NIU

Installing a home alarm for the holidays

Posted by Stacy on Friday, October 31, 2008 8:32 AM

This fall break is going to be something new for me this year. Of course I will still be bogged down by the volumes of work I still have to do by the time I come back, but I will be spending my free time doing something other than relaxing this year. This year my parents had a bit of bad luck and had their house broken in to right around Valentine's day. They live in Philly so their was always a risk of something like this happening but no one ever wants to believe it will happen to them. For us it was especially true because we had lived in the city since I was about six and they are planning on living their for the rest of their lives at this point. Even after the break in they still love the city so much that they wouldn't ever think of leaving. The world series win by the Phillies the other night reminded them that they aren't totally comfortable quite yet with the hoards of people who flocked the streets in celebration. The bitterness of the other night has inspired my father to put in a wireless home alarm system.

I have about two weeks until I will have a whole week off and at that point I will be both helping my mother prepare the thanksgiving feast as well as helping my father research and possibly even install his system. He's limited his search for now to sites like alarmsystemstore.com where he can basically figure out what kind of system he wants down to the last component and then he can either put it in himself or pay someone to put it in the house for him. It's looking to be a pretty hectic week since the house is going to be filled with my whole family for the last half of the week as well. By the the end of the week I am going to be begging my teachers to demand I come back a day or two early to take a bunch of tests I totally forgot about and didn't study for. All right, well, maybe that might be a little bit too harsh.

Perks for Employees and Customers

Posted by Stacy on Monday, October 27, 2008 3:52 PM

The other day one of the girls in my sorority was talking about finding a job after graduation in May. She has always been the type to do things ahead of time so now she has 3 job offers (while most of my other friends who are graduating have none right now). So for the past few days she has been weighing the pros and cons of each job and trying to decide which one is right for her. One of the jobs is working for a company that she interned with so she already knows the ins and outs of that particular company, but the other two she really only knows what she has researched about. I think she is really stuck between doing something she's been doing for the past 2 years (where she interned) and knows is good and going out there and trying something new but not knowing for sure whether she'll like it or if it will be right for her. One thing though that she talked about were the perks to each job. Two of the jobs offered her corporate gifts including sporting tickets and a car (one was in addition to a company car). And while the third doesn't offer a car, they offer to pay for gas (and these aren't jobs where she has to travel so it really is an added bonus).

It seems that now more than ever employees are reaping benefits that were purely for clients before. Like tradeshow giveaways and promotional products for the customers, employees are finding themselves with more and more perks whether it be pre-paid gas cards, a company car or tickets to sporting events, this company is using these gifts to real in the over qualified employees (who probably have better offers like my friend Erin) but not only that, they are using them as an advertising tool as well.

Having a satisfied employee is like giving away logo merchandise. They are advertising your company for you when they tell friends and family about their great experience and perks with the job. Especially if they are driving a company car or taking friends or clients to a baseball game with tickets from the company. These are all ways to real in both the clients and the employees and they are sincerely working. Hopefully when I get into the real world the same incentives will be available.

WEBDESIGN PUTTING YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

Posted by Stacy on Sunday, October 19, 2008 9:03 PM

Webdesign is a growing field, and lately I have been looking into all the possibilities of doing web design for a living. Not just web design, but online marketing, which is another field that has become more complex since there are so many companies on the web. It is hard to tell the difference between one company and the next, but the one thing that really attracts me to a company of this sort, is when they have a great looking web page and they are ranked really high in the search engines. After all, if you are looking for a company to make a webpage for you, or to design an entire web site for you then you need someone who can do it for themselves first don't you think? I mean honestly, don't you think that if you aren't impressed with their marketing of their own company, then really are you going to be satisfied with their marketing of your company? I don't think so. I simply have gone online to see what companies are ranking the best under searches like web design, web marketing, and SEO services. Then if they don't rank in like the top 20 on the major search engines, I just don't pay them any mind. After all, I want to work for a company that knows how to do all this stuff right. I have always loved web design and the endless possibilities of how you can make a web site look. Having an incredible looking site, is a great way to get people's attention and make them stop and take note of your company. For instance, I found this great webdesign berlin company, that offers web design services and SEO services, and they rank really well and have a great looking site. This gives me reassurance that they are a good solid company and that they really know the business that they are in. I have brought up some other pages from companies that don't look professional at all, this is a little bit disappointing to say the least. I mean how can they sell services that they can't even attain themselves. One would really think that they would realize that especially in the field of web design that they need to be very careful about their own site, as this is the first sample of their work that the customer's will see. It is important that it looks professional and ranks well.

