Beyond Know How

Is passion for pies, soft spots for soup, and loves for loaves enough for a professional culinary arts career?  Some would say that to be a true chef it requires a God given talent that can’t be taught in any school.  The other school of thought is that cooking is a series of skills that can be taught, researched and refined. 

I tend to lean to the side that schooling is very beneficial even for the naturally talented cooks out there.  Raw talent with refinement will always be wild or untamed.  You’ll get the occasional hit, but you’ll get a lot of madness in between.  Culinary schools can teach you to weed out the bad so you can really let your talent shine.  If your passionate about cooking you should consider a good school.

Tired of using bar clamps, biscuits, and waiting for glue to dry? Using the Kreg Jig K3 can solve your problem! This jig system has helped me assemble face frames more efficiently and improved the quality of my cabinet joints. Forget about using bar or pipe clamps and joining with biscuits, this method has seen its day and now has been retired to the archives and history books.  You will be surprised at how many  joining

Kreg Jig K3 Master System

situations can be adapted to take advantage of the capabilities of this pocket hole jig. From drawer box assembly to casework construction this portable jig will save you hours of labor, produce a quality joints, and provide a means to improve your cabinet making skills. It’s a superior method of joinery and I highly recommend you consider it if time and efficiency is of any concern.

If you have a passion for playing golf my guess is that you are out on the greens playing at every change you get during the spring, summer and fall season. Playing regularly is one of the best ways to improve your game and get a better handicap score. Only by training consistently and effortlessly will you become the best you can become and I am sure you know that already.

But the problem comes when it starts getting colder in the period from November to March. Depending on where you live you might experience a lot of frost and snow and weather condition can keep you from being able to play. So how can you keep your skill level up if you’re not able to play? The solution is golf training equipments such as a driving range simulator and an indoor artificial golf putting green.

Obviously, both of these installations can be quite costly and will often require a fair amount of space and that is why you might decide to visit some of the golf clubs that have these devices as part of the offering for members. You might also want to check out your local sports association if you can’t find a nearby golf clubs that offers indoor driving ranges and putting greens.

And believe it or not, in this age of high-tech computers, Internet, and all sorts of portable gadgets there still exists a culture of blacksmiths.  If it’s true, they’re all bunch of people that still have a lot of fun making things with their own hands and a set of tools.  The be quite honest, to make some pretty amazing stuff out of steel and iron.  While it’s true that not a lot of us ride around on horses and carriages, and the blacksmiths tissue are horses.  But, they do find a lot of work their ornamental, crafty and artistic metal items.  While it’s essential for the have the right tools to do their job, blacksmiths often forge their own tools.  A few hundred years ago, when this country was just being settled, the blacksmiths one of the most important professions around.  These are the guys that created all the tools and instruments of the other professions needed to get their jobs done.  They were very much essential to the well-being of the community and the economy.  Nowadays shopping online is a great place for blacksmiths defined in reals, forges, and all kinds of implements to ply their trade.  Blacksmith tools are still essential today even in our high-tech world.

photo credit: Asbestos Bill

I was at a football game the other day and I saw the coolest thing.  It looked like a lawn chair but it didn’t have any legs and it was attached to the bleacher bench.  It was great!  The entire outfit folded up to the size of a small briefcase.  When the guy who brought it walked in, he simply carried it in, unfolded it, and hooked it onto the bleachers.  It had a couple of hooks that latched it to the bench.   The back folded up and locked into the upright position.  It had a couple of straps to adjust the back to the exact position that you are most comfortable in.  It had a couple of arm rests and there was a cup holder in each one.  It even had several pockets and pouches.  I can’t wait to buy a couple of these bleacher chairs.

With today’s economy, sales for most video game systems are slowing down, but the Nintendo Wii is still selling quite strongly. With Nintendo’s new lower price for the Wii console, there are even more discounts available, especially when you buy online. If you’re looking for a way to save money on your system, For best prices on Wii, you can get the greatest discount when you buy Wii bundles. That way, you can get the exact games and accessories you want all in the same package.

Wii bundles are the solution to buying a total package that has everything you need and want. You’ll find excellent deals when buying a Wii bundle – it will come with the Wii console and multiple controllers along with the games and other accessories you want. By purchasing at a retail store, you will have to choose only what they carry in store. Plus, you’ll pay full retail price for each item – which means your total purchase could be over 30% higher than as part of a bundle.

Where do you buy a Wii bundle? Online auctions are the best place. You’ll find bundle deals with consoles with the games and accessories included, like Wii Sports, or Wii Fit balance board plus games to go with it – the only limit to what’s in your bundle is your imagination. With hundreds of sellers offering thousands of bundle deals, you can find exactly the right system and accessories, at a price well under what you’ll pay at your local big-box electronics stores or game shop.

Take a look through all the different the selections on auction sites like eBay. You can compare multiple prices, see what’s included in the bundle, and how much for shipping and return policies, before choosing the best deal. With so much variety, you can be pretty choosy. Plus, everyone wants to save today, right?

Here is just a tiny sample of the kinds of deals you’ll find on bundles online:

A console, 4 controllers, 4 nunchuks and 5 games, plus the Wii Fit board; A console and 2 controller/nunchuk sets, plus 3 games for younger kids; and a Wii Fit balance board, Mario Kart, more games for adults and kids, plus all 4 controllers and nunchuks.

