The Steersmen Present High Tech Low Lifes

What do you get when you psychedelic rock with electronic? You get the new release called The Steersmen Present High Tech Low Lifes. The three man band is based out of Chicago, and it has combined keyboards, guitars, and drums to create a unique sound. The band uses a lot of echo sounds in their music. While you will be able to identify each song the band plays as their sound, you will never know quite what to expect from each song. 

The Steersmen

The music kind of reminded me of some of The Cure’s music in the 80’s. Maybe it’s the synthesizers and kind of dreamy sound to the vocals. My favorite track on the recording is Lost Cause. I like the rhythms of the song, and the use of keyboards. And of course I like the lyrics that state they were wrong when they said I was a lost cause. It’s an interesting song to listen to.

I expect that this band will easily fit into air play on college stations around the country. I would really like to see this band play live because I find their music so interesting. I would also like to see how their sound transfers from the recording studio to a live venue. Overall, I like this album, and I recommend it to those who enjoy alternative music.

Blue Starling Candle Company

Blue Starling Candle Company is a young candle company that deserves a little bit of attention. The company is owned by Emily and Aaron Tom. They have agreed to answer a few questions about their candle company, and their lives.

Blue Starling Candle Owners Aaron and Emily

What made you decide that you wanted to start your own candle business?

Emily has always loved candles, so she was buying candles from stores and didn't like how they'd end up.  You know, they smell real great in the store, and then the scent gradually fades as you burn it down.  So she was buying all these candles that would end up disappointing her.

Meanwhile, I had always wanted to start a business.  The thought of being your own boss and being able to run things your own way has always interested me.  So we kind of fed off each other.  We bought a candle-making kit to see if it was something we'd be interested in and the rest is history.

You’ve added soap to your line of products during this season, do you have plans to add other products?

Absolutely.  I would love to see us add lotions and shampoos and other bath and beauty products.  But it will be a gradual process.  Emily is very picky about the stuff we sell.  If she wouldn't use it, she doesn't want us to sell it.  For example, the soap we added for this season, she had final say in because she has specific qualities that she looks for in soap, so we went with the one she felt matched those qualities the best.  She's even pickier when it comes to shampoos and lotions, so it's probably going to take a lot of testing to find the right one, but the end result will be well worth it.

What is your background?

I come from a purely retail background.  Emily's dabbled in everything from retail, to working in a pet hospital.  Currently, she's in the healthcare industry.

How is your candle company different from other companies?

We differ from other candle companies by offering limited seasonal collections that rotate out twice per year (once for spring/summer, and once for fall/winter).  We also bind these collections by a single theme.  For example, our spring/summer 2014 collection is centered around florals, so each of our six fragrances feature a flower-based scent in some capacity.  We then sell them through a specific date (in this case the end of August), then do the same thing for the following season. 

We also offer one-off and limited edition pieces throughout each season.  For example for our previous collection, which focused on Christmas, we made four single one-offs inspired by containers we found from friends or secondhand shops.  Once the one sold, they were gone.  This season we got the last batches of a couple floral fragrances that we're going to be offering throughout the season, along with some unique glassware to go along with it.

This season, we are also offering a satisfaction guarantee, where anyone not satisfied with our products can get a full refund within 14 days of delivery.  This way, we give people a reason to try us, while simultaneously standing behind our products.  I mean, if we didn't believe in what we were doing, how could we expect anyone else to?

Do you think that small internet based companies are going to challenge the way that larger businesses operate in the future?

It's really hard to say.  On the one hand, you've got online marketplaces like Etsy and eCrater that allow anyone to start up their own business, which I think can be a good thing.  It gives everyone a chance to get their products out to the masses, and even more importantly, get them onto Google Shopping.

On the other hand, large businesses will always be large businesses, and will always have the advantage.  They have the advertising dollars, they have the connections, they have access to things smaller companies never will.  One day I hope the playing field will even out, but I'm not holding my breath for it.

Tell us a little about your personal interests outside of your business.

I play ice hockey in a recreational league once a week, and love playing keyboard and guitar, even though I'm pretty bad at it.  But it's fun and a good way to wind down.  I also love writing. 

