How to Act on a First Date

The key to a successful first date is to relax and just be the real you. If you try to act in a way that you think the other person will like, then they may start liking someone who you are not, and in the end you will wind up breaking up and getting hurt, so honest truly is the best policy, and in the end if you are just being you and it does not work you, you know they were not the one for you. Dating is like gambling at poker, sure a good bluff may win you a hand or two but you are not going to win the World Series of Poker by bluffing, only by playing the best you can. This is no different from dating if you make things up to try and impress this person they are not liking you but are liking the fake you and eventually they will see the two are no the same. Try to think back to the things you talked about when the both of you spoke on the phone and see if you learned anything that may help you decide where to go for your date, but if you do not have enough information about them to know what they may like you sometimes have to gamble and throw the dice, and hope you don’t crap out. The most important thing to do on a first date is to have a good time, the bigger a deal you make of it the harder it is going to be and the higher the chances of you making a jerk of yourself. If you are nervous before the date take a few minutes and take a few deep breaths and if this does not help then I recommend you do what I like to do in the casinos when my nerves are bothering me I simply have a drink. The alcohol in one drink will usually calm me down enough to concentrate. The key to having a nice first date is simple: Take her/ him to a nice place, quite but not too quiet, you should be able to hear each other but other distractions are also good for those uncomfortable moments. Do not take her/ him to a place where your friends hang out, this will make her/ him feel as if they are being ganged up on or they may feel out of place and resent you for making them feel that way. It is very important to have the whole night planned out already before the date and have a backup idea just incase. The tricky part is making it look like it was not all planned. Let's say you decide that you are going to take her for dinner, then after you want to take a walk on the beach do not just say hey after dinner let's take a walk on the beach. I would recommend you wait till after dinner and ask her if she wants to take a walk to burn off dinner and then take her to the beach. Then when you are on the beach take her/his hand while walking, this makes a physical connection between you and makes it easier later on when you go for your first kiss. Just remember that dating is a gambling sometimes you are going to get a bad hand and eventually if you play your cards right you will find the right person and win the jackpot.

Five Advantages to Professional Genealogy Research

We all want to know more about our ancestors and where we come from.  Learning more about family history is becoming a more popular goal.  But genealogical research can quickly go from a weekend hobby to a daily pastime to a full-time (albeit unpaid) job.  Relying on <b>professional genealogy research</b> is an attractive alternative to incomplete research or quitting your day job.  Here are the top ten advantages that professional genealogy research offers.

5. Speed

Professional genealogy research offers you the advantage of speed.  Using certified and trained genealogists to conduct your research allows you to take advantage of their years of previous experience.  Certified genealogists can apply their previous researching experience to increase their efficiency as they conduct your search.  Let their speed and efficiency work for you.

4. Training

<b>Trained genealogists</b> know where to begin and where to look to find the best and most pertinent information, instead of sifting through countless census, probate or other records in a fruitless search.  Years of training and experience mean that your professional genealogy researcher will know where to look, how to look and what to look for.  Family history research requires a knowledge of many different types of resources, from computerized records to microfilm to books, from censuses to probate records to correspondence indices.

3. Geographical Access

Although the Internet is a good resource for many records, some records have yet to be entered into computers.  Obtaining these records often includes sending letters and money to archives offices thousands of miles away.  When choosing a professional genealogy research service, look for one that is located close to a large resource, like the National Archives, or the Family History Library, each home to millions of documents.

2. Accuracy

If you've been involved in genealogy long enough, you've received conflicting information.  Perhaps an interview with your mother put your great-grandmother's birthday in June but the official record has it in February.  Or maybe your documents themselves disagree.  How can you tell which source is right?  Or perhaps your great-grandfather is John Smith and all you know is that he died in 1955.  How can you find the right John Smith?
    Trained genealogical researchers have already learned the ins and outs of analyzing conflicting sources and accurately identifying individuals in records.  Based on their training and experience, they can judge which date is more likely to be accurate or which John Smith is your ancestor.  It takes years of genealogical experience to assess source material, especially from documents that can't give a clear answer.  Professional genealogists have the experience necessary to ensure accuracy in their work.