You can nearly assemble the exact system you want to buy, because online sellers are more flexible than most brick and mortar retail stores. The list just goes on and on. In addition, prices for each individual piece will be lower, both because you are shopping online, plus you are “bundling” for better economy. When a retailer sells accessories, for example, you will pay at least 10% or more for each individual accessory you buy. When you buy everything in one package, you pocket the savings.

There’s no better time to buy a Wii bundle than now, while online sellers are getting more competitive, so pick your perfect Wii bundle now and save.

Of all the board game I play and have played in the past I believe Scrabble to be the best of all. It is educational and encourages use of the dictionary to look up valid words. It is great for developing young children with their spelling and improving their potential and their school grades. I do play other games like Monopoly, Chess, Snakes & Ladders and many different card games but I always return to Scrabble. Even old Scrabble sets are great fun. Letters can be missing but you can spell out your name and stick the letters to your bedroom door. You can make someone a birthday card with the letters spelling out your greeting. Imagine their delight to get a homemade card with a stuck on message. You might even be lucky enough to come across a very old set at a garage sale which could well include ‘real’ wooden tiles instead of the plastic tiles in sets nowadays.

You’ve been searching in YouTube like crazy, trying to find some real ghost footage. You’ve set up cameras and walked around with EMF meters in places that you think are haunted. You’ve even been frequenting cemeteries; encouraging spirits to come out and touch you. But all you’ve gotten for your trouble is wasted time and graveyard dirt on your shoes. You’re never going to get the ghosts to show themselves at this rate. So what can you do to have a successful ghost hunt?

There are plenty of methods to choose from. If you want the ghost to talk to you, introduce yourself and ask questions. Make it clear that you’re there to help them. Tell them that you know who they are and that you know something about them. Tell them something about yourself that they might be able to relate to.

If that doesn’t work, another way (although less recommended) is to antagonize them. Just like people, ghosts don’t like being treated badly and they may retaliate. Retaliation from a ghost could be a bad thing, so be careful how you go about this one.

Just remember that ghost used to be living people, and if they’re sentient then they probably still feel like people. So treat them like people and expect reactions that living beings might have. Just don’t act like I didn’t warn you.

Tarot  has seen a huge rise in popularity in recent years and the Rider Waite Tarot cards remain one of the most popular of all the available Tarot decks. Perhaps because they have been around for so long or more likely because of the simplicity of interpreting the symbolism of each of the images.

The images of the Rider Waite tarot cards were drawn by Pamela Colman Smith, but they were drawn according to the instruction of Arthur E Waite. The deck was first published in 1909 by the Rider company and hence named the Rider Waite deck. No reference was made to the artist, though the deck may sometimes be referred to as ‘Waite-Smith’; ‘Rider Waite Smith’; and ‘Waite-Colman Smith’.

Whatever name is given to this deck, it still remains one of the most popular of all the Tarot decks, especially among those who are just starting out to learn the Tarot. However, even experienced and professional Tarot readers are more than likely to still have and use a copy of the Rider Waite deck.

Because of their popularity, it is extremely easy to find books/CD’s/Guides on how to use the Rider Waite Tarot cards, and often at very competitive prices. This makes it even easier for those new to learning the Tarot to find the right kind of information they need to help them develop their skills quickly and easily.

The Rider Waite deck consists of 78 cards, made up of 22 Major Arcana cards, and 56 Minor Arcana cards. The Minor Arcana cards are divided into suits, just like a normal playing cards deck. These are named:

Cups – also referred to as Vessels. This suit is related to the element of water and ususally deals with emotions, relationships, romance and creativity.

Wands – also referred to as Batons. This suit is related to the element of fire and deals with work, travel, and negotiations.

Swords - also referred to as Spades. The suit of swords is related to the element of  Air and is associated with troubles, setbacks and surgery.

Pentacles – also referred to as Coins. Pentacles are linked to the element of Earth and deal with money, property and material possessions.

Court Cards are also part of the Minor Arcana and are made up of:

Pages – most closely associated with youth and innocence.

Knights – these suggest the entrance of new people and experiences into your life.

Queens – often symbolize women of power and are linked to such traits as nurturing and creativity.

Kings – father figures who represent mature male individuals. These cards are most likely to relate to traits such as leadership and authority.

The Rider Waite Tarot cards are ideal for anyone who is interested in reading the Tarot cards, whether for their own personal use or in a professional capacity. If you are just starting out on your own personal Tarot journey, you can download a free, printable set of Tarot cards, along with a short, but detailed guide to the Tarot from Rider Waite Tarot Cards.

Do you have stacks and stacks of boxes filled with pictures or film negatives? Ever wanted a way to add all these pictures to the collection on your computer from your digital camera? This is exactly what 35mm film scanners were made to do. A 35mm film scanner is a special piece of equipment that hooks up to your computer. Once connected, you place your pictures on the scanner and just like that all of your all pictures are safely stored on your computer.

These film scanners also work if you only have the negatives. In fact, there are several models that work best with negatives. You simply feed in the film strip and the scanner will automatically advance the film and scan each picture individually. Check out 35mm Film Scanner Guide to help you pick out the right scanner for you.