Category: Friends

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Would this be good for a teenager?

When Shawna told me that her teenage son Justin was interested in learning how to compose and mix his own music, using his computer, I was quite surprised! I had no idea that there would be any kind of software available for a regular computer that would allow a beginner to do things like that.

Shawna told me that Justin was telling her that he might like to learn more about the sony acid music studio software, and see if that would be a good idea to get. I was trying to help out by finding some reviews on the product, but so far I haven’t seen any. So, if any of my readers out there have tried this, I’d like to know what you think – would this be a good program to buy for a teenager that is just starting out?

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All the little parts that you need

My sister recently got interested in going to a karaoke bar every week with some friends. Her husband decided to buy her a little karaoke machine to use at home. She was hoping to get a wireless microphone to use with the machine.

The microphone that came with the machine has a cord, and she likes to dance while she is singing. She finds herself almost tripping over the cord when she is dancing. The problem seems to be that she doesn’t know all of the different parts that she will need for the wireless microphone to work.

I am trying to help her find out, and have been trying to understand if the wireless microphones we have been finding have their own amplifier or not, and what she would be able to use for speakers. Can she use her current karaoke machine at all for any of that? Or her TV set? We are feeling pretty stupid right about now!

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Did You Dress Up?

So many adults are claiming Halloween as their right to party, that I wonder if this is about the kids anymore? I mean, so many people are going out to parties tonight – will there be anyone home to hand out candy to the trick or treaters?

I am dressing up and going out – but I am staying home to hand out candy until after 9:00. I think there will be at least 40 or 50 kids coming to my house this year. But 9:00 is late for little kids, so that’s when I’m cutting out the porch light and stopping the giveaways. Then I will head downtown and find some of my friends at a club and have some adult fun, too.

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Guess I never thought about that before

Even though I grew up in a family of musicians, my own personal “hands-on” experience has been limited to childhood piano lessons. I used to watch my other family members play their instruments, and I enjoyed singing and dancing to the music that they played. I never really payed a lot of attention to the logistics of tuning any of their instruments. I guess that is why I was mildly surprised when Chuck was telling me that he was teaching Jack how to tune a drum set this weekend. I never really ever thought about having to tune up a drum!

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Planning Your Final Arrangements

It’s not something any of us want to think about, but it’s an important conversation we must have. Many people do nothing to prepare for the time when their final arrangements must be made, adding a burden on to their already grieving and stressed family. Everyone should sit down with a lawyer and write out their will. In it you can spell out your final wishes for your estate and your final arrangements. To make things even easier for those you leave behind, you should look into prepaying for your arrangements. Most funeral homes offer pre-paid plans that include a plot, service and everything else needed to lay you to rest.

If you’re not sure you want a big funeral and burial, or just can’t afford the expense, consider cremation. Companies like Clevelend Cremation provide high quality services with dignity, respect and empathy. They will even provide a customized memorial service, with special options for religious requirements and veterans. Cremation is less expensive than traditional burials, and families that move often like being able to take their loved ones with them. You can even chose the exact type of urn you’d like. So don’t put off this important conversation any longer, plan your final arrangements and give yourself and your loved ones peace of mind.

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Less is More

Chatting with a musician friend, they gave me a little insight into how to play the melody and not over-arrange a song.

“I had a band leader tell us once they did not hire to get paid by the note but by the song. Stuck with me ever since. Less is more.”

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You can find your health insurance online

For my dear friends in North Carolina, I wanted to let you know that if you are still desperately looking for health insurance coverage, my good friend Julie found insurance here that took care of her needs. You don’t have to spend much more time looking around and asking all of your friends and family what to do. Thank goodness for the Internet – it certainly is making a lot of things in life a lot easier to accomplish!

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Get Those Cards Mailed TODAY

The Postal Service says that today is the deadline for getting first class mail delivered by Christmas. So I have to hurry up and get the last of my Christmas cards signed and addressed. I only have about 5 or 6 left to do, but I was so tired last night I could barely keep my eyes open, so I did not get to finish.

Thank goodness the post office is only a few miles from my house and they accept mail up until 9:00 pm. So I will make the deadline and my friends will get their cards on time.

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Bite My Tongue

Why am I so hostile lately? It seems like I can’t find anything nice to say to anyone. I make comments on Facebook and get people all riled up. I send IMs and people just want to argue. I’m scared to send an email to anyone – I’ll probably just get my head bitten off for offending someone.

I’m going to just bite my tongue for a few days until my mood improves. After all, if you can’t say anything nice, you should not say anything at all.