My Favorite Blank

Bees are very busy this time of year getting their hives stored back up with lots of honey. They build up their supply during the winter and when spring arrives they are ready to work and build it back up. All of the work that bees does and Mother Nature her self, does cause a lot of problems for humans. Those that suffer from hayfever or have allergies from all the different types of pollen in the air, can find some comfort from the bee’s honey.

The honey that is made in your local area by bees is a great way to build up an immunity to the pollen that is in your area. If you do not know of a local beekeeper in your area, be sure to check with the local produce stands around and see if they are in contact with a local beekeeper. Beekeepers will sell their honey to the produce and fruit stands and this is a very effective way to combat the problems that spring time pollen causes. Any honey would be better than no honey, but try to find local honey for the best results.

The 3 “C”s is what I’m sure a lot of people keep their eye on all the time or work their whole life for. I’m talking about Credit Concerns for Consumers and it varies for each person and the actual concerns they have about their credit. I’m sure the couple looking for a new home or a teenager looking to buy their first car will have concerns about their credit scores. A good credit score can mean a lower price for a big purchase like a home or automobile and having a good credit score means that you will be able to finance a big purchase like that. Other people might just have concerns about their credit, because they have worked their whole lives to keep it spotless and they don’t want someone out there getting their personal information that could damage their credit scores. So concerns about credit scores come in many different ways and it is important that you have a good credit score.

If you’re one of the ones that worry about someone using your credit score for their own selfish needs, you might want to get with the folks from lifelock. They will help protect your good name and your credit score. The Federal Trade Commission reports that 36% of their complaints is due to identity theft and this tops the list of all other complaints. I think a lot of people are victims from personal information they have online with several different companies. If you have your personal information scattered in various places online, you might want to get LifeLock on your side to prevent identity theft. You will be able to rest much easier at night and when you need to go to buy something that requires a credit check, you know you will be protected by LifeLock.

It wasn’t a pretty sight on Sunday Night to see the men in green walk all over the Atlanta Hawks. The bad thing is the Hawks have a very talented staff, but due to the short term vision of coaches and owners, the Atlanta Hawks have done won their championship. The team was so set on making the playoffs this year, since they didn’t have a number 1 draft pick in this year’s NBA draft and that short term focus will cause the Hawks to fall further back from the elite teams in the NBA. The GM Billy Knight wanted to fire head coach Mike Woodson and that would have been the right move and to keep the team in Atlanta growing. The owners stopped this and thought it would be too much of a distraction. So the short term focus and the ability not to put the best 5 players on the court makes being a Hawks fan hard.

I don’t expect much difference tonight in Boston and Joe Johnson is the cancer on the team. The head coach gives him the playing time to cause this and Mike Woodson might have a championship ring, but was making regular season moves in the biggest basketball game the state of Georgia has seen in 9 years. You can’t promote Joe Johnson with words and playing time. Joe has to go out there and be good enough to prove he is a leader and a star in this league. Joe Johnson has been given the keys and hasn’t drove this team anywhere. It’s the same way the Atlanta Hawks set up a website for Al Horford and trying to promote him as the rookie of the year in the NBA. I think Al’s basketball game should do that and putting up a website for him, shows you just exactly the short term vision the coaches and owners have here in Atlanta. The Atlanta Hawks have one of the most talented bunch in the NBA, but most people will never see that due to the lack of focus on winning an NBA title. The Atlanta Hawks put all their resources into making the playoffs this year and they have won their championship, but will never bring home the real NBA title that the rest of Hawks Nation wants.

Sit Joe Johnson in game 2 more and give Josh Smith playing time. Josh Smith is the one that has carried this team to the playoffs and Joe Johnson is just a player that gets the chance to succeed every night and only comes through 1 out of every 5 basketball games. The Atlanta Hawks can beat the Boston Celtics, but not with Joe Johnson getting 40+ minutes a game. Mike Woodson’s philosphy on riding guys that have been to playoffs is weak; when you have players on the team better and would be much more productive on the floor.

Your shutdown defense starters for game 2 in Boston:

PG Josh Childress

SG Mario West

SF Josh Smith

PF Al Horford

C ZaZa Pachulia

Marvin Williams dead aim mid range stroke and the ability of Bibby, Joe Johnson and Salim Stoudamire to knock down the 3; would be an excellent group to bring off the bench and score on the 2nd string of the Celtics. Let’s put our defense in and shut those guys down!

