Mutual Weirdness

Contribution by Paula Gonzales   My daughter is taking an economics class in college and, while home one weekend, spent a good portion of a Saturday searching the internet. She had to present a comparative report on television and internet services and city infrastructure within three major cities across the United States. The first place she looked was http://www.tvbydirect.com/ . It sounds like a boring report to me but she really gets into economics and statistics and she had a great time compiling the information she gathered. She wants to be an economist and I can see her working in Washington or at the state or federal level elsewhere, solving issues in education, health and the environment. Or she might be hired by a large corporation, research firm, or think tank, so to speak. She definitely enjoys analyzing data, conducting surveys, and preparing reports and charts. What sounds boring to some of us is quite exciting to those who love to analyze and sol...

Posted by Arden Wallace After eating dinner at our neighbor’s house the other day, we decided to compare cable companies . The reason I decided to look into it was because the neighbor’s told us how much they were paying for their service. It was a lot less expensive than our television price. After doing the comparison, I found a way to upgrade our service and actually save money by switching companies. So with the amount of money that I save every month now, I have started to put it away. I put it into a special account that I save money for Christmas gifts. It is not a ton of money every month, but each little bit adds up. I always find myself around the Christmas holidays with no money. I end up putting stuff on the credit card and end up taking almost an entire year to pay off. By the time Christmas rolls around this year, hopefully I will have a little chunk of change and I will not have to put everything on the credit card this year!

Written by my friend Betty Walls My father and I enjoy watching golf together on Sunday afternoons. He can no longer play golf but he knows the game well and enjoys following the professionals from one tournament to the next. The great thing about expertsatellite is the many options for sports viewing. My dad and I talk about our favorite player, Phil Mickelson, and his family, as if we know him. A sports figure who comes into your home regularly through your television, just like any television show actor, becomes family to you. I feel as if I know Kathie Lee Gifford because she has been a part of my morning television viewing for years and years, first when she was on with Regis Philbin and now as the co-anchor with Hoda Kotbe on the fourth hour of the Today Show. Dad and I have a connection when we sit together and watch golf. I listen to him fuss about Tiger Woods and cheer on the underdog, even though his true loyalty lies with Phil. But the greatest resul...

Guest post written by Kenneth Peters I always loved watching the movie Grease. I remember that my older sister took me to the movies to see it when I was younger. I think that if our parents found out at the time, I might have gotten in trouble, actually both of us! But I loved it even more over the years. Then when I heard that there was a touring Grease play coming to town, I thought that it might be fun for me and my sister to go and see it just like old times! I looked onlien to see if I could find soem good discounted ticket prices and while I was doing that, I ran across some info on Miracle Ear . I actually passed it on to my sister because she kept talking about how she needed some hearing aids. So I listended to her and she actually got the hearing aids! I was even more excited that she got them before we went to the play. I didn't want to have to repeat evertyhing that they said during the play!

Post contributed by Josue Durham I saw a La Puenta direct TV Commercial when I first moved into my new house and I had been trying to decide about satellite anyway so I went ahead and called. Have any of you guys moved recently? It’s a pretty big hassle but man when it’s said and done it sure feels good to get in your new place and get it all set up. I’ve been here about 4 weeks now and I’ve gotten all the boxes unpacked but not really started on all the decorating . I mean, I’m a guy so there’s not a lot I can do without a woman’s touch so I’m just waiting for my mom to come down and help me with that stuff! It feels really good to be a homeowner though but paying that mortgage every month sure does sober me up when I think about how much fun I’m having in my new place! It’s nice to not be wasting it on rent, though.

The Author of this post is Velma Baird I'm an interior decorator and believe me when I say that I my own house has been a lesson in futility. I have absolutely no restraints when it comes to decorating my own house and I've gone totally over budget so far and I'm not even done. Luckily for me, I got a great deal on the house itself and recently negotiated for a great utility rate after doing some reading on http://www.shopelectricityratestexas.com/texas-electricity-companies/Texas/W/West-Columbia/ . I have my eye on a Persian rug that costs well into the thousands and no I haven't bought it yet, I'm seriously considering it. I may have to get a second job if I keep spending money the way I am! I'm planning on staying in this house for a long time and maybe even for the rest of my life, so I want to make sure it's style totally reflects my personality. If my clients ever meet me at home I want them to feel confident I can do a good job in their...

Recently I've been browsing more and more shopping sites looking to see what's out there to buy online. I absolutely hate shopping so buying online is always a better option for me. But sometimes its hard to know if I'm getting the best price for what I'm looking to buy. In my searching I found Become.com . This site is great for online shopping as it lists items from many different sellers all at once allowing for price comparison and bargain shopping. One of the things I'd been looking at recently were bedding sets . They have a lot to choose from and just about anything can be found, from Red Queen Comforter Sets  to Old Fashioned Hurricane Lamps . Just type in what you are looking for and the site does the rest. All you have  to do is browse and buy. While looking at the site a little bit close I was surprised to find that Become.com has been around since 2004. Amazing that I'd not heard of them until now as they've done a wonderful job of creating...

This guest post from Josue Nichols I have to admit, I'm a reality TV addict. From Survivor to Big Brother, any show that gathers a group of competitors together and eliminates one at a time until only one is left always gets my attention. It's for this reason that my interest was piqued when my girlfriend suggested we watch Project Runway. The premise of the show is pretty basic; a group of aspiring fashion designers compete in challenges every week. The one who fares the poorest is sent home. The first thing I noticed was that the personalities of the contestants were fascinating, ranging from fun and flamboyant to downright Machiavellian. I've never been very interested in fashion, but the unique variety of challenges keeps me watching every week. Heidi Klum does an excellent job of hosting, but the real star of the show is Tim Gunn. Gunn acts as adviser and mentor to the contestants, and is always there with sage advice and a witty quip. It's an incr...