You always hear of the yardstick the first 100 days in office being used to evaluate a new President's performance. But why is it 100 days, given that they're going to be in office for a lot longer than that? This article has some insight as to why, and explains that it may not necessarily be the best measurement of a President's performance in office.
I always like reading articles like this to gain some insight, and that's one of the things I hope to share more of with you in the coming days.

There isn't much going on. I feel I owe all of you an apology for letting The Matter That Wouldn't Die overwhelm things so much. I feel that this blog has suffered as a result. It hasn't been a picnic for us here, either. I fear the stress has been hard on Kathy especially. She's had pains especially with eating and breathing. She says she's feeling better today, but she's thinking of making an appointment with the doctor tomorrow.
We're also trying to catch up on our TiVo programs yesterday before TMTWD called again last night. When we got back, later that night I turned on the TV...I've heard of the Blue Screen Of Death on a computer, but not on a satellite receiver. The message said it was overheated, which I figure it didn't help when I left it on all the time, even when we weren't watching it. So I checked the ventilation, turned it off and planned on turning it off when it's not being used. Hopefully it'll help.
For some reason I haven't got any mail from my main e-mail site for a couple of days. It's happened before, so hopefully it'll straighten itself out again. Okay, I just did a test with my back up e-mail site, and it sent out a message from my main e-mail, but it said the main site was undeliverable. I found out my trash folder had almost 900 messages, so I emptied it. Another test showed the reply message went through, so that should be that.
I also put up some DVDs up for sale on Amazon, but about half of them was going so low I decided not to list them and take them to Half Price Books or Book And Music Exchange if I ever make it down to Louisville soon. A couple of the DVDs sold already, so I'll get them out tomorrow. Hopefully the rest of them will sell soon. And hopefully starting tomorrow I can start making this blog more enjoyable to read for you.

If you're finding yourself under crushing debt, before you consider the drastic steps of ignoring your bills or filing for bankruptcy you should take a look at what Freedom Debt Relief can do for you. They can negotiate a reduction in your debt, resulting in not only owing less, but being debt free sooner. With things the way they are a lot of companies are realizing getting less money is better than nothing.

One of the things I was looking forward to when I got high speed internet was to be able to watch movie trailers online. It would take hours to try to watch them with dial up, and I would use the internet at the library just for watching movie trailers. But while I'm usually interested in the newest trailers, when I get a DVD I like watching the trailer, even on the older films. If you like watching all sorts of movie trailers this site has a range of them. If you like watching trailers, this is one of those sites that you can spend hours on it. And you can subscribe to an RSS feed where you can screen by genre or star so when they get a new trailer uploaded you can know about it.

Many people love to shop for jewelry, but look more to shopping in person at the stores instead of shopping online. But with the low prices you get online as opposed to in the store you can save money and make some good deals. But the only thing that I hate about shopping online (besides waiting for what I bought to come in the mail) is seeing that box to put in a discount or coupon code and you don't have one. But seeing that box you figure there's a discount out there somewhere, so you put your purchase on hold while you go looking for a code. You try the search engines but the best you can do is an expired code that doesn't work. So you slink back to the site and complete your purchase and feel like a chump for missing out on a deal, or you just forget buying anything altogether. Neither option really good for anyone involved: you don't get what you want and the site misses out on a sale. But one way you can avoid that when you shop online for jewelry is with the help of jewelbasket coupons for the different jewelry merchants. And with the simple instructions they include with the coupons, it's so easy to save money and get great deals on jewelry online.

Okay, so Watchmen had a $55 million opening weekend. And it did drop on the second weekend. But now that the box office has dwindled down, how well did it end up doing? It ranks as the 358th highest grossing film. Which isn't so bad until you learn what movie's in 357. And it didn't do as well overseas as the movie above it.

Hey, what do you know, we actually have some nice and warm weather for two days in a row. Hopefully that means that Spring's finally come up here and we can start enjoying more outdoor activities. I think a lot of people have suffered from cabin fever are anxious to get out and enjoy having fun and activities to do. I'm sure there's a lot of golfers and paintballers that are ready to get outside and enjoy their sport. And if you're looking to get into paintballing then here's a good source for cheap paintball guns and supplies so you can be ready to roll. Or if you've been playing paintball it's a good place to stock up. And there's free shipping on all online orders of $99 and more.