I guess the times have changed a lot and today we see men wearing things that were once just for women. I have no jewelry I currently wear regularly now, but I have worn a necklace and watch at times every day. I think those are fine along with the wedding bands and rings that men wear. I just never thought men would find the desire to wear earrings. I think that should remain a ladies thing and if the men really want one bad enough, maybe go with some clip on earrings and not actually punch a hole through your ear lobe. I know I have a lot of old fashion beliefs and I am a sports fan and realize just how many men do wear earrings these days. I have never wanted an earring or a tattoo on me and really don’t have problems with the men that might like a tattoo. I just don’t understand the grown men out there wearing earrings and I’m sure after a few more generations pass and the kids growing up now, will never remember the days of where women were the only ones wearing earrings.

At my house we often leave the carport light on all night. The bulb doesn’t stay illuminated all night, because we have motion sensor lights on our carport. So if someone drives up the driveway at night, the motion will cause the lights to come on and they can see to get out of their cars. It’s really great and saves electricity, but if the weather is windy outside it can cause small limbs or leaves to set the lights off frequently. Once the lights are triggered they will usually stay on for 4 or 5 minutes.

Now one thing that always gets me is when the cats set it off. We don’t own any cats but have several neighborhood cats that like to frequent our yard at night. So the cats will go by our carport and cause the lights to come on. It always startles me when I get up in the middle of the night and see it dark out there and suddenly the motion detector picks up one of those cats and causes the lights to come on. I guess as much as it startles me, would be the same way it would work for a burglar too. So having motion lights outside isn’t a bad way to set up a security system for your home too!

I have recently taken an interest in real estate and homes that are selling online. I was wondering if it’s cheaper to look for new homes online or to get out there and do the leg work your self. It didn’t take me long to see that Ebay is the place most people go to find buyers for their homes and properties. Also people looking to purchase land or a home will eventually make their way to Ebay and see what deals they can find.

Ebay is the most popular place online that people all around the world use everyday to find all sorts of products and services. I’m just curious to how many of these homes and real estate properties actually sell via Ebay. If you have ever had real estate or a home that you put on the auction block at Ebay; then please share your story with me. Let me know if you had any luck using the services of Ebay to sell your real estate properties. I would also like to know how many bids were placed on your item and any serious contacts that you might have made using Ebay.

It’s a general rule of thumb that the best way to sell anything is to put your item in front of the most people as possible. If you can do that and find out which one in the crowd is willing to pay the most, there is a good chance you will have the greatest reward. That is how auctions are done all the time in small communities all over the world. Online auctions are just as popular and since you’re online, you have the chance to sell your item to someone that might not even live in your community.

I have never sold anything online, but I have made purchases from online auction websites and I have been happy with the deals I have found. I mostly buy sports cards and the majority of purchases have been made at Ebay and the sports collectibles that are sold on Ebay each day. Baseball card collectors will enjoy browsing through the baseball cards at Ebay and you can find just about anything you want. I have also looked around for movies that were hard to buy in stores and found some places online that I could buy those hard to find movies. If you have been searching for a movie and just hadn’t had any luck, try using an online auction website for movies and you should see someone that has your movie.

I think Ebay having a real estate section is great for people that have to move due to job relocation, want to move closer to family and friends or perhaps just want to move to a area that is more desirable for your family. You can search for properties in your desired areas and see what real estate is out there for sale online.

Please be sure to share your stories if you have put your home on Ebay or another online auction source and what type of buzz it generated. If you have been looking for a new home online, just how satisfied are you with the results so far? I think people do a good job about posting how big the home is, how many bedrooms, bathrooms and just how much land comes with the home for sale. I look forward to reading your responses!

For those that like to go hiking on the weekends or maybe going fishing from time to time, will want some comfortable clothes to wear; I have seen some good pants that I think are perfect for outdoor activities. BDU Pants are not only stylish, but is perfect for the people that like to spend time outdoors. These pants are designed for military use and many countries use them for that purpose. I think these type of pants would be great for people that want to look good, but are very active outdoors. I see hikers all the time with clothing that is similar and you see people wearing khakis a lot of times outdoors, but these pants look like they were designed better for the people that exert a lot of energy outside. So if you’re in the market for some outdoor apparel, see if these BDU Pants fit your style!

