My Wish: More Hours During The Day

The following post is written by our friend, David Martin.

I've always wanted to visit every Major League Baseball stadium before I die. Unfortunately, after calculating the final cost, I realized that this wasn't going to happen for me anytime soon. I don't want to visit every ballpark for the sake of marking them off on my imaginary bucket list. I've always been a fan of baseball in general. I never had a favorite team from the time I was young. That's what happens when you come from a military family. Since we were always moving, I think I was never in an area long enough to form that bond with a baseball team. I had my favorite players growing up, but players change teams about as often as my family moved, so we were in the same situation.

Last year I made the decision to purchase new TV, and I also signed up for the best cable tv deals to watch as much baseball as possible. I'm somewhat surprised that it took me this long to make that decision. This was my answer to finding an alternative for my situation. Instead of spending months on the road and thousands of dollars on tickets, hotel rooms and souvenirs, I can watch every Major League Baseball game during the course of the season. It's even becoming a bit of a challenge to watch every game on a particular day. Oh well, at least my dream will still come true in some small way.

Wellington Boots for the...Bride?

I always wondered what my British friends meant when they talked of wearing their Wellies. The bright yellow boots made me think of Paddington bear. Now, a yellow boot is a scarce site, but you do see somber blacks and adult muted browns. it doesn't mean that Hunter Wellington Boots are stuffy. On the contrary, I have recently seen Hunter Boots in hues of green, blue and pink. Some varieties even come in embossed rubber meant to mimic the texture of exotic skins, such as ostrich and boa constrictor (a rubber snake can't squeeze your wallet too badly).

For the bride--yes, I said bride---there are white Hunter Wellies. I am not just saying that because they happen to be white. They are actually marketed as wedding boots. If you are living in a very misty environment and its an informal wedding, why not? They don't have any lacey bits, but rather the usual buckle. Since the boots are unisex, they are not relegated to the bride only. The groom could wear them, too. Maybe the groomsman would wear black to contrast. But then again, if you didn't know who was who in the wedding, there would be far greater problems than those of fashion.

Single and Alone, But Safe

The following is a guest post written by our friend, Marsha Staub

I never thought that with as popular as I was back in high school, that I would have never have married. For whatever reason, I could never get a man to seal the deal. That is okay, because I enjoy my solitude with my furry friend Oscar. Even though my dog can almost knock me over, he is adorable. He also doubles as one of my security measures to have my house safe for me as I sleep. It doesn't hurt that I also installed an Oklahoma adt securityalarm though either! It seems that in this day and age, a woman cannot be too sure that she is protected.

Even though I spend my nights alone with the dog, I don't really feel the need to have a big strong man around the house for security. It seems that I am just as safe, if not more protected, by my alarm system than by the countless officers and firemen that would be beating my door down if there was something wrong going on. I have been one of the few in my complex that has avoided the instance of a robbery, and I am pretty thankful that it never happened to me. I can just sit in the dark and watch a romantic comedy, without having to look over my shoulder for those exes that I never bothered to break up with.

Your PD IQ

Do you know your PD? That's Pupillary Distance. Why is it important? That measurement helps opticians fit you with the proper set of eyeglasses; not so much the frame style, but the lens cut and configuration. There is a controversy brewing because folks think that eye care professionals are keeping it from them so they don't buy glasses on line.

I don't think that is so, because ophthamologists can fax in a prescription to some of the discount and online sites that sell frames. I knew a doctor who did this for contact wearers all the time. They have nothing against people buying glasses online. However, they may not be able to guarantee lenses cut in another country. Often, it takes several fittings when the prescription is new, rather than an adjustment. Read the fine print form the source you are buying glasses from to insure that you can return a prescription cut incorrectly. Also find out what their policy is for minor adjustments.

If you really want your PD, do not expect to get a free consultation from an eye care professional. Make it a part of a regular appointment and ask for a copy of a prescription.

Fashionable Photos

The following is a guest post from our friend, Mylie Norton

I am a personal shopperand I have many clients that I shop for. I make outfits and shop for occasions for my clients that do not have the time in their schedules or the fashion sense to shop for themselves. I try to find clothes for my clients when they are not there with me based on their size and that is relatively easy because most sizes are by number and I am a good judge at what will fit their body. I also like to dress clients based on what they like but often times a clients taste and style will change in the blink of an eye and their schedules can be so busy that they do not have time to come shopping with me and sometimes they do not have time to talk about what they want to wear to an event or an occasion at all.

The only problem with shopping for picky clients is that when they don't have time to discuss it I have to go into guess work mode and use my judgement but sometimes that does not work. With the photo sharing website Flickr I can take photos of possibilities and upload them to the internet by satellite where my clients can see the clothes in an organized album before they choose what they want to wear.

Racing through the senior Olympics

The following is a guest post from our friend, Henry Lynn

I’m an Olympic athlete, but I didn’t quite make it to Beijing. I regularly compete in my local Senior Olympics in track and field competitions.

Don’t be fooled by the name, the other athletes train hard just like me and can outdo many younger people with their skills.