1. Qualified Access

Many resources are highly sensitive or have restricted access.  Most archives have stringent rules for using their resources, including who may access what, how to access materials, what researchers can bring with them, and more.  Certified genealogists are familiar with these restrictions and have experience handling documents and researching in these settings.  Additionally, in those archives that limit access, professional genealogists are often granted access that other researchers might not be able to get.

Extend the Life of Books and Magazines

Promote reading in your community, reduce clutter around your home and your contribution of waste to the landfill, save a buck and benefit a charity while you are at it. Just how are you supposed to do all this? Well, it is actually quite simple. Go through your closets and bookshelves and look for all the used books and magazines that you no longer read. Families that have moved repeatedly know the curse of hoarding is best avoided if at all possible. Moving literally hundreds of pounds of them certainly prompted us to systematically read our books once each and then decide whether it was a "keeper" or not. Management of used books and magazines is a very environmental and community conscious thing for people to participate in. Extending the life of books and magazines is easily accomplished by taping the binding and edges of the covers. This repairs any damages, prevents wear and tear, and increases the value because it is nicer looking. There are many options for you to consider for used books and magazines: * Donating to any library is a good idea. Even well read publications are appreciated. If they do not make it to the library bookshelf, they will be sold in their annual fundraising book sale. There are many kinds of libraries to consider aside from public ones - including church libraries, retirement home libraries, coffee shops and mobile libraries. * Consider participating in Book Crossing (www.bookcrossing.com) - a charming way to encourage reading and create a connection with the community. This program requests that people register their used book, place an informative label on it and leave it at a common destination place (i.e. bus stop). Individuals that pick up the book visit the website and describe where they found it and where they decided to leave it for the next person to read. It can be quite interesting to see how far the book travels! * Operation Paperback (www.operationpaperback.org) accepts donated reading material for the military. * Trading in at the used bookstore is one of our favorite past-times. It feels good to support a local store that focuses on 'reuse'. The trouble is our shelf is filled once again when we return with bundles of 'new' books to read! * Get involved in exchange loops with friends, family or co-workers. By doing this, we have found ourselves exposed to all sorts of subjects and writing styles that we may not have picked up ourselves. * Using the Key Words "Book Swap" in a search engine reveals many places online where one can trade used books, including: - www.paperbackswap.com - www.titletrader.com - www.frugalreader.com - www.bookswap.com * Leave a box of books near your door for guests to riffle through and have their pick. This way you don’t have to remember to trot out the box when people are visiting. * Donate to any fund raising event held by schools, churches or non-profit groups. * Sell, or give away in a garage sale. We always offer free stuff when we have a garage sale. One day we set out a box of magazines, thinking we would be lucky to see half of them off. One of the first bargain hunters happily scooped up the entire box. She couldn’t believe her luck. * Many waiting rooms (doctor, lawyer, accountant and banking offices) and staff lunchrooms accept donated reading materials. * Consider hospitals - their patients have to do something healthier than staring at a TV. * A Local Literacy program. * Coffee shops are another great place to try. * Shelters for the poor or disadvantaged, Women's shelters and missions are other places to consider for your donations. There are a number of less-privileged areas (i.e. Africa) that are hungry for our used school and university books in particular. In keeping with this topic, using the key words ‘book donation’ in a search engine turns up pages of places to donate to. Here are a few of the sites: - www.asiahousinternational.org - www.sabre.org/books/bookorg/bkdn_toc.htm - www.loc.gov/rrr/amed/afs/alc/bkdncte.html - www.ala.org – lists contact information for organizations that distribute used books. - www.nationalbook.org/bookdonations.html – lists places that accept book donations

Finding the Right Birth Control

There are many different options for birth control, which gives different couples many different options depending on their needs and reasons.  There are many resources that go into great detail on this matter, planned parenthood being one of the most widely known, but here is a brief run down of many the options that active couples have.

