Wallpaper Calendar November 2009

Looking for pictures that would warm your heart this month, I saw this on Flickr. It makes for a beautiful wallpaper calendar. Full size is 1920 x 1200.


Can't take the credit for this picture. This is the original photo. The location of this underground waterfall: Cave and Basin National Historic Site in Banff, Alberta.

Wallpaper Calendar October 2009

Here are two wallpapers for you to enjoy. One with a halloween theme in mind and the other well, those two penguins have the right idea don't they...on a beach where its warm. With the winter coming on I don't blame them. Full screen 1920 x 1200

For those that don't have that resolution don't worry, you can right-click, save and when you open it up as a background, select stretch instead of center and the entire calendar will show.

Baked Yams with Bean Salad

I'm in love with the sweet potato AKA Yams. The taste is amazing with this salad and it can be an entire meal if you want it to. Quick and easy to make, its also good on the pocket book. I'm not sure where I found this recipe but its a keeper. Originally called for 4 Yams, the bean salad is good for 6.

Ingredients

6 medium Yams
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin you can use any spice you want. I was out of cumin so I threw in Italian spices instead.
¾ tsp salt
¼ cup light sour cream optional
Grated cheese optional

Poke Yams with a fork in several places. Microwave on high 12 to 15 minutes (or use the potato settings if you have one), Halfway through, turn Yam over once. You may also bake the Yam at 218 C (424 F) for one hour.

In a bowl, mix beans, tomatoes, oil, cumin or spices of your choice, salt and microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Cut each Yam lengthwise, make a bowl shape, sprinkle with cheese, bean salad and top with sour cream.

Heaven!

Yes or No

1. You can ONLY answer Yes or No.

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks -- and believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming nothing is exactly as it seems.

Now, here's what you're supposed to do...copy and paste this into your notes, delete my answers, type in your answers and tag as many of your friends as you'd like to.

------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
Kissed any one of your Facebook friends? --- Yes
Been arrested? --- No
Kissed someone you didn't like? ---Yes
Slept in until 5 PM? --- Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? --- Yes
Held a snake? --- Yes
Ran a red light? --- Yes
Been suspended from school? --- No
Experienced love at first sight? --- No
Totaled your car in an accident? --- No
Been fired from a job? --- No
Fired somebody? --- Yes
Sang karaoke? --- No
Pointed a gun at someone? --- No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? --- Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? --- Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? --- Yes
Kissed in the rain? --- No
Had a close brush with death (your own)? --- No
Seen someone die? --- Yes
Played spin-the-bottle? --- Yes
Sang in the shower? --- Yes
Smoked a cigar? --- No
Sat on a rooftop? --- Yes
Taken pictures of yourself naked? --- No
Smuggled something into another country? --- No
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? --- No
Broken a bone? --- Yes
Eaten a bug? --- Yes
Sleepwalked? --- Yes
Rode a motorcycle? --- Yes
Dumped someone? --- Yes
Forgotten your anniversary? --- No
Lied to avoid a ticket? --- Yes
Ridden in a helicopter? --- No
Shaved your head? --- No
Played a prank on someone? --- Yes
Hit a home run? --- No
Felt like killing someone? --- Yes
Cross-dressed? --- No
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? --- No
Eaten snake? --- No
Marched/Protested? --- No
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? --- Yes
Puked on amusement ride? --- No
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? --- Yes
Been in a band? --- No
Knitted? --- Yes
Been on TV? --- Yes
Shot a gun? --- No
Skinny-dipped? --- No
Gave someone stitches? --- Yes
Eaten a whole habenero pepper? --- No
Ridden a surfboard? --- No
Drank straight from a liquor bottle? --- Yes
Had surgery? --- Yes
Streaked? --- No
Taken by ambulance to hospital? --- Yes
Passed out when not drinking? --- Yes
Peed on a bush? --- No
Donated Blood? --- Yes
Grabbed electric fence? --- No
Eaten alligator meat? --- Yes
Eaten cheesecake? --- Yes
Eaten your kids' Halloween candy? --- No
Killed an animal when not hunting? --- Yes
Peed your pants in public? --- No
Sneaked into a movie without paying? --- Yes
Written graffiti? ---Yes
Still love someone you shouldn't? --- Yes
Think about the future? --- Yes
Been in handcuffs? --- Yes
Believe in love? --- Yes

How to prevent stressful situations

We can all benefit from less stress in our lives. Here are some tips to reduce or to maintain low stress levels.

• Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning.
• Prepare for the morning the evening before.
• Don't rely on your memory - keep a notebook.
• Laugh - often!
• Make duplicate of keys.
• Practice preventative maintenance.
• Do one thing at a time. It is a myth that a person can multitask well.
• Plan ahead.
• Don't put up with something that doesn't work. Also works with relationships..think about it.
• Give yourself time.
• Always set up contingency plans...cause you never know what will happen.
• Relax your standards.
• Ask questions.
• Learn to say NO.
• Unplug your phone. I've lived without a phone for about 2 yrs now and it was great. I've used email for my main mode of communication instead, replied at my leisure, never felt pressured. I now have a phone for business purposes, I rarely use it for personal reasons. I don't mean to permanently unplug your phone but turn it off when you really don't need it.
• Don't procrastinate.
• Simplify, simplify, simplify.
• Count your blessings.
• Walk 1 km daily in the fresh air and natural light. Exercise such as walking helps you cope with stress and depression. Have a happy frame of mind while you do your walk. Build a happy place in your mind while walking but make sure you avoid stepping in doo-doo.
• Go for a relaxation massage once a month. You will feel like a million dollars.
• Take a bath using a cupful of Epsom salts or bath crystals 2-3 times weekly. This will remove toxins and acidity from your body. Good for arthritis and sore muscles.
• Rub your whole body with olive oil 1 hour after the salt bath. The oil feeds your muscles and tissues.
• Rest recharges your batteries. During the sleep state, your body and mind rebuild and heal.
• Wear and live in the colours of the spectrum. Good colours build your health.
• Wear natural fibres rather than synthetic ones, especially next to your skin. Natural fibres allow your skin to breathe.
• Use positive thoughts! If you are positive, you attract the positive. Use love, praise, and kindness in your thoughts, especially about yourself as healthy. Talk about your health, not about your sickness. The more often you build the health thought, the more likely that it will become a reality. If you have a hard time with forming positive thoughts...fake it until you make it.
• Sunshine is healing. Be out in the sun before 11am, after 3pm for the healing rays. Use suntan lotion of course.
• Sounds also affect your health. Listen to music that makes you feel good. It will build your energy. Remove unpleasant sounds.
• Breathe deeply using your diaphragm...you have 2 huge lungs...use them all.
• Drink water in small amounts at a time, often during the day. Remember, your body is mostly water.
• Learn to listen to your body, it holds incredible wisdom, and no one knows it better than you.
• Define your own stresses. Move towards understanding the role of stress for you.

Wallpaper Calendar September 2009

I can't tell if the first picture is an example of tilt-shift photography or not. In either case it is awesome so I snatched it off a stock site to create this wallpaper. Just did some cropping, no other tweaking done. The colours on the second one caught my eye. I looked at the description of where the picture was taken from and provided you with the link below. Full size of each 1920 x 1200.

For those that don't have that resolution don't worry, you can right-click, save and when you open it up as a background, select stretch instead of center and the entire calendar will show.



If you are interested in learning more:

Toronto
Antelope Canyon,
Tilt-shift photography.
Flikr: Tilt-shift Miniature Fakes: These are all real pictures that have been altered to look like this.
tiltshiftmaker: Make your own tilt-shift picture without fiddling with photoshop.

A bean bag chair for your iPhone and other DIY solutions

I've seen some really neat iPhone holders out there. From the expensive to the do-it-yourself ones. I rather like the ingenuity of the DIY ones. I have mine on a bean bag. It doesn't fall and it holds itself in the lanscape position well. All you need is to get a bean bag stress ball preferably made of vinyl-like material got mine from a dollar store. Now my iPhone has a rubber skin on it so it adheres to the bag quite nicely. I tried it without the skin and it slides a little.

So the ball serves as a de-stressor AND holds up your iPhone.



I also tried the business card holder and it does work but I find it flimsy, you can't touch the iPhone without it falling over. I much prefer my bean bag to this but hey it works if you're in a hotel somewhere and need a quick holder.



Here are more DIY holders if you are interested:

Instructables: Simple business card iPhone/iPod stand.
iPhone Savior: Cut out the packaging the iPhone came in and used it as a stand.
iPhone Binder Clips: I would just be careful of the metal scratching your iPhone.
CD Stand: They used a bunch of old CDs and glue. It is both a stand and charging station.
Pencil and rubber band stand: yes people, pencils and rubber bands.
iPhone stand made of laser cut acrylic scarps: at first I read scarf!
Paper Cip iStand: use a plastic coated paperclip so you don't end up scratching your iPhone.
iphonehacks: Wooden charging station and stand for the carpenter in you.
iphonehacks: using a rotary phone as a holder...were getting more creative here.
Geeky Gadgets: they created the carboard iPhone holder and they have a template for you to use.