Finding Balance

Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category

Thanks for the article from Laura Ryan

Planning a birthday party is always fun, whether planning for a friend, spouse, parent or a child, it is easy to find ideas both offline and online. And even if you do choose to purchase locally you can use the internet to come up with all sorts of birthday party themes, recipes and other party ideas.

Getting Birthday Party Ideas

I do a lot of shopping and research online so the use of hughes satellite internet service to get online has been a huge time saver since it is so much faster than dial up. Then once I am online I start looking for ideas. Cruising party sites for invitations, theme ideas and to get prices is a good start but I also like to read articles on party planning and visit recipe sites for more ideas.

Sites such as eHow.com are a good place to search for party ideas, especially if you have a theme in mind already. For example, you may want to throw a pirate party for a child so looking on eHow can give you creative ideas for decorations, party favors, recipes and more to throw the perfect pirate party.

Finding Great Prices for Birthday Parties Online

If I am actually purchasing supplies online I look around on auction sites such as eBay for great prices, A lot of people think of eBay as a place to get used items but there are also plenty of sellers specialize in new merchandise as well. If I can’t find what I need on eBay then I check out popular party sites like Shindigz.com then do a search on Google for coupon codes to save money.

Nothing beats the internet for party planning, shopping or just doing basic research. And shopping online doesn’t just save money but also time.

Thanks for the post from Kirk Wood

I bought my satellite TV system from www.ExpertSatellite.com just so I could watch BONES. I moved from the Silicon Valley to rural Idaho recently, and while I can do without a lot of things I grew used to in California, I can’t miss this show.

I love the characters:

-Dr. Temperance Brennan, the lead character, is super smart. She may not have the greatest ‘people’ skills but with her genius brain, who really cares? It is so fun and satisfying to watch her be ‘right again’ each week. She’s a forensic antrhopologist, and she really does know everything. She’s beautiful too.

-Agent Seeley Booth. Brennan’s sidekick and partner, an Army sniper turned FBI agent. He’s absolutely gorgeous to look at, and he’s caring, thoughtful, funny and a devout Catholic.

-A team of ’squints’, scientists/geniuses, working at the fictional Jeffersonian Institute in Washington D.C. Brennan, Booth and the squints solve FBI murder cases, where the victim’s remains are usually no more than – you guessed it – a pile of bones.

While the murder cases are conveniently wrapped up in an hour each week, the outcomes are not predictable. The characters have become more complex over the years, and their relationships have changed, just like in a real workplace environment. There is a continuity from episode to episode.

Watching BONES is like staying in touch with old friends.

Post contributed by Leonard Phelps

When it comes to the National Football League, no team can do it like the Denver Broncos. They are certainly not considered one of the top-tier teams by the football buffs, but that doesn’t stop me from rooting for them every single Sunday I can.

Growing up in Denver certainly influenced my love of Bronco Football. You could even say I bleed orange and blue. I was even a fan back when their uniform was that unsightly light blue color.

If I had to pick a favorite era of bronco football, it would be Terrel Davis, John Elway, and head coach Mike Shanahan. This combination was explosive and led to two back to back super bowl victories in the 90’s.

John Elway is a hall of fame great. However, when it came time to get to the Super Bowl he would always choke. Along comes rookie running back Terrel Davis and everything changed. Not only did we have the explosive passing, but TD was averaging over 4 yards on every carry!

Watching those two Super Bowls on my tv satellite was as good as it gets. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to the stadium. However, when you can’t get to the game sitting around with some friends on Sunday is the best way to spend my day.

If online slots is your game of choice, you already know that it’s one of the easiest and fastest games to play. There are many themes but the overall play is the same. You’ll find reels, pay lines and pay tables that show what your winnings will be when you hit certain combinations. There are standard versus progressive slots, bonus rounds and free spins.

Before participating in any game of chance, it’s important to know that you’re in a financial position to play. Don’t assume that you’ll win: just have fun and hope for the best. Look for a reputable website based on it’s track record.

This guest post from Hong Alexander

After 18 years of great service, my Mazda 626 was on its last legs. It was time to buy another car, but I had no idea what to get. I established criteria for a new car based on the best features of the Mazda. It should be reliable, get good gas mileage, and seat two adults and two dogs comfortably.

Using my houghes net, I searched car manufacturers’ websites, choosing vehicles I liked based on looks alone. Next, I looked at websites that compared vehicle specifications side by side. Three vehicles made the final cut: the Subaru Forester, the Honda CR-V, and the Toyota RAV4.

I spent a lot of time on Edmunds.com, particularly on the forums, reviewing comments from people who owned these cars. I then searched the Yahoo Autos website for new and used cars of each model. This website made it easy to contact dealers to schedule a test drive for each car.

After test driving the vehicles, I chose a used Toyota RAV4, rather than a new one. The new RAV4 was larger, but cost several thousand dollars more. I donated my Mazda to charity because its trade-in value was minimal.

This whole process took two months. I am very happy with my RAV4, and hope to drive it for many years.

Guest post written by my buddy Bernardo Graham

With all of the glitz and glam that accompanies The Academy Awards, I wonder if OSCAR ever gets jealous? He never gets to change his outfit. No one ever announces what world renowned designer created his outfit. Is he even wearing clothes? I’m not sure I want to know the answer to that.

Regardless of the aforementioned questions, The Academy Awards definitely is my favorite awards show. This is an evening that my family looks forward to for months. We make sure that we have watched all the top nominated movies in time for the awards show.

We’ve even thrown our own OSCAR NIGHT parties. Sometimes we’ve hosted these parties and made them a costume party. Our guests have arrived dressed as someone from one of the nominated films. Other years we have just had them come in their red carpet finery.

We’ve had evenings that have been nothing but finger foods and appetizers. Other times we’ve had fancy food and champagne. No matter what we’ve eaten and what we’ve been wearing, we have always enjoyed watching The Academy Awards on my tv after my free cable installation.

Someday, some year, maybe someone we actually know will be on that stage. If they are, I hope that I get to see it live from the theater instead of my living room. Until then, we’ll be sure to tune in from the comfort of our own home.

Thanks for the article from Quinton Wynn

Cheers was always one of the funniest shows on television. Many nights I sit and just watch Cheers re runs for hours on satelite tv. The cast was great, Ted Danson as Sam was one of a kind. While the setting was in a bar in Boston, where everyone knows your name, the storylines provided were very lifelike. There was the waitress who struggled with juggling work and family, the regular, who came in everyday to escape seeing his wife. The addition of Woody Harelson was one of the best casting decisions they made. He really made it seem real he was a country boy who was very naive and no matter what came at him, he still had an innocence about him, like he never even wanted to do anything he wasn’t supposed to. I remember watching Cheers when it was new and it still gets even better every time I watch it. The cast interacted so well with each other, they were not always nice to one another, but the insults always fit, and even in the hard times, they were like an extended family.

With a houseful of children, I crave some “me” time in the evening and with the more adult stories in Cheers I would not let my younger children watch it so this gives me the time away from kids and the laughs I need at the end

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