I got an email from a friend today and it showed two cell phones cooking an egg. They placed each phone about 5 inches a part and had an egg between the two as a phone connection was made. It had different time periods for when the egg was getting hot and so on. It took 65 minutes and the egg was cooked! I couldn’t believe that. I wonder just how safe our cell or mobile phones are. If two phones like that can cook an egg in 65 minutes, what damage are we doing to our brains?

I have always had concerns for microwave ovens and cell phones and if any health related issues could result from using the two. I don’t talk on a cell phone much, but for those people that spend hours each day on their phones, might really being some serious damage to their brains. I’m not sure what this could cause or what might be a solution for the problem, but people might want to limit their cell phone usage to as little as possible. I’m sure in the next 10 to 20 years we will know a lot more about the hazards of cell phones, but until that time, try to use your cell phones wisely. They are great for emergency purposes and everyone should have one. I just don’t know if talking on them constantly is good or if people should take away the phones in their households and replace them with cell phones, like so many are now doing. 

I seem to have a pretty steady routine these days. I wake up in the morning and roll out of bed and to the computer I come. I spend all day and most of the night at it and then back to bed. That’s pretty much the way my life goes 7 days a week and this pattern has really become an addiction. I might have to see if one of those addiction treatment facilities would have help for someone like me. It’s good to have a routine, but breaking away every now and then is good. Getting addicted to anything for too long can cause health problems and stress related issues, so I do need to plan some time away from the computer in the near future. I work from the computer so this is like my everyday job, since the pay rate isn’t that great, I have to spend much more time than the usual 8 hours a day and 5 days a week routine that most people have. I guess it’s the life I choose for now, until I can start earning more money for my online ventures. Please be sure to share your daily routines and what a typical week might be like for you Monday through Friday.

It’s starting to get fun as I work my way to the best rock ballad of all time. I get to name the 6th best rock ballad right now.

6th Best Rock Ballad

The top 6th rock ballad I have on my countdown is GNR with Patience. The GNR is better known as Guns N’ Roses and they are considered by many the best rock band of all time. When you factor in all the great songs that this band has done over the years, it’s hard to argue that this band isn’t the greatest of all time. You would be hard-pressed to find another rock band or any band under any genre of music that could boast about having as many quality songs as GNR has done. If your doing any top 10 list for rock songs or in this case rock ballads, you just about have to include the band Guns N’ Roses.

The song Patience by Guns N’ Roses appears on their album G N’ R Lies and was first released as a single. While Axl Rose might be the main guy for the band, this song was written by the rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin. The hotel in which the video was shot at was not in operation and just days after the shooting of this video, the building was demolished. Axl is the only original member left in the band Guns N’ Roses and it was almost if the end of this video was foreshadowing to the future, as you see Axl Rose all alone and watching old videos of the band. Patience is a great song and deserves rock ballad recognition at number 6 on my countdown of the top 10 rock ballads of all time.

So now I reached the midway point of my top 10 countdown, you can back through and see the the 10th best, 9th best, 8th best, 7th best rock ballads of all time and the 6th best rock ballad of all time was Patience by Guns N’ Roses. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen your favorite rock ballad yet, the best is yet to come! The countdown from here will showcase the top 5 rock ballads of all time and they are by far the pick of the litter, when your talking about the best ballads ever in rock n’ roll music. So sit back and relax; keep your eyes open to see which rock ballad will be next on the list at number 5.

I have had experience with a few different networks and most people don’t get the chance to say that, because it can be a little costly at times. If you get a new Juniper Network, Foundry Network, Extreme Network, Riverstone Network or any of the popular names like that, it’s not too cheap. Now a good way to get a network with a brand name is to look for refurbished networks. I’m sure many have heard of Cisco before and some of the refurbished products from Cisco are as good as a brand new one. Please be sure to share your stories if you have ever bought a used cisco or anyone of the other popular networks that you might have got that wasn’t brand new. You will find in most cases your product will work just as good as if it were a new network system that you had purchased.

