Monica Kochelee

One of the things I enjoy doing for “cheap entertainment” is going to whatever trade show happens to be taking place in a nearby town or city.  It really doesn’t matter what the subject is for the most part because I enjoy getting out of the house and learning about different products that are available out in the market.  One the most enjoyable parts of going to a trade show is looking at all of the beautiful trade show and store displays that are set up throughout the buildings that the show is in.

I like to walk around from one booth to another, admiring the many different beautiful display setups that are there.  Since my own parents are involved in going to trade shows to promote their business, I like to strike up conversations with the vendors and ask them questions about their displays.  It seems that the ones that I always think are outstanding in terms of beauty and quality were bought by the vendors from a company called Gilbert displays, so I am going to have to let my parents know to check them out the next time they are considering revamping their own trade show display booth!

A long time ago I noticed that my hubby’s alarm clock was broken.  What was broken about it is that it has a battery backup, but the little pad that connected the battery was ripped away from the wires, and even though I tried to repair it I just did not have the right tools (or knowledge) on how to fix it.  I know I could have bought a replacement pad at Radio Shack for a couple of dollars, but I really didn’t think I could figure out how to replace it.  I asked my hubby if I bought the replacement pad, would HE replace it, and he said no he would not.  So for over two years now every time we would have a power “blip” or failure, his alarm clock did not work at all, and we would have to reset it when the power came back on.

 Normally that would not be that big a deal, but it seems that this spring/summer we have had severe thunderstorms every day, and every day we lose power for at least a “blip” that means we have to reset that darn thing again!  This has been the case for about the last three weeks now, and I’m getting tired of resetting that thing every single day!

So the next time I got shopping I’m going to spring for a new one!

The publishers of Stuff - a leading magazine dedicated to reviewing gadgets - have created a website that is also dedicated to reviewing gadgets.  So now everyone that is interested in learning more about the existing, or upcoming gadgets out there in the world of commerce has a place to turn when they want to learn more about them.  They cover just about everything you can imagine in the gadgetry world, leaning heavily on the electronics such as digital cameras, cell phones, televisions, and computers (just to name a few!)

The website has lots of different sections that you can go to.  My two favorite links on the website are the Top Tens and the Reviews pages.  In addition to those links, it has blogs, news, videos, and it has forums.  It even has contests to win prizes; the only hitch is that you have to register as a user of the website.  That’s shouldn’t be a problem, registration is free!

Last time I went to the grocery store, I had to buy laundry detergent.  I’m trying harder every week to save money everywhere I can save it!  This week I found that Purex concentrated liquid laundry detergent was $1.50 cheaper than the All Small and Mighty concentrated detergent that I had bought the last time I had to buy liquid laundry detergent.  I’ve never tried Purex before; I don’t know how clean it will get my clothes.  But my hubby has just started bringing company supplied work uniforms home that his company’s uniform service cleans, so that is going to create a HUGE difference in how much laundry I have to do in the first place, and how dirty the laundry is that I have to do in the second place.  So, I decided to give it a try.  I’ll let you know how I like it in a couple of weeks!

My oldest son wants to be a reporter, and he has the credentials and skills to do that.  I don’t understand why he is having such a tough time landing a reporter job!  We see ads on the Internet, and in the local papers and he replies to the ads, and he never even gets an interview!  The process is very frustrating to both of us because I want him to have a job, ANY job, and he won’t take ANY job.  He will take a reporter job or stay unemployed.  Period.  He has gotten so discouraged that I think he has stopped looking, which is not a good thing!

My sister suggested that I look on an employment website called The Career Network to find out if there are any reporter jobs in our area currently being advertised.  And if I found any, then I could show the openings to my son and he could apply for them.  The website is very easy to use, when you type in the URL http://careernetworkjobs.com/ you are taken to a simple page where you type in the job title you want to look for and the location that you want to work.  So I typed in “reporter” and ”Virginia” and came up with no results at all.  Very discouraging!

Just to test the website’s functionality then I typed in ”receptionist” and “Virginia” and came up with lots of job openings, so it appears that the website works.  So, what can I say, I am discouraged that my son is having such a hard time landing the job of his dreams!