New Year's Eve is Almost Here!

Hi All,

New Year's Eve is approaching quickly.  What better time to plan a party than now?  So...how do you create a great New Year's Eve celebration for you and your friends and family?  Read on and learn how to create the party of all parties this year!

WikiHow - How to Throw a New Year's Eve Party

Real Simple - How to Throw the Easiest New Year's Eve Party Ever

UK Mirror - New Year's Eve Party Ideas - Decorate, Eat, Drink and Games

MoneyTalksNews - 10 Tips For Throwing a Great, Cheap New Year's Eve Party

Pinterest - New Year's Eve Party Ideas (with lots of pictures)

Money Crashers - 11 Fun New Year's Eve Party Ideas for Food, Games and Decorations

Penny Hoarder - Step-by-Step Guide to Throwing a Rockin' New Year's Eve Party on the Cheap

Food Network - How to Throw a Family Friendly New Year's Eve Party

HGTV - Host a Sparkling New Year's Eve Party

Delish.com -  29 Crazy Delish Cocktails to Make With Champagne


So there you have it - a start to help you make this New Year's Eve a night you won't soon forget!

Regards,
Stu

Enjoying the Holiday Season

Hi All,

So I wanted to write a blog entry about the holidays but I didn't want to write about how to shop on Amazon or how to get the best deals at WalMart or how to get the most for your money at the end of the holiday shopping season...no.  I wanted something a bit different than the same old, same old holiday post.

So, without further ado...how to enjoy the holiday season and not stress over presents, parties, feeling that you left somebody out on your list or any of the myriad of other ways people are stressed during the holiday season.

 Urbanest - How to Relax at Christmas and Start the New Year with Energy

WikiHow - How to Cop with Post Holiday Syndrome 

WikiHow - How to Relax During the Holidays 

Inc. - 10 Unique Ways to Relax and Recharge During the Holidays 

Health.com - 25 Ways to  Fight Holiday Stress

Simple Family Finance - 14 Ways to Simplify Christmas and Enjoy the Holidays 

NukNuuk - 5 Ways To Relax and Enjoy the Holiday Season 

Eventbrite - Beating the Holiday Blues, How to Relax and Enjoy the Holidays 

So there you have it - 8 sites that will help you relax and not stress over the nearly here holiday season!   Enjoy the links and hopefully you won't stress over the holidays!

Regards,
Stu

Good News!

Hi All,


Find some good news sites in this blog entry!

GoodNewsNetwork - has topics on news, culture and uplifting subjects.

MSN - good news links

Positive News -  constructive journalism magazine that offers independent reporting on progress and possibility.

Huff Post - more good news links


Sunny Skyz - has topics on fun/amazing news, inspirational stories, videos, pictures, jokes and more.

Enjoy the good news!

Regards,
Stu

 

Labor Day 2017

Hi All,

As if you didn't already know it, but the summer is slowly drawing to a close.  Yes - that means Labor Day is fast approaching!

And with that begins the yearly routine of students returning back to school classrooms, college students returning to college, the weather changing and becoming a bit more brisk and holidays are on the horizon.  Yep - things are changing in the early Fall!

But what are you going to do on Labor Day 2017? You might not know right now, but we've got a few ideas for you to choose from!

Long Island Pulse has an interesting, trendy, current article titled, Long Island Labor Day Celebrations 2017.  The article discusses festivities in Seaford, Long Beach and Smithtown among other locations.

Discover Long Island has an article under their Featured Events section of their website.

Long Island.com has a list of events to do on Labor Day as well. Users can search for events by day and by category. 

Finally. Newsday's Entertainment section has an article on 'Best Things To Do This Week and Weekend on Long Island' - which covers the Labor Day weekend.  

Enjoy the last weekend and enjoy the Labor Day holiday!

Regards,
Stu

Famous Cartoons

Hi All,

Comic strips.  Remember when you used to read them as a kid in the local newspaper?  Well, now they've grown up and are online and easy to find.

The home page has a tab at the top for various comic strips genres, popular comic strips, recommended comic strips, new comic strips, Spanish comic strips and a list of all the comic strips on the site alphabetically - with links of course.

GoComics.com is a site that has various categories of comic strips. The site has such favorites as Calvin and Hobbes, B.C., Garfield, Pearls Before Swine, Peanuts, Wizard of Id, For Better or For Worse, Doonesbury, Andy Capp and more!

Click on this link to learn a bit more about GoComics.com.  
Take not that readers would do well to sign up for a free account.