Emily loves taking care of our basset hound, Beauregard, and enjoys spending time with her family.  She also loves to sing, so once in a while we'll write songs together.  Even in weeks when we're busy (we both work full time on top of starting this little venture), we make sure to find time to spend on our hobbies.  It's important to take a step away and just enjoy life.

But that's the neat thing about owning a business with your wife...even when we're working at home, we still get to spend time together, which is definitely an awesome thing.

A Day in My Life

Okay, so have you ever had one of those mornings when you wake up, and get ready and go to work? Everything seems to going smoothly. You call your supervisor and report in like you’re supposed to. You think uhh, that’s quite a bit of work, but I can get out of here on time. Then something happens, and you’re like Oh, No! That’s what happened to me this week.

I got to work in the morning, and the person I was supposed to work with wasn’t there. I thought they are late. So a little time goes by, and the person still isn’t there. You think you hear a bell ring so you go to see if you need to let them in. There isn’t anyone there so you run to another door. And there isn’t anybody there. You turn around, and you see a closed door. You go to open the door, and it is locked. You reach in your pocket for the keys, they are inside. You look for your phone, its inside. You have a sinking feeling, and all you can think is “Oh, No!”

You check all of the other doors to the building, and they are locked. So you run to the gas station to use the phone, but of course your supervisor’s phone number is in your cell phone locked in the building. You try the other offices that affiliated with your business. Of course nobody is answering the phone. You realize that another supervisor’s phone number is in your car, but your keys are locked in the building. Then you think well maybe I can read the phone number through the window. The paper with the phone number on it is upside down.

Then you remember you have road side assistance, thank God! You call the insurance company, and explain the situation. Geico does have extremely helpful customer service agents! I do mean that he was so nice. But since my keys are not locked in the car, it will be an out of pocket expense. Oh, my money is in the building which is locked up.

So through much work I managed to get into the car through the hatchback. Crawl through the back of the car, and I had the phone number. Now, I am making progress. I run back to the gas station, and call the number. It goes to voice mail. I begged him please come let me in the building. Three hours after my initial Oh, No, I got back in the building.

So tell me how has your day been?

Broken Hearts

I once had a professor, who asked us the question why is it that we spare no expense when it comes to giving individuals treatment for cancer, but we do little to nothing for the people who may be dying from broken hearts? I’ve been thinking about this statement a lot these past few days.  And I have to admit I’m not really sure what direction I am going with this post.

Over the past couple of months individuals I know have been affected by suicides. Two different young men choose to take their lives. Both were fairly dramatic affairs, and I have seen individuals I like struggling with the pain of these young men’s decisions. Like everyone else who has heard about someone committing suicide, I wondered what were these young men thinking?  

IN 2010 SUICIDE WAS THE 10^TH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE US. THAT YEAR THERE WERE 38,364 REPORTED CASES OF SUICIDE.

And then I wondered how do you comfort the individuals who were close to these young men?

I thought about those simple words, I know how you feel. But the truth is I don’t know how they feel. I don’t know the sorrow they are feeling. I don’t know the regrets they have. So that is something I decided shouldn’t be said.

I thought about the words this is God’s plan. Then I thought this isn’t God’s plan. It is never God’s plan for individuals to cause harm to themselves.  Again I thought don’t say that.

Then I thought may I should I should say if there is anything I can do to make you feel better let me know. Once again that didn’t seem right. There probably is nothing I can do to ease their pain. Time is the healer of those wounds.

All of those things seemed like things you would tell someone if you wanted to make yourself feel better instead of them. So I decided the only thing that I could say was: “You are in my thoughts and prayers.”

Mother's Day Gift List

Mother’s Day will be here before you know it, but what is your mother’s day gift going to be this year. Here are a few idea of items that you could purchase for your beloved mother this year.

We all love the sound of our mother’s voice right? Well how about a personal sound wave of her voice? You have to admit, it’s the ultimate in personalized gifts. NewtonandtheApple

You have to get a card for mom this year, and I love this Happy Mother’s Day Card with a chalkboard background. This one comes as a pdf download. Splash of Silver

Concious Box is one of those gifts that keeps giving. You can purchase a box to be delivered to her monthly. The boxes include environmentally friendly product that can include food products, healthy and beauty products, or items for the home. Each month your mom will think of you. But the great thing about conscious box is that you can purchase some of the items that you really enjoy from the box independently. Concious Box

Floral Scented Candles Blue Starling Candles has a range of floral scented candles ranging from rose scented, to lavender to honeysuckle. They also have floral scented soap. Their candles are hand made, and they burn for hours. Blue Starling Candles

Tickets to a concert are a great gift. Many moms have everything they need, and they value experiences more than things. VenueKings

Find Phantom of the Opera Tickets at VenueKings.com! Save $8 off $40+, Use Code: SPRING14 at checkout. Shop Now!

