I’ve been suffering from eczema for about 10 years now. Even though I have a very mild case as far as eczema goes, it is nonetheless annoying (not to mention uncomfortable) when the condition flares up. My dermatologist prescribed a very expensive ointment (about $89 per tube) that works well, and also recommended that I try adding dead sea salt to my bath for temporary relief at a much more reasonable price.

I haven’t actually done that yet, but I think I’m going to start soon. The hot, humid summer months always make my eczema worse and I don’t really feel like spending $300 or $400 on prescriptions. Hopefully, the dead sea salt idea will work for me!

Well, you knew it was going to happen. There were long lines of people at just about every cell phone/tech store today, as the long-awaited Apple iPhone was finally released to the public. I have never been one to stand in line for products, movies, concert tickets, etc. so I don’t understand this mentality at all. Sure, it would be pretty cool to have an iPhone, but I certainly wouldn’t want to waste several hours in the attempt.

The retail price of the phones is about $600. If there’s a shortage at retailers, what do you suppose the asking price on eBay will be?

I was just reading an interesting press release about the research habits of today’s consumers. It said that 75% of consumers research big-ticket items online, and then 90% of those people go on to purchase those big-ticket items from a local store. Based on my own habits, I have to agree with that assessment. I’m all about shopping online for small items, but when it comes time to buy something big, I head out to a bricks and mortar store.

As a matter of fact, I just went through this very scenario a couple weeks ago. I was helping my aunt research the latest models of Maytag refrigerators since her old one sounds like it’s liable to quit working at any moment now. I looked up models, features, reviews, and pricing information online, and then took my aunt to the store to actually look at the ones that she liked. She hasn’t actually made a purchase yet, but I’m sure when the time comes we’ll go back to that same store — which would bear out the data set forth in the press release!

I can’t believe he went there. As most Grey’s Anatomy fans know by now, Isaiah Washington, who played Dr. Preston Burke for three seasons, was fired from the show at the beginning of June. Well, technically he wasn’t even fired; his contract just wasn’t renewed. Most people thought this was a result of the anti-gay slurs Washington directed towards co-star T.R. Knight (Dr. George O’Malley), but Washington has come right out and said that wasn’t the case.

About a week ago he released a statement saying he’s not going to take being fired (or let go) without giving his side of the story. He then went on to blame Knight and co-star Katherine Heigl for teaming up against him.

And today, I just read an article where Washington says the real reason he was fired is that he’s a black man who doesn’t speak like he “just left the plantation.”

Well, this really makes no sense to me and leads me to believe that Washington is coming completely unhinged over this whole situation. First of all, Grey’s Anatomy is known as one of the most diverse shows on TV because their main cast featured the likes of Sandra Oh, James Pickens, Chandra Wilson, and Sara Ramirez in addition to Washington (when he was on). Plus, executive producer Shonda Rhimes is black, so from an outsider’s perspective it hardly seems like a racism charge is accurate here…

I don’t know about you, but I really miss the days when the evening news actually contained meaningful stories. These days, the major news networks seem to be more concerned with entertainment value than anything else. Paris Hilton has dominated the airwaves for the last month because of her jail term, and before that, it seemed that every news program was focused on the paternity test results of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter.

Please bring back the substantial stories and leave the celebrity stories to the gossip magazines! I’m not the only one who feels this way, am I?

My friend Christine from The Passionate Ailurophile (whoa, I spelled that right without even looking!) is in a heated battle to win her very own soda machine, courtesy of the BenSpark Refreshing Soda Club Contest. I’m admittedly a little late in getting the word out, as there’s now less than 24 hours left in which to vote, but since Christine could still use some help, I figured I’d go ahead and post this info.

Just yesterday I think she was down by more than 100 votes, but now she’s staging a comeback that is eerily reminiscent of her beloved Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS. As of 9:25pm EDT, she’s only trailing the leader by 18 measly votes. Since you’re allowed to vote once per day until the contest ends, there’s still time for everyone who reads this to vote twice before all is said and done.

Oh, and if you want to spread the word to help Christine rock the vote, just make a post like this one on your blog, linking to both The Passionate Ailurophile and the BenSpark voting page. You’ll then be entered into a drawing to win a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate whether Christine wins the contest or….. What am I talking about here? Of course she’s going to win!

Vote for Christine NOW!!

I’m currently looking for fun ways to get in shape and think that taking up martial arts would be perfect for me. I am not the kind of person who can just go outside and run 5 miles on my own or go to a gym for aerobics, pilates, or weight training. The only time exercise is ever fun for me is when it comes as the result of playing a sport, so that’s why I’ve got a good feeling about martial arts.

I’ve got to do some research before signing up for a class because I’m not even sure which discipline I’d like to pursue. All I know is that I want it to be something that uses weapons, so no karate or judo for me! It’s not that I have a violent streak or anything like that; I just think it would be really cool to learn how to handle weapons like that. I once saw a demonstration with some guys using Boken and Bo traditional weapons, and I was just blown away! I’ve never forgotten those images, and would love to be able to do the same things some day.

Once I settle on a particular martial art that I want to study and find a place that offers classes, I know right where to go to buy the weapons I need: GlobalSportsWarehouse.com. This site has a huge selection of martial arts equipment, as well boxing and kickboxing gear. Plus, their prices are some of the lowest I’ve seen, and you know that’s always a concern for me.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to pursuing this idea further. It’s been a long time since I’ve tried a new sport, and I’m very excited about getting into martial arts!

No, I’m not talking about the Golden Ratio, which I first heard about in The Da Vinci Code, but my Golden Ratio regarding fluid intake. You see, I drink so much Diet Coke on any given day that it’s not even funny. I don’t drink coffee or tea, so I rely on Diet Coke for my caffeine intake. That means I start drinking it as soon as I wake up in the morning, and keep on going throughout the day.

