How to Save Hundreds of Gallons of Home Heating Oil Annually

How to Increase Efficiency and Lower Costs from an Industry Insider

With the economy in recession and The Old Farmer's Almanac prediction of a winter that will be colder than normal, home heating costs are guaranteed to impact homeowners and their pocketbooks this season. Author Tim Edmund, in his new book How to Save Hundreds of Gallons of Home Heating Oil Annually, lays out a simple yet detailed plan to help you, the homeowner, save big this winter!

Edmund has worked in the home heating and maintenance industry for over 10 years. He was motivated to write his timely release to help "Joe the Plumber" and "Joe the CEO" cut their oil consumption, thus saving money and helping the environment.

"You have to look at your oil burner like your car. If you are supposed to get 40 MPG on average out of your car and are only getting 22 MPG, anyone would be interested to find out what is causing such a drastic drop in efficiency. The same holds true for an oil burning furnace," says Edmund.

Written in simple language for all homeowners to understand, Edmund reveals how to save oil without sacrificing comfort.
Readers will also learn how Edmund heats his own 1200-sq.-ft. home and hot water with only 200 gallons of heating fuel each year!

About the Author:
Born in New York City, Tim Edmund is a Certified Chimney Sweep and oil burner inspector. He holds a degree from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY as well as a Professional Chimney Sweep certification from the Chimney Sweep Institute of America. When not trying to save homeowners oil and money, Edmund enjoys the company of his daughter as well as several hobbies, including wood splitting, traveling, cooking and boating. How to Save Hundreds of Gallons of Home Heating Oil Annually is Edmund's third book.
source: eReleases

we like it because: enjoy being economically warm and cozy this winter while smiling all the way to the bank, knowing you are saving yourself oil, money and helping the environment. "How to Save Hundreds of Gallons of Home Heating Oil Annually" is available from http://www.amazon.com

Unique gift idea: Custom Bobbleheads

Wow! Get 10% off Custom Bobbleheads today for an unforgettable holiday gift
Use Coupon Code: xmas10
Simply go to Whoopass Enterprises (link) and start designing your own doll - choose eye & hair color, accessories, and upload your own photo, and the cutest, most original gift will be custom-made for you.

SIZZLIN HOT CUSTOM BOBBLEHEADS Custom made from a photograph, the gift they will never forget

we like it because: personalized gifts have never been this fun! Partners, siblings, kids and even pets can have their own bubble head doll.

You Won't Believe What's in the Dictionary

When the dictionary adds new words, do you care? If you answered, "meh," you might. This expression that indicates boredom or indifference has been added to the Collins English Dictionary after generating a surprising amount of enthusiasm among lexicographers, reports The Associated Press.

In honor of the dictionary's upcoming 30th anniversary edition, publisher HarperCollins allowed the public to suggest new words to be included, and "meh" got the honor. AP notes that the origins of the word are murky, but it seemed to catch on after a 2001 episode of "The Simpsons." In it, Homer suggests a day trip to Bart and Lisa, who reply "meh" and continue watching television. HarperCollins says the word originated in North America and then spread through the Internet. It's even entering Great Britain. "This is a new interjection from the U.S. that seems to have inveigled its way into common speech over here," McKeown said. "Internet forums and e-mail are playing a big part in formalizing the spellings of vocal interjections like these. A couple of other examples would be 'hmm' and 'heh.'"

The Collins English Dictionary defines "meh" as an expression of indifference or boredom or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring. An example: "The Canadian election was so meh."
source: Netscape.com

The bart-mania continues to strike, even in Christmas 2008 gift lists:

FOR HIM

Bart Simpson Slippers for Men are available from CrazyForBargains.com: link

FOR HER:

The Simpsons Ultimate Charm Bracelet is available at Collectibles Today website: link


FOR KID:

Bart Sk8 Wall Décor is available from Target website: link


FOR YOUNGSTER:

The Simpson's Bart Simpson Born To Rock Messenger is available at Kmart website: link


FOR FUN:

Simpsons' Skateboarding for PS2 is available at Barnes and Noble website: link
warning ESRB: Teen


and our favorite FOR ALL:

The Trivial Simpsons 2009 Desk Calendar is available at Calendars.com: link

example: January the 19th


we like it because: eeeexcellllent!

With Election of Obama, Coma Survivor Sees in America a Similar 'Awakening'

In a fascinating new book, type 'A' career woman wakes up from a coma with messages from God.