The Trifecta: Initiation Book Review

I love reading, and I really love reading books that are full of adventure. So I’m going to review The Trifecta Initiation by JP Brewner today.

The Trifecta: Initiation

The book begins when a young man and his brother are out in the jungle. They are attacked and only one of them survives. But the young man who survives shouldn’t have survived. And it seems as though he has an interesting mark on his chest. It’s a mark that hasn’t been seen for several years.

The incident is reported to a group of individuals called the Trifecta, and they soon send one to find the young man named Michael. Michael is soon given the choice to attend a very special school. And he is informed that attending this school will change his life. So Michael’s adventure begins. He finds himself at a school for superheroes. When he arrives Michael becomes Mr. Infinity. It’s a name from the past, and Michael will have to face many challenges in order to live up to the name.

I really enjoyed reading this book. As I was reading the book, I was reminded of three different stories. First Harry Potter, I think that’s due to the fact that the story is about superheroes in training. Then I thought of classic graphic novel The Watchmen due to the fact that the story shows that there are groups of powerful individuals overseeing the superheroes, and you can’t be really sure of the group’s motives. And finally, it reminded me of Ironman, because this book is full of action and adventure.

I really recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a new book about superheroes. The story has some twists and turns which will keep the reader wondering who the good guys really are. And story ends with the possibility of further adventures of Mr. Infinity, which I really liked. Since I believe that the characters in the story are interesting. So all of you geek girls and geek boys run over and check out this book. 

Disclosure: I did receive a copy of this book from the author, but all of the opinions are mine, and I really do like the book.

Three Songs I Think Everyone Should Hear This Week

Okay, so here are three songs I think everybody should hear this week. One is old, the next is not so old, and the other one is fairly recent.  Of course none of these songs are songs you would hear on the radio, but they are still great songs.

MADAME DRACULA BY THE MIGHTY SPARROW

This is a great song, by The Mighty Sparrow. He's a calypso singer from Trinidad. The song is just reflects life in the islands.

VOODOO VOODOO BY JESSIE AND THE ORBITERS

This formed in 2008 in London. It’s great rockabilly. The singer Natasha Olrog has now performs on her own, but this is still a great song. All of my friends who are rockabilly fans will enjoy it.

TWANG GANG BY THE TWANGSHIFTERS

The Twangshifters are a band from Oregon, and they are building a following. The band plays tight, and they their theme song twang gang has a more mellow feel to it. I think everybody will like their music.

Let me know what songs you think everyone should hear.

BBQ Pork Fried Won Tons

I really like won tons. I like won ton soup, and I like fried won tons. I had some left over bar-b-q pork, and I decided why not? It’s just a little twist on the traditional fried won ton.

So here’s what you need.

½ cup of bbq pork

½ cup shredded cabbage

¼ cup diced carrots

Won ton wrappers

¼ cup peanut oil

Bbq sauce

What you need to do.

Mix the pork shredded cabbage and carrots together. Now stuff the mixture into the won ton wrappers. Pinch the ends of the wrappers to seal them. Heat the oil in a skillet, and then add the won tons. Fry them for about a minute on each side, or until they are brown. Take them out and serve them with bbq sauce as a dip.

PX This - The Revised Edition (Diary of the "Maître d' to the Stars") Book Review

I recently had the opportunity to read PX This-The Revised Edition (Diary of the “Maître d’ to the Stars”) by Abbe Diaz, and I enjoyed what I read. This book is about a young woman who works in the restaurant business in order to pay the bills, but she has the dream of becoming a big time clothing designer. When she isn’t at her job, she is busy working on designs, making phone calls, and selling her designs to whomever she can sell them to.