LEARNING ABOUT TED SOCKS FOR AFTER SURGERY

Posted by Stacy on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 10:32 AM

After having surgery, there is always a chance of throwing a blood clot, and recently I learned about TED Socks which essentially are stockings that cover the whole leg and can help keep you from having a potentially life threatening blood clot thrown into your heart or your brain that could kill you. These socks are supposed to help by not allowing Thrombus formations to occur in the days immediately following surgery. I thought they sounded very interesting and so I wanted to get some more information about this because my mother was going in for surgery soon and I thought they sounded really good. In any case, I learned that you should always check with your doctor before using TED socks to make sure they are okay for you. You should not use them if you have any type of skin problems, circulation problems, edema or swelling of the legs, severe vascular diseases, hardening of the arteries or fluid in the lungs. You must only wear them as recommended by your doctor. I checked with my mother's doctor and he said that they would be a good idea for her. So now I wanted to get them for her, but I needed to figure out what size to buy. So I went online to look up how to size TED socks and I found out that you have to measure the upper thigh. Then you need to measure the calf circumference at its greatest portion. It is also a good idea to measure length from top of the thigh to the base of the heel. Once I finished all the measurement I went online and ordered these socks for my mom. They only cost me about $25.00 and I thought that was a pretty good deal for something that could potentially save my mother's life. I was also thrilled because they arrived really quickly and so she had them in plenty of time before her surgery. We even gave them a test run to make sure that I had gotten the sizing right, because I just wasn't sure, I had never had to measure anyone for TED socks before. Well, you can never be sure if a product like this works because you are waiting for something not to happen, but she came through the surgery and recovery with no problems and she never did have any problems with a blood clot.

LIFE WITH WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION

Posted by Stacy on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 10:23 AM

Living by the water is no easy task. When the water levels rise, there is absolutely nothing you can do to keep the water from flooding your home. You can try and sandbag and stuff like that, but if the water rises too high then you're sunk. For years my grandparents have had to worry about exactly this problem, and it is the price you pay for living by the water I suppose. They have a beautiful home and they have tons of old things in it, which of course they are very attached to. Every time they are asked to evacuate, they just can't stand to leave their belongings behind, so they stay, which is very nerve racking to the entire family because as they get older, they don't tend to have the best judgment in the whole world, and we are always afraid that Grandpa is going to try and play superman and have a heart attack or something like that. Anyway, luckily the most damage they have had has just been in the basement so far, however they have had to have a water damage restoration company come in these last two times, because the basement was so badly flooded that they started to have mold build up. They had to have the sheet rock pulled down and also tear up the carpet down there. They have used the same company both times, and they have been happy with the work they have done so far, but it is getting to the point where everyone in the family is trying to convince Grandpa that he just needs to move a little further inland and then he won't have these problems. Of course, he doesn't want to loose being right on the water, it is something that he has always loved, and I can't imagine him not being able to boat and fish. It does seem though that as they get a little bit older, that it is just not safe for them to stay in that house any longer. After all, they are getting older, and my concern is that one of these times they are going to loose their lives by staying to long in a house that is taking on water. It just worries me a little, but I know that they need to be happy, and I know the water makes them happy and that is why I think they will stay in that house for the remainder of their years.

Tea Parties Aren't Just For Kids

Posted by Stacy on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 10:35 AM

I remember when I was little we would go to the store and buy a lot of food in bulk at Sam's club. We would always get my brother a ton of Gatorade and get our snacks for school and paper products and we would also buy wholesale tea because my dad loved to drink it cold after he worked out. And then one year I read this book about a little girl who had a valentine's day tea party and invited all of her friends and their stuffed animals and her whole house was decorated in a winter wonder land and I was hell bent on getting my parents to let me have a tea party. Finally for my birthday I had the best tea party ever. 20 of my friends came with their stuffed animals and we sat around drinking white tea and eating tiny sandwiches in our party dresses. It was everything I could have dreamed of and more.