Lisa Reed was an ordinary, driven career woman, "spiritually bankrupt," as she puts it, when a boating accident in 2005 left her for dead.
Twenty-eight days later, she woke a changed woman, with God's voice speaking to her and a mission to share those messages with the world. With Obama's election, Reed says, "Americans have awakened as I did. There has been a similar shift in perspective." Obama's election heralds a time "when outsiders of all kinds will be accepted as they are. There is reason to hope, to dream big. You can accomplish anything, and it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from." In short, Americans have come closer to seeing themselves as God sees them.

The result is a compelling and highly readable narrative that readers will embrace for its message that change can happen in any life, and will turn to again and again.

The following stories and messages, excerpted from Divinely Blessed: A Journey of Light (available at Amazon), reveal some of Reed's story, as well as what she was told:

God has no religion. No one faith is closer to God than another. God has no religion and is a part of everyone and everything on this earth.

The dying take with them only love and joy. If you have ever felt guilt for not being by a loved one's side when they passed away, I am here to tell you that they do not leave this world alone. They take no earthly hurts or grievances with them, only joy. You will leave this world with the knowledge that you were very much loved and cared for while you were here - as you enter a place of perfect love and light.

Prayer works and could heal the planet. I cannot tell you how many strangers I have come in contact with over the last couple of years that say to me how they knew about my accident, the extent of my injuries and prayed for me often.
The enormous amount of prayers that collectively came my way created the miracle of my recovery. It is this type of collective prayer that we all need to use to begin to heal the world of all its battles and bring peace to our planet.

Divinely Blessed also answers such enduring questions as:

What is heaven like? It was as if all time and space had stopped. All earthly pressure was gone. I was lifted up and began to float alongside two angelic beings of light to a very bright place. I felt more love than I have ever known.
Peace and happiness were abundant there and I felt that I was right where I belonged. The feelings of love, peace and happiness were so strong that I did not care if I came back into my body - after all, I no longer needed it.

In fact, Reed says were it not for the collective prayers of those around her, she would not have come back at all. If initially reluctant, she soon embraced that she has a job to do. She sold her real estate business, started studying spirituality, and is devoting herself to her books. Yes.
Divinely Blessed is just the first. She says that she received "other messages while on the other side," which will be revealed to us, as well as to her, when the (divine) timing is right.

About the Author:
Lisa Reed married at 19 and had two daughters by the time she was 22. Her choice of husband was unfortunate, and she learned what it was like to live paycheck to paycheck, eventually going on welfare.
This was a far cry from the upper middle-class lifestyle she knew as a child. She knew she had to change her life. She divorced her first husband and never looked back.
With a dream of providing her girls with the same type of lifestyle she had had growing up, Reed threw herself into a career. By the time she was 30, she owned her own real estate office and, within two years, acquired another office. She was on the fast track and nothing was going to stand in her way.
At the age of 37 she had it all: a secure income, luxurious home, fancy cars ... a life many people dream about.
On June 19, 2005, the boat wreck changed Reed's life forever. After awaking from the coma, with God's voice speaking to her, she understood that she has a mission to share those messages with others. She also understood that financial success has very little to do with happiness, that there is so much more to our lives than just making a good living.
She sold her real estate business, earned a degree in Metaphysics, and became a certified life coach. Divinely Blessed is the first in a series of books that will share the messages she receives.
source: eReleases.com

Buy Divinely Blessed: A Journey of Light at Amazon

Currently wearing: Heated Herbal Lavender Cat Slippers

As seen in Woman’s World Nov. 10, 2008 issue!


Heated Herbal Lavender Cat Slippers
Give your feet some soothing relief with our Heated Herbal Lavender Cat Slippers.

These soft, plush slip-ons are microwaveable and rejuvenate your feet with warmth and fragrant herbs. The lavender scent soothes and relaxes you.

Slippers have a durable rubber sole and come in a white organza bag. Sold as a pair of slippers. Available in different sizes.

Get them from wrapables website: link

we like it because: they're soft, they're warm, they're cuddly! Try one pair of these and you'll never wear anything else when you lounge from room to room or you rest on your favorite couch. If they only could assemble a pajama like this! :-)

Do you remember 1990's movie "Home Alone"?

In "Home Alone" Macaulay Culkin plays an 8 year-old boy, accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home against two idiotic burglars, Harry and Marv, who planned to rob every house in Kevin's suburban Chicago neighborhood. Kevin protects his house acting as if it was full of people giving a party, with lights, music and silhouettes passing by the windows. Nowadays burglars are much more ingenious than Pesci and Stern personas, so must we.

