Computer Stress

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slowly for about 30 seconds. Close your eyes if you wish but don't don't strain. circles 10 times clockwise. Relax then do the same rotating your Try taking mini-breaks at your keyboard every 5 minutes or so. facing and at right angles to your arms. Make 10 SMALL circles with just sheer job repetition and figuring out how to do things online- just sheer job repetition and figuring out how to do things online- Gently and gradually exercise your PC stress away, and you'll achieve Stress comes from all sides these days, in home and workplace. malfunctioning programs, slow downloads, irritating emails or 9/ Exercise your legs by walking away from your PC at least once an hour. 5/ Exercise your elbows. Move your arms to the front, rest the tips each hand, clockwise and anticlockwise. malfunctioning programs, slow downloads, irritating emails or facing and at right angles to your arms. Make 10 SMALL circles with

Managing Computer Stress

Managing Computer Stress Managing Computer Stress by Easy Exercise- 10 Tips 10/ Exercise your whole body by healthy living away from the computer. don't strain. 1/ Exercise your eyes by looking away from your PC, and focussing on fall asleep! 10/ Exercise your whole body by healthy living away from the computer. distant objects. Dont look at any one object too long, a few seconds distant objects. Dont look at any one object too long, a few seconds the right a few times. Don't strain.

Cedar Chests Keep Traditions Alive Kathy Moran What�s more important than our personal treasures? Having the right kinds of boxes for storing them, of course. Throughout the ages, every society has placed great emphasis and value on boxes that were made from stone, wood, marble, gold, silver, copper, steel, porcelain, crystal, and many other materials. These boxes have been made in all sizes, from prayer boxes that were small enough to be worn as necklaces, to cedar chests and trunks that were large enough to be used for storing household goods. They have been carved, etched, engraved, inscribed, and decorated with beads, jewels, shells, pearls, and symbols of every description. Many of these boxes have been � and still are � the focal points of holiday, family, religious, and secular traditions. There�s no denying the importance of boxes. Sometimes, we spend as much time choosing the perfect box for someone�s present as we did in selecting the gift itself; sometimes, the box is the gift. In this category, one of the most popular has always been the cedar chest; and, as everyone knows, it has a long tradition of its own. In days gone by, it was commonly known as a �hope chest,� and was customarily given to young women who would use it to accumulate linens, blankets, napery, towels, quilts, and other items that they would need for their households when they got married. No longer associated with that practice, the cedar chest is more popular than ever. Today, it�s cherished by people of all ages � and both sexes � for its beauty and durability, as well as its innate ability to repel insects and resist decay. This traditional chest also helps keep traditions alive, by keeping family heirlooms, photographs, Grandma�s quilt, precious holiday ornaments, special linens, laces, and tablecloths, and other keepsakes, perfectly preserved � and smelling great. Besides its ability to keep things in pristine condition, the cedar chest is a stunning, elegant piece of furniture that will complement any d�cor, while bringing an air of coziness and warmth to any room. For these reasons, and many more, it makes an ideal holiday, housewarming, wedding, birthday, shower, or anniversary gift for anyone. At CedarStore.com, you�ll find the finest in hand-crafted, heirloom-quality cedar chests, in traditional and contemporary designs, including stunning steamer trunks accented with brass-plated hardware and genuine leather straps. CedarStore.com also has magnificent oak and cherry chests, available in several resplendent shades of stain, and double-coated with lacquer, for a gleaming, durable finish. For smaller gifts that are just as precious, browse their fantastic selection of jewelry boxes and armoires, silverware chests, quilt racks, and other home accents. In styles from rustic to refined, a cedar chest from CedarStore.com will be the start of a new tradition that will last for generations to come. For more information, or to speak with one of their professional consultants, call 888-293-2339, or e-mail contact@cedarstore.com.

things you must know to keep your lawn in the best shape

Basic lawn care knowledge: things you must know to keep your lawn in the best shape. Timothy Eisden

Great lawn maintenance can be a tough job, but there are a few simple things you can do on a regular basis to avoid having to rescue a "lawn gone bad". By then the work you'll have to put in is on a far major scale...

