly so you don?t accidentally condition your hair with a facial moisturizer…
Place items you?ll need immediately at the top of your suitcase. Items such as comfortable shoes, pajamas, and toiletries are more easily accessible if they?re closer to top. When you?re tired from a long journey, the last thing you want to be doing is rummaging through your suitcase.
Use suitcase organizers to separate outfits or types of clothing. Products such as Pack-It Cubes or Ziploc bags do the job well. Hefty makes One-Zip 2.5 gallon bags (found in many supermarkets) that are large enough to organize clothes and later can be used to keep laundry or wet bathing suits away from the rest of your belongings.
*Wearing your bulkiest pair of shoes while traveling will give you more space in your suitcase.
Organize your wardrobe around one basic color such as black, navy, or brown to prevent overpacking. You?ll be able to mix and match easily and you won?t need to bring a ton of different shoes. Also, when packing–think about your vacation activities. Will they include hiking? Days at the beach? Having dinner with relatives? Think ahead and pack items you may need for those activities such as band-aids for hiking, aloe vera for sunburns, and the scarf Aunt Shirley gave you for your birthday if you?ll be seeing her.
Travel safely and have an organized trip!

About The Author

Stacey Agin Murray, professional organizer and owner of Organized Artistry, LLC, transforms ‘mess’ into ‘masterpiece’ with patience, organizing know-how, and a sense of humor. For more articles and to get your FREE e-list of ‘Top Ten Tips for Organized Living’ visit http://www.organizedartistry.com.

stacey@organizedartistry.com

by: Nathan Tyree

I tried not to lean against anything. Leaning, I Feared, would give the wrong impression. It could seem too casual. Sitting was also not an option. I also did my level best not to make eye contact. This was harder than it sounds. When you are surrounded by people with dentition that resembles broken picket fences and forearms adorned with jail house style tattoos (some apparently made by carving shapes into the skin then pouring India ink into the wound) it?s very difficult to look anywhere other than their eyes. Fear causes this.
The name of the bar was ?Twisted Sisters.? I?m serious. I wouldn?t lie about something this deep. The place was run by two little old ladies with deeply wrinkled faces and Tom Waits voices. When they handed you a mug of beer the obligatory ?Here ya? go hon? came in a voice that sounded like it was sculpted by cheap scotch and cigarillos.
The place was peopled by extras from ?Hells Angels on Wheels? and every bad prison movie ever made. This woman kept bumping into me. She was medium height, slender, had long brown hair and three teeth. Her face looked a little like it had caught fire and some caring person had tried to put it out with an ax. Every time we collided I apologized nervously and she walked away. From behind she could have been Miss America. I swear.
I was in this dive because my old buddy Murphy had invited me. Murphy?s the type of guy who actually enjoys this sort of thing. The fellow is something of an enigma. He looks like he belongs in the back room of a place like Twisted Sisters, but those who know him know of his masters degree and the years he spent teaching at community college. Murphy?s a tough guy; did a little stretch in prison and another in the navy. Then he used the GI bill to obtain an education. Now he hangs out in places like this.
Murphy kept buying me beers and trying to get me to talk to the other patrons. I busied myself pretending to be an anthropologist studying some exotic tribe. I didn?t belong, but maybe I could learn something.
I had just started on another beer when someone dropped a few coins in the juke box. The music was bad country. To my utter disgust the first song that played was that ?I wanna stick a boot up your butt? super-patriotic, ultra-jingoist thing by the guy in the Ford truck commercials. The people around me began to sing along loudly.
What the hell? Why would these people, this underclass, this despised minority, feel a kinship with a singer that represents the right wing status quo? Shouldn?t these guys be listening to Steppenwolf (or at least Eminem)? Lets face it, the main stream of America doesn?t hang out in places like this. In fact, most suburban middle class goons would prefer that these people simply vanish from the planet. So why would the customers at Twisted Sisters get behind this new super nationalism? This was like seeing Jewish kids singing Deutschland Uber Alles, for god?s sake.
I decided to conduct a little experiment. I sauntered (or tried to saunter, it?s hard to truly saunter when you fear that you could be shivved at any moment, or worse: have your glasses broken) to the juke box and looked over the selections. I was hoping for Randy Newman or Bruce Cockburn or maybe even the Dead Kennedys. No such luck. Then I saw it. A CD by The Dixie Chicks. I dropped my money and chose four songs by the Dixters (I can?t bear to type ?Dixie Chicks? more than once… Damn. I just did it twice). Then I went back to my spot near Murphy and waited.
When my songs started I half expected a riot to begin. I thought that if these folks loved that Ford truck guy they might revolt at the musical stylings of those un-American girls. That didn?t happen. After the first few bars someone started to sing along. Then a second voice joined in. Then a third. After a minute or so everyone in the place was singing along with these traitors with the same fervor and joy they had exhibited in response to that earlier song.
I quickly came to a startling conclusion: people will sing along to anything. The content of the song doesn?t matter. Politics simply don?t enter into it. People are really singing along to the melody, or the bass line or something. What the words actually mean is immaterial.
A little later I waved my hand around in front of my face to clear some of the smoke and give myself a line of sight. I drained my beer and told Murphy that I had to bail. He slapped me on the back and headed toward the old scarred pool table. As I walked out into the sunlight I was thinking that I?d never have to see the inside of that place again.

About The Author

Nathan Tyree is a freelance writer living in Kansas. His work has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Bare Bone, Flesh and Blood, Lost Souls, Gorilla, and The Journal of Modern Post. Vist him on the web at:

http://www.geocities.com/nathanctyree

nathanctyree@yahoo.com