I have recently started taking some different types of herbs and maybe it’s just in my mind, but I do feel a little better these days. I have read or heard many stories about how different types of herbs and antioxidants have help people to feel better. I haven’t done anything else to help with the process either. I’m sure by having a good diet and exercising properly would do a lot more good in the way I feel each day. I still feel young, but I’m sure as I age, changing my diet and getting some exercise equipment will help make this good feeling last. Something as simple as high blood pressure can really effect the way you feel each day and no one should be feeling bad all the time. If you have more bad days than good ones, see if herbs, a change in diet and be a little more active might help. Also it’s a good idea to check with your doctor to make sure there isn’t an underlying medical condition that you’re suffering from, like high blood pressure.

People do post property and homes for sale at Ebay. Many might not be aware of this, but you can find almost anything at Ebay. The real estate section seems to have a lot of activity at Ebay, so this must be a win, win situation for the buyers and sellers at Ebay. If your looking for a new home or land in your area, check with Ebay and see what listings might be there. If you own property or trying to sell a house, consider using an Ebay as a tool to help you find the right buyer.

Ebay makes things real simple for buyers and sellers to get together and come up with a price that both parties are willing to live with. Be sure to let me know of any questions or concerns with homes or real estate for sale at Ebay and I will try to help you find the answers you’re searching for.

I see one nice home for sale that is located in Virginia. If you live near the Brownstown, Virginia area and need a new home, see if the one listed on Ebay is right for you. The home I am referring to is the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah Valley Home and the price as advertised is $439,999. You can see a mini slide show for this home and you can see different shots of the yard and inside the home. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, the home sits on 3 acres of land and for the price I see as advertised, it looks like a fair price for this beautiful home in the mountains. If you’re looking to get away from the city and have a home with a nice yard and surrounded by woods, this home that is for sale in Brownstown, Virginia might just be perfect!

*If you have a home on Ebay or just looking to sale, please be sure to email me at: owlholler@hotmail.com and have “Ebay Real Estate” as the subject in the email. Maybe I can create extra exposure for your home or real estate online.

It’s getting close to see the best horses in the world compete in the Kentucky Derby soon. I have yet to pick a winner for this event, but I keep on trying. I really feel good this year and I hope to break my winless streak. The most exciting 2 minutes in sports is just around the corner and I can’t wait to see who is in the field for this year’s race. I will let ya know who I think the winner will be and help you make your pick for the Derby this year. Since I have never won before, you will know the horse I will be placing my bets on will not win. So it will help you narrow the field down for which horse you would like to see win in the Kentucky Derby. I will also be having an exciting contest with prizes for those folks that get lucky and pick the winner of the next Kentucky Derby; so stay tuned for that in the comming days.

It looks like our days of staying warm will soon be taken care by Mother Nature and we won’t need the services of a wood heater, fireplace or gas heaters that we use in my household. At my house we use to just have one gas heater and a fireplace to stay warm during those cold days of winter. We have now replaced our old gas heater and turned our fireplace into a gas unit that has those gas logs that some of you might have seen before. The fake logs look real and will have flames shooting around them, just like a real fireplace would. The best part is that you don’t have to cut firewood or tote it in the house that causes a mess with all the pieces of wood and bark that find their way all through the house. So if you’re tired of all the wood cutting and the mess associated with it, using the gas logs is a great replacement and you still have the feeling of having a fireplace in your home.

I know with the days warming up now, your probably thinking why is he talking about fireplaces and gas heaters? Well as a rule of thumb and a person that likes to save money, I like to buy things out of season. I have found by doing this you can really save a lot of money. It’s like going to the store the day after Halloween and seeing all the candy half price. Stores will stock up on their candy supplies before Halloween and often find their supply is too much on November 1st and they will reduce the price on most; if not all of their candy items. I love to fish and buying my fishing supplies in the fall time of the year has really saved me some money. So in general you would figure most would be buying their gas heaters for their homes right before winter and if you know now that you will need a new one, you might want to consider picking up one now. It might be hard to spend money on something for the future like that, but you will be glad you did when the days turn cooler and you need your new heater!

