It seems that in the summer time it's harder to keep the fleas off of my cats. There are many ways to get rid of fleas, and this guide can help you find what's best. It gives you information on what to look for and how best to treat the problem you have, and the advantages and disadvantages of each treatment.

So what do you do when Mad magazine parodies your flyers? Do you feel honored, and laugh at the joke? Or do you order your stores to shred their copies? And I never heard of this bit before this news came out. Didn't they realize it would have an opposite effect? Or were they too busy bailing out water on their sinking ship?
Update: Circuit City Corporate responds to the report, and actually admits wrong-doing. And they do have a sense of humor.

For many retail establishments, they want to know how well they're doing and find out what areas need improvement. Sure, there's surveys and asking questions of some customers, but how many are truly honest, and how many are just wanting to get through the survey that they regretted agreeing to take? And most times if customers aren't happy with a business, they won't say anything, they just won't come back. That's where mystery shopping solutions comes into play. BestMark offers businesses the chance to get honest feedback based on actual transactions in their business, and can find out what needs improvement in their business and employees. And you're not trying to conform to a formula, you're actually working on what will make your business grow.

They haven't gotten a portion of James Doohan's remains into space yet. Like with other payloads, there are problems and complications, but there's a personal price to be paid. The link goes to an article that Doohan's son wrote about the experience. He doesn't blame anyone else, but you feel for him and his family when they talk about each attempt is reliving the funeral, and there isn't any closure with each failure. And this is the type of story that you have to drag over from "the lighter side of the news" section, and I even had to fight that temptation a couple of times while writing this up. It wasn't my intention to be malicious, but a story like this...I don't know, wants to make light if for no other reason you can't do anything about this situation, and you realize that for his surviving family, it's a real problem, and adds to the frustration.

These times are getting more and more stressful. They're making people wonder if they've got a problem with their blood pressure. Only a physician can make that call, but if he or she does, and you need a blood pressure monitor to keep track, this is the place to get it.

There was a mix-up on the set of The Price is Right last week. They had set up the Plinko game to land the chips on the $10,000 slot for a video game based on the show, and forgot to reset it. The next time the game was played on the show, the contestant won $30,000 before they realized their error. They reset the game, and the contestant won $3,000 but got to keep the $30,000.
I checked out the game's web site, and it looks good, but it's coming out for the computer, Nintendo DS, and Wii. Not sure what I'd get, as computer games are a pain to install and play. And I don't have either Nintendo system, and this would be the thing to push me to get one, but there's the money thing. It's scheduled for release next month, we'll have to wait and see.

The life of a freelancer is one of trade offs. On the one hand, you're not required to punch a time clock and be told how to do your job. On the other hand, it's up to you to find work, not to mention take care of the other things your employer would take care of for you, such as taxes, accounting, insurance, etc. And sometimes there's a flood of freelance work available, and other times there's nothing to be found. And you have to think twice about taking any time off, since there's a chance you could miss out on freelance jobs that would become available and get snatched up by somebody else. And there are businesses that want to hire freelancers, whose efforts to find them come up empty as well. And a lot of times, outside of networking and asking around, they don't know where to look for freelancers. Freelance Nation can help make sure that freelance work doesn't go unfilled again. Business can post freelance jobs and temporary employment that freelancers can find. And there's a place where freelancers can go to find jobs and bid on them. You can post and look by occupation and location. Not only that, they have links to help you find the help you need in your freelancing career, such as taxes, consultants, etc.

DNAgents was one of the comics I loved from the 80s independent boom. Kathy liked it, too, and even had a poster up on her bedroom wall. It's been a while since the comic has been out, but there have been some attempts to bring it back in reprints. Given the subject matter, which is beings grown in a corporate lab that are sent out on mission for that corporation and considered their property, and that it's a topic getting more and more discussed every day, a revival could really hit on those topics. But until then we'll have to content ourselves with one of those big black and white reprint omnibuses that's solicited in Previews this month. The link has a mini-animation of Rainbow, one of the characters, and mention of future Mark Evanier projects (such as "Groo Meets Conan").

Do you suspect your significant other of cheating? Cheaters Detective Agency can find out. In addition to their services, they have a couple of videos to watch on their website. The first one is the top 10 signs that your mate might be cheating. 3 of the signs include sudden change in appearance, higher than normal/unexplained cell phone activity, and internet activity. Guess I got some 'splaining to do on that last one, huh? If you have someone in a similar situation, the next video can instruct you on where and how to look on your spouse's computer for signs of cheating. And for the record, I'm not cheating, and everything is above board with my wife, I even talked to her about this post.