Hammacher Schlemmer sells this fantastic Home Security Television Simulator.



Unlike timers that just turn lights on and off, this device mimics the flickering glow of a television to dissuade burglars who may be sizing up potential homes for thievery. Its built-in microchip simulates the scene changes, fades, swells, and color shifts of a TV as perceived from outside using a bright multi-color LED display diffused with an opalescent lens. It consumes only 2% of the power of a normal TV and, in addition to manual control, it has a light sensor that automatically turns the device on at dusk (can be set to turn off after four or seven hours). Plugs into AC with its included adapter. 3" H x 4" W x 3" D. (10 oz.)

The Home Security Television Simulator is available at Hammacher Schlemmer website: link

we like it because: a little movie trivia found on imdb.com - Robert De Niro turned down the role of Harry the burglar, later played by Joe Pesci. Chances are.

The Top 10 Most Irritating Phrases Are...

Oxford University has identified the most annoying phrases you hear everyday--the ones that just make you want to scream if you hear them one more time.

Get ready to scream. The top 10 most irritating phrases are:
1. At the end of the day
2. Fairly unique
3. I personally
4. At this moment in time
5. With all due respect
6. Absolutely
7. It's a nightmare
8. Shouldn't of
9. 24/7
10. It's not rocket science

"Fairly unique" is on the list because "unique" is an absolute and requires no qualifier. "Shouldn't of" is the grammatically incorrect form of "shouldn't have." The researchers who compiled the list monitor the use of phrases in a database called the Oxford University Corpus, which comprises books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the Internet and other sources. The database alerts them to new words and phrases and can tell them which expressions are disappearing. It also shows how words are being misused, reports London's Telegraph.

The phrases have been published in a book called "Damp Squid," named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib, a type of firework. The author, Jeremy Butterfield, says most annoying, over-used expressions begin as office lingo. He said other phrases that irritate people are "literally" and "ironically" when they are used out of context. "We grow tired of anything that is repeated too often--an anecdote, a joke, a mannerism--and the same seems to happen with some language," Butterfield told the Telegraph.
source: Netscape.com

The book "A Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare" is available for purchase at Amazon

Amazon Product Description:
When James Murray compiled the OED in the 19th century, he used a small army of volunteers--and thousands upon thousands of paper slips--to track down the English language. Today, linguists use massive computer power--including the world's largest language databank, the Oxford Corpus, which contains more than two billion words--to determine for the first time definitively how the English language is used.
From evidence contained in the gargantuan Oxford Corpus, Jeremy Butterfield here uncovers a wealth of fascinating facts about the English language. Where does our vocabulary come from? How do word meanings change? How is our language really being used? This entertaining book has the up-to-date and authoritative answers to all the key questions about our language. Butterfield takes a thorough look at the English language and exposes its peculiarities and penchants, its development and difficulties, revealing exactly how it operates. We learn, for instance, that we use language in chunks of words--as one linguist put it, "we know words by the company that they keep." For instance, the word quintessentially is joined half the time with a nationality--something is "quintessentially American" or "quintessentially British." Likewise, in comparing eccentric with quirky, the Corpus reveals that eccentric almost always appears in reference to people, as an "eccentric uncle," while quirky usually refers to the actions of people, as in "quirky behavior." Using such observations, Butterfield explains how dictionary makers decide which words to include, how they find definitions, and how the Corpus influences the process.
Covering all areas of English, from spelling and idioms to the future of English, and with entertaining examples and useful charts throughout, this compelling and lively book will delight word lovers everywhere.

About the Author:
Jeremy Butterfield is a freelance lexicographer who has contributed to many dictionary research programs. He is the author of the Oxford A to Z of English Usage. He lives in the UK.

Click here to purchase A Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare

we like it because: fairly unique this post, uh?!

Laptop Skins by Schtickers

Laptop Skins by Schtickers is the orginal maker of designer laptop skins, laptop decals, laptop stickers and laptop covers that are removable and reusable. You can call it a laptop skin, laptop sticker, or laptop decal but they call them Schtickers.