Finally, a good old fashioned plug for the Farmingdale Public Library.  Click on this link to go to the library card catalog and find a search related to 'comic strips' that are located in the Farmingdale Public Library.  We've got a great collection of books, books with comic strips in them. and background/history about comic strips.


Now you can enjoy the comic strips and the laughs that are coming your way!

Regards,
Stu

What to Do In Farmingdale

Hi All,

Farmingdale is a great town to live and play in.  There's so much to do for adults and kids! 

Farmingdale Patch (local newspaper) has a whole section each week dedicated to events and goings-on around Farmingdale.  Link can be found here. 

Other lists of things to do in and around Farmingdale include TripAdvisor's article 'Things To Do in Farmingdale', Yelp's article 'Best Fun Things to Do in Farmingdale' and believe it or not, a link from the Courtyard Republic Long Island Marriott link titled, 'Things to Do in Farmingdale'.

Groupon has a list as well, as does a site called Life on Long Island.  Click the links above to visit the sites. 

Finally, NYMetroParents has a link titled '7 Things For Families to Do in Farmingdale'.

So there ya have it....stuff to do in these hot, July days of summer!

Stay cool and get out and enjoy the best that Long Island has to offer!

Regards,
Stu

Summer BBQ'ing

Hi All,

Its that time of year again! Summer is here and - as a I mentioned in the prior post - the livin' is good. What better way to cook in the summer than to BBQ?  Its fast, easy and you get to spend time outside in a backyard or a park or tailgate. 

Without further ado here are four sites that have awesome links to grilling and summer bbq recipes:
Foodnetwork.com/Grilling
CountryLiving 
Delish.com 
NYTimes Cooking 

Click on any of the following links for some specifics on how to make the bbq extra special! 
BBQ Guru - Beginners Guide to BBQ 

The Guardian - BBQ Do's and Don'ts 

Weber - Grill Skills - Mastering the Basics 

Kathy Maister's Startcooking.com 

Finally, click here for a link to an article from CNN titled ''11 Facts to Raise Your Grilling IQ".

Enjoy the links and all those summer bbq's!

Regards,
Stu 

Getting More - And Doing Less

Hi All,

Getting More - and Doing Less - that's the title of this blog post...and boy is it going to be helpful to you in your work and daily life and other endeavors.

What is the 80/20 Rule? The 80/20 Rule (also commonly known as the Pareto Principle - named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. For example, "it is a common rule of thumb in business that 80% of your sales come from 10% of your clients". 

Imagine what you can do with this when you apply it to your job with respect to projects, tasks and other aspects of work!  What about your daily life and applying the 80/20 rule to relationships, entertainment, reading, eating, exercising and other areas of your life?

Yep - it means you'll get more out of life - the important things in life - by doing less.  You'll be doing less of the 'scut' work that doesn't mean as much - and that doesn't have as much impact in your life as the large - more important things. 

So...follow the links to learn how to apply the 80/20 rule to various aspects of your life. 

ScienceMag.org - Applying the 80/20 Rule to Your Job Search

Askmen.com - Applying the 80/20 Rule At Work 

Mint Life - Applying the 80/20 Rule At Work 

Mark Manson - How to 80/20 Your Life 

Personal Excellence - Apply 80/20 to Your Life Now in 3 Simple Steps 

Arbitrage Magazine - How to Apply the 80/20 Rule To Everyday Life 

Scott H Young - Twenty Unique Ways to Use the 80/20 Rule 

Brian Tracy - Apply the 90/20 Rule to Everything in Time and Life Management 

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com - What is the 80/20 Rule and Why It Will Change Your Life 

YouTube video of Richard Koch - a very popular, well regarded, author on the 80/20 Rule 

Enjoy the links and efficiency you'll see during the year if you practice the 80/20 rule!

Regards,
Stu

Fun at the Library?

Hi All,

Fun at the library?  You bet!  Read on. (A list of fun things to do in the library...)

1000+ images about Library fun and ideas on Pinterest.

Fun activities @ you library! 

8 awesome ways libraries are making learning fun 

LibraryGames.com - making libraries fun!

Fun websites - Broome County Public Library

Fun and games at the library

Games for kids - Monroe County Public Library

Free to play games in Steam library

Games - NYPL Kids

Library Learning Games - Media Center

Enjoy the links.

Regards,
Stu

Only In Your State

Hi All,

Travel tip ahead - watch out!

Click on this link - for a state-by-state guide to unique accommodations, waterfront and rooftop restaurants, hot springs, swimming holes, little known islands, covered bridges, swinging bridges and even haunted houses and much, much more on 'OnlyInYourState.com'.

Users can click on tabs at the top of the page on topics like food, attractions, news, life, community and more to find more attractions listed on the site.

