Month: September 2012

Identity Theft Protection With Lifelock

On By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LifeLock Twitter for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

AmeliaIZEA | skitch.com

My very first experience with identity theft was when I had just turned 18 years old and went to get a job.  The interviewer asked me how long I have been in this country and asked me for my green card.  They did a credit check and that said that I wasn’t me.  I had to schedule a new interview where I had to bring my social security card as well as my birth certificate and my California ID card to prove that I was me.  That was in 1988.  I wrote about this experience in my book.

My second experience was in 2004 when I tried to get our utilities turned on with PG&E, they told me that I had to bring in my ID card and my social security card because according to their credit check, I wasn’t who I said I was again.  This time I asked and they told me the first name was Marsha.

Many years had gone by and I started seeing these commercials where a man was telling the world what his social security number was and daring people to steal it.  That company was LifeLock.  I decided that I did not want my prior experiences to happen again, so I signed up with Lifelock.  I only pay $10 a month and my name and social security number has never been safer.  I have been a member since January 2008.

As a member, Lifelock will send you a credit report every year and they will put restrictions in place so not even you can sign up for a credit card or buy a car without showing proof.  They will send you email and/or text alerts when someone is trying to use your credit.

Here are some interesting and alarming stats.  Households that make $100K per year have the highest fraud rate at 7.4%.  The average cost per person who loses their identity is $1,513.  11.6 million adults were victims of identity theft in 2011 and $18 billion dollars was lost.  6.6% are smart phone users, 6.8% are people who interact with apps in social media websites, 8.2% “checked in” on websites with their smart phone with GPS and 10.1% are LinkedIn users.

How hack-friendly is your password?  If you have a password that is only 6 characters without any symbols, a hacker will figure that password out in .000224 seconds, but if your password is 10 characters and uses a symbol (&%$#@), it could take them 20 days which gives you enough time to change your password every couple of weeks.  How safe do you feel now?  If they can figure out your email password and send emails on your behalf, imagine them stealing your bank account password and draining your account without you even knowing it.

If I were you, I would sign up with Lifelock today.  Check out their website and LifeLock on Twitter.  It’s nice knowing that my credit is safe.

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Dark Shadows: The Revival (1991)

On By Michel McDonaldIn TVLeave a comment

I have had this on my Hulu Queue since I saw Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp and I don’t know why it took me so long to watch it, but I finally finished it today.  There are only 12 episodes and it is totally worth watching.

According to IMDB, the original Dark Shadows had 1225 episodes, but Netflix is only showing 162 episodes.  I saw the first season which is 40 episodes, but haven’t seen the 2nd season yet because I kinda got bored with it.  I don’t know what made me decide to watch The Revival on Hulu, but I am glad I did because it was an awesome version of the story.

I don’t know if Dark Shadows The Revival is a condensed version of the original, but I really liked it.  I wouldn’t have minded if they had more than 12 episodes, but I think I was satisfied with what I got to see.  If it is just a condensed version, I can only imagine how much I missed from the original series that I will never get to see.

The best part of this series is we get to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a child who plays David Collins.  Also Pretender Jarod Michael T. Weiss plays Joe Haskell… without a shirt… yum yum gimme some!

I could go on about how I liked one more than the other, but who really cares what I think?  Just go watch it on Hulu before it expires on 1/2/2013.

My Blue 1.6ml Changeable Coil Clearomizer Came

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette, Vaping1 Comment

I am a very happy camper today because my blue 1.6ml Long Wick Changeable Coil Clearomizer came in the mail.  I was actually surprised at how fast it came, but thrilled that I can finally taste the e-liquids.

When I first bought my PV starter kit, all I had was 2 batteries, 2 atomizers and a few cartridges.  I had some 50/50 flavors from Zeus E-Juice which I could barely taste.  I was happy with the flavor that I was able to taste, and I tasted all of them, but just barely.  I wasn’t happy at all that I couldn’t taste them very well and at first I blamed it on the fact that I got 50/50 strength.  The PG is supposed to give you more flavor than the VG, so I just convinced myself that that was the problem, but now I’m starting to wonder if strength had anything to do with it.

