So a few years back (or less maybe), my accountant sent out her normal annual letter of happenings, updates, and accounting information. This time she included a note advising her clients to check out the PA Treasury online to see if you had any unclaimed funds...so I did and low and behold, I was owed over $350 from a company I apparently overpaid at some point. Oh what a nice surprise that was! Take the feeling of finding a $20 bill in your jeans or winter jacket, multiply it by 12 and that's how happy I was.
At some point, I saw my Dad had some unclaimed funds. So I printed his information out and thought, gee why not let everyone know about this because who couldn't use some extra money that's owed to them anyway??? So I'm showing you (if you have any unclaimed funds) the money.
Here's the link for Pennsylvania....
http://www.patreasury.org/Unclaimed/Search.html
Here's the link for the U.S...
http://www.missingmoney.com/
It's good to check every so often. Seems updates often occur around tax time when these kind of things need to be reported. (I just found another unclaimed fund for me. And yes, it's REALLY mine!) It's also nice to see how companies don't send you your money even when they have your correct address. Oh well...happy claiming!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Do It Yourself Radio
It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I absolutely LOVE music. I cannot clean, drive, pay bills, work, or get dressed in the morning without it.
So for anyone missing out on the fun of creating your own radio station with all the music YOU love...check it out: www.pandora.com
They also have an iphone app, which I plan to use when I get mine. Nice article here above how great it is: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/15/pandora-usage-stats-prove-its-iphones-killer-app/
If you create a station (or have one already) and are interested in sharing. Shoot me an email. I'd love to check it out or share my station with you.
There are other sites out there too (please feel free to share ratings and reviews as well via comments).
So for anyone missing out on the fun of creating your own radio station with all the music YOU love...check it out: www.pandora.com
They also have an iphone app, which I plan to use when I get mine. Nice article here above how great it is: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/15/pandora-usage-stats-prove-its-iphones-killer-app/
If you create a station (or have one already) and are interested in sharing. Shoot me an email. I'd love to check it out or share my station with you.
There are other sites out there too (please feel free to share ratings and reviews as well via comments).
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The No Paper, No Plastic Phenomenon...
Warning: It's late. I'm tired. You will forgive any grammatical shortcomings in the following bloggage.
It's all the craze these days to see the reusable cloth shopping bags at the checkout in [insert your local store name here]. Ooh, don't they look nice and inviting...green and environmentally friendly...and so many other feel-good descriptive terms. But why? Why in the world would I want to inconvenience myself with having one more thing to worry about before I head to the store? Really. It's bad enough that I have had to give up coupon clipping because by the time I remember to bring them, they have already expired. I cannot remember my half-baked lists unless I make them right before I head out to the store - and that's not even a guarantee that I won't leave it on the counter and drive away. So why pressure myself with one more thing? Why would I want to participate and trouble myself with this "No paper, no plastic" phenomenon?
I would be a hypocrite to say I have gone totally green (despite my inspired efforts), but seeing the impact of our environmentally irresponsible behaviors certainly raises the level of awareness and can change some of the conscious decisions we (or I) make. Change doesn't not have to come in the form of an extreme makeover. Small changes add up - whether they happen in the life of one person or family, or whether they happen in small changes among the masses of our population. Speaking of change...
The changes we make and being environmentally responsible should not be a fad we subscribe to, but a choice we make every day with our actions. It should consist of behaviors we instill in our children and share with those around us about respect for the environment and Mother Nature. Our actions need not be monumental, but rather they can be small compilations of not littering, recycling, choosing to bring your own reusable fabric bags to the grocery store, and a million other little things. I'm certainly not saying we wouldn't all LOVE and advocate monumental changes to be environmentally friendly and "green". I'm just saying if that's a stretch and enthusiasm must be curbed with "realistic" expectations, small incremental changes are still progress.
Here are a few reasons (via the link below) to participate in the "No paper, no plastic" phenomenon...and it extends beyond all the feel-good labels we all love to subscribe to.