Px This

The thing that I really liked about this book is that Abbe is a really driven person. Even though she often feels like giving up, she never really does. She is one of those women who know that life has something much different in store for her, but she does what she has to in order to get to that something different. This is something I could really relate to. I know that there is something different in store for my life, and I am working to make it happen, but at times it seems like it will take forever.

As I was reading the book, I felt like she was a little self-centered, you know everything is about me. But then I thought it’s a diary they are always centered on the writer. It’s a place where you can write everything.

As I said earlier I really enjoyed reading this book. Her style is witty, even when she is writing about the mundane task of going to a job that is less than desirable. This book is definitely geared toward young women, and it reminded me a little bit of Confessions of a Shopaholic. 

You can check out Abbe’s website or go through Amazon to purchase the book.

Cinnamon Honey Exfoliant DIY

There are loads of exfoliants around. But I first heard about a cinnamon honey exfoliant, it really caught my attention. It’s so simple, and it is made out of things you already have in your kitchen.  And it is extremely beneficial to your skin. So this is a great DIY.

Here’s what you’ll need.

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Now all you need to do is use it during your evening facial cleansing routine.

All of these ingredients have been used for centuries as natural remedies. Olive oil has been used to treat dry skin. Honey is great for opening your pores so that they can be cleansed. And cinnamon actually kills bacteria.

So there you have it, a simple exfoliant that you can whip up in a few minutes that actually is free of chemicals.

The Best Advice

Have you ever thought about the most practical advice you ever received? Was it something life changing? Was it something that made your life better? Were they words of wisdom that you have thought about all of your life? In my case the best advice I received was extremely practical, my mom told me you need to take typing class. As long as you can type you can always find a job.

Now, many of you are thinking what’s the big deal? They teach everybody how to type in school.  In fact I’ve read that they have started teaching keyboarding in kindergarten. But once upon a time, this didn’t happen. Learning to type was not a class that college bound individuals needed to take. In fact I was asked, why are you taking typing? My response was my mom told me to.

But mom was right. While I was in college, my friends had jobs working in the kitchen and cleaning. I got a job working for the business professors. How did I get a job working for the professors? I could type their tests. It was that simple. They asked if I could type, I said yes, and then I took a typing test, and the next thing you know I was sitting in office typing syllabi, and tests. It was awesome!

Then several years later, this great paying part time job that involved data entry came along. The job was so easy. I didn’t have to think too hard. And it eventually worked into a full time job.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Things That Have Made This Week Great

Once again I’ll share with you the moments that just kind of made this week special for me.

I drove into the gas station, opened the car door, and this is what I heard. (Jungle Boogie) How can you not smile when you hear this song?

While I was sitting in a restaurant, I overheard a man speaking on the phone to a florist, he asked if there was still time to get flowers delivered to his wife today. He ordered her a half dozen roses. It was sweet!

I looked out the window this week and saw the first tulips bloomed.  The yellow ones were the first to bloom. I love tulips.

Listening to someone tell the story about how she saw a squirrel running around with a pair of men’s boxers on its head. Picture that one in your mind.

I looked through some papers and I realized I had a $20.00 gift certificate I forgot about. Woohoo! It’s like finding a $20 bill!

What’s made your week great?

Gardening Wish List

With spring gardening, comes a list of items that will come in handy for the gardening season. Here are a few items that I want for my spring gardening.

First thing I’ll need is a sun hat to protect my skin from the sun. 4 Penny Girl

Felt Planter Boxes These are brilliant! Urban Greenie

Herbal Teas backyard gardening Seed Bomb Garden Bon Bons they look good enough to eat, but they are for planting. 

Gardening Gift Bag-this bag contains some of the essentials for a gardener. It has bug spray, a scrub brush, and soap.  Sage Sweetgrass  Soaps

Recycled Tired Flower Pot-love the bright colors, and it’s from a tire. Her Lan Pots

Just Ask

Many of you will have heard the story about a single mom who left her 3 year old alone for 20 hours. She thought he would be alright because he left him food, juice, and a movie. The mother left her son alone while she went to work, and then spent the night at her boyfriends.

When I first read the story, I thought maybe she couldn’t find anyone to babysit while she was at work. I thought I can see that happening to some people, but then I asked myself why did she leave go to her boyfriends if she knew her child was alone? And I was even more surprised when I read that the woman’s mother stated I would have watched the baby if I knew she needed someone to watch him. And I couldn’t understand why the woman just didn’t ask for help?