Hello cousin! Well once again it’s that time of year for us. I can remember back when this was just a contest between the two of us and we exchanged draft selections by email. We have come a long ways and now we are two people that exchange our picks by blog! This does give other Atlanta Falcon Fans a chance to chime in and pick their own picks for the 2008 NFL Draft this year. So if your a Falcons Fan and would like to get in on this too, feel free to throw out your picks as well.

The William Andrews Draft Contest is simple and will last until the Atlanta Falcons actually play their first regular season game. You heard right, this draft lasts much longer than the 2 day event the NFL holds every year and I will explain why. First off, in honor of one of the greatest Falcon players of all time, we give William Andrews the honor of sponsoring this special contest by cousins. We pay tribute to him and the number of picks each cousin (or Falcons fan) gets is 31. The 31 comes from the jersey number of William Andrews when he was giving NFL defenses nightmares.

So the first rule is that you get to pick 31 players that will be eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft. What you’re trying to do is pick out the same players the Atlanta Falcons will be drafting in this year’s April 2008 Draft. If you have a player on your list of 31 selections and the Atlanta Falcons draft that player, then you earn credit. It’s ok if some other team drafts the player and the Falcons make a draft day trade to get him; you will still get credit. That will work vice versa as well, so if the Falcons draft someone and then trade him on draft day, you still earn credit. Also, as a bonus feature you will get credit for any player the Atlanta Falcons pick up after the 2008 NFL Draft. So if anyone of your 31 picks for the Atlanta Falcons ever is on the team between day 1 of draft day or the 4th preseason game of the year, you will earn credit! It’s real simple and all you need is 31 guys on your list and your all set! Be sure that you just don’t pick the top 31 players and you do add in some lower tier players, because a 5th round pick that matches a player on your list is the same equal value if you select who the Falcons take 3rd overall.

So if the cousins are ready and all the Falcon Fans that might be reading this right now is ready, I will list my 31 picks for this year’s William Andrews Draft Contest for the Atlanta Falcons.

1. Matt Ryan - Boston College

2. Chris Long - Virginia

3. Phillip Merling - Clemson

4. Andre Woodson - Kentucky

5. Malcolm Kelly - Oklahoma

6. Jerod Mayo - Tennessee

7. Patrick Lee - Auburn

8. Dan Connor - Penn State

9. Andre Caldwell - Florida

10. Tony Hills - Texas

11. Chris Johnson - East Carolina

12. Oneil Cousins - Texas El Paso

13. D.J. Hall - Alabama

14. Jordy Nelson - Kansas State

15. Reggie Smith - Oklahoma

16. DeMarrio Pressley - North Carolina State

17. Craig Seltz - LSU

18. Jermichael Finley - Texas

19. Philip Wheeler - Georgia Tech YellowJackets

20. Jacob Tamme - Kentucky

21. Earl Bennett - Purdue

22. Adam Kraus - Michigan

23. Tyrell Johnson - Arkansas

24. Calais Campbell - Miami

25. Kelin Johnson - Georgia Bulldogs

26. Lionell Singleton - Florida International

27. Arman Shields - Richmond

28. Dennis Dixon - Oregon

29. Kendall Langford - Hampton

30. Andrew Crummey - Maryland

31. De’cody Fagg - Florida State

So there are my 31 picks for this year’s Cousins Draft Contest sponsored by William Andrews. Get your picks in now and sit back and watch Chris Berman tell us who the Falcons picked up in the 2008 NFL Draft that can be seen live on ESPN.

I think our cars are probably the most important thing we use everyday. People back in the olden days never got to see half of the things we get to today and this is mainly due to the speed of travel we are at now. Our cars get us to work each day and allow us to go pick up things we need in order to survive. Cars are not cheap and you do have to pay for car insurance when you own one, but the convenience they give us each day, makes cars the best invention ever. I think television and radio are very important and the things you can do with computers today, make owning a computer a necessity. I guess you don’t really have to buy a car or own a computer in this world, but when you have these two modern inventions, it sure does make life easier.

As a kid I would love to get out in the yard and wait for the sun to go down and start catching lightning bugs. I would collect as many as I could and put them in a jar. I would take them inside and turn off all the lights in my room and watch them glow or during the day I would go to a closet and watch their glows from the darkness of my closet. I’m sure many kids love to watch and catch lightning bugs as I did when I was young.