Schtickers are designed to instantly makeover your laptop or ipod with some of your personal style. You can even upload your own image, logo, or other item to create your own custom laptop skin! They custom trim to fit any laptop (Dell laptop skins, Compaq, HP, Apple, Toshiba, Gateway, Acer, Alienware, Avertec , Sony)

Take that favorite photo and turn it into a cool cover for your laptop. Laptop Skins by Schtickers are:

• Easy to apply and remove
• A cool way to instantly makeover a laptop
• Available in a variety of styles and sizes
• Removable and reusable
• Made of high-quality vinyl with an amazing removable adhesive
• Intended for the top outside of a laptop

Some of the designs we love the most:



Laptop Skins turn your laptop into a work of art with a Fine Art Laptop Skin. LapSchticks create a unique personalized look, and are easily applied to the top of any laptop. And they come off as easily as they go on. If you change your mind on the design, simply remove the current LapSchtick and you're ready for your next look. LapSchticks are available in a wide range of different sizes, and can be trimmed to fit if needed.

Link | via | Unusual.it

we like it because: new ways to personalize one's own items make us feel unique, creative and funnier. Doing one's job with a laptop that nobeody else has around us will make you want to use it even more!

From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster

Actor and Producer Mark Damon Recounts His Remarkable Hollywood Life in Autobiography

Hollywood maverick Mark Damon has made all the right moves. Starting from his days as a teen heartthrob in the Fifties and the king of Spaghetti Westerns in the Sixties, he went on to become an award-winning filmmaker who continues to produce critically acclaimed, successful motion pictures to this day. In his new autobiography, "From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster" available at Amazon, Damon dishes on his secrets to success, encouraging readers to follow their dreams.

Damon is the man behind some of the most original and award-winning movies of our time: Das Boot, The NeverEnding Story, 9 1/2 Weeks, Short Circuit, The Lost Boys, Monster, The Upside of Anger and more. Through the decades this Hollywood honcho has more than rubbed shoulders with Tinseltown's most famous, having worked closely with Natalie Wood, Tuesday Weld, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery, Robert DeNiro, Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Costner and Charlize Theron among others.

Damon reveals the details of his charmed life for the first time. He broke into Hollywood as a smoldering sex symbol in the 1950s, took up the mantle of Italian playboy in Rome during his time as a Spaghetti Western cowboy in the 1960s and '70s, and returned to Hollywood in the 1980s, leading the trend of independent film financing.

Filled with juicy behind-the-scene anecdotes from the many and varied films he's worked on, "From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster" pulls no punches while offering insights into how to succeed in one of the world's most cutthroat industries.

Co-author Linda Schreyer is a writer, composer, editor and writing coach. She has co-written/produced television movies and screenplays. She is currently writing a musical titled "The Goldsmith's Daughter," a memoir of her family in pre-war Vienna.
source: eReleases

Amazon's Product Description:
"If you saw Mark Damon in a tux at the 55th Annual Academy Awards you probably wouldn't picture him in a toga. If he flashed his dazzling smile at his wife, Maggie, your first thought wouldn't be "Oooh, vampire fangs." But Mark played a beast and a vampire, rode across the desert in a toga as the son of Cleopatra, walked the streets of Toledo as a Spanish king named Peter the Cruel and cleaned up the West as two Spaghetti Western cowboys named Johnny. As an actor he played a hero, a rebel and a fool in over fifty teenflicks, Spaghetti Westerns and swashbucklers. As a producer and film distributor, he was involved in the success of over 350 films. Teen idol, singer, film director, writer and producer, astute businessman, inventor of the foreign film sales business - by 1983, Damon had pursued almost as many careers as a tomcat has lives..." - From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster Twenty-five years later, Mark Damon continues to reinvent himself in the film business. His is a NeverEnding Story.

Buy "From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster: The Neverending Story of Film Pioneer Mark Damon" at Amazon

we like it because: we think he's still and always will be the playboy he used to be in Rome ;-)

Hot New Exercise (Strippers Do It!)

What was once confined to strip clubs has now extended to kitchens, bedrooms and exercise studios across the United States as the newest way to get fit: slithering and sliding around a stripper pole.

They are just thin metal poles, attached floor to ceiling. That's it. But it's all the rage among women young and old. (Yes, your grandmother may have a stripper pole in her house!)

Reuters recounts a funny story. Robert Trent, who worked as an auto mechanic in San Diego, Calif., installed a stripper pole in his bedroom 10 years ago with the hope of spicing up his marriage. It did that and more. It led to a new business. He now owns and operates PoleDanzer, which makes and sells the poles that range in cost from $340 to $465. "I put a pole in our bedroom for what I call marriage maintenance, and then everybody wanted one," Trent told Reuters. "The girl doesn't have to know how to pole dance to entertain her husband...and if they take classes, then it's really good exercise."