This obviously isn’t an ideal situation, so for the rest of the summer I’m going to live by a 2:1 ratio. I want to drink two glasses of water to every one glass of Diet Coke. This should keep me hydrated, flush out my kidneys, and just generally be healthier than imbibing nothing but soft drinks all day long.

I’m starting today, so we’ll see how it goes!

Remember how I told you that I was able to get a good look at my face in a friends magnifying makeup mirror? Well, I didn’t like what I saw, and have decided that I need to start a whole new skin care regimen.

Basically, I want to find anti-aging skin care products that are designed for women in their early thirties. I’ve got to start buying products that will address my current problems (fine lines, dark circles under my eyes) instead of simply using the same items that I’ve been relying on since high school.

Yes, I’ll likely end up spending more money on skin care than I’m used to, but if I get the results that I want, then it’ll be worth it!

I’ve been testing AdSense out for the last month and a half to see if it’s worth keeping the ad blocks up on my site. Because of this, I log into my AdSense account everyday to review the site’s performance, check how many clicks I got, etc.

Today when I logged in, I saw that I had a CTR of 75% on the day, but that my earnings hadn’t increased at all. I don’t know what’s going on here because I’m not at all familiar with how AdSense works, but at first glance it seems to me that someone’s messing with my account by coming to my site and repeatedly clicking on links.

I don’t know who would do this or why, but it would suck if I got banned from the program for something I have zero control over. Who knows, maybe I made an enemy somewhere out there in cyberspace….

I’ve been trying all year long to lose some weight, but I admit that it’s been an uphill battle for the most part. It seems that when I’m eating right, I don’t want to exercise very much, and when I’m exercising every day, I “reward” myself with junk food. As a result, I’m nowhere near the weight goals I set in my New Year’s resolutions.

Nevertheless, I haven’t totally given up yet. Earlier this month I learned about a website called MyFitnessPal.com that features a free calorie counter, diet profile, exercise journal, dieting tips, and other tools designed to help people in their quest to lose weight. I signed up a few weeks ago and have found the calorie counter to be very useful. I haven’t taken advantage of the other tools yet, but I do plan on getting around to those soon.

If you’re in a similar situation where you want to lose weight and need some assistance reaching your goals, then I recommend checking out MyFitnessPal.com. Registration on the site is 100% free and no one will ever ask you for your credit card number.

Take it from me: sticking to my daily limits is much easier now that I have access to a free calorie counter, which means signing up for MyFitnessPal.com was well worth my time!

Okay, I did something stupid and lost a bunch of files from an external hard drive. I know there are programs out there that supposedly help recover deleted files, but do they actually work? Is it easy to recover deleted files this way? I mean, do I just install some software, run it, and get my files back, or do I have to do more than that.

Most of the files I lost I don’t even care about, but I accidentally deleted an entire folder of family pictures from a couple years ago. I really need to recover those deleted files as I haven’t even printed them out yet or anything. We’re talking birthday parties and family vacations here, as well as candid shots that I’ll never be able to duplicate.

If anyone has any firsthand experience with software that’s supposed to help recover deleted files, let me know. Were you actually able to get your files back? Were they okay or were they corrupt?

The summer months are always filled with big events that I have to attend. First, I usually have a bunch of graduations to go to in May, and then I usually have at least 3 or 4 weddings in June and beyond. Not everyone likes going to that many weddings (my husband certainly doesn’t), but I don’t mind. They’re such lovely events and they always remind me of my own wedding six years ago.

Plus, I get to add to my growing collection of unique wedding favors, which is something I really look forward to. In fact, I have to admit that I even check out online stores like WeddingShopUSA.com to view the latest product offerings and take a look at some of the wedding favors I could be getting!

I know a lot of people don’t even bother to keep the favors they get at weddings, but I think they’re great and I actually try to find a way to put them to use. For example, I have a bunch of miniature picture frames (those seem to be very popular with many brides) that I received as wedding favors. They’re just the right size to allow me to decorate my computer hutch with family photos, so I love them! I also like receiving themed items, such as beach wedding favors in the shape of seashells, starfish, or sandals. I group these items on separate knickknack shelves according to theme, which is a fun way to dress up the family room.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the weddings I’ll be attending this season. Besides being extremely happy for the couples involved, I can’t wait to see what kind of favors I can add to my collection!

I was reading my friend Kat’s blog over the weekend when I saw this absolutely heartbreaking post about a fellow blogger named Dawg. Dawg lost his 5-year-old son DJ, affectionately known as the Puppy Monster, in a tragic swimming pool accident.

As a parent with a son almost the same age as DJ, I can’t even imagine what Dawg and his wife must be going through. Needless to say, my thoughts are with Dawg at this time — even though I don’t know him.

I also read that you can “purchase” avatars as a donation for Dawg. This program is being sponsored by Avitable and is a great idea, so please, please pony up $5 or more if you can.

“I’ve lost my Puppy Monster.” What a terribly haunting line. It brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.

If I had to choose one word to describe the lighting in my bathroom, I’d go with “friendly.” It’s very soft, and as a result, I always look 10 times better in my bathroom mirror than in the harsh light of the sun. Of course that doesn’t really do me any favors; I prefer to see myself as others see me so I can make the necessary adjustments and look my best before I head out the door.

That’s why I’m thinking about getting one of those magnifying makeup mirrors that a lot of women have in their homes. I was at a friend’s house a couple weeks ago and had a chance to look at myself in one of these mirrors. Wow, it wasn’t a pretty sight!

I’ll spare you the gruesome details here, but let’s just say that it’s much easier to detect the signs of aging on a good mirror. At least now I know for sure where my problem areas are and I can take steps to help improve my skin’s appearance.