I've put my money where my mouth was and ordered the True Story Swear To God Archives from Barnes And Noble. I would've ordered them directly from Tom Beland's website, but he wasn't set up for orders, or had an Amazon Associates account. Whenever I order something from Barnes And Noble, I go to this thread and find a coupon code I can use. I saved 15% on the book, and that's on top of the 10% discount and free shipping for being a member. If you're not a member, they have codes for non-members, and for AAA members that's 5% off and free shipping regardless of order size. True Story Swear To God is one of my favorites, and when I dig through my back issues, each one I find of that comic is added to the pile of books to read again. It'll be good to have the original line in one book.

Are you thinking about getting a toaster oven? Wondering about which one to get, what kind of toaster oven accessory you could buy, or want advice? This site reviews the different toaster ovens out there and provides advice on buying one. Sure, you can go down to the store and pick one out, but you'll feel better finding the best one to suit your needs.

Laura says Tom Beland is doing commissions. From that I found Tom's blog and website. Check it out, and if you're not getting his comic True Story Swear To God, pick one up and thank me later for it. And reading the blog, it would certainly help if you did buy an issue or trade paperback collection. I'd hate to lose that book amongst my stack of comics.

Like a lot of people I don't like getting the "family newsletter" around the holidays with the whitewashed sanitized version of the family's activities during the year. But I do like getting birth announcements and holiday photo cards. The wife likes the pictures, too.

DoodlebugDezigns.com can fix you up if you want to send some out, and they look great.

I had a thought this morning I wanted to share with you. When I was a kid, when we went on vacation, I looked forward to staying in hotels. I didn't like it so much when we had to stay at a relative's house. But now I'm the opposite. Actually, I would prefer to stay home. An occasional overnight is about all I can handle. But other than swimming pools/jacuzzis and the little glasses wrapped in plastic (but they're so small, not that as much anymore) really hotels have no attraction to me anymore. It occurred to me this morning the main two reasons why. One, checkout at most hotels is at 11am. It used to be noon, but now it seems that most all hotels have an earlier checkout. Two, even if you're staying another day, they want you out of the room so that housekeeping can make up the room. It never fails, they want to come in even when you have the do not disturb sign on the knob, but they take their time when you hang out the maid request sign on the door, or want them to make it up right away.
And the cable TV selection is so much poorer anymore, even if they do have a full cable lineup (and some hotels think cable TV means the local channels plus HBO and CNN) With all my stuff at home, I'm glad I'm not at a hotel. But sometimes I miss the jacuzzi when I want to untense my muscles and nerves.
One other thing: this touches down what I talked about the other day about companies losing sight of what's important. The management is probably so obsessed with ratios, statistics, etc. that they don't consider the basic fact of how the the travelling public perceives their hotel as a possible place to stay for the night. Most of them running these places take a page from Basil Fawlty and think the people staying at the hotel are there to keep them from doing their job of running the hotel.

Yeah, I know, it's too early to be talking about Halloween Costumes, but what if you have a good idea what you want to dress up as this year? You don't want to go to the department stores or Halloween shops to find them picked clean, and you can't dress up in your second or third choice, let alone what you wanted. They have costumes of the characters from this year's hot blockbusters. And while they have sexy costumes available, they're more for grown-ups than girls, and you certainly don't want to be left with those choices for your daughter. They have plenty for her to choose from here, from Hanna Montana and more!

Comic Book Urban Legends #166. Who was wrongly killed in Master of Kung Fu? Why couldn't Steve Gerber return to Howard the Duck comic around the time of the movie coming out. All this and more.
New Roger Ebert Answer Man column. Some questions about The Dark Knight, the WALL-E/Johnny Five similarity, and more. For some reason, the columns aren't archived, so I suggest you read it before the next one is up on the 15th. It says the column is every Friday, but it's been on an every-other-Friday since it's return. Check it before the 8th just to make sure.
New Ask the AV Club column. Were there any good stories written in the second person? And yes, there's still some "what was the name of that one movie/TV show/cartoon..." questions addressed.

With the way things are anymore, living paycheck to paycheck is being on the edge. All it takes is one unexpected expense to really throw you off. Many people would use their credit cards, but they may be maxed out, or they balk at the high interest rate. Depending on how much money you need and how long (or short) to pay it off, it may be more advantageous to see if Payday Loans would work better. Or if you need a vehicle to get to work to make money, a Car Loan would certainly work better for you.

