Placement, What is it and Why is it Important? Part 1

In Feng Shui, your relationship to your home and the objects in your home is vital to creating a nurturing and supportive environment. And your relationship with your environment is determined, in a large part, by how and where you place the items you have.

Positioning relates to how much time you spend in a given space, and how you feel about the space you are in.

The three most important areas in your home with relation to positioning are:

position of the front door placement of your bed, placement of your desk

Today let's talk about bed placement.

You may have heard or read that the bed should not be in alignment with the bedroom door. This is true. Alignment in this instance, means that the bed would be positioned so that it is in the path of the door whether positioned on the opposite wall or with the bed overlapping the doorway.

Placing your bed on the wall opposite the door, but not in the path of the door, is the most optimal placement. This is called the Command Position - which simply means that when positioned this way you have command, full view, of the room around you.

Placement of the bed holds the key to successful rest, rejuvenation, and restoration as well as symbolic representation of a solid foundation in life. The optimal placement for the master bedroom is in either the Abundance or Relationship areas of the home as these corners are the 'power' corners of the home.

Arrange your bed so that the headboard is positioned against a wall. Your position should provide a full view of the room and the door into the room.When placing your bed, try to try not to align your bed so you're directly in front of the door, or even overlapping the door. The energy coming through the door can be disruptive to your sleep and creates a sense of discomfort, even if only subconsciously.

If the configuration of your room is such that your bed can only be placed in the path of the door, create a sense of interest and distraction by the addition of a beautiful rug, side table or plant between the door and the bed. Anything that catches your eye will also shift and redirect the energy flowing into the room through the door.

The best positioning follows these guidelines:

Have a solid wall behind you for support. Position yourself so you are able to see the entrance to the room you are in. Ideally your bed should be positioned so that you are not in direct line with the door into your room or a bathroom door. If your bed must be positioned with the head against a window, it is important that you use a solid headboard to strengthen your position and provide support. Also, close the curtains or blinds at night to create the impression of a solid wall behind you.

Following these simple steps will help you turn your house into a home, and your bedroom into a sanctuary filled with comfort and warmth!

Scrapbooking Supplies - Beyond the Basics

Once you've got a few scrapbook layouts under your belt, you may be ready to move on and explore some of the other fabulous scrapbooking goodies that have been catching your eye at the scrapbook store. Congratulations! There's a world of colorful, creative fun waiting for you. If you've got the basics covered - cardstock, adhesive, paper trimmer, journaling pen - then it's time to take the next step.

Here are some great additions to your scrapbook tool chest that will provide lots of versatility without breaking the bank:

Patterned paper. Patterned paper can be used in tons of ways - as backing for photos, cut into strips to create contrast on your page, trimmed into shapes to create a theme, and more! Choose a few sheets of patterned paper that work with the cardstock you already have, and you'll have a huge assortment of looks you can create. Cost: about $.75 - $1 per sheet. Buttons. Buttons add texture, color, and a hint of homemade fun to your scrapbook layouts. And the best part - you probably have a big assortment of loose buttons already on hand! If you want to purchase some in specific colors, check the fabric store before heading to a scrapbook specialty store. The cost can range from $1 - $5 for a pack of buttons. Letter stickers. When I first started scrapbooking, I often hand-drew my page titles. But now, I almost always use letter stickers. Available in every color, font, and size under the sun, letter stickers cost about $3 a sheet, plus or minus, depending on how many letters in a pack, and how large the letters are. Rub-ons. Rub-ons are transfers that you "rub on" to the page. They come in letters, flourishes, images, and more, from skulls and crossbones to lacy hearts. Their cost ranges from $2 to $7, depending on how many you receive and how large they are. Ribbon. Ribbon is a terrific way to add texture, dimension, and pizzaz to your page. You can purchase ribbon in spools or by the yard; many big-box craft stores carry tons of ribbon for $1 a yard. You can also purchase ribbon from fabric stores.

Taking Medicine While Bodybuilding - Info You Need to Know

Many people who enter the world of bodybuilding choose this field because it is practically designed for introverts. You come to the gym alone. You put in your time alone. You cook your meals alone. Much of what you do in bodybuilding is an individual effort. In other sports, you have the camaraderie that comes with practicing together every day. In bodybuilding, aside from a training partner or the people you see every day, you're on your own. For this reason, many people with social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsion disorder, or just plain shyness, are drawn to the field of bodybuilding.

As we age, we often find the world or medicine is able to help our bodies adjust to the stressors of age and society. One commonly prescribed medication to deal with the maladies mentioned above is Prozac, or fluoxetine. Prozac is a serotonin uptake regulator, which controls the body's level of serotonin. Many bodybuilders are prescribed this medication when their OCD, depression, or anxiety becomes too great. But how does it affect bodybuilders?

Physically

Bodybuilders who take Prozac may notice an immediate weight gain which continues for the first 2-3 months of use. They can gain up to 25 pounds. This is a result of their liver cycles being tied up with the Prozac and the body being unable to process fat as efficiently as before.

Mentally

You will certainly feel happier and more relaxed. If anxiety was keeping you from growing, that will end. However, if it was the nervous energy that motivated you to train, be prepared to suffer a lack of motivation. You'll have to work harder to get off the couch and go to the gym, but it will be worth it. The serotonin release that your brain normally delivers when lifting will be multiplied, since the Prozac delivers serotonin as well. You will feel great when you train!

Warnings

When taking Prozac, the body is not able to process compounds as efficiently as before. You will find that 1-2 drinks makes you feel quite intoxicated, even though you can normally handle much more with no problem. You will also respond quicker to medicine and yes, even anabolic steroids. Desired, as well as undesired side effects will be more intense when taking Prozac.

