Author Profile Page for: vsimeone

My brother lives in Alexandria, Virginia.  He works and plays throughout the District.  A couple years ago, he purchased the Toyota Prius.  He was thrilled when he received a tax incentive to do so but he was even more surprised at how quickly he fell in love with the car!  I have only ridden in it a couple of times but the back seat is surpisingly comfortable and roomy for ...

We purchased our home about six years ago.  It was a housing contractor's spec home so it did not have the highest quality of features nor did we get to pick any items.  We are happy with that decision but now that we have saved up some money, we are starting to make some of the changes that we have come to desire over the years.  One thing that we have been wanting for awhil...

I have been using Prell shampoo for over 20 years.  I have tried many other products, especially if I have a great coupon for something, but I always go back to Prell.  I visit a mid to high end hair salon to have my hair done.  I have been seeing the same stylist for just about 20 years.  When I first started going to her, she tried to sell me some high end shampoos - some ...

A couple of months ago, my credit union began offering a free online bill paying service.  At first, I was a bit skeptical.  I'm still getting used to doing so many financial transactions onlne but I've been a member of this credit union for about 15 years and trust them so I figured I'd give it a try.  I was shocked at how easy it was to set up my "payees" ...

Last summer, as part of my job, I purchased 30 of these computers to equip an elementary school computer lab.  This model of computer is not "top of the line" but they have served our students extremely well during this school year.  These computers are used each day - ALL day - by approximately 400 students in grades two, three and four.  The computers have withstood t...

I am involved with purchasing decisions for technology in our school district.  About two years ago, we started purchasing SMARTBoards for classrooms.  These interactive white boards require a projector for them to operate.  At first, we were using them with older projectors that were already in the district but we found that the lumens were not high enough and we were getting a ...

Each year, my family rents a house at the beach.  Traveling to the beach with two teenage/adult children in tow means bringing a LOT of STUFF!  Several years ago, we purchased a rooftop carrier to help with packing.  The first was an old, hard sided carrier that was heavy and hard to use.  Two years ago, we purchased the Axius Rooftop Cargo Carrier.  This unit is softsi...

I had several coupons and offers to acquire some Glade Wisp Flameless Candles for almost next to nothing.  Today, as I was getting ready to visit a friend in the hospital, I was going through a closet to put some lotion, lip balm and body spray in a bag.  I came across my Glade Wisp Flameless Candles.  I know how much I enjoy the one I use in my bathroom so I thought - this might...

My family recently purchased a Wii.  I haven't been much of a game person since Atari in the late 70's and even then I was never very good at Pong or Frogger.  I had heard all the hype about the Wii but was a bit skeptical.  Not any more!  This is one FUN game system!  Sounds rather weird to be talking about family relationships in a review about a video game co...

I am a coffee drinker.  What I mean by "coffee drinker" is that I drink A LOT of coffee!!!  Most days I drink 10 cups out of a 12 cup coffee maker.  I know all about the dangers of drinking too much caffine but what the experts DON'T tell you is how much danger my co-workers would be in if I DON'T drink that much caffine!  I've pretty much come to ...

My husband purchased my iPod Touch for me as a Christmas present.  I have used it EVERY DAY since receiving it!  At first, I was a bit skeptical.  I own an iPod Nano and that was all I wanted for a music player.  My mom purchased an iPhone and I fell in love with it but it is completely impractical for us to switch cellular carriers to AT&T right now for a number of reas...

I had fairly long hair my entire life until about 5 years ago.  At that time, I got it cut short and every time that I go to the stylist, it keeps getting shorter!  But I love my style.  It is so fast and easy and I really get a lot of compliments on it.  I'm getting up there in age so I need to watch what I do with my hair as to not be too trendy for my age but one thin...

I'm at home today and decided to bake Easter bread.  I got out my Kichen Aid mixer that I just got for Christmas.  Today is only the second time I've used it as I am not a very frequent cook or baker.  The first time was to mix a boxed cake mix.  I usually make Easter bread by hand because the old mixer that I used to have could not handle the dough.  The motor ...

I don't wear a suit for work so I really don't have much experience with them but last summer, I had an opportunity to interview for a new position in higher education and thought it would be appropriate to wear a suit.  Unfortunately, the only one that was in my closet was something out of the 80's with huge sholder pads and I really didn't think that would leave the impre...

We have had an interactive video conferencing unit at our school for about 8 years.  The first system was a Vtel and over the years it slowly but surely became less reliable.  This year we changed to a Polycomm unit.  I am in charge of facilitating distance learning with our students so I love the reliability of this new unit.  I also love the new "push to talk" mi...

My familiy is preparing to celebrate my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary over Memorial Day weekend.  This is such a rare occasion to have the opportunity to have a couple celebrate this many years of marriage that we are trying to make it a memorable event.  We have rented a local, historic movie theater.  It is run by the Lions' Club of which my husband is a member...

Each year, my girlfriend and I meet in Chicago for a "girls weekend out."  This year, we stayed in the All Suites, Omni Hotel on Michigan Ave.  Of course, the hotel is home of guests of the Oprah Winfrey show so it is on the "upscale" side.  We got a great rate through the Entertainment book so it didn't cost us much more to stay at the Omni than it d...

I first tried Sirius Satellite Radio about 3 years ago.  I became interested in it shortly after I purchased a new car in 2005 but of course, at that time, it was rare for cars to come equiped with a receiver so I purchased an after market car kit and rigged it into my car.  It actually works out quite nice as I took the ashtray out and it fits perfectly in that spot!  My fi...

I guess I don't technically own this item.  I do a lot of technology purchasing for the school district that I work for.  We have a 2nd grade teacher who is pregnant with twins and is in the hospital on VERY strict bedrest.  Last week, when visiting with her, she asked if it would be possible to use our video conferencing equipment for her to talk to her class.  I told h...

Each year I travel to Columbus for a State Conference at the Columbus Convention Center.  About four years ago, the Drury Hotel was built and joined to the convention center.  A group of us started staying there the first year that it opened and fell in love.  Each room is clean and spacious with a microwave, refrigerator, and coffee pot.  Free WiFi is also included in each ...