But the bigger question is why do these stories keep appearing in the news? Why does this keep happening? And I’ve decided that  I’ve been right all along.  Just because you can have children doesn’t mean that you should. 

Quote of the Day

Easy Baked Fish with Lime Mustard Sauce

Okay, so fish is healthy, but sometimes you need a little something to make it taste better. This is an easy sauce to go along with your fish.

Sprinkle your fish with tarragon. Bake it at 350 until the fish flakes a little.

Sauce

1 cup of mayonnaise

¼ cup mustard from a jar

¼ cup of lime juice

Mix the three ingredients well. The combination of the three will give you a sweet tangy sauce for dipping.

My Three Favorite Cartoon Themes Songs Growing Up

Yes, once upon a time, there was a time when no adult dared to touch a television. They dared not plan outings. They dared not invade the room with the television. That was Saturday morning! Saturday mornings were a magical time when cartoons were shown. Because in once upon a time land, there was no Nikelodeon, there was no Cartoon Network. In fact, a youngster couldn’t even put a cartoon in a machine to watch it whenever they pleased because the machines to replay those cartoons didn’t exist. Here are three of my favorite cartoon themes from that magical time.

Fat Albert

For me Fat Albert was the best cartoon on Saturday morning. Yes, Albert and all of his friends adventures were always fun to watch. And it had that extra plus of having Bill Cosby on the show. This tune will always remind me of Saturday morning.

Scooby Doo

Ah, yes! Scooby Dooby Doo where are you? This was the intro line to a half hour of mystery and fun. I loved the cartoon, and I always want to sing-a-long with the song whenever I hear it.

The Jetsons

I loved the entire family, and since I am a geek girl. I really loved that it was in the future. It always made me wonder what the future would be like.

So these are my three favorite cartoon theme songs, what were yours?

Three Tips to Staying Cheery When You Get Disappointing News

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a very cheerful person. I’ve even had a person or two accuse me of being unnaturally happy. And honestly, I don’t understand individuals who aren’t happy. Don’t get me wrong I have times when I get down, but overall, I’m happy.

Recently, I received some disappointing news I have to work on Sunday. Everyone was upset, and I have to admit I wasn’t overjoyed about the idea. But life sometimes throws you curve balls so you have to deal with it. You can choose to be angry and sad. Or you can choose to be happy. Here are three tips for staying cheery when you get disappointing news.

1.       Express How You Feel!

My immediate reaction was to Ahhh, that isn’t what I want to do on Sunday.  It's okay, to be unhappy with the initial news. If you don’t recognize your initial emotion you are just repressing it. That can lead to serious issues with anger. And who wants that?

2.       Make a Choice

After your initial emotional reaction, you now can make a choice to be angry, depressed, or cheerful. After my immediate reaction to having to work on Sunday, I asked myself is this something I have control over. The answer was yes and no. I don’t have control over the way a manager makes out my work schedule. But yes, I do have control over whether I work there or not. I can find another job. Ultimately, I do have control over the situation. I’ve made a choice to work this job, so I need to accept what comes along with the job.

So at this point list some good things about what is going on. In my case, I get paid for working. Yay! I need the cash. The supervisor I’m working with is nice. I get to spend time with someone I like. Focus on what is good about the situation instead of what is bad!

3.       Put Things Into Perspective

I once had a co-worker who often asked people when they were upset about things “What does this have to do with your eternal salvation?” It was kind of a crazy question to ask people, but she always got her point across. Her point was always is this really a problem? While it might be frustrating at the time will this be one of those events that you will forget within a month, a year, or a decade. Remember, this is a short portion of time when you are uncomfortable, in most cases it will pass.

If you follow these tips, you can deal with a disappointing in a more cheerful manner, and the little things in life won’t get to you as easily.

How do you handle situations that disappoint you?

Five Things That Have Made Me Happy This Week

There are always those happy little moments that make a week great. These are five things that have made me happy this week.

I’m happy because I didn’t have to use an alarm clock to wake up every single morning this week. I hate the sound of an alarm clock going off. It is just so annoying.

Coming home from work, and feeling tired because I have used my muscles. Instead of being tired because I sat in a chair all day.