Now that I’m older, I really don’t see them as much anymore. I’m not sure if this is due to me not being outside as much, the city I live in has much more lights than it once did or if the eco system is causing their distinction. I use to be able to catch dozens in a short period of time and now when I see the glow of a lightning bug, it’s only one here or there and I doubt I could catch one dozen in a reasonable amount of time. I mean use to you could just stand in one place and they would fly into you for you to snatch up and put in your jar. Now you would need to chase them and run all over the yard trying to catch their glows that only last for a second when they use them.

They say the reason lightning bugs glow is because it’s a mating call to other lightning bugs or fireflies. Some people call these fireflies or fire flies, but for me, I have always referred to them as lightning bugs. There is a scientific difference between lightning bugs and fire fies, but it gets a bit too complicated when you start going down that road. I just hope if I ever have kids sometime in the future, they will get to enjoy the fine art of catching lightning bugs in the evening.

The most people ever watched a very good boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya, who match up very well with one another. Neither boxer has a huge advantage over the other and that showed in their first fight. However, it looks like a deal is almost finalized for September 20th, 2008 and would pair these two up again. If this fight is anything like the first one, you will want to be sure to get your De La Hoya/Mayweather tickets now or as soon as they go on sale to the public.

I’m sure Oscar De La Hoya is seeking revenge after getting the short-end of the stick in a split decision in the first bout. Two judges had their scorecard in favor of Mayweather and he was crowned as the champion, but having one judge that scored the fight in De La Hoya’s favor does leave some room for speculation. It would be nice to see them go pass 12 rounds in their 2nd match up, so we could determine a true winner if 12 rounds is not enough. This would certainly be the right time for the boxing commission to lay down their rules and open this one up to as many rounds as needed to get a true champion.

I guess Floyd Mayweather will be the favorite in this 2nd round bout between the two talented boxers, but don’t count Oscar De La Hoya out too fast. If you put a revenge factor in this match up and seeing how both boxers are so evenly matched up, it makes it a boxing match that either fighter could win. De La Hoya had many fans in the crowd in the first match up and it should be interesting to see if Mayweather tries to get more of his fans in as spectators for this rematch. I can’t wait to see these two slug it out again and if Oscar De La Hoya wins this rematch, it will give each boxer a check mark and we might need a 3rd fight to see who really is the best boxer!

So sit back and enjoy the hype that will be leading up to a possible rematch in September of this year for these two very talented boxers. I think boxing is about to get fun again and the boxing world really needs a boost right now, due to the decline of the sport in recent years.

I have 3 down and 7 more to go, to name the best 10 rock ballads of all time. So I am currently at the 7th spot this time and here is the next rock ballad on the list.

7th Best Rock Ballad of All Time

Another great rock ballad from the 80’s!

The group is called Night Ranger and the name of the 7th best rock ballad of all time is Sister Christian. This is a great song that was written and sung by the drummer Kelly Keagy and he wrote this song for his sister. Night Ranger put this song on the album Midnight Madness and went up to number 5 on the top 100 songs by Billboard Hot 100. I’m sure most would agree that this is one of the top 10 ballads of all time.

I can remember as a kid one summer and playing outside a lot on the trampoline. I would have a radio in the window, so I could listen to music and jump on the trampoline. Everytime I hear this song, it makes me think of those hot summer days I would spend on the trampoline and hearing the song Sister Christian being played on the radio. It was so popular back then, that I think they would play this song once every hour on the radio and everybody seem to love this song at the time.

So that is my choice for the 7th best rock ballad of all time and I still have 6 more to choose from. It gets much tougher now trying to find only 6 more songs to list on this top 10 countdown. There are so many great rock ballads out there, that if you only list 10, your going to be leaving off some very good ones. So I can’t fit them all on here, but I will fit the 10 best ones!

10th Rock Ballad - Don’t Know What You Got Till’s It Gone - Cinderella

9th Rock Ballad - Carrie - Europe

8th Rock Ballad - When I’m with You - Sheriff

7th Rock Ballad - Sister Christian - Night Ranger

6th Rock Ballad - ???

5th Rock Ballad - ???

4th Rock Ballad - ???

3rd Rock Ballad - ???

2nd Rock Ballad - ???

1st Rock Ballad - ???