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016
On that note...I'm going to catch some zzz's before the sun comes up. Until then, I leave you with the quote of the day - courtesy of the kid behind the counter at a rest stop I visited today...
"The day is only as long as you make it."
It's all the craze these days to see the reusable cloth shopping bags at the checkout in [insert your local store name here]. Ooh, don't they look nice and inviting...green and environmentally friendly...and so many other feel-good descriptive terms. But why? Why in the world would I want to inconvenience myself with having one more thing to worry about before I head to the store? Really. It's bad enough that I have had to give up coupon clipping because by the time I remember to bring them, they have already expired. I cannot remember my half-baked lists unless I make them right before I head out to the store - and that's not even a guarantee that I won't leave it on the counter and drive away. So why pressure myself with one more thing? Why would I want to participate and trouble myself with this "No paper, no plastic" phenomenon?
I would be a hypocrite to say I have gone totally green (despite my inspired efforts), but seeing the impact of our environmentally irresponsible behaviors certainly raises the level of awareness and can change some of the conscious decisions we (or I) make. Change doesn't not have to come in the form of an extreme makeover. Small changes add up - whether they happen in the life of one person or family, or whether they happen in small changes among the masses of our population. Speaking of change...
The changes we make and being environmentally responsible should not be a fad we subscribe to, but a choice we make every day with our actions. It should consist of behaviors we instill in our children and share with those around us about respect for the environment and Mother Nature. Our actions need not be monumental, but rather they can be small compilations of not littering, recycling, choosing to bring your own reusable fabric bags to the grocery store, and a million other little things. I'm certainly not saying we wouldn't all LOVE and advocate monumental changes to be environmentally friendly and "green". I'm just saying if that's a stretch and enthusiasm must be curbed with "realistic" expectations, small incremental changes are still progress.
Here are a few reasons (via the link below) to participate in the "No paper, no plastic" phenomenon...and it extends beyond all the feel-good labels we all love to subscribe to.
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016
On that note...I'm going to catch some zzz's before the sun comes up. Until then, I leave you with the quote of the day - courtesy of the kid behind the counter at a rest stop I visited today...
"The day is only as long as you make it."
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
I needed a hug, and all I got was Sick Puppies!
So today was a stressful day to say the least, let's just say I didn't eat lunch or...
***Warning: I have decided not to censor myself in today's "episode", please proceed at your own risk.***
...pee until 4.30. I think I held "it" (my pee that is) for at least 5 hours. That is, hands down, my all time record, considering I pee more than the average pregnant woman, and the truth is...I hate to pee. It's such an inconvenience, but alas when Mother Nature calls you must adhere to the request eventually!!! And then wash your hands, of course. Anywho...back to my stressful day. So there I was stressing out trying to get it all done, and I then I thought the obvious. Man I need a hug. But here I am, all alone in my office with no one around, not even my Lily-kins (aka Boxer).
Oh yes I could hug myself, and it would probably even feel good (I've read studies confirming this.) because I happen to be a damn good hugger. But, I don't want to hug myself. I want human interaction, and today I'm willing to settle for a virtual hug. How will I get one? I give them out all the time so I figured what the heck why not just throw caution to the wind and ask. So...
I tweeted (On Twitter.com, @asquillace, if you join.) and low and behold, my tweeps came through. I had all the virtual hugs I needed to get through the day and then some...here was the "and then some" that included Sick Puppies...
Moral of the story: If you need a hug, just ask. And try not to be stingy on your virtual hugs - people love them, trust me! (Well at least the people I know do - I wouldn't go around virtually hugging strangers.)
On that note, I'm bouncing to make dinner. Good evening to all...and to all a good night! Tomorrow, I will blog about the amazingness of Sara Bareilles and Maroon 5 and Counting Crows (Adam Duritz) and share some wonderful pics!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Are you a Leaver or a Taker?
If you liked An Inconvenient Truth...then you just might like this too!