For managing your lawn in the best possible way, these are the main things to consider. For example, it really helps to scarify for weed control. Not only that, scarifying stimulates and fortifies lawn growth, of course in combination with proper feeding. Worm control is very important, because nothing attracts weed seeds more than worm casts. Utilizing a good fertilizer acts directly against weed growth and really helps your grass to be much stronger and healthier.

I know of people that only feed their lawn once a year. I say only, because that is not enough for the great lawn maintenance you want. It's essential that your lawn receives it's spring feed. When buying your fertilizer for the spring feed, make sure it has nitrogen in it along with phosphates and potash. A summer feed, if you got a lawn that looks bit tired, should be performed by applying a proprietary lawn care tonic or a fertilizer that's rich in nitrogen. It's recommended that your fall lawn feed include most of all potash and phosphates.

Watering your lawn once a week should be enough, unless it's remarkably hot. You could rely on the weather (rain) to do the watering for you, but when spring ends and summertime kicks in, your lawn experiences dry periods. You can easily spot when that happens; the grass color changes from beautiful green to brown-ish. Almost everybody know this, but I will mention it just in case: Always water your lawn early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when it's cooler. If you have a rotary sprinkler, even better.

Finally, proper mowing of your lawn is really important, but you already knew that, right?

Well, you would be amazed of how many people out there go about mowing their lawn all wrong. Your lawn should be mowed regularly, because that's what keeps a "field of grass" looking attractive. Make sure your blades are sharp, and not set to low. The following lengths are usually applied: For grass that's a little more coarse, a 1 inch length can be maintained.

Finer grass can be mowed to a 15 mm to 20 mm length. Operate the mower in one constant direction and at a smooth pace, with not back and forth movement. It's also recommended that you mow your lawn when the grass is dry, that way you won't have to deal so much with the mower clogging.

Good lawn maintenance requires a lot more detail, but these are the basics you should know to get started.

For more info and gardening tips please visit The Lawn Maintenance Blog and The Landscaping Ideas Blog.

A Waste of Packaged Gold Lucien Beauley

As we drove by the plush residential homes, some recently covered with a fresh coating of paint and with the variously landscaped yards displaying their beautiful spired shrubs, flowering gardens and well watered green lawns, it could not be helped but to notice the evenly placed lawn bags filled to the brim with yard waste, just waiting to be carried away by the scheduled garbage pickup. So much labor must have gone into neatly and carefully packing each one of them so they wouldn't be torn open by a stiff twig or two. Each fall and spring a similar scene is reenacted by most of us who seasonally do our traditional yard cleanup.

Having been a fairly devout organic gardener in the 1980's and traditionally would save every bit of waste clippings from our yard that would then go into a 4x4 foot by 4 feet high loosely constructed wooden bin for later processing and churning into a fine mulch, it was difficult to see virtually truckloads of "Organic Gold Plant Food" just waiting to be carted away to some landfill, or just possibly be used for fuel in some local utility supplier's furnace. It is beyond my understanding how this "fuel" for plants can be placed on the discard list.

With this fresh on my mind, I recollect a book written by Ruth Stout, an avid gardener, who appropriately called her book..."The No Work Garden" which showed how she only used bales of hay in the 1950's and earlier to build her garden, spread the hay in the fall and after being well compressed through the winter, she would then simply place the vegetable seed into a small clump of soil at the proper planting time, pressed it firmly and watered to get the seed to germinate. Thereafter, her garden was never watered again.

She did this year after year ...for thirty years. The soil was perfectly PH level balanced and so were all the required nutrients to sustain all the plants. Sounds like the perfect scenario, but this example is only to show what can be done with most of anyone's yard refuse...if properly processed.

Now, to step back to my 4-foot cube of diverse organic refuse and having filled the bin to about the 3/4 mark by eye, placing a shovelful of topsoil in between 3-4 inch layers of the material, we simply add worms, which can be purchased at a local farm store, or mail ordered through a garden supplier. Usually, they come in a few hundred in quantity and are newborns, but you can also use local worms, picked from decayed leaf. Once placed in your compost bin and watered occasionally, they will quickly multiply and digest the organic material aerating your compost in the process. This process is carried out...automatically without energy expended on anyone's part, except for the original placement of the material and bin construction. After 3 or 4 weeks, given proper rainfall and a little watering, your "pot of gold" should be ready to use. Then, simply place a handful of this composted material in a small hole 6 inches deep, for pre-started tomato plants several inches tall, where you plan to plant your vegetable garden. Pack some of this compost mixed with some topsoil around the sides and also dress around the top of each plant. Given the proper rain, sunshine and warmth, your tomatoes will give you a very early harvest, mainly because you did not discard the "hidden gold".