Have you ever gotten those phone calls that are unknown, even with caller ID? And they call over and over again, and you don't answer the phone, but you're wondering who it is and frustrated that caller ID let you down. Now with the help of Caller Wiki you can Report Callers and have a place you can go to look up that phone number that shows up but they tell you that it's "unknown". I did a check with my phone number and there's nothing on it, which would make sense as I'm not going around calling up people and masking my identity. And since it uses the wiki method to organize information, anyone can add information so that you can get to the bottom of that caller. Or if you just have a phone number and nothing else, you can use it to look up whose number it belongs to and solve the mystery. The only quibble I have is that while there's a search button next to the box to put in a number, you can't really click on it. But if you hit enter on your keyboard after you put in the number it should look it up. While the internet is good for looking up information, sometimes it's a matter of knowing where to go to obtain that information. Now you have a source for looking up a phone number that won't necessarily work in those other search engines.

Given their contingency nature most people don't think about owning an Electric Generator until their power goes out for an extended period of time, mainly due to bad weather or hurricanes. Although the closest we came to having a hurricane affect us was that one last year that took power out of Louisville for a few days, there's been a couple of times when we were out of power for days. Both times were in the winter and although we have a gas furnace, it has an electric starter. And I also learned then that while a town near me had a Wally World, the town itself banned the sale of kerosene stoves. But I've read too many stories of fires and death due to those type of furnaces, so it's good that didn't work out. Fortunately, my dad had a couple of electric generators and last time it really saved us here. But good luck trying to get one if you're in an area with a major power outage, they'll get snapped up like that. It's good to prepare and get one beforehand. And while I trust my dad's electrical skills in wiring up the house to connect a generator, you should play it safe and get a Transfer Switch. In the stress of the situation, who knows what could go wrong in trying to wire it up? And some of these Generator Accessories can make it easier and safer for you to use a generator.

Blogging Away Debt has a post on a subject I've mentioned here from time to time: that those commercials offering free credit reports aren't accurate. But this post goes beyond what I've said in the past that you should go here for a free credit report that's really free and doesn't sign you up for a swervice they charge you for. She also points out that you're not going to end up at a crappy job singing crappy jingles due to identity theft and what you can do to protect yourself.
And here's a quiz where you guess if a particular line is a lyric from a rap song or from that free credit report commercial.

A lot of times people ask you what's your favorite--? and it's something I don't really have an answer handy. There's a lot of things that I like and brings me enjoyment, but it's been years since I've had a list of absolute favorites. The closest I've come is maybe having a list, but not one that reaches an arbitrary number, like 10 for example. And when I've sometimes participated in making a Five For Friday list over at Comics Reporter, when I read the results on Sunday there's at least one that makes me want to slap my head and wonder why I didn't think of it.
It's easier when you can make a choice from a list, like with the BoB Awards. But as far as favorite actor or actress, one that comes to mind is Jack Black. There's some who may say that his on-screen personna is grating, and more or less based on his star-making turn in High Fidelity, but that's the movie that brought him to my notice. (And speaking of that movie, I can't see how you can go wrong by choosing John Cusack as a favorite) And I have good memories seeing School of Rock with my cousin and her son, and when my wife and I saw it on video a few months later one of her concerns was how he was having the kids deceive the other faculty and parents, but before you scoff at that notion I remember that it was a subject matter that caused Sweden to put a restrictive rating on E.T. years ago.
Please nominate me in the Best of the Best Awards.

Brian Cronin who's written over 200 entries in Comic Book Legends Revealed now has a new website expanding his coverage of urban legends. The new Legends Revealed has a sports legends section and an entertainment legends section. You can find Comic Book Legends Revealed in the entertainment section, and links to buy his new book coming out this Tuesday "Was Superman a Spy? and other Comic Book Legends Revealed!" at your favorite bookstore or online site.

With the recent credit crunch, a lot of people are finding that their line of credit has been cut, and that's if they're one of the lucky ones. There's some people who have found themselves in the unfortunate position of finding themselves in worse credit straits, using more and more of their credit and/or finding themselves unable to pay what they owe on their credit card bills. And then the phone calls start coming, along with the anxiety of wondering how you're going to get out of this mess. But with the help of these Debt Consolidation services they can help you with a plan to get out of the debt trap, and you won't have to worry about the calls and the credit mess.

I had to go out and run a few errands today, and after far too long and the calendar declaring Spring started a month ago, we've finally had a day of good weather. It was so warm that I tried to run the air conditioner in the car, only to find that I wasn't getting any cool air. I think it's a case of it not having any freon, and fortunately there's a couple of members of my family that can confirm and look at it. Even with those troubles I'm welcoming some warmer weather. We've had Winter far too long. And it's going to get to the point pretty soon where people will start getting the central air conditioning in their homes ready for use. Sometimes that's when you find out that you've got a problem. And if it's getting hotter you're wanting to get the problem solved and you'll call the first name you find in the phone book to get it solved. Don't do that. If you're having any problems with your central air the first thing you should do is consult this Des Moines HVAC-Air-Conditioning website for tips and suggestions on how to find a repairman to take care of your problems. If you live in the area, you can give them a call. And if you don't, there's some good information that will serve you well in getting your central air repaired. Being rash and impulsive (even with the temperatures climbing) can end up costing you more money, making you hot under the collar figuratively instead of literally.