It's funny to think of how we don't really grow out of thins like tea parties when we get older. Sure, we don't bring our stuffed animals with us, but the concept is the same. Over the summer my friends and I were home from school and even though it was summer we all had jobs or internships so we didn't have as much time as we thought we would. The weekends we went out, but after not seeing each other for almost a year during the school year, we decided we needed something more than weekends, so we made a weekly date to meet somewhere different. Every Wednesday one of us picked the place to meet. Being from Chicago, we had a lot of options and a lot of us worked downtown so it was easy to go out and find a sushi bar or just go for drinks. One week we went to this tea and coffee bar. Since one of my friends and I don't drink coffee, we opted for herbal tea instead and at the tea bar we could mix and match flavors and mixtures. It was really good and it reminded me of when I was little and we (most of the same friends) and I had my birthday party. We were still dressed up, we still had the same insecurities (maybe our problems were a little bigger now), but we all got along and talked over a cup of tea (or in this case a margarita). Some things just never change.

selling football tickets

Posted by Stacy on Monday, October 13, 2008 12:51 PM

Today is the big day here on campus as we are all eagerly awaiting the show tonight with concert tickets in hand. Tonight is the big show at the Bryce Jordan Center that is a benefit for Barrack Obama and his campaign for president. We're all expecting a great show and I am expecting a lot of fun since I am volunteering all day with the organization of the entire show. It should be pretty interesting because the bands will surely bring in a hugely liberal population of students and people. This event sold out in about an hour and since I work at the ticket office I was just blow away by all of the work we had to do that day. I am used to selling the typical sports tickets, theater tickets, and especially football tickets. This event was a bit different though because it was just so highly anticipated and the news of ticket sales and the exact time they were going on sale was sort of last minute in its release. I think we only had about a week's notice before the onslaught.

Now the big day has finally arrived and I am just ready to get out there. It's not only going to be a great show but I get to work behind the scenes and help out with all of the things no one else will see for this show. We're all aware that it would be stretch to think that Obama will show up for this event and make and appearance, but we're still hopeful. Yesterday Sarah Palin came to a farm near here and she did it without any notice and without any word from the campaign so we might just find ourselves next to Barrack at some point tonight.

We still need some help if there is anyone out there looking. It won't be very hard work it will just be that we need a lot of people to help out. We have to organize a lot of things in a very short period of time so the more bodies we have the better it will be for each person. Plus, if you don't have a ticket then we have some for volunteers. Just come to the office if you're free. See you all tonight.

Themed parties are all the rage

Posted by Stacy on Monday, October 13, 2008 12:39 PM

Being in college we constantly have themed parties, but when I turned 21 I definitely wasn't expecting all of the themes we encountered that night. My best friend Jenn went to a party supplies store a few days before my birthday and got me a crown and a sash that said Ms. 21! I was so excited when I opened all of the stuff they got for me the morning of my birthday I couldn't wait to go out and see what they had planned. We decided we were going to go to one of my friend's frat parties that they have every year around my birthday and then hit up the bars so I could go when I turn 21 at midnight.

So we went to a luau party that was hosted by this frat house our friend Scott is in. It was so much fun. We got leis and dressed up in our bikinis and drank out of coconuts. I seriously don't think I have been to a themed party that was as elaborate as this one.

After the luau party though we went home for a little costume change. We got all dressed up with our hair and makeup done and of course my crown and sash and headed out to the bars. It randomly happened to be a black light night at the bar we started out at. They handed out glow sticks to everyone and we made necklaces out of them. It was a lot of fun and being 21, everyone around me was buying me drinks and I actually danced (ha I never dance when I go out; I am seriously not coordinated at all). So after that bar we went on to meet more of our friends and my boyfriend at a different bar. It was a lot of fun to be able to be with my friends from home (I went to university of Illinois for my birthday weekend and brought some of my friends from my school with me to celebrate and meet my high school friends) because we don't usually get together each other unless we are home for break but we are all so busy and go to school at least 3-7 hours away. So we had a great time going out and it was an amazing birthday.

When I got home I went to put up the pictures on face book and they were so funny. It is nice that we have the kind of technology today that we can show everyone our pictures online, however I took down a few of them, like one with me wearing like 8 glow necklaces (who knows what I was thinking). Overall though it was a great time with my friends.

Searching for web design in Brampton

Posted by Stacy on Wednesday, October 08, 2008 11:10 AM

If you are thinking about creating your own website, then there are many things to consider. If you are not a computer buff, then it is best to hire a professional to get your website moving in the right direction. You will need a company that can offer you services like web design services, hosting services, search engine optimization and copy writing. You need to have all these things and if you can get it all these services from a great company like the one that I found that does Web Design in Brampton, then you have it made. This web design company in Brampton offers the whole package and for a great price. They have been in business for the past 12 years, and you can tell by the quality of their work.