Remember back when I said there was a few Doctor Who figures I hadn't gotten yet that I should get before paying $55 for a Peter Davison 5th Doctor (as part of the exclusive Comicon 2 pack)? Well, I did some checking and found a good deal on the Weeping Angel and Cyberman figures, and also found an Editor (Simon Pegg) figure. I was able to get the Angel's hands to cover his face, which was good. If you saw "Blink", you know what I'm talking about. I hope they come out with the other Doctors as action figures, and at lower prices.
And I got my weekly shipment of comics, so I have plenty to occupy my time. I can't go anywhere on vacation (like Geoffrey or my parents) but I still have a good time here. Time to start enjoying the summer like I was talking about before.

There are many people looking for how to lose weight. Like this site that claims that celebrities have found this supplement that allows them to lose weight and keep it off. Of course, the site says these celebrities don't endorse the product. And with any change of lifestyle, please consult with your physician before using.

I've often thought about what type of home theatre design I would have if I could have any kind of home theatre. I like to look at the different styles and components that make up a home theatre and think how it would fit in with what I want. And there's all sorts of home theater furniture to choose from, from theatre style to the kind that fit in more with homes. You can even get chairs with cup holders, if you like.

For many people, losing weight includes looking into the dietary supplements on the market to help them out. Fortunately, diet pills can help you with your selection. As with anything pertaining to your health, please consult a physician before undertaking any effort to change your health and condition.

Wally World's at it again, people: there are reports that Wal-Mart held mandatory meetings for their managers and supervisors telling them that if Democrats won in November, they would push through the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would allow employees to sign up for unions without secret ballot elections. My mom has worked in running elections for workplaces, management does things like this all the time, sometimes above board, sometimes not. Say what you will about unions, I'll just say two things: 1) hope you enjoy your five day workweek, 8 hour workday, vacations, insurance, etc.; and 2) have you noticed that unions' unpopularity has been about as long as corporations and CEOs getting richer while the workers are getting poorer?
And say what you will, but please don't parrot what you hear other people say. Do some research, talk to people, make up your own mind. Kathy and I may disagree politically, but the night before our state primary, she was concerned with how to vote. We went to the candidates' web sites, read their positions, and she was able to decide from that. I wonder how many people did that, instead of voting for someone because they like this candidate or don't like that candidate?
And while we're on the subject, I'll link again to Steve Olson's 10 reasons Target is better than Wal-Mart. This article opened my eyes. Near where I live there's a Meijer and Wal-Mart SuperCenter across the street from each other. What I now do is my main grocery shopping at Meijer, then go to Wal-Mart to pick up things not at Meijer or at lower prices, then go to Kroger for whatever sales they have. Meijer and Kroger (at least in Indiana) may not be that much better in the labor department, but at least they're not an 800 pound gorilla in the marketplace.

As the years go by, age takes it's toll on the skin. As Indiana Jones says "It's not the years, it's the mileage." Even if you don't go on archaelogical digs and save the Ark of the Covenant from the Nazis age is still going to show on you. As we age, our facial skin loosens and wrinkles the muscles of the neck may weaken as well. Anything that will cause the skin to lose elasticity will hasten the process, including sun exposure, weight fluctuations, and heredity. And there are some who would prefer not to go so gently or quietly into that good night, some would prefer to address those causes that make you look older to look younger. A face lift, facelift can make a person appear up to ten years younger. Face lift surgery can address the problem of loose sagging skin and wrinkles. It is most effective for the lower face (jowls and neck). To obtain the best results from such surgery it is suggested that additional procedures be undertaken to address the additional effects of aging. Other supplemental procedures include such things as upper eyelid blepharoplasty, lower eyelid blepharoplasty, collagen or Botox. While facelift surgery involves tightening up the skin, what it does not do is improve the texture of the skin. It is common practice for skin treatments to be combined with face lift surgery to improve the appearance of acne scaring age spots and other skin abnormalities.

Last night I wrote down some financial goals to accomplish in August. I was inspired by Give Me Back My Five Dollars monthly goals. However, I would rather not post those goals here on this blog. But I will tell you that they involve resuming my selling activities on eBay, Amazon, etc. and to reach a certain dollar amount. Another goal involves stop treating our PayPal and savings accounts as a "mad money" fund. And another is to pay off what I do owe.
What I'd like to do is sit down and think of some personal goals. One would be to enjoy what warm weather we have left. The past month plus has been dealing with illnesses and things that kept us from enjoying the summer. I don't know what I want to do now, but the time I have left is slipping away. It's good that I don't have to go to school and have a little more time beyond the start of school to enjoy the weather.

Is there a favorite photo of yours that you'd love to have as a Photo Blanket, shower curtain, duvet cover or pillowcase? These guys can do that for you.

Not only would you have such an excellent addition to your home, but think of what a conversation piece it would be.