Another fun day dealing with The Matter that wouldn't die (thanks for the best wishes, you know who you are) It helped to have some tips to deal with stress that I wrote about earlier and did some more reading about it. Like I said, sometimes you need to take another approach besides putting out fires, sometimes it seems it never gets done. And I did some looking at that HD-DVD/Blu-Ray exchange and I do see some I'm interested in trading for the possibility that I would be without an HD-DVD player. There are a couple of small snags: I ordered a copy of Phantom of the Opera from a used dealer via Amazon that I hoped to include in any exchange I do. With the $6.95 flat shipping for up to 25 titles, I'd like to include it all in one swoop. I also picked up Sopranos Season 6 Part 2 in HD-DVD from a used store last weekend (and shockingly enough, I never watched the last 3 episodes. One reason I've talked about before is where I slow to a halt on something I like because of knowing deep down once it's watched or read or whatever and there isn't anymore, that's it. Another is because of all the hubbub over the final episode didn't make me any more anxious to watch them) To exchange that one, you need to send the outer box flattened, but I like the packaging, particularly the magnetic seal on the outer flap, so I would just keep it for that. Besides, I got it because it was a good deal for it and I could clear out those unwatched episodes from the TiVo. And I watched some of the first episode, and it looks great in HD.
Dealing with The Matter has resulted in me falling even further behind in my reading, TV and disc watching. Hopefully, we can start relieving the stress by enjoying some of the things we have accumulated and try to get more caught up. I guess I can stop stockpiling up books and shows and stuff and start enjoying it, huh? I guess it stems from my younger days when I'd read through all the comics I'd get each week on the day of purchase and have to wait another week to enjoy it again. I'm going to try to do that.

The new fall television shows are going to be announced pretty soon, and what's needed is a good entertaining show about a detective agency in California, because that's a story mine that hasn't even been tapped yet. But all the shows are filmed up in Vancouver now, so maybe that isn't something we're going to see. But there is a need for private investigation and security guards in California as much as anywhere else (if not more so) and that's where an agency such as Beach Cities Protective Services comes in handy. And having their base of operations be in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas will come in handy, especially with Comicon coming up in three months. It's gotten bigger and bigger, with not only the four day passes being sold out now, but Friday's and Saturday's passes as well. With the more elaborate displays by the comics companies and movie studios and, oh yeah, they sell collectibles as well, having them on the job can provide excellent security. And they offer so much more, even to a show as big as Comicon. They specialize in confidential and discreet security guard, investigation and executive protection services. Not only that, but they're also qualified to work with Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. With $5,000,000 in Liability Insurance they are ready to get the job done right, creating a Safe, Secure and Satisfied environment. They can provide so much more beyond entertainment, they provide security and protection.

Things have gotten more and more stressful for everyone lately. And it wasn't a picnic to begin with. That's why it's good to be able to read this stress blog and find other ways to cope than to put out the fires that spring up in your life. Let me tell you, one thing I learned today is trying to fight stress sometimes doesn't help. It's like one of those old cartoons where you cover up a water leak and another leak pops up. And you keep plugging them up and they keep popping up in more and more unlikely spots. So until the water leak comes out of your ear or nose or something, try another tack to deal with the stress instead of fighting it.

If you surf the net a lot like I do, you see that different web sites have surveys, forms, registration, and other things. It's interesting to be able to take a survey and fill out a form and participate online. You get a feeling of being part of a larger community, all from behind your computer. But if you have a blog or a web site you probably wonder how they get those forms and surveys up on your site. Do you have to learn a programming code, or is there a simpler way to do it?
Fortunately, there is an easier way to have the surveys and forms on your site that you want. eFormit allows you to create a web form that can be done in simple steps without learning programming or downloading software. You can create the forms and upload them on your web site, resulting in increased interest and involvement by the readers of your site. And if you're like me, you're always on the lookout for ways to improve your site and attract more attention. And if it doesn't involve a lot of work and studying, all the better.

I've been using the cheapest watch that I can get at the store that looks good to me, and I get what I pay for. The battery goes out after a little over a year and I have to go get another watch. If I had any sense, I'd take a good look at these casio watches and pick one that would be more reliable, like the Casio GW330A-9 Men's Atomic Solar G-Shock. Not only is it solar powered, but it gets the time from the atomic clock in Colorado, so I'll know that it's an accurate timepiece. And there are all sorts of watches in many styles and varieties that you're sure to find one that's right for you and you can get a good deal on them, plus they offer free shipping.