I got the Clearomizer and immediately poured some of the 70/30 Banana Nut Bread flavor and let it soak into the wick for a few minutes before I vaped any of it.  When I did vape it, I tasted it immediately and every time I take a puff I taste it and I get vapor every time.  When I was using the atomizer, I was having to take many long slow drags to get any flavor, but with this clearomizer, I just took 1 short slow drag and I got immediate flavor.  Oh and the throat hit isn’t too strong with the 70/30.  I was told that 100% PG would be too strong and would actually burn which is why I ordered 70/30, but my next order is all 80/20’s.  I am very satisfied with the 70/30 and can’t wait for the 80/20.  I don’t want throat burn lol.

So here is my recommendation.  If you are going to buy an e-cigarette as a replacement to smoking, to quit smoking or to buy with no nicotine for flavor to help you quit snacking, go ahead and buy any eGo battery with the charger.  Don’t waste your time with the atomizer and cartridges, just buy an any color 1.6ml long wick changeable coil clearomizer.  You can buy the regular clearomizer for $5, or you could buy the changeable coil clearomizer for the same price.  You can buy the replacement coils for $2.49 each.  I prefer to change the coil for half the price.  And I read that these last a month, so if you buy 6 new coils, you have enough to last you for half a year.

Now I am going to enjoy my Banana Nut Bread flavor for the rest of the day.

Clearomizer for my eGo-T PV

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette, Vaping1 Comment

One of my atomizer’s for my personal vaping device (E-cigarette) died after 8 days of using it.  I was very lucky that they sent me two of them.  I think the reason it died so fast was because of how I was using it.  I wasn’t getting very much flavor out of my 50/50 e-liquids, so I was overheating the coils just trying to get any flavor.  Over time, I was getting less and less flavor, and the reason was because the atomizer was dying.  The more I overheated it, the more it was dying and the less flavor I was getting.  Also, nobody told me to add e-liquid to the atomizer itself, so I didn’t.  I added the e-liquid to the cartridge, but that was it.  Then someone asked me if I added e-liquid to the atomizer and I said no and they said well there you go.

I am using the other atomizer now, but it’s only a matter of time before that one dies too.  I decided to do some research to find out which is my best option and I found the Clearomizer.  It’s an atomizer that you can see through and you don’t need cartridges anymore with it.  It has a little atomizer inside of it that has a long wick which soaks all the e-liquid to the atomizer which keeps it moist and gives me all the flavor.  It’s actually a better system than the cartridges, I think.

The Clearomizer that I bought from Smoktek.com is called CE4 Changeable Coil Clearomizer for 510/eGo, flat tip, 2.1-2.4 ohm (not Vision).  I bought the blue one in the image above.  I didn’t buy any replacement coils because I could barely afford to buy the clearomizer itself, so when I get more money I will buy 5 replacement coils just so I have them on hand just in case.  I mean, if my atomizer died after 1 week, who knows how long these coils will last.  It’s just better to be safe than sorry.  I may even buy a backup clearomizer just in case I need it, or just in case I want to have a backup flavor that I can just switch to without having to empty the chamber.  Heck, I may even want a couple backups just in case.  They are so cheap that I can afford to have more.

So here is what I’m thinking.  If you are new to vaping, or you want to start vaping, go ahead and buy your starter kit, but then buy a clearomizer and some replacement coils.

Since Smoktek is in Florida, it may be a week before I get it since it takes a week to get the e-liquids from Zeus e-Juice who are also in Florida.  I can wait…

Homemade Dog Biscuits – Cleo’s Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

On By Michel McDonaldIn Pets, Recipes3 Comments

I just saw this on Facebook and had to share it.  This was posted on the Facebook page called The Barking Army.

My dog hates these biscuits from the store, she is a very picky dog, so I’m not even sure she will like these, but I will try it out and she what happens.  Of course I will have to find a smaller cookie cutter because she is a toy Chihuahua.  Also, she knows this shape to be the shape of the ones she hates, so it would have to be something else.

