Archive for June, 2009

June 28th, 2009

Earning A Better Profit

I’m starting to think maybe I should start buying not just wholesale computer parts to build custom systems but some wholesale computers, too. You wouldn’t believe how many people have asked me to build them computers that are so spot on with any typical run of the mill store bought pc out there these days that I don’t even know why they’ve asked for a custom built. It’d be much cheaper to order a few computers at wholesale prices and flip them for a profit!

There’s a guy who does the exact same thing at the flea market.  I always see him when I go on Wednesdays, and it’s surprising to me how many people are out there purchasing computers from the flea market.  The guy’s prices aren’t great.  He’s actually selling a lot of them at higher prices than you see in the stores, but he’s got the talent for pitching his item to make it seem like it’s such a great deal.  That’s definitely one talent I wish I had.

June 28th, 2009

Ulterior Motives

Why does my Grandmother insist on always having an ulterior motive or hidden agenda?  I admit I don’t get along very well with my Grandmother on my Dad’s side of the family for that very reason.

She called me today asking me to go to lunch tomorrow with her and her sisters.  I declined, and in turn she had quite a few choice things to say to me.  Let her say what she wants.  I’d rather spend 10 minutes listening to her berate me than being stuck with her and her 2 sisters for lunch where all hell would break loose.

I already know what she wants.  She uses the excuse that she wants to see me and see how my belly has grown.  In reality I know she already hit up my sister last week, and they had a big blow up in the middle of a very nice restaurant.  She tries to lure us in with food and the promise that we’re going to use the time to reconnect.  All is well for the first half of the meal when while we watch her and her sisters turn their nose up at everyone else like they are some sort of special elite class of southern belles (which they are certainly not).

They’ll spend a bit discussing everything from the best wrinkle creams to all the local town gossip then she goes in for the kill. She will motion for our aunts to give her a few moments alone with us, and then she strikes…trying to convince us to do everything from breaking up my dad and his girlfriend to leaving my husband just because he’s “not good enough for her”.  When we tell her she’s full of it she then tells us it’s all our mother’s fault we have no respect for her and her wishes, and she bad mouths my mother in every form possible.

Well this is one lunch I’ll be missing.  I vowed after our big blowout last Christmas not to give the woman anymore of my time, and I’m just not going to do it.  As much as I wish I could have a loving relationship with her, I can’t, and I apologize to my wonderful Grandpa who is probably rolling over in his grave right now.

June 27th, 2009

How To Properly Clean LCD TV

Hubby and I purchased our first LCD HDTV last November, and I love it. There is only one thing that has always scared me about it. I didn’t have a clue how to properly clean the thing!

For the past 7 months I’ve tiptoed around cleaning it by wiping it with a soft cloth and hoping for the best. I dreaded the day a smudge showed up because I’m so afraid of damaging the delicate surface. We all know LCD HDTVs aren’t cheap, and I definitely can’t afford to be replacing one because my own stupidity caused me to ruin the screen.

Unfortunately the day of the smudge has arrived, and it’s finally time to clean the blasted thing properly. I did what I thought was best, and I asked the expert, a friend of ours who works in a local electronics store. He informed me I was freaking out over nothing, and it’s actually quite simple to clean an LCD TV without damaging the surface of the screen!

How do you do it? It really is simple!

  1. Start by wiping the screen down with a clean dry cloth.  Make sure it’s a soft cloth because you don’t want to scratch the screen. After dusting the screen go ahead and wipe down the rest of the tv.
  2. Mix up a solution of rubbing alcohol and water.  You may want to start with a very mild solution of 25% alcohol/75% water or less.  If that doesn’t do the trick you can increase the amount of alcohol in the solution, but NEVER use anything stronger than 50% alcohol/50% water as it will damage the screen.
  3. If the entire screen is dirty you can dampen your cloth with the alcohol/water solution, and rub the entire screen lightly.  If there are tough spots on the screen, remove them using a q-tip dipped in the solution, but do not apply pressure as it will damage the screen.  The solution should break down any dirt or smudges on the screen.
  4. Finally wipe the screen again with a clean dry cloth to remove any excess solution.

As usual, this was recommended to me because it’s the way my friend cleans the LCD TVs in the electronic store.  Try this at your own risk as I will not be liable for any damage that may occur.  I had absolutely no problem cleaning my LCD TV this way tonight, and it now looks great!

June 27th, 2009

Fun With Gem Mining

I’m starting to feel so old, or is it that I’m just starting to feel fat, tired, and pregnant?  I hardly did anything today yet I feel so drained.  I’m not sleepy, but I’m super tired.  We tried to go hang out with some friends for awhile tonight, but I was just too ran down to do it.  We stayed about an hour before I was ready to call it a night because I felt like passing out on their couch.

The conversation was boring, and I just wasn’t into it.  Hubby and his friend were across the room talking electronics, probably about the latest gps systems or something else they can’t afford to buy right now while I was having a very hard time talking to our friend’s wife about going gem mining sometime soon in Highlands or Cherokee.

Gem mining is something fun we both like to do especially since we can use the little gems we find for handmade gemstone jewelry. She was hoping we could go tomorrow, but I just don’t think I’ll have the energy to do it this week.

Maybe I’ll feel up for it next week, and I can convince her to ride up to Cherokee for the day.  Out of all the North Carolina gem mines I really do tend to prefer the ones around Cherokee and Highlands because those are the ones where I tend to find more of the precious gems.