And that is exactly what millions of women are discovering. Classes not only teach you how to pole dance so you can burn calories and tone muscles, but also how to do it safely. (Imagine having to explain to the emergency room doctor that you fell from the top of a stripper pole in your bedroom.) When you learn how to pole dance, it's a serious workout and rivals gymnastics. Advanced pole dancers even know how to spin upside down and hold themselves in many different positions on the pole.

So who is learning how to pole dance? One teacher told Reuters she has taught the technique to about 5,000 women, who have included everyone from porn stars to a Vatican librarian.
From the Editors at Netscape

we like it because: we never thought this can be useful to ladies, too!
If you need some advice - in fact we're sure that poor pole dancing equals to a penguin following 50cents raps - we've selected some books from Amazon that can help you, and us too ;-))

Shopping that gives back: part 8

Victorinox Breast Cancer Awareness Swiss Card Knife Set
* Knife Set
* 2-pc. Set Includes 10 Multi-Function Swiss Card
* Made of Stainless Steel
* Pink Plastic
* Also Includes Toothpick, Scissors, Ruler, Nail File and Cleaner, Ball Point Pen, Breast Cancer Ribbon Pin, Tweezers, Small Blade
* Perfect for Sewing, Cutting, Making Repairs, Measuring, Emergencies
link


And from blog.recipes.it:


KitchenAid Pink 2-Slice Toaster
KitchenAid will donate a portion of this sale to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® as part of its Cook for the Cure® initiative. During its 2008 program, KitchenAid will donate a minimum of $1,000,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® through its select pink products. To generate a donation, consumers must register each purchased pink product at CookfortheCure.com. link



KitchenAid Pink 7-Speed Hand Mixer
# 200-watt tool creams, whips, beats and mixes up a storm in 7 speeds
# With a digital touchpad for easy control, the user-friendly mixer automatically adjusts its power to maintain steady mixing; 6.5Hx3.5Wx7.5D" link



KitchenAid Pink 12-Cup Food Processor - KFP750PK
# Chops
# Perfect for Vegetables
# Container is Dishwasher Safe
# Dimensions: 11x7.9x6.3 " link

Shopping that gives back: part 7

Wacoal Supports the Girls! Wacoal donates $2 to breast cancer research for every purchase of 1of 4 styles of bras for the month of Oct.
Wacoal’s Support the Girls
Wacoal donates $2 to breast cancer research for every purchase of 1of 4 styles of bras for the month of Oct.
We still have 5 days left to make a difference!

Wacoal Bras have a superior, comfortable fit and eco-conscious, quality construction. That’s exactly why celebrities love this product. Actress Natasha Richardson sings the praises of Wacoal bras. Lori Morgan, the country singer, also knows the benefit of a good fit. These bras set the standard for the intimate apparel industry because they design their lines to specifically accommodate average figures, petite figures and full figures. Wacoal bras are geared towards finding the perfect fit for every woman to enhance her self-confidence and body image.

Wacoal bras fit experts ensure that all women wearing our product are wearing the one that fits correctly. For more than twenty years, the company has maintained its fit specialist program. The fit specialist program places a trained expert into department stores to give complimentary fittings to women. These fit experts were so good Oprah Winfrey featured them on her show. Together Wacoal bras and Oprah created a revolution in teaching women the importance of a perfect-fitting bra.

Stylish Wacoal Bras
Every woman is different, especially in their bust. What might not work for one woman may be the perfect fit for another. Women need bras for every occasion as well. Wacoal Bras are committed to helping every woman find that perfect fit for every occasion. That’s why Wacoal bras come in many different fits and styles. Each style helps cater to a different type of woman and occasion.

* Contour
* Minimizer
* Convertible
* Demi Cup
* Push-Up
* Seamless
* Strapless
* Soft Cup
* Underwire

Wacoal bras include one of the only truly seamless and stitchless bras on the market. Most seamless bras are not actually seamless; they are only seamless in the cups. But Wacoal bras are revolutionary in their construction by being completely seamless, stitchless and tag less for the ultimate chafe-free comfort. These seamless bras look great under t-shirts and feel terrific on your body.

Full-Figure Wacoal Bras
Wacoal Bras also come in a variety of plus sizes. In these full-figure bras you can find sizes up to a G-Cup. The G-Cup line was developed to accommodate the shift to wearing the proper cup size. With quintessential quality and attention to detail, these G-Cup Wacoal Bras are scaled so they offer the best possible support and fashion for larger figures. Shop at Freshpair today for Wacoal bras and receive free shipping!

Some of the Wacoal styles that give back include:


we like it because: these are some of the best bras available today, and it's great they can support more than just your 2 girls!