Hobbies

The guitar is considered the friendliest musical instrument there is. It is because the guitar is the handiest musical instrument that could stand on its own. A group can enjoy music with just a guitar even without the accompaniment of winds and percussions. The term "acoustic" is referred to, in the music context of today, the rendition of songs in all the glory of guitars. No percussion and piano and other instruments needed, just guitars. Sometimes, it can be the jamming of more than just one guitar. Acoustic is a favorite type of music today because of its relaxed and soulful rendition of songs.

The guitar can be carried everywhere and is one of the easiest instrument to be learned in no time. All you need is a songbook or song hits and you’re ready to take the stage and perform to your heart’s desire. It may sound so easy and can be done in a snap, however, playing a guitar is an art that needs to be perfected with constant practice. There are basic steps you need to know before mastering playing the guitar.

In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors, never make it past the “first reader” who for all practical purposes is a gatekeeper of sorts. This person’s job is to weed out manuscripts that do not fit certain established submission criteria. However, many never make it to the editor’s desk, simply because they are badly disorganized and downright incoherent.

But even if you are self-publishing, you owe it to yourself as well as your readers to develop a theme. Not only will a theme tell what your book is about, it also serves to hold your book together. Every other element - your chapters, for example - should support your theme. It is what keeps you from rambling all over the place, and if you should stray, it is what can bring you back - if you keep it in front of you.

That’s literally, as well as figuratively. I wouldn’t begin to write or give a talk without having a developed theme. Have you ever been to a banquet or meeting where the speaker went on and on with a speech that was all over the place, talking about everything under the sun, except the topic the audience was waiting to hear about? Most likely it wasn’t because the speaker didn’t have a topic, but rather it was because the speaker didn’t have or didn’t take the time to develop a theme. If you want your story to be just as disjointed -then don’t develop a theme for it.

Do you really get the fullest amount of enjoyment out of your fish?, or is it hampered by little worries and anxieties?

Do you sometimes worry that you may be spending too much time with your fish? I often hear people remark that although they enjoy their hobby, the routine maintenance tasks involved detract from the fun.

In this month’s feature we will explore how we can increase our fun by maybe taking a different approach to those mundane activities that are so essential if we are to keep our fish in tip top condition.

Create a plan

When you get some time to spend with your hobby do you go through a sort of mental conflict wondering what to do?… and when you finally do decide, half of your time has gone already.

WELL…you are not on your own, most aquarists share the same dilemma. BUT… it is possible to overcome this problem, to even double your fishkeeping enjoyment. HOW? Well, certainly not by adding more tanks or even devoting more time to your hobby… the answer lies in a change of mental outlook, a change of approach.

If you are involved in the crafts business, and are profitable, you are among the rare breed who have successfully combined art with business. If, however, you still have yet to show a profit (or enough profit) after a show, this article may get you going in the right direction.

Whatever reason you have to enter the craft show business world, you probably will have a big wake-up call when set your intention to move from pastime to profits. Because you may not make a profit initially (it could take as long as two years to be in the black) make sure you love the business, that is, producing your craft product as well as selling it.

You need to give yourself a realistic amount of time to establish your business as well as learn the industry too. Start out slowly to avoid debt, and use your profits to learn and grow your craft show business.

An online survey revealed several major issues affecting professional crafters:

Finding Time 28%
New Ideas 14%
Slow Sales 14%
Finding Supplies 10%
Pricing 9%
Misc.7%
Display 2%

My dog has fleas. That one statement is enough to make any visitor to my house run back down the walk to their car.

If you own a pet it’s one of those unwritten facts that they will, at one time or another, have fleas. One of the not-so-fun jobs of pet ownership is dealing with an infestation or working to avoid one.

To cope effectively with fleas you should have an understanding of their habits and life cycles. I realize that doesn’t sound like fun, sitting-in-front-of-the-fire reading material, but knowing what you’re up against is winning half the battle before it starts. So here’s the low down on fleas.

Adult flea - lives on the host animal (dog or cat), where the female lays her eggs.