Spiritual Gardening Bob Makransky

The time when humankind decided to move from silent knowledge to reason was the same time it moved from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Agriculture was not undertaken because big game had died off, or any such reason, but rather because humanity wanted to experiment with thinking, social organization, etc. The human and grain gods made a deal at that point to help each other out. A similar deal was struck with e.g. the bovine god. Cows, in return for the loss of a certain measure of freedom (reduction to the status of property, having their children taken away from them, etc.), received in return freedom from random predators and the condition of something to be protected and defended by some pretty intense little monkey-like creatures.

Similarly, the way back to silent knowledge is through hunting. However it is possible to apply much silent knowledge to the practice of agriculture � hence these lessons.

Q: How should I control insects and diseases in my garden?

A: Put three pieces of copal (or any acrid incense, such as patchouli) in your censer, and waft the smoke towards each infected plant as you walk down the row. At the same time, ask the afflicting agent to please leave your plants alone because you need them. You should feel as though the incense smoke is carrying your thought towards the plants. It�s a good idea to leave a plant or two (maybe the one or ones at the end of each row, so you remember) for the insects or disease. Don�t waft incense at these plants. Tell the insects or disease that these plants are for them. Be nice about it. Be sincere. Mean what you say. Say it out loud.

Frankincense (or any light, happy incense such as sandalwood) is used to prevent disease and insect infestations (where copal is used to cure infected plants). Waft the incense towards each plant in turn, sending that plant the wish that it will grow well and be fruitful. It is best to be naked when you do this (or any gardening), simply because that is the most joyous way of doing it. This means gardening at night, in the moonlight, so the neighbors won�t see you.

Q: Will this method work for anyone?

A: It will work for anyone who believes in it and means what they are telling the animals or plants. Actually, the incense is completely unnecessary. That�s just for you, to help you pay attention to what you�re doing and give you the sense that you�re doing something �magical�. It�s the thoughts and desires that you have and express that are the gist of the matter.

Q: What do I do about gophers?

A: Dig out the gophers� burrow and put a trap in it, to trap one gopher. It must be a trap which catches the gopher alive and unhurt. Take the captured gopher to a cage in a dark, protected place, and give it food and water every day. Talk to it gently when you bring its food and water. Tell it you won�t hurt it � in fact, you�ll let it go � but it must take a message back to its brothers.

Keep this up (talking gently to the gopher when you feed it) until you have gained its trust. This doesn�t mean friendship or petting it, but rather until it knows it has nothing to fear from you. How long this takes will depend upon you and the gopher. When you sense that it is calm (unthreatened) in your presence, tell it that it and all its brother gophers must leave your garden and orchard. Appoint some other place on your land where you don�t care if there are gophers, and tell the captured gopher that it and its fellows must move to this other place. If you want to sweeten the deal, promise that you�ll plant sweet potatoes or beets at this other place just for them. If you do make a promise like this, you must keep it.

Then, after repeating this message to the captured gopher for some days (until you feel it has �understood�), release the gopher back into its tunnel, bidding it to take this message to its fellows.

This same method will work for cutter ants. Stand over their trail while they are working (it won�t work if they can�t hear you), and ask them to please find food in some other direction, as you need these trees yourself. Be polite. One such treatment should be enough. If it isn�t, repeat the next day, but ask them why they didn�t obey you the first time. Write down their answer as you are writing this (by automatic writing). You may have to work out some sort of compromise or make a deal with them.

Q: What about planting our own bananas?

A: Bananas are your angels. Anything coming from them is love � love � love, from the tenderness of young leaves to happy, humorous browning splotched leaves, to the spongey, thick, soggy stems. And the tall, older leaves. They all fully participate in love. Of all plants, these will give and receive love more than any other. Their blessings come down with a gentle, steady flow of love droplets.

This is why you must always have bananas growing close to wherever you live (preferably fruiting, not ornamental, varieties). If you ever go North at least grow one as a pot plant. There is no greater gift you can give to those in the North than these plants.