I’ve never had a problem hearing the gunshot they fire as a signal to start the race, but when I first started competing in the games I noticed that other runners could inch up behind me and pass me without me knowing it until they were already ahead. I thought that it was probably because of my intense concentration on getting to the finish line, but I noticed that other runners seemed to hear me when I came up behind them or at least they glanced over like they did.

I decided there might be something wrong with my hearing and got a hearing aid. After I was fitted with one I noticed that there were other sounds that I had been missing, whether it was people talking that I passed on the street or the hum of my washer and dryer.

Now I don’t have to glance over to see if a competitor is about to best me because I can listen for them and concentrate on my own goal of getting to the finish line.

A Beadboard Backsplash is a Classic Look

Kurt Duble is the author of the great guest post.

When renovating our kitchen, the backsplash posed a challenge. Our old bungalow home had plaster walls, and the backsplash consisted of old, thick tiles mortared directly into the plaster. As we chipped away the old, cracked tiles, chunks of plaster wall fell to the ground. We were left with a pitted wall that crumbled to the touch. Our plan of replacing with new tile did not sound like the best solution.

We studied our options, and talked to many employees at our local home improvement stores click here. The search was on for a material that would hide the pits, stop the crumbling and give us a clean look. We finally decided on tongue-and-groove beadboard. The style was classic and blended well with our home's cozy style. We could not nail the wooden beadboard to the plaster wall because it would crumble and break more. We used permanent adhesive to glue the beadboard to the plaster. We then nailed wooden trim to the beadboard to finish the edges, and painted it a clean white.

The result was perfect. The semi-gloss paint is easy to clean, and the look blended well with the home. No one can tell that the wall was once pitted and ugly.

Boost Your GPA

This is a guest post from our friend, Alex Gorman

I have had a great experience with my last semester satalite internet classes. I had never taken an internet class before and I was pleased at how it was not too easy yet not too much of a challenge as well. I am earning my Arts degree and I was taking a beginners course that I had missed when I first started college. I was allowed to take it via my hughes net in MI with the only requirement being that I had a reliable internet connection. They were not joking when they said this.

Most of the work that I had to do involve a lot of web searched and my satellite internet did not let me down once. I was able to get my work turned in fast and efficiently and received the letter grade of an A which helped me maintain my 4.0 grade point average. I highly recommend checking out Satellite Star Internet before you try taking an online class. I was so pleased.

Now that I see how easy online classes are to take, I am planning to sign up for many more of them. I like how I have the freedom to take the classes anytime I like and the teacher that I had allowed us to work ahead on assignments so I was able to finish the class weeks sooner than I would have if I were in a traditional classroom setting. I never knew it was possible for an Art major to take online classes, but it is and I love them.

Quick Getaways Close to Home

The following is a guest post from our friend, Hallie Carrington.

Last weekend my husband and I decided we were going to be spontaneous and drive out of town for the night. We packed a couple overnight bags, activated the house alarm click here, and then set out looking for adventure. We live in The Woodlands, which is a suburb of Houston, and decided to head south toward the Kemah Boardwalk.

We weren't disappointed. When we arrived the sun was setting and the magic of the boardwalk was in full swing. Thankfully it wasn't too hot so we were able to enjoy a stroll down the rows of boutique shops. From Christmas year round, to antique toy stores, there wasn't anything that didn't catch our interest. We decided to check and see if the Boardwalk Inn might have a vacancy for the night, and were lucky enough to get a room overlooking the bay. After we freshened up from the drive, we headed downstairs again to have some fun at the arcade games. From there we rode their wooden rollercoaster, and took a spin on the Ferris wheel. Afterward we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at The Flying Dutchman. Their fresh fish and gourmet appetizers are amazing.

For those in the Houston area looking for a quick getaway with endless possibilities, close to home, the Kemah Boardwalk definitely fulfills all the requirements.

Worst Shirt? Who is Right - Details or VintageGent.com?

The New York Magazine fashion blog, The Cut, opined on the best and worst fashion editorials for April 2010. On the "Loser" list were these selections from the April issue of Details

Worst Men's Shirts - Details

There is maybe one acceptable shirt in these two pages, and that is the white one in the top left that is barely visible. The girl in the yellow dress with her hands in her ears screaming "LA LA LA LA LA" has the right idea.

Do we agree? No and Yes.

Read the rest of the rest of what the crew at VintageGent thinks HERE.

Harvesting the Garden

Guest posting my my good friend Rebecca Maxon

My husband and I love to work in the yard and garden every summer. Once the nfl sunday ticket channel is done in February, we spend the remaining winter months watching home improvement and landscaping shows on our satellite TV and then put the ones we like on paper for ideas. When spring comes we have tons of ideas to work through and build and action plan for our acre of land and garden.

The garden is big and has tons of different types of veggies and flowers that we find interesting. We share the veggies with our friends and family when it is time for the harvest. We love to sit in the middle of our garden and taste the fresh vegetables we produced with a lot of hard work and planning.

It is important to us that our garden produces a lot of food but also is something beautiful to experience. We spend a few hours each evening weeding, watering and making it something we are proud of. On the weekends we take care of the flowers and yard in the front of our house.

We have several different areas for entertaining and are planning on building an outdoor fireplace soon. We currently have a nice outdoor kitchen area that we worked to build together. It is right on the edge of the garden so we can pick fresh items and use them while we are cooking.