Egg - flea eggs are laid on the animal but fall off into the bedding, carpeting, and elsewhere in the animal’s home and hatch into larvae within a few days (depending on heat & humidity).

Larva - flea larvae feed on organic material in the environment and on the droppings from adult fleas. I know it’s gross.

What would you eat if you were stranded without power? It could happen; it does happen. A natural disaster, a breakdown in the delivery system as the Northeast experienced recently, or a terrorist strike against the infrastructure could leave you without power. Don’t despair. You probably have a source of heat-a camp stove, a barbeque grill, a fireplace, or a place to build a fire to cook with. (Never use a grill or camp stove in an enclosed room.) In most cases, you can find a way to eat your daily bread–even without an oven.

Fry it. Those indulgent raised, glazed donuts are fried. You can do the same with any dough. Serve them hot with a little butter and syrup or honey and you will have a treat that the kids will clamor for-even without an emergency. Simply mix the bread as instructed and let the dough rise. Instead of forming loaves, roll or pat the dough on a counter until it is about 1/2-inch thick. Slice the dough into wedges, separate the pieces, and let them rise again until twice as thick. Heat a pan of oil until hot and slip the dough pieces two or three at a time into the hot oil. When one side is browned, turn the dough over. If the oil is hot enough, the dough should absorb little oil. When done, drain the fried bread on paper towels.

When cruising to St. Martin (or Sint Maarten), some of the most beautiful land trips you could take would be the Orient Beach Shore Excursions. This fabulous clothing optional beach has much to offer cruises passengers.

Most cruise ships stopping at the island disembark on the Dutch side (Sint Maarten) at Phillipsburg on Great Bay. A brief (20 minute) scenic bus or taxi ride takes passengers across the island to the French side (St. Martin) where Orient Beach is situated. Passing the giant salt pond on your way to the beach, you tour guide (driver) gives a brief history of the area including the importance of the Salt Pond. No need for passports or customs checks as you cross the border from the Dutch side to the French side of the island.

You must be aware that Orient Beach is a clothing optional beach. Nude bathers are visible in the beach lounges, in the warm water, and walking the beach. Most of the “nudism” is kept to the nude section of Orient Beach. For those who find this offensive, perhaps this is not the beach excursion for you. But, if you can get past this, Orient Beach is a wonderful excursion to spend a morning or afternoon.

The technnology secrets will help home owners maintain lawns in drought areas using a fraction of the normal water use. Professional Landscapers know that by burying wirless sensors on a rod in several places on a golf course to measure the exact amount of water getting to the roots. A healthy lawn only needs to be watered done to the roots and approximately three quarters of an inch below that. Any more is a waste and counter productive for the lawns health. Professional lawn watering techniques have often been studied;

http://www.ext.vt.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/D…at?cat=ir-ln-la .

Over watering the laws or greens does no one any good, as a matter of fact invites International Terrorists with Disease Vectors, such as Mosquitoes with West Nile Virus. Municipal parks would also be advised to take notice.

ACCEPT, EXCEPT
Not commonly seen even from unpublished writers, who are probably familiar with the difference because they’re all waiting for an acceptance!

“We accept your invitation to your party, except for Bill, who will be away on that day.”

ADAPT, ADEPT, ADOPT
Adapt means to adjust, adept means skilled and
adopt means to take as your own:

“Some people cannot adapt to new surroundings.”
“He is very adept at dodging awkward questions.”
“He tends to adopt the attitudes of those around him.”

ADVERSE, AVERSE
Adverse means inauspicious, hostile; averse means disinclined, repelled.

“I’m very much averse to making a long, arduous journey under such adverse weather conditions.”

ADVICE, ADVISE
Advice is the noun and advise the verb.

“His advice was that we should advise everybody to either stay away or be extremely careful.”

AFFECT, EFFECT
Affect is a verb; effect is a noun.

“Bad weather will affect the quality of the fruit.”
“The effect of bad weather is a reduction in fruit quality.”

ALREADY, ALL READY
Already means by this time; all ready means prepared.

“Are you already packed?”
“Yes, I’m all ready to leave.”