Stop giving your dogs crap from China that is killing our dogs!! Here is a Pumpkin Recipe that is healthy for them 🙂

Cleo’s Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 2 tablespoons dry milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 1/2 cups brown rice flour *
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

In large bowl, whisk together eggs and pumpkin to smooth. Stir in dry milk, sea salt, and dried parsley (if using, optional). Add brown rice flour gradually, combining with spatula or hands to form a stiff, dry dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface (can use the brown rice flour) and if dough is still rough, briefly knead and press to combine.

Roll dough between 1/4 – 1/2″ – depending on your dog’s chew preferences, – and use biscuit or other shape cutter to punch shapes, gathering and re-rolling scraps as you go. Place shapes on cookie sheet, no greasing or paper necessary. If desired, press fork pattern on biscuits before baking, a quick up-and-down movement with fork, lightly pressing down halfway through dough. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully turn biscuits over, then bake additional 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on rack before feeding to dog.

* Brown rice flour gives the biscuits crunch and promotes better dog digestion. Many dogs have touchy stomachs or allergies, and do not, like many people I know, tolerate wheat.

Makes up to 75 small (1″) biscuits or 50 medium biscuits.

Banana Nut Bread E-Liquid from Zeus E-Juice

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette, VapingLeave a comment

I am on a taste crusade to see if I can finally replace eating junk foods that I crave with vaping them instead. I have found the exact thing that has finally gotten me to stop snacking. It’s called Vaping, and this is one of my new favorite flavors to vape with.

Never in my life did I ever think that I would get the taste of banana nut bread, without actually eating banana nut bread, but here we are.  I bought this fabulous flavor from the Zeus E-Juice website in the Delicious Desserts category in a 5ML bottle for a mere $2.49, which is probably about the same amount of money that you would pay for the box at the grocery store to make actual banana nut bread.  The thing is, I have been vaping this flavor the whole day and I don’t feel the least bit guilty because it has absolutely no calories, sugar or guilt.

The amazing part of that is that I only used a few drops for the whole day.  I didn’t use the whole bottle, so there is plenty more where that came from.  In fact, you can’t even tell that I used any from looking at the bottle.  I can have more whenever I want to and I don’t have to keep baking and cleaning pans and plates and forks, and I don’t have to worry about spoilage.  I think that is the most awesome part about vaping to replace food cravings.

This whole experiment has been successful so far.  I haven’t been snacking at all lately.  I may look into the fridge every once in a while and I may take a swig from the milk, but then I come back to the room and take a few hits off of the PV with this wonderful flavor, and my cravings are gone.  I don’t even have the hunger pangs anymore.  I think that this might actually be making my stomach shrink because I haven’t been eating as much food.  I still haven’t lost any weight, but as I’ve said many times before, I can’t expect to lose any weight without proper diet and exercise.  This is not a diet tool, this is just an experiment to see if I can cheat the sweet tooth cravings so I don’t snack.  It seems to be working so far, but it has still only been a week and a half, so I’m not counting any chickens before they hatch just yet.

Tomorrow I will be vaping Demeter’s Harvest and I will blog about it later.

Oh, I feel I should put in a disclaimer.  I am not getting paid to blog for anyone, I am just very excited about this whole adventure that I am on and I want to share my experiences and my opinions on the matter of vaping for weight loss.  The e-liquids that I buy have absolutely no nicotine in them, so I have no risk of addiction and I advise anyone who is reading this to not buy any e-liquid or e-cigarettes with the intentions of getting addicted.  You must be 18 years or older to buy any products with nicotine in them.

Pumpkin Pie E-Liquid from Zeus E-Juice

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette, VapingLeave a comment

My newest batch of e-liquid came today from Zeus E-Juice.  I have Pumpkin Pie, Banana Nut Bread, Strawberry and Demeter’s Harvest.

I’ve been puffing on the Pumpkin Pie all day because that was the flavor that I’ve been craving most of all.  Of all the flavors that I have tried so far, this is my most favorite.  I love Pumpkin Pie a lot, no really, a LOT lol.