1.    Abstinence: This is the decision not to have any sexual relations, period.  This arrangement can be for any amount of time, and is the only 100% guaranteed effective way of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.  The drawback is that it precludes sexual contact, period.
2.    Male Condoms: If the condoms are always used properly by the male partner, then the chances of a female getting pregnant after one year are approximately 2%.  While this is far from fool proof, it is a very viable option and also protects from a wide variety of STDs.  Thicker condoms are better than thin.  The main drawback is that a lot of partners think condoms take away from the feelings and sensations that make sex enjoyable.
3.    Female Condoms: This is a pouch with flexible rings that is inserted like a diaphragm.  The ring with the open end stays at the opening, and this works as a way to help prevent STDs and help prevent pregnancy.  These are not nearly as effective as male condoms, as almost 1 in 5 females using female condoms will become pregnant after one year of use.
4.    Diaphragms, Caps & Shields: These are different types of either latex or silicone barriers that are used to cover the women’s cervix.  Each of these methods requires spermicide cream or jelly.  These are used solely for preventing pregnancy, and will not stop any transmission of STDs.  The Diaphragm is more effective than the female condom, while the caps and shields are much less effective.  None of them compare with the condoms designed for males.
5.    Cycle Schedule: With a little study a woman can figure out the times of the month where she is far more likely to become pregnant than at any other time.  Once this is figured out, some couples will choose to be abstinent during the times of the months where the female is most likely to become pregnant.

These are all viable options, though aside from abstinence the best way to avoid an unwanted pregnancy is for the male partner to wear a condom.  As long as it is properly put on, the chances of breakage are low, but as with anything in a relationship, the partners have to agree on which method works best for them.

Even Addictive Games Promote Family Values

Title: Even Addictive Games Promote Family Values Word Count: 570 Summary: While moderation and self-control may be important considerations when playing video games and online games, I believe a case can be made that some addictive games promote family values. Keywords: addictive games, board games, puzzles, Games, kid's games, online games, video games, jigsaw puzzles, Article Body: There's been much debate about the effect that video games and online games have in the development of our children and even in the socialization of adults. Reams have been written about the ways in which video games isolate youngsters and encourage a sedentary lifestyle. Some argue that, when adults play video games and online games to the exclusion of other activities, they effectively distance themselves from others and put up emotional barriers. While moderation and self-control may be important considerations when playing video games and online games, I believe a case can be made that some addictive games promote family values. Some people grow up in "game" families, and others do not. I'm from a family of avid gamers - and this was long before the advent of video games and online games. Some of my first memories are of going with my parents to their friends' houses and sitting quietly while they played bridge all evening. My father worked in construction, and so was out of work during the winter. I fondly recall coming home from school and finding my mother, father, and my father's best friend sitting around the table playing cutthroat pinochle. As I grew older, I spent many weekends up at a mountain cabin, playing hearts with eight or ten other people until the wee hours of the morning. In our family, we didn't only play card games. We played every kind of game imaginable - board games, travel games, Mah Jong, outdoor games - you name it. I was the reigning backgammon champion in my college dorm. We also were voracious puzzle solvers. I preferred cryptograms and anacrostics, while my grandmother solved crossword puzzles in pen until she was 94 years old. And, yes, when the first Ataris came out, my mother bought one and we spent countless hours playing Pong and Donkey Kong. There's no question in my mind that the addictive games we played united our family and taught us important life lessons. The first lesson, of course, was don't cheat - and never play with cheaters. That has served me well in business. The second lesson was good sportsmanship: always play to win, but be gracious when you lose. That, too, has been an important life lesson. Even though I try my best, sometimes I don't come out on top. The third lesson was about the importance of thinking ahead and strategizing to reach your goals. The fourth lesson was about partnerships and teamwork. I had to learn to be a team player, and sometimes a former adversary would become an ally at a moment's notice. Most of all, though, our family's addictive game playing gave us an opportunity to be together, to have fun, and to laugh. We're all highly competitive, but at the end of the day, we're all friends. My son has inherited my love of games and puzzles. To be honest, I couldn't wait until he got old enough to start playing kid's games. Like many parents, I played Chutes and Ladders until my eyes crossed! He plays his video games - but we play a lot of them together. We also do jigsaw puzzles together and enjoy working in puzzle books and magazines. He even creates puzzle books for his classmates using the class' spelling words. So, while people turn up their noses at addictive games, I say that they can teach important life lessons and instill great family values. Play on!