Prozac should only be taken under the direction of a doctor. Check out its side effects and see how they apply to your bodybuilding routine. It will improve many parts of your life, and shouldn't affect bodybuilding progress too much, as long as you are prepared for it.

Senior Apartment Sharing and VA Benefits

Seniors today have more to look forward to if they are willing to take advantage of options they have available to them. If you are willing to share an apartment with another friendly senior you could possibly save and live very comfortable with unbelievable services provided to you.

Veteran Assistant is another program that can be available to certain individuals that have been in the military or have had a spouse in the military. You can take advantage of these benefits and if you live share an apartment with another person your rent could possible be around $700.00 a month with wonderful services included.

I know it sounds very good but few people take advantage of this option. It is something a person has to apply for and few people do. As we get older we start to think of how we are going to spend out later years.

If you are like a number of people that will start drawing Social Security in the next few years it might not be enough to support a way of life you have become accustom to while working. Your SS may only be $900.00 dollars and this might be an option to live in the finest up to date retirement possible.

Keep in mind everything in included in your rent. When I say everything I am speaking of rent, dining, entertainment, socializing, fitness and other things, but your phones are your expense.

All this included gives you some money to get other things taken care of that might be extras you desire or you might still have some credit cards to pay off.

If you are interested in making your life easier as you age, then you owe it to yourself to look into senior apartment sharing and VA benefits. You, your parents, relatives or friends may be looking to conserve their savings. They might be trying to figure a way to make ends meet when they retire. Don't rule out options that can help you get more out of life.

It's Simple, Kinda

Have you ever had one of those days when you knew that getting out of bed was the biggest mistake you have ever made? Yesterday was one of those days for me.

My son is studying government in school, which in itself is not distressing. What is distressing is the fact that he arrived home from school yesterday and asked me to explain the Electoral College system to him.

I fear that the four hours it took to explain the basics has shortened my already depleted life span. Besides the fact that I was a heavy drinker, I smoke and consider salad to be an appetizer. I also think exercise is for people with no sense of humor. As you can see, I am not a candidate to live to be 200 years old.

Still, I needed to do my job as a father and try and make my son, who has trouble with "turn the light off when you leave the room" understand the system we use to elect our president.

The main problem people have with attempting to understand the Electoral College system is the fact that it was not meant to be understood. The men who conceived the system didn't even have a clue as to what they were doing, but it sounded good on paper, so they went with it. To prepare myself for the discussion, I went online and looked for the history of Electoral College. I found a twenty-page history of the election system which I was only able to access if I signed a waiver that held the author blameless if I were to experience spontaneous cranial explosion, the need to stick a fork in my brain, or the desire to run for political office. I decided to take my chances, but I hid all the forks.

It is possible, however unlikely, that you could read a history of the Electoral College system such as the one I found and come away with some sort of understanding. This was not the case with this report.

After reading all twenty pages, including the footnotes, I was more confused about our system of government than I was before having read it. The basic idea I ascertained, only after using a stapler on my tongue to restart my brain, was that the original framers of the Constitution not only thought that voters were cement heads, but also considered politicians to be crooks, much like themselves.

They feared that people would not vote for a candidate based on his specific platform, but instead vote for whoever held their short attention spans with promises of chickens in pots and so on. To quash all of their fears, they elected a committee whose job was to form a committee that would oversee a committee then report back to the committee about who should be on the committee. Once this was finished, half of them were dead (cranial explosion) and the other half came up with Electoral College.

The end result was each state was issued a certain number of Electoral votes. Today, states have between 3 and 55 electoral votes depending on population, average net worth of residents, and how many hotels offer discounts for extra-marital affairs with interns.

The electors vote the state's given amount of electoral votes depending on how the people of the state vote. The candidate who receives the most electoral votes wins the election and proceeds to the White House to accept blame for everything that is wrong with the world.

After I regaled my son with all of the inner workings of our government and election system, he stood up, went and got his mother, and informed her that either I had had a stroke or I was hitting the bottle again.

Credit Scores Are Not Universal

In other words, you could pull your credit score from all three credit bureaus and find that they not only don't match each other, they won't match the FICO score that your lender accesses. "This is becoming a real problem -- a lot of people simply don't know the difference between FICO scores and other scores," said Ginny Ferguson, co-owner of Heritage Valley Mortgage of California. "They think it's all the same."

Many borrowers meet the lender, only to find that their FICO scores are 50 to 100 points lower than the generic score found online. Credit scores are often referred to as FICO scores. This is actually a company, Fair Isaac Corp., which developed the scoring system used by the mortgage industry. FICO scores range from 300 to 850. The higher a borrower's score, the less of a risk they pose to the lender.

There are several different types of commercial scoring models available through the internet. However, most lenders will use only FICO scores to price their mortgages and loans. Many borrowers are surprised when they go to the lender with a generic score, to find the lender says their FICO is much lower. "The consumer assumes the broker did something to make their scores worse," said Ferguson. "And, of course, that is not the case."

Ferguson says that the typical FICO score is below that of the generic internet score. She says that despite what is found on the internet, the lender will go with the FICO reported by their source. Fair Isaac has started taking notice of the disparities. In it's own research, it found that FICO scores can be as much as 200 points lower than other scoring models.

Many credit scoring sites contain fine print that points out that the score is not "a FICO score." Others say that they are an example of how you could be viewed by a lender. Advisors say that keeping track of your credit score is an important aspect of financial management. Consumers should understand that most scores are just an estimate of where they are credit-wise.