The other e-liquids I bought were 50% PG and 50% VG because I wasn’t sure which combination I should choose as a beginner, but that was a bad combination for me because I could barely taste the flavors at all.  I mean, I tasted it, but just not enough for me to tell what they were.  I ordered these new flavors in 70/30 so that I could actually taste the flavor because I read on the Zeus E-Juice website that the PG gives you more flavor than the VG, and I am finding that to be true.  The other flavors came in 70/30 as well, except for the Strawberry which I ordered in 100%PG so that I could mix it with the strawberry I already have in the 50/50 strength.  When I use up the ones that I can taste, then I will buy the ones I already have in 100% PG to mix so I can get the combination I want.  Although, when I do buy new flavors I think I will buy them in 80/20 so that I get even more flavor.

I’m not sure if I will ever get to the other flavors because I think I might get too addicted to the Pumpkin Pie lol.  Although I only have 5ML, so when that runs out I’m going to have to buy a 30ML bottle so that it lasts until the end of the holidays.  Speaking of the holidays, they also have Egg Nog, so when I do make my order for the 30ML bottle of Pumpkin Pie, I’m also going to order a 30ML bottle of Egg Nog, both in the 80/20 combination.  I’m going to go nuts with those 2 flavors lol.

My atomizers aren’t doing so great though because one of them stopped working.  I don’t know what the deal is, but I only had it for 8 days and it stopped working.  Those are supposed to last for 3 months.  It was sucking all of the e-liquid up and not giving me any of the benefit.  I’m going to buy some clearomizers which are totally different from an atomizer.  I won’t have to use cartridges, instead I will be able to see through the atomizer to see how much e-liquid I have and it has a long wick, so that should help.  I believe when the atomizer in it stops working, you can simply remove it and replace it.

So anyway, I am loving the Pumpkin Pie and I am so glad I found the right strength combination.  I can’t wait for the Clearomizer and the Egg Nog.  I’m going to buy 2 Clearomizers so that I can fill 1 with Egg Nog and 1 with Pumpkin Pie so I can switch between the 2 since I have 2 eGo-T batteries lol.  I will use the cartridges and the remaining atomizer I have for the other flavors lol.

My First Week of Vaping

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette, VapingLeave a comment

I bought my eGo-T e-cigarette, or as I like to call it, my personal vaping device (PVD), last month and got it about 8 days ago.

When I bought the flavors from Zeus Juice, I wasn’t sure what strength I would be happy with since I had never vaped before, so I chose to buy 50PG/50VG.  They smelled so wonderful, but once I finally got to taste them with my PVD, they didn’t taste nearly as good as they smelled because I could barely taste them at all.  Most people prefer the vegetable glycerin because they want more vapor, but I would rather have flavor over vapor, so I bought more e-liquid with less VG and more PG.  I actually bought 2 strengths, 100%PG and 70/30.  I will find out which is better when they finally arrive (hopefully on Monday) before I buy any more.

I am actually not quite sure if the fault is in the strength, or if the fault is in the PVD that I bought.  I saw a video on YouTube of a guy who said that the eGo-T was the worst.  Naturally it was the only one I could afford.  I can taste the flavor a little bit, but it does take a lot of puffing to get any flavor at all.  I am not going to judge the PVD or the flavor until I get the new e-juices in the mail.

Here are my findings so far in the 8 days that I have had my PVD and have been vaping.  Although, my study is really inconclusive until I get more flavor, but I do have to say that I haven’t been feeling as hungry as I normally do.  I am getting a little tiny bit of flavor, not as much as I had hoped, but it is something.  I am not sure if it is the ingredients in the e-liquid since there isn’t any nicotine (which is an appetite suppressant), or if it’s the flavor or the actual hand to mouth habit that is causing this lack of appetite.  I have gone from eating out of boredom, to only eating when I am hungry.

I haven’t actually lost any weight yet, but I can’t expect to lose anything without proper diet and exercise.  My eating habits have not really changed, besides less snacking, but only time will tell if it actually does help.  I will keep at it a bit longer to see if this is really even worth continuing.  For now I actually enjoy vaping.

