Archive for June, 2008

Butterfly Tattoos for All

With such a broad mainstream taking on tattoos these days, the rash young twenty-something in the tattoo parlor is now but a rarity. A tattoo is more likely to be a major, well thought out decision made by a high paid professional, a married couple or even a mother of two wanting to memorialize a certain event with eloquent tribal, Celtic or butterfly tattoos. Thanks to new techniques, equipment and approaches, tattoos can be tasteful, moving and powerful talismans for those that choose to wear them. It is estimated that forty million people in the United States alone now have at least one tattoo.
 
A tattoo is a remarkably personal endeavor. Even if a hundred people get the exact same religious tattoos, the end result will have a completely different significance for each individual. Compared to clothes, cars and hairstyles, many feel tattoos offer the most power over the expression of who they are as a person. While many choose to get a tattoo design from reputable resources such as Bullseye Tattoos, other individuals have been known to create their own tattoos freehand. Tattoos can memorialize a death, celebrate a birth or anniversary or commemorate the passing of a uniquely personal milestone.
 

del.icio.us Reddit Digg Facebook Technorati Google StumbleUpon Windows Live Netscape Yahoo Ask Newsvine

Storing Things in Pickup Truck Toolboxes

If you have a pickup truck then you should have a toolbox for that truck. That’s because there are so many times when it is convenient to be able to store items in a secure spot in the bed of your truck.

Here are just a few of the times when you might want to store things in pickup truck toolboxes:

  • Taking tools to a job site. Whether you work construction or you just need to help out a friend with some home improvement, you don’t want to leave your tools lying around in the bed of the truck where they can be stolen or ruined by the weather.
  • Camping. You’ll have lots of stuff to take with you to a campsite and it’s nice to be able to organize them in the toolbox. Trailer tongue boxes are great if you’re taking a trailer on the trip.
  • Hiding gifts. Your spouse is never going to look in the bed of the truck for items that you’re planning to give as a surprise. And it won’t seem suspicious that this box is locked.

Truck toolboxes and tool totes are just really convenient for a whole lot of different times in life. You should consider this if you’re in the market to make a purchase of accessories for your pickup truck.

Technorati Tags: , ,

del.icio.us Reddit Digg Facebook Technorati Google StumbleUpon Windows Live Netscape Yahoo Ask Newsvine

Step Up to a High Security Shredder

If your business involves the handling of clients’ sensitive personal and/or financial information, then a high security shredder is definitely for you. Unlike many basic personal paper shredders, which shred documents into long strips, a high security machine cross-cuts paper into small confetti-like pieces. It makes them virtually impossible to piece together. Like most types of thieves, the average would-be identity thief will most likely move on to an easier target. Fellowes, Destroyit and Dahle paper shredders are just a few of the many product lines from which you can choose. You will surely find a product that perfectly matches your unique needs and applications.
 
In some cases, commercial paper shredders are the wisest choice. If you’re shredding a large number of documents at one time, a commercial unit is probably the best fit. With more powerful motors and significantly higher capacities, commercial shredders are a great option for larger offices. Unlike smaller, personal devices, these machines will not slow you down with low capacity or motors that quickly overheat. Some will even allow you to load a stack of paper and walk away – automatic feeders eliminate the need for you to stand around and wait! In the end, you will not only be protecting your client’s information. You will also be saving valuable time.
 
 

del.icio.us Reddit Digg Facebook Technorati Google StumbleUpon Windows Live Netscape Yahoo Ask Newsvine

Take a Vacation with Tropical Bedding

You may find yourself wishing that you could take a vacation this summer but knowing that there’s just no way that you can afford it. Even with the help of your stimulus check, you just can’t cover the high cost of travel right now. While this can certainly be disappointing, it doesn’t have to completely ruin your summer. There are ways to make it feel like you’re on a summer vacation even when you’re really still at home.

For example, you can opt to transform your bedroom into the type of room that you would stay in if you were at a hotel. Purchase some tropical bedding and stick a stack of summer reading books on your bedstand to make it feel a little bit like you’re staying on an island. Or get polka dot bedding and hang some modern art to pretend as though you’ve taken a vacation to a cool art hotel in Europe. Interested in a ranch? Get some horse bedding and daydream a little.

Supplement the change at home with little day trips and activities that take you away from your normal routine. For example, spend a weekend at the library learning about all of the beaches in a particular area. Or make a list of the art museums and galleries in your city and create a plan to visit each of them once this summer. Find a local stable and volunteer to clean out the stalls in exchange for some horseback riding lessons. As long as you’re willing to get creative, you can have a summer vacation right in your own backyard.

Technorati Tags: , ,

del.icio.us Reddit Digg Facebook Technorati Google StumbleUpon Windows Live Netscape Yahoo Ask Newsvine

3 Ways to Save Money on Rental Cars

Penny pinchers know that rental car companies are full of ways to squeeze a little more money out of you.  Bob Sullivan’s book Gotcha Capitalism talks about all the various ways companies hit you with hidden and sneaky fees, and rental car companies are one of the biggest culprits.

Want to save money next time you rent a car?  Here are a few ways to make sure that the rental car companies don’t "get" you:

  1. Compare prices by calling each rental car company individually.  Websites that take care of this for you only list the basic, per-day rate.  Unfortunately, there are many fees tacked on to this.  That’s how rental car companies compete — by making much of the cost of renting a car invisible (until you get the bill, of course).  By calling each company individually, for instance when you are looking for Fort Lauderdale rental cars, you can ask specifically about what other fees will apply, and what your actual total will be.
  2. Don’t buy extra insurance.  That extra insurance is usually a rip-off.  Skeptics will of course point out that the chances of anything happening are actually pretty slim, but in addition, your own car insurance probably covers you any time you are driving a rental — call them and check!  Also, you can check with any Orlando car rental company and see what their policies usually are regarding insurance versus no insurance.
  3. Fill up the tank before you return the rental car.  Car rental companies are notorious for inflating the fuel charge if they have to fill the tank after you return the car.  Airport rental cars are particularly evil about it, because the gas station right there at the airport usually has inflated prices, too.  So with any Orlando airport car rental, be sure to fill the gas tank to where it needs to be before returning the car — and, if possible, before even getting to the airport.

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , ,

del.icio.us Reddit Digg Facebook Technorati Google StumbleUpon Windows Live Netscape Yahoo Ask Newsvine