Q: What about Biodynamic techniques?

A: Yes. Steiner�s techniques as enunciated in his lectures on agriculture are excellent. He was a genius, and in touch with the spirit keepers of agricultural knowledge (as were also the founders of Findhorn). However, Steiner�s techniques are no more valid than the ones we are channeling to you; they are merely more detailed, more specific, and more complex. A professional farmer would do well following Steiner. And anyone who elects to use Steiner�s methods would do better making the formulations themselves rather than buying them ready-made. The important thing is to put one�s own, personal vibration into the soil and plants. Stirring plain water � joyously � for hours and then spraying it on the soil or plants is better than using store-bought formulations and not stirring long enough, or stirring without a joyous heart. Everything you do in agriculture should be done with joy, or else you are better off not doing it at all. Fortunately agriculture is innately a joyous occupation, so this isn�t hard to do.

Q: Steiner had a lot of wacky techniques for dealing with weeds, insects, and disease; but even Pfeiffer and his other followers admit they don�t work. Why not?

A: Because they doubt they�d work. It is your (and Pfeiffer�s) doubt that keeps these techniques from working. If you had no doubt whatsoever that they�d work, they�d work.

That�s the only reason your rationalist / materialistic world �works� � that when you turn on a TV, it turns on � is because you believe it. If you believed in these techniques with the same certainty that you believe turning a key in an ignition will start a car, then they would work.

Q: How should I graft?

A: As usual. However, fill the censer with frankincense (or sandalwood). Cense the tree from which the scions are to be taken. Tell it that you are sorry to hurt it, but that the twigs you are taking will become new little trees. Ask if this is okay.

Cense the scions with the wish that they take and prosper. Cense the rootstocks and apologize for hurting them, and tell them they will be getting new �heads� which are more productive, and that they will soon be living in the actual earth. If you feel that a particular scion or rootstock objects, then don�t graft that one. It wouldn�t take anyway. Then graft as usual, but as you do each graft talk to the stock and scion and wish them well, that they may join and prosper and be fruitful.

After grafting, run your hand gently up the rootstock and scion, and as you do so visualize in your mind�s eye the graft taking and healing, the tree growing from a sapling to a young tree to a mature tree; and as your hand passes above the top of the scion, look up and see the mature tree full of fruit.

Then bend down and kiss the graft, with the wish that it will take and the tree prosper. Do this with true love and good feeling. And then commend the tree to the earth.

(excerpted from Bob Makransky�s book Magical Living)

More of Bob Makransky�s articles are posted at: http://www.dearbrutus.com. To subscribe to Bob Makransky�s free monthly Astro-Magical e-zine, send an e-mail to: MagicalAlmanac-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your Five Acres Nan Russell |

It was the third time in as many weeks he'd asked to see me. Once again sitting across the desk, Jeff was expressing distress at something. This time he was upset that Lydia was making more money than he was. Last week he was unhappy with the hours Joe wasn't putting in, leaving at five when he was often stuck past six. The week before, he registered a complaint about the way work assignments were handed out by his supervisor. As my mother would say, "Same song, thirtieth verse."

Jeff's focus was on everything but his own work. He fixated on the latest rumors, viewed work policies as unfair, kept track of what was happening down the hall and fretted over what others might be getting that he wasn't. Worrying what was happening in someone else's work-acres, his own were filled with uncultivated opportunities and backlogged projects. In the process, he was sabotaging any chance of his own winning at working.

In twenty years of management I've met too many Jeffs. People focused on everyone except themselves. They fritter time away trying to straighten out others, rather than deliver results. They complain, blame others and point fingers. They believe the world owes them a living, others are out to get them and nothing goes their way. You can recognize them by their victim mind-set and frequent anthem, "It's not fair."

They're right. Work-life isn't fair, but then, what is? Does fair mean equal pay increases and work assignments? What people offer to the workplace isn't equal, so how would it be "fair" if rewards were? Unbiased? Well, we all have biases and life happens to be subjective. Just? If just means one gets what's merited, then for people like Jeff, the workplace is pretty just. They get back what they give, which is not much. That doesn't mean the issues they raise are not valid, at times. But like Chicken Little, frequent complainers are tuned out.