The flavor that I mentioned earlier that is coming in 100% PG is the same flavor that I already have, Strawberry.  I chose to get that so that if the 70/30 mixture is strong enough, then I will mix the 50/50 strawberry with the 100% strawberry so I have a 75/25 mixture.  I have high hopes that I will find the right percentages so I can enjoy the flavors.  After all, I am only doing this to help suppress my sweet tooth so I don’t eat sweet foods.

One of the flavors that I mentioned that is coming in the 70/30 mixture is Pumpkin Pie.  That is one of the flavors that I am really looking forward to vaping because I just love pumpkin pie.  I bought the small 5ML bottle so that I can test out the strength, so when I discover what strength I do prefer, I will buy a 30ML bottle to last me for a very long time.  I will be enjoying this flavor from now (tomorrow hopefully) until the end of Christmas.

I am especially looking forward to the Egg Nog flavor.  Again, when I discover the strength that I am happy with, I will be buying a 30ML bottle of the Egg Nog to last me until the end of the holidays.  I might even have to buy more after that just in case they stop making it so I will have enough to last me at least until June LOL.  What can I say, I am very addicted to the flavor.

I will keep posting updates on the flavors when I get them.

New York Soda Ban Approved

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

I recently read an article on the Huffington Post website that sparked something in me, and I have something to say about it.

New York Soda Ban Approved: Board Of Health OKs Limiting Sale Of Large-Sized, Sugary Drinks – Huffington Post

I think, and this is just my opinion, if they are going to be banning things that make you fat, they might as well ban it all. You can’t tell someone they can have 16oz Coke but not a 20oz coke and be ok with them eating a super size french fry and a Big Mac. You can’t just set the limits on one thing and not everything else. If they are going to ban drink sizes, then they might as well ban portion sizes too and make all adults have a kid’s meal. And while they’re at it, they might as well ban 2 liter bottles, Twinkies, cupcakes, and ice cream from the grocery store.

“The limits will not apply to drinks sold in grocery stores, diet sodas, drinks that are more than 70-percent fruit juice, or that contain alcohol.”

The article compares banning drink sizes to banning cigarette smoking in public places.  The problem is that they are forcing people to quit smoking, and now those people are getting fat, so now it is big government who is stepping in once again to take more control over our lives. Well, not our, I live in California, but it starts in New York and where does it end? This is just the spark that will spread like wild-fire throughout the country and next thing I know, I’m not allowed to buy a 32oz diet coke for $1 in the summertime anymore.  I know the limits are not on diet sodas, but how is it fair to limit sodas with sugar, and not diet soda?  The other customers will see me with a 32oz cup and think it’s unfair and then they will end up banning diet coke too.

And yes, I know a little something about getting fat from quitting smoking. They banned smoking in public places in California in the 90’s and I quit smoking in 1996. My reason wasn’t because of the ban in public places, but it was because they were raising the price of cigarettes to force people to quit. I eventually did quit when I was so disgusted by the horrible taste of the generic cigarettes. I gained 50lbs almost immediately and have gained another 50 since then which has led to sleep apnea and diabetes. Losing weight is not easy when you don’t have the money to pay for the expensive diet food and gym memberships. I am too heavy for my bike now and have back and knee problems, so exercising isn’t as easy as it used to be.

And yes I have heard it all.  If you’re fat, just quit eating.  Sure smart ass.  It’s so easy for people to tell me that because they aren’t fat.  They have no idea how hard it is to lose weight.  It takes 10 seconds to eat a cupcake, but the fat from that cupcake will stay with me forever.

I think if the government is going to step in and start telling people what they can and cannot drink and eat, they need to make it easier for people to lose weight by bringing down the high cost of the healthy foods, and stop making it so easy to get fat.  Get rid of the dollar menu on the unhealthy foods and allow us fat people who are trying to lose weight eat healthy foods.  Make the veggie burgers less expensive at the grocery store, help bring the cost of vegetables down and all the other health foods.  Make it easier on us instead of just banning things.

