yoga37050

What do YOU have down in your cellar? If it's like most peoples, your basement started out like mine as an empty space with a furnace and a hot water heater. In five years it was filled up with boxes of stuff you don't need, half finished projects you'll never finish and lots of very happy spiders. I hate to admit it took me sixteen years of planning and wishing before I decided to finish the basement. The clincher was the day I got a nice hand-me-down computer and a beautiful desk to put it in. There was no space in the rest of the house for my beloved computer, so down the cellar it went. After six months of alternately freezing to death, wiping the dirt off the computer and feeling like a refugee, we made the big decision.

It would cost about $4000., even using the talents of my carpenter brother-in-law. No easy task, there was concrete everywhere we looked - floor, walls, and even the ceiling. The design we settled on avoided the duct work along the walls, providing closet space four feet deep and eighteen feet long. (We have no garage) Under the stairs was space for luggage pieces and all the extra food bought in quantity.

One fourth of the area at one end was home to all of my tools and the home-made workbench in a closed-off room. The other end created a narrow but long space for my bicycle and Christmas boxes. The central area ended up measuring 24' by 16', a not too shabby size for out entertainment room. At one end is the computer center. An HP Media Center computer keeps company with an HP 13 x 19 inkjet printer and a sideways scanner. A couch and love seat divide the room nicely, facing two wall units containing a TV, a hi fi radio/CD/DVD, and a dry bar. All of the speakers are built into the walls to save space. In the corner under a boxed ceiling with dimmer spots stands the keyboard organ. For my wife I built in a four foot deep by eight foot wide sealed closet for the extra dishes and glassware.

Marianne decorated the walls with pictures of flowers and hand-painted plaques. The eight foot ceiling was popcorn sprayed, the sheet rock walls were treated to resemble rough plaster and painted a pale tan. The floor is glued-on high traffic beige carpet. The whole project took about three weeks and they say it will add $8000 to the selling price of the townhouse. I'm just as happy as a bug in a rug and I may never leave my beautiful cellar.

My favorite pastime is writing. Please rate my efforts. Thank you.

According to the u.s. consumer product safety Commission, more than 4,000 people die from home fires each year making fire the second-leading cause of accidental death in the home.

Home security systems have become increasing sophisticated. Some systems will alert you of the presence of fire and will summon for help offering your family the best protection available. following are tips on fire safety and fire alarms:

• install at least one smoke detector on every floor of your home and near each bedroom. keep in mind that stand-alone battery-operated smoke detectors warn only you and family members of the fire, and only if youre home. they are not necessarily connected to a system that alerts a security company or the fire station. This leaves you vulnerable if youre unable to call for help or are away from home.

• connect smoke detectors to a home security system. If smoke is detected, the home security system will detect the danger and summon for help at the same time. How it works: A control panel operates as a central computer connected to sensors throughout your home. The control panel will automatically dial the remote monitoring station if it detects a problem. The proper authorities will then be notified.

smoke detectors are extremely effective in helping prevent loss of life and property from fire. Having a smoke detector that is connected to your home security system can offer peace of mind whether you are at home, at work, out of town, or unable to reach the phone.

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com. At MyGuidesUSA.com (http://www.myguidesusa.com), you will find valuable tips and resources for handling lifes major events. Whether youre planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, youll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com. Find home improvement and home security tips and resources at http://www.myguidesusa.com/homeimprovement

Why is it so important even for amateurs golfers?

Many golfers who plays around 5-10 games per year do not realize the importance of a golf ball. Some of them think that it will not make any difference on their games and only look at the prices instead of the advantages and disadvantages. The market for golf balls is over $ 560 millions and over 875 millions balls manufactured by the industries. Every company is battling very aggressively to produce the miracle ball that one day will travel from the first to the 18 holes in one shot! I wouldnt be surprise one day that someone will come with an insert micro chip inside that soon after your hit your ball, you will control with your remote and tell her where to go, and how far. Hey, they did it with the pulls carts and some of them end up in the lake

To understand a little bit more on how you should choose a golf ball, lets look at the advantage and disadvantage of theses balls. I will give the bottom line of each ball which will help you making an intelligence choice. First what is the most important thing that you are looking when you play golf? Do you look for distance, back spin, feel, durability or control? Once you have chosen your category, identify how much distance you are making with a driver and if the ball goes straight or not. If you need more distance and ready to sacrifice some control lowest compression will be the best ball for you. Usually theses balls are designed for lady, junior and seniors golfers. However if you are a golfer that has tendency of slicing, use a 90 compression which will help you keeping your shots straight in the fairway. Like I always said, if you are not a professional, control is a priority instead of distance. 90% of the golfers average 200-220 yards meaning a regular speed of 80 miles per hour at the impact of the ball. The key for distance is to take a ball which is about 10 compressions less than you average speed, if you play straight only. Here is a little chart below to give more information on golf balls.

80: Lowest compression is designed for lady, junior, and senior golfers. The softer core allows for a more spring-like effect off the club face, increasing distance while sacrificing some control.

90: The compression of choice for the mass of golfers who has slices.

100: Harder, tighter core that can really only be taken benefit of by advanced golfers with high swing speeds over 100 miles per hour.

Reason why I do not suggest any companies is simply to be fair with the industry as I am not here to promote any balls, but only to give you information that will help you enjoying this sport.

SOFTER OR HARD LIKE A ROCK. I am gonna make a suggestion as this is personal feeling. Some people prefer soft which barely makes a sound and seems floating of the club around the greens. Some others will prefer hard for durability. One thing that everyone agrees on is the number of dimples, which increase better flies. Shallow dimples generate more spin than deeper ones, increase lift, also stay in the air longer and roll less. Hope this will help you selecting the best ball for you, according to your actual swing.

Have a nice game Robert

http://www.golfslicenhooknomore.com

It's time for me to announce that I have a lot of skeletons in my closet. I keep them there to stop people from stealing my jackets. Some of the skeletons actually wear the jackets so they don't get cold. That may seem strange to people, but never has a skeleton complained to me...

"And what if?" you may be thinking.

"What if what?" I may be thinking back to you.

"What if a skeleton complained?" you may clarify.

Obviously if that were the case, then I'd use my skeleton key to lock the door. There's nothing I hate more than cold or numb skulls complaining to me about the temperature...

Let the truth be known, though, that it is that time of year when the weather can be bad. Like, raining cats and dogs type of bad, but add hamsters and wind to it -- along with a sun that is so strong, it could fry ants with the help of a magnifying glass. A lot of people complain about rain, but they need to put things into perspective and imagine how much worse it'd be if that rain were snot instead. Or maybe tons o' snot, which would be horrifying and a palindrome at the same time...

If this snotfall ever occurs, we need to establish a plan. Since no one else has volunteered, let me be the first:

Plan A: Cover trees with tissues to absorb a lot of the damage.

Plan B: The same as Plan A except without the tissues.

Plan C: Wait until the next Harry Potter book comes out, and then let the people in line cast spells to eliminate the problem.

Plan D: Wait until the next spelling bee, and let the contestants spell "cast" to eliminate the problem.

It may seem like my plan will not contribute to eliminating a major disaster, but it is important that my help ends there. From this point on, all plans will be organized by my skeleton. Make no bones about it...

But I digress.

Greg Gagliardi is a teacher and writer. His stream-of-consciousness weekly humor column, "Progressive Revelations," has been ongoing since 1998. (http://www.ProgressiveRevelations.com)