Many people don't realize the importance of having an all in one company like this, however, it is very important to provide you the consistency you need to get the best possible exposure for your new website. Ranking in the search engines is done in a way that few people understand, and although you could have a great website design and be offering a unique product or service for the best price, you will not be able to sell anything if people can't find your site in an average search. Your competitors who will use the services of a professional web design and SEO company will be thriving and getting the exposure and you will be left wondering what you did wrong. Believe me, I had this experience and I designed my own site, but I couldn't figure out why I when I did a search on Google, I just couldn't locate my own web page. I really was naive enough to believe that all I had to do was make a good website and the people would come, but that is not how the internet world works. You do need a professional company to manage your site and get you the highest ranking possible in the big search engines. If you are thinking about starting your own site, or are having trouble getting your site off the ground, then do yourself a favor and contact Brampton Web Design at http://www.bhswebdesign.com/ and you will be on your way to the top in no time.

Teatime for Little Ones

Posted by Stacy on Tuesday, October 07, 2008 1:22 PM

When your little one reaches a certain age, it's fun to include him in the family tea time. Doing so, however, is not a simple as pouring him a cup and handing him a sandwich. Teatime for little ones is about introducing both the beverage and the setting gradually.

Observation

For the first few years of his life, your young one is likely observing your teatime routines. He might be playing in the other room or in a playpen, but the set up and tradition of teatime is not lost on him. As much as possible, allow your child to be present at teatime, even if he is not yet able to partake of the drink or snacks.

Gradual Introduction

The best way to form a long-term habit is to make it a part of a child's life as early as possible. Thus, it is best to have your older infant and toddler attend teatime from the safety of his high chair when possible. If teatime falls during his nap each afternoon, you can make up the time and gradual learning by sitting down to a second "tea" before or after the nap so that he can practice.

Tea is a drink that many must acquire a taste for, and a very gradual introduction is warranted with toddlers. A splash of tea in a glass of milk might suffice, but be wary of serving your young one a caffeinated variety. It might be best to just serve little ones milk at tea time and then a sampling of the teatime snacks.

Teatime Fun

Most importantly, while gradually indoctrinating your child to teatime, make the experience enjoyable for both of you. If you have guests over for tea, be sure they realize that your tea is informal when your child is present. If you'd prefer to have a more formal tea, schedule it during his nap so that your little one doesn't become fussy and irritated by the tedium a drawn out teatime can create for a child. On most occasions, teatime will come to mean a yummy treat and a warm cup of milk to a child - just the thing he needs to take a break in the afternoon.

OUR VERY OWN PLACE - AN APARTMENT IN IRVING

Posted by Stacy on Wednesday, October 01, 2008 9:26 AM

I had always known that when I hit 18 I was going to move out of my parents house. We had always been at odds and I really wanted to make my own life. I had one best friend in high school and her home life was not exactly peachy, so we agreed that when we were old enough we would move away together and start over. About 6 months before my 18th birthday, we decided to begin looking around for a place to go. We got information from several different apartments in Irving Texas and looked over the brochures to see what was available out there. Unlike other high school students, we were working and saving our money for our new life. We knew that we at least needed to have the security deposit and one months rent saved plus the money for the moving expenses and apartment set up expenses. We also knew that once we decided on which Irving Apartments we were going to live in, we would need to find jobs right in the area, hopefully at the same place, because at least for a while we would be sharing one car. We thought this made more sense than having two, because owning a car can get expensive and we thought it would be better if we worked together on this. We finally decided on a place to live and the Irving Texas Apartments we chose were reasonably priced and really nice. We found a 2 bedroom apartment, in a nice area, with lots of windows and a really spacious kitchen. I loved the kitchen because it was great for cooking, which I love to do. Each bedroom had it's own bathroom which I really liked because I really don't like having to share a bathroom with anyone, so we each had our own and mine was right off the bedroom. Well, when we finally did move it was actually better than I thought it would be. We had a great time living on our own and we were far enough from our families that we didn't need to see them all the time. In the end, my friend and I both decided to go to college and after the first year we wound up each going our separate ways. We will always be best friends and I am really grateful for that year that we spent together. I think that it really helped both of us have the courage to become adults, together.