I was watching a video on youtube, and a cat began to cry. My cat who was sitting next to me immediately perked up and began to watch the video. He’s so silly!

The spring weather has finally come, and it was wonderful to be able to open the door, and let some fresh air into the house.

I have also enjoyed having a little bit of extra time the past couple of days. I began looking around at all that spring cleaning I need to do. And I even started doing a little bit of it. For those of you who know me, please do not die of shock! It does happen occasionally.

Let me know what’s made you happy this week.

The Danbury Lie

The Danbury Lie is an alternative band that is based out of the Northeast. I listened to their music on bandcamp, and I was impressed.

The Danbury Lie

This isn’t your happy go lucky music you hear on pop radio. The songs use a lot of discord which gives the music a dark feel.  This cd is best listened to in its entirety in order to get the feel of what the performers are trying to express.

My favorite track on the cd is definitely the last one As of Yet. The melody is slow, but the lyrics are hopeful. It reminds us that with each new day there is the chance to move towards our fate.

While, many individuals may find the lyrics and melody a little too dark for their tastes, I believe that this music will appeal to those who love goth music. Not the industrial goth, but the goth music that you listen to when you are feeling a little down. It’s good to hear music that uses a little bit of a folk sound, grabs the attitude of punk, and wraps it with some metal overtones.

The band has released several other projects, and they all seem to get a little better. I recommend this to anyone who is searching for music that is a little different than the norm. Visit them on bandcamp, and let me know what you think of their music.

Spring Gardening

Yes, I love spring, I can finally begin working in my garden again. But the challenge in my yard is the oak tree. Yes, oaks are mighty trees indeed, but they shed a mighty amount of leaves. And they don’t shed them all in the fall. In fact someone mentioned to me the other day we know that winter is over because the last oak leaf has fallen. Well I can tell you winter is over, but my garden is full of oak leaves.

Here are some pictures.

So you can see I have loads of work ahead of me. And I wonder how many bags I will end up with. Anyway, I’ll keep you posted on how my spring gardening comes, and hopefully, next time there will be some flowers to show.

Captain America Wishlist

With the new Captain America movie, I have an all Captain America Wishlist. Here are the items related to the movie that I want right now.

First, I want the backless Captain America USO dress. It has me written all over it. Olivas Studio

Next, I want this skin decal for when I get an iphone. Lookdifferent

I need this Avengers Inspired Owl. Fluffy Buttons

Minions in a Captain America costume. It’s the best of two worlds.  Mad Hatter Market

Shoes of course The Alternative Canvas

And last, but not least, earrings. Wbracelet

Let me know if you have found any other great items that should be on the list.

Beware Super Powers Activated

Have you ever wished that you had superpowers to take care of a situation?  Ever thought that if you were Superman, you could just take care of the problem you are having with no problem. But what most of us don’t realize is that we all have superpowers, we just don’t recognize them.

Some people have super strength. They really are able to run at the speed of light, well okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but those people who run marathons really do have super physical strength. It’s physical and mental.  

But remember that movie Mystery Men from the 90’s? It had all of these individuals with odd super powers. One had the super power of flatulence on demand; another had the power to throw a bowling ball. Yeah, the movie was a spoof, but it shows that’s when I first realized that we all have super powers.

So what is my super power? My super power is the ability to find something likeable about pretty much everybody I meet in life. I totaled it up the other day, and over the course of my lifetime I have only met four individuals that I didn’t like. It may not seem like a super power, but it is. While other people complain about others, I often am the one saying they aren’t that bad. Some people give me odd looks, but others say, yeah, I never thought of that.

Life is much easier when you like everyone. It’s easier to enjoy their strengths, and it’s easier to accept individuals even though they have flaws. Nobody is perfect so why not just accept them for who they are.

So now that you know my super power, what is yours?

Other Links You Might Enjoy
Five Geek Girl Heroes
What's Your Super Power T-Shirt

Itai Simon

Itai Simon is a bass player who has been around the music scene for several years. You can hear a sample of his bass playing in the Sugar Plum Baby song Judge You.  

While Itai enjoys playing with bands, you have to be practical in life don’t you? So Itai has built a service to help musicians. And he has a range of services that are available.

