Finding God Blog

For those who are interested in finding God, but not sure where to start...

http://findinggod123.blogspot.com/

Useful Household Tips

• If your shirt smells like the smokers whose company you just left, try rubbing a dryer sheet on it.
• Foaming hand soap dispensers I love. They use less soap and the hands are just a clean if not cleaner than with the typical gel soap - which often half washes down the drain. Refilling a foaming soap dispenser is cheaper if you use the more common gel soap on the market and works almost as well as foaming soap replacement. Fill the dispenser with 1/4 soft soap and the rest of it with hot water. Shake.

Recommended Businesses for North Side Chicago Residences

NOTE: You must know something about work you are paying someone to do for you - be it medical, auto repair, legal, etc. Do the research, set expectations and hold the contractor accountable for reasonable results. That said, if you have a bad experience with one of these companies, let me know and I will remove that company from the list pronto. Thanks!

Masonry: Crafton Professional Building Renovation Inc. (customer: "they're artists")

Handyman: Upon request, specializes in Electrical work and complicated tasks. Email me @: Mark.Blogging@gmail.com

Tile Refinishing: http://www.evanstontubs.com/, http://www.beautifulfinishes.com/

Roofing: Jack Taff Roofing 847-864-8521

Landscaping: Briar Patch Landscaping Services (773) 730-2038

Exterminators: Smithereen Pest Management Services (Northlake, IL)

Gutter Guards: Front Street Manufacturing, Inc. (I DESPISE climbing 2.5 stories once a year to scoop goop out of my home's gutters. This company has a cost-effective solution.)

Performing Arts Lessons: Performing Arts Limited Dance, Voice, Piano, & Acting

Fireplace / Furnace: Ye Olde Chimney Sweep (773) 237-7070

Heating / Cooling: North Town Home Services (773) 878-1010

Electronics / Appliances: Abt

Computer Repair: PC Solutions of Illinois, Inc.

Security Alarm Monitoring: NextAlarm.com $14.95/mo or less link

Glass Block Window Installation: J. Dohney Glassblock, Inc., possibly Lowes

100 Uses for a Internet-connected Home Computer (A work in progress)

1. Bill Pay via your online bank account. Saves you stamps and the hassle of filling out payment forms and addressing envelopes.


2. News CNN, Washington Post, NY Time, Chicago Tribune, etc. Articles with color pictures and sometimes video provide a superior experience to printed paper AND you save a tree. Some sites require email registration - I recommend creating a free email account for this purpose as your viewing habits are likely logged for marketing purposes. Google provided a news aggregate page.


3. Shopping It's convenient, cost effective (no sales tax offsets shipping), you can usually find the exact item you want - like the one recommend in a product review.
   
4. Extreme Shopping - Hot Deals There are two forums I know of where members post some of the best deals on electronics and coupons - as well as other items. The communities are well-established and alot can be learned from the posts. Fatwallet: Hot Deals Forum. SlickDeals: Hot Deals Forum.


5. Product Reviews Many sites like Amazon and Newegg have user reviews. ConsumerSearch.com provides an aggregate of reviews for free. Also for $25/Yr, you can access all the reviews at Consumer Reports Online.


6. Vendor Reviews Better Business Bureau (if poorly rated here the business is REALLY bad), Reseller Ratings, and many price comparison site have business reviews.


7. Price Comparison Search Engines Google's Product Search (formerly "Froogle"), Price Grabber (electronics), AddAll (books)


8. TV Listings and Show Reviews TV.com, TVrage.com


9. Movie Listings and Reviews Metromix, Fandango, Internet Movie Database


10. Dictionary/Thesaurus with AUDIO PRONUNCIATION Merriam-Webster Online


11. Online/Offline Word Processor Google Docs


12. Digital Picture Sorting/Editing Photobucket, Picasa
    
13. Maps and Directions Google you can actually view photos of some addresses AND live traffic congestion, Mapquest accessable via mobile device and shows gas prices.
    
14. Business and Individual lookup Google, Switchboard.com, Yellowpages.com These services all map the location.
    
15. International Communication Email, Instant Messaging, Voice over IP, Blogs - the adult toy industry reportedly even has a device to enhance long distance relationships...
    
16. Meeting People For sports: Sporting Connections. General activities: Friendeavor. Dating: eHarmony.com, Match.com, FarmersOnly.com (yes, a dating site for farmers!).
    
17. Local Garage Sales MAPPED: Chicago Tribune
    

Most Useful Consumer Web Sites

Product Reviews:
http://www.consumersearch.com/ (free)
http://www.consumerreports.com/ (subscription)

Hot Deals:
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/forum.php?catid=18
http://forums.slickdeals.net/forumdisplay.php?sduid=0&f=9

Consumer Info:
http://www.consumerworld.org/

Books I've Enjoyed Recently

The Joy Of Work
It's not a book about how to enjoy ANY job, but how a actual large company was successfully structured around ethical and humane principles.

5 Favorite Healthy Recipes

1. Pan-Roasted Steak and Onions
"With a rich balsamic vinegar marinade and caramelized onions to liven up flank steak"
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pan-roasted-steak-and-onions/Detail.aspx?prop31=1
Mark: This was in a diet book I bought years ago. I would actually purchase this in a restaurant.

2. Spaghetti Carbonara Light
http://www.grouprecipes.com/53308/spaghetti-carbonara-light.html
Mark: This is tasty pasta - not Dave's Italian Kitchen tasty, but quite good...

3. Shrimp Louis
"Good for all cold seafood"
http://www.grouprecipes.com/sr/14936/south-beach-shrimp-louis/recipe/

4. Poached Salmon with Cucumber-Dill Sauce
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/poached-salmon-with-cucumber-dill-sauce/Detail.aspx

5. Meat Loaf Light
http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/recipes/meatloaf.html
Mark: Yes, it tastes like a diet dish, but it's still quite palatable. My kids even eat it!