If Jeff focused attention on his own five acres, putting his energy into personal performance, he'd significantly impact his results and his rewards. He'd also impact his credibility and ability to be heard. In the words of novelist Aldous Huxley, "There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self."

People who are winning at working are too busy producing results to track what others may or may not be doing. They're focused on their five work-acres, fertilizing them with new ideas, skills and challenges. They plant positive thought-seeds that yield high harvests and personal motivation. And when they consistently produce results in their corner of the universe, they help others do the same. Want to be winning at working? Make your five acres exceptional. Then don't be surprised when you get more or better acres to tend.

(c) 2006 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Nan's free biweekly eColumn at http://www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. She has held leadership positions in Human Resource Development, Communication, Marketing and line Management. Nan has a B.A. from Stanford University and M.A. from the University of Michigan. Currently working on her first book, Winning at Working: 10 Lessons Shared, Nan is a columnist, writer and speaker. Visit http://www.nanrussell.com or contact Nan at info@nanrussell.com.

Book Review: Fired! Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized, & Dismissed Jeff Beck Almost everyone has been fired from a job, and just about everyone has a story to go along with it. Annabelle Gurwitch, the actor and screen writer, decided to capitalize on this fact by compiling and editing a collection of humorous "down-sizing" stories in her book Fired! Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized & Dismissed. After being fired by the media icon (and consequently her idol) Woody Allen, Annabelle decided to take her story to the publishers- along with several other tales from well known actors and media personal, including Bill Maher, Tim Allen, Tate Donovan (actor and director in The O.C.), Harry Shearer (actor in This is Spinal Tap), Dana Gould (writer for The Simpsons), Bob Saget and more. The book is divided into five chapters: The Job So Terrible You Can Only Hope to Be Fired, The Firing You Didn't See Coming, The Time You Deserved to be Fired, The Time Getting Fired Leads You to Something Better, and The Time You Had to Fire Yourself. Each chapter is as witty as the last, and will keep you reading and laughing through till the next. And with over a dozen "tales of the canned" in each chapter, you will have plenty of laughing to enjoy. Many of the true stories found in this book are so funny, they will have you laughing out loud. The story of Paul Feig (director of Arrested Development and The Office) losing his Ronald McDonald gig because of a magical comparison between a rubber chicken and Chicken McNuggets he made to a group of school kids while wearing the clown suit will probably remain with me for the rest of my life. In another favorite story, Jeff Garlin (actor in Curb Your Enthusiasm) explains how he was fired for throwing a bowl of Fruity-Pebbles at a hotel wall... and all just because they stuck. Larry Charles (writer for Senifeld) reminds us that Taxi companies should never offer employment to a teen-age kid who has just acquired his license that very day; wrecking his cab before he even got it out of the parking lot. Stories like these are worth the price of this book alone. To round each story off, the book also includes "Fired Facts": brief and amusing factoids about being fired, and the workplace in general. For example: "Increased risk of heart attack faced by employer firing an employee in the week after wielding the ax: 100%". What a great way to end your career - with your former boss in the hospital! While Fired! Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized & Dismissed is entertaining (being fired with the line "Take that hanger off your head, you idiot!" may be the best thing that has ever happened to me), it completely fails to connect with the reader. Each story falls into one of two major camps: meaningless high school jobs that no one regrets losing, and glamorous Hollywood jobs that, while interesting, are entirely foreign to the average reader. In the introduction to this book, Annabelle Gurwitch concludes "So you were fired. Welcome to the club. We've been waiting for you." However, this book fails to present any "club" you or I are ever likely to be a member of. While almost anyone can related with being fired from a job, the stories in this book are quite different from any workplace axing I have experienced. And unless you have felt the horror of losing a job because your character was shot in the last episode, you will probably be unable to relate as well. If you are looking for a light, entertaining read to get you through the work week, I would recommend Fired! Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized & Dismissed. Though the book will probably not help you reminisce about jobs long past, that may be for the best. What better way to forget about your own "down-sizing" experiences that to hear the stories of a celebrity with their head on the chopping block. --- Jeff Beck is an entrepreneur and founder of several notable companies, including the Book Price Comparison website CompareBook.com. As a student of the world around him, Jeff seeks understanding through history and reasoning. Visit CompareBook.com to read reviews, find similar titles, and search for the lowest possible price for Fired! Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized & Dismissed and other great books.