Itai Simon

If you have written a song and recorded it, you simply send the music for him to review. With this you get a professional review of your song, which points out the pros and cons of the music. And he provides a few tips that may make your song sound better.

Another valuable service he provides is a list of contacts in the music industry. And this isn’t just a list with 5 or 6 contacts. Itai has a regularly updated list of contacts with over 1,500 names on it.

He also provides a full production package that provides you with a team of professionals who create the perfect take of your song. And if you just need some great bass work for your song, he can provide that too.

With his experience playing in bands, recording with artists, and producing music the services his provides are great for a great deal of musicians who are starting out. And that list of contacts would be great for anyone pursuing a career in music. And it's all available online. You don't have to meet with him to use his services. Anyone from anywhere can use his services. Check out his website, and see what he can offer you.

Apple Walnut Lettuce Salad

Spring is finally here, and with it will be warmer days. I often look for lighter meals in the spring, so here’s a recipe for a light and apple walnut lettuce salad.

Here’s what you’ll need

A green apple cut into slices

A large bowl of cut up romaine leaf lettuce

2 tablespoons of honey

¼ cup of crumbled blue cheese

¼ cup of walnuts

¼ cup of turkey bacon bits

What you need to do

First lightly brush the honey over the apples. Next throw all of the ingredients into the bowl, toss it, and serve.  See it’s so easy and healthy too!

Basement Classics

One of the things I love about the internet is that you can find pretty much anything on it. So when I came across Basement Classics, I wanted to share it. It’s how one man is sharing his music hobby with the world.

He creates all of his own music, and some of is it rocking, and some of it is more mellow. Some of the music is a full song, and some of it is just sections where the artist is working on developing portions of songs. It’s interesting to hear what the musician finds interesting at the time.

My absolute favorite on the site is Emu Bash. It’s a song with a song a long folksy feel to it. But the other songs under country fried are also fun to listen to. They are parodies, and are something I kind of expect to hear on a morning radio show. The songs under the Deep Thoughts section were great to listen to because the artist is using his acoustic guitar and sharing his music with the world.

The music on basement classics isn’t the glossy mixed music that is released by record labels.  This site is simply someone who enjoys creating music and sharing it with others. The songs are genuine and from the heart. There are songs that are thoughtful, and there are songs that are just poking fun at the world. And that’s what I like about this site. If you want to see what one person’s love, you should visit this site Basement Classics.

To Leave Or Not To Leave

Recently, I had to wrestle with a decision about moving on. And to leave or not to leave was a tough one for me, but I did finally make a decision to leave my current job and return to a former employer.  Like every other decision in my life, I had to wrestle with it. I looked at the pros and cons. I thought about what I would loose and gain at each employer. I thought about the people at each employer. I talked to my friends about what I needed to do. And then I made a decision.

I had a sense of relief when I finally gave my two week notice. I was relieved that the decision was made. I was relieved that many of the negative experiences at that job would be over. I was glad I will be going back to a larger paycheck. Hurray! But I was sad because I really do like most of the people I work with.

One of my co-workers was flat out rude to me, but then she is always like that. One of the ladies I work with stated that she didn’t like how she talked to me. And I told her she is mad because I got another job. And she replied you’re right.

Like everything in life, I learned a few lessons while I was at this job. Some of the lessons were easy. And some of the lessons like the lessons on forgiveness were extremely difficult. I can honestly say that I am a better person for working there, but I am also relieved that the experience is over.  And I am excited to move on to another chapter in my work life.

My Easter Basket

Easter is just a few weeks away, and I thought I would share with all of you who are thinking about sending me an Easter Basket, things that might be extremely appropriate for my Easter Basket.

First, something that appeals to that geek girl inside me, a 31 inch tall Darth Vader Doll is that cool or what? ToysRUs

And a couple pieces of chocolate that appeal to my inner geek would be nice too! You guessed it Batman Bacon Bites SweetsSoGeek

And a great surprise would be an ice cream hoodie. KawaiiClothing

And a little something to encourage good behavior a Peter Rabbit bank. Waterford/Royal Dolton

Finally, some hand painted Russian Easter Eggs to fill the basket with. Katyushashop

Remember you’re never too old for an Easter basket, and let me know what you would love to see in your Easter basket.