Children do the opposite of what they are told, so if you tell us “adults” that we can’t have more than 16oz, we’re just gonna buy 2 to spite you.  That you can count on.

Appetite Control with Vaping?

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette, Vaping2 Comments

I am still very new to the world of vaping, but I am enjoying the benefits from it.  The e-liquid that I order doesn’t have any nicotine, which has been known to be an appetite suppressant which is why I was so skinny until I quit smoking in 1996.  Or is that all a bunch of hooey?  Yes I said hooey.

I have been vaping every day since I got my PV (Personal Vaporizer, that’s what I’m calling it, deal with it) and I have noticed a drop in my appetite.  Normally when I get a craving for something sweet, I will go to the kitchen and eat something, just for the taste.  But since I’ve been vaping sweet flavors, I haven’t been doing that.  Instead of eating because I wanted a sweet taste in my mouth, I only eat when my stomach says it wants food.  You know the old saying, “Eat to Live, Don’t Live to Eat.”  Well, it’s true.

When I bought my e-liquid, I bought all of the flavors in 50/50 which is 50% Propylene Glycol and 50% Vegetable Glycerin.  Zeus eJuice says that is the best of both worlds, but I’m not sure if it’s the best thing for me given the fact that I barely taste any flavor in the e-liquid.

I bought 2 new flavors, Pumpkin Pie and Banana Nut Bread in 70/30 so I will get more flavor than I do now.  I want to experiment with strengths.  If the 70/30 is still not enough flavor, then next time I will buy 80/20.  I also bought one of the flavors I have in my e-liquid box, Strawberry, but I ordered it with 100% PG so I could see if the 100% is better for me or not.  If it’s too strong then I will mix it with the 50/50 Strawberry that I currently have so I can still use it.  It will end up being 75/25.

I will get those new flavors on Friday (according to the USPS tracking) so I will blog my findings then.  Until I get the new flavors, I have been vaping the Zeus Juice flavor because I want to use up most of the flavors that I have so I don’t have to buy them again and mix them with new strengths.  I don’t want to have to keep buying the flavors I already have because I want to keep trying new flavors.  They have more than 150 flavors available, so I don’t want to be bogged down by 8 flavors that I have to keep mixing.

The Zeus Juice flavor is really good.  Even though the bottle is a 50/50 mixture, I have discovered a technique to vaping that allows me to get the most of the flavor of the e-liquid.  When I first began vaping, I was taking short fast puffs, which gave me absolutely no flavor.  But I was just doing it the way I smoked when I was a smoker.  My friend whose husband owns Zeus E-Juice told me to take slower drags which actually worked.  But, the problem there was that when you take slower drags, you are keeping the PV on for too long which can burn the e-liquid.  So what I like to do is take slow drags, but let go of the button after 3 seconds, then take another slow drag for 3 seconds while the vapor from the first drag comes out of my nose.  I keep doing that about 5 or 6 times and I get a lot of flavor. Now I realize when I get the new flavors with the new strengths, that technique might not work and I will have to decide on another technique, but we will see how it goes.  This works for me now.  The only problem is, the atomizer gets really hot, so I have to stop using it for a minute or two until it cools down.

I bought a little box from Michael’s to store all of my vaping supplies in so they don’t get dusty, but every time I grabbed the box to open it, some of the bottles would fall down.  I thought of a way to keep them all standing up and have the cartridges all organized at the same time.  I used plastic canvas for this idea.  It was kinda fun to make.

I think I did a great job.  At first I thought about using cardboard, but then I remembered that I had plastic canvas, so I used that.  It was easier because with cardboard I would need a ruler, you never need a ruler with plastic canvas.  This project actually took me half an hour, but it was worth every minute spent.

I will blog again on Friday when I get more e-liquid and have tried out the new strength’s and flavors.

Image Credits: I made the image with the cloud and eGo-T e-cigarette in Gimp with clouds from Obsidian Dawn.  The cloud was to represent the vapor in the e-cigarette.

Update: Please read my post called “Vaping and Weight Loss” for my latest discovery.  Hint, it doesn’t work…