Home-Improvement how to get it right?

Few people who have gone through a major home improvement project will tell you that the whole thing went smoothly and was finished on time and with no problems. There are just too many people involved and too many things that can go wrong. With a little advance preparation, though, hopefully you can avoid the worst home improvement nightmares. The first thing to do is to put someone in charge, otherwise you’ll end up doing it yourself – architects tend to be good at this, as once they’ve designed the improvement, they will have an idea of who is needed to make it happen. The next thing you need to do is absolutely vital: budget, budget, budget. It’s so easy to spend far more than you wanted to if you don’t work everything out in advance and set a limit that you won’t go over – a few extras here and there, and before you know it you can’t afford it any more. If possible, negotiate fixed prices with the builders, so that however long the project takes they will get paid the same amount. This will encourage them to finish quickly, and remove the risk of you getting stuck with a large bill. You might need to phone around for a while before you can find someone who will accept the deal on these terms, but as long as you’re offering a reasonable price, they are out there. Avoid hiring too many specialists, as you don’t need that many people working on a home project. Stick to more general professionals, who can call in people they know to do the parts that must be done by someone trained or registered in that area. Avoid hiring plumbers and electricians directly, for example, as they will just stretch out the work – leave it to the builder to bring in his own plumber or electrician instead.

Have you tried beds like the new style waterbeds?

Waterbeds are a very popular bedroom option because they provide such a gorgeous sleep and total rest for the entire slumber. Waterbeds are a revolution in sleeping because as soon as you lie on a waterbed you will notice a big difference from your normal bed. A waterbed feels a lot different from your traditional inner spring mattress style bed. In any event though, the waterbeds of today are not the wavy, sea sick style waterbeds that you might perceive them as. Waterbeds have changed for the better and are now a very popular bedding option. Today's waterbed is totally comfortable and completely shapes your body - structure and size - so that you get the optimum slumber. When you lie on a new modern day waterbed you will find it to be so comfortable that you will not want to move. It quite simply is far more luxurious than a standard inner spring bed. With the recent manufacture of "wave less" waterbeds in the bedding industry, people who take the bold step of purchasing a waterbed are now receiving a far improved level of sleep allowing them to have more energy and improved health on a daily basis. Bedding manufacturers have responded to the changing demands of consumers and their feedback has changed bedding options forever. Nights of tossing and turning are long gone. You should note that when you own a waterbed there is some maintenance that is required. However, once you have had a good nights sleep in the waterbed, you won't give the maintenance a second thought. There are a wide variety of parts and supplies that you can find over the Internet for your waterbed. When buying them over the Internet you can also generally find them at better then retail prices. Bedding stores online offer items such as waterbed heaters, drain fill kits, frames and headboards. Many of the parts and supplies that are available from online bedding supply stores can also be very useful to you, especially if you intend to install and maintain the waterbed yourself without professional assistance. But apart from the maintenance perspective you can also have fun decorating your waterbed to match in with you bedroom decor. You can purchase any number of quilts, throw cushions and towels from these specialty bedding suppliers. If you take care of your waterbed and conduct regular maintenance on it then your waterbed will be able to serve you for many years to come. The waterbed parts and supplies that you can purchase will assist you in doing this - ensuring years of sound sleeping.