I recently read the book Ishmael, which contained a very enlightening perspective of how people should live, why we may get confused over right/wrong and ethical/unethical, and so much more. The story itself was written pretty well (imo) and allowed the reader to see understanding play out in the form of a story that included mentoring, research, and self-discovery. So to my reader friends (you know who you are) and even non-reader friends, I highly recommend Ishmael if you haven't read it yet...and below is a real-life article that may make you more interested in picking up the book and finding out how we can stop destroying the world.
To read the article and excerpt may take about 15 minutes of your day. A minor investment to make to raise a level of consciousness.
An article that points to how we negatively impact the world and other species:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/08/05/congo.gorillas/index.html
The link to wikipedia's overview of the book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_(novel)
I recently read the book Ishmael, which contained a very enlightening perspective of how people should live, why we may get confused over right/wrong and ethical/unethical, and so much more. The story itself was written pretty well (imo) and allowed the reader to see understanding play out in the form of a story that included mentoring, research, and self-discovery. So to my reader friends (you know who you are) and even non-reader friends, I highly recommend Ishmael if you haven't read it yet...and below is a real-life article that may make you more interested in picking up the book and finding out how we can stop destroying the world.
To read the article and excerpt may take about 15 minutes of your day. A minor investment to make to raise a level of consciousness.
An article that points to how we negatively impact the world and other species:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/08/05/congo.gorillas/index.html
The link to wikipedia's overview of the book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_(novel)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Social considerations for social media
Recently, some encounters have prompted me to write about something I've been thinking about for a while. Rewind to earlier today...my girlfriend messages me on our social site and says, "Hey, my ex is snooping around and finding out information about me and my family on [insert community site name here]." And so the conversation begins about making sure all her friends profiles are set to private because this is the third time she's had to create her profile. Ugh!
Of course individuals can (usually) set their privacy settings to manage their desired level of security, but what about their friends. On some sites, there are a certain amount of things you can always see. It's unfortunate, but when situations like my friend's happen, you realize that the Internet is another place where we have to be our brother or sister's keeper. It becomes a time when you have to look out for your friend (or whoever) by locking your social spaces up and watching what you say and do more carefully.
A year ago, if I looked myself up online, I would see me listed under my webinar and that would be the end of it...now I see the list of all my social media activities. Whether you are a SMJ (social media junkie) or have joined just a few social media sites (or communities), google yourself...find out how accessible you really are. When I did this recently, I felt like I had spread over the web like a virus, but the truth is that I am such small (barely there) potatoes compared to some of my friends and colleagues. Being on multiple sites for their varying reasons and values certainly has its advantages, but I still exercise caution and good judgement. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of wiggle room to still be as transparent as I want to be, mostly. Looking out for my friend on the one site she belongs to is hardly an inconvenience to my SMJness, but nevertheless, I still make sure I practice safe socialness on the Internet!
Another blog I found on the topic that was interesting:
http://vanelsas.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/do-we-really-need-privacy-controls-in-social-media/
Of course individuals can (usually) set their privacy settings to manage their desired level of security, but what about their friends. On some sites, there are a certain amount of things you can always see. It's unfortunate, but when situations like my friend's happen, you realize that the Internet is another place where we have to be our brother or sister's keeper. It becomes a time when you have to look out for your friend (or whoever) by locking your social spaces up and watching what you say and do more carefully.
A year ago, if I looked myself up online, I would see me listed under my webinar and that would be the end of it...now I see the list of all my social media activities. Whether you are a SMJ (social media junkie) or have joined just a few social media sites (or communities), google yourself...find out how accessible you really are. When I did this recently, I felt like I had spread over the web like a virus, but the truth is that I am such small (barely there) potatoes compared to some of my friends and colleagues. Being on multiple sites for their varying reasons and values certainly has its advantages, but I still exercise caution and good judgement. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of wiggle room to still be as transparent as I want to be, mostly. Looking out for my friend on the one site she belongs to is hardly an inconvenience to my SMJness, but nevertheless, I still make sure I practice safe socialness on the Internet!
Another blog I found on the topic that was interesting:
Do we really need privacy controls in Social Media? by Alexandar van Elsa
http://vanelsas.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/do-we-really-need-privacy-controls-in-social-media/
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