Once you find an attractions or spot of interest an article with pictures describes the venue and the attraction. Directions to the location are given as well.

What a great way to learn about lesser known spots of interest in New York state - or any state for that matter!

Enjoy the vacation spots and the trips you'll take!

Regards,
Stu

The Party's Over....

Hi All,

The end of the year is well nigh upon us.  With just about 61 hours left in 2015 its time to start thinking about New Year's Eve, champagne, parties and resolutions.

For a great summary of the year in computer searching, click on this link from Google Trends - its called A Year in Search 2015. 

For things to do on Long Island for New Year's Eve 2015 click on this link: Long Island.com 2015 New Year's Eve Entertainment Guide and  MommyPoppins - New Year's Eve 2015 Celebrations on Long Island For Kids and Families. 

What's a New Year's Eve celebration without champagne? Indeed, click here for some information about buying champagne and the types of champagne for your drinking pleasure.
Wikipedia - Champagne
Wine.com - Champagne
New York Times article on Champagne
Basic Wine Knowledge - Champagne

Finally, what's a New Year's eve without resolutions and thoughts of changing ones' life in the upcoming year. Click on the next few links to learn all about New Years Eve resolutions.
Time Magazine - How to Keep Your New Years Eve Resolutions
Health - Top 10 Healthiest New Years Eve Resolutions
Bembu - 100 New Years Resolutions - ambitious!
About.com Travel - Top Ten New Years Resolutions
Gaiam Life - 10 Tips To Help Keep Your New Years Resolutions

Enjoy the links - happy new year and enjoy the festivities!

Regards,
Stu

A Little Summer Turbulence in Farmingdale

Hi All,

Summertime means fun in the sun and days at an amusement park or beach or park or kayaking on the water or well, anything to do with the 'great outdoors'. 

So what better way to say summer than an article about Farmingdale's Adventureland?

Indeed, a brand new, $5 million roller coaster opened at Adventureland amusement park recently. 
Click on this link to read more about this - directly from The Farmingdale Observer - from an article written on 6/2/15!

Click on this link from Adventureland to see a few pictures of the new behemoth roller coaster. While on the site, users can buy season passes, get park information, learn about birthday parties, where to eat, shop the online store and see pictures of the various rides/attractions at the amusement park.

Enjoy the summer - enjoy your trip to Adventureland!

Finally, if you like roller coasters or amusement parks, click on this link which goes to the library card catalog where you'll find books on amusement parks and roller coasters - we have - or can get any of the books on the list for you!

Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Easter Eggs

Hi All,

Easter 2015 might have come and gone, but if you are a gamer there is always an easter egg to be found.  Let me explain.

In computer game parlance - and, for that matter, media -an easter egg is an intentional inside joke, hidden message, or feature in a computer game, video game, movie, book or crossword puzzle.  Click here for a quick summary and description from Wikipedia.

So...for some gamers who view this blog...here is a list of some popular Easter Egg sites. But...before you go on to the various sites, you might want to visit Gizmodo's article titled, 'A Brief History of Easter Eggs in Tech'. 

Now... on to the Easter Eggs!
The Easter Egg Archive

100 Best Easter Eggs of All Time - from GamesRadar.com

8 Video Game Easter Eggs That Were Hidden For Years - from Dorkly.com

15 Greatest Video Game Easter Eggs Ever - a video from YouTube

50 Greatest Video Game Easter Eggs of All Time - Mashable.com's version

Best Video Game Easter Eggs Ever - Business Insider's version

Easter Eggs - Primary Games - mostly kids games

Microsoft Excel Easter Eggs - SpreadsheetPage.com

Easter Games For Kids - Squiglysplayhouse.com

Enjoy the Easter Eggs.

Regards,
Stu

Hi All, 

Good morning.  Today is the first day of the second full week of school for school kids in and around the Farmingdale area.  Some might have started later or earlier making this not exactly the first day of the second full week of school...but close enough.

Anyway, with school in session, brains are starting to go into overdrive and hum with reading, writing and arithmetic. Yep - the fall semester is underway and getting into full swing.

With that all said, I found an interesting website to help get those brain waves moving and jumping and hopping - all in the hopes that school will be easier. 

Introducing...Mental Floss...so, you ask...what exactly is Mental Floss?  Great question. The site bills itself as "an intelligent read, but not too intelligent. We're the sort of intelligent that you hang out with for a while, enjoy our company, laugh a little, smile a lot and then we part ways. Great times. And you only realize how much you learned from us after a little while. Like a couple days later when you're impressing your friends with all these intriguing facts and things you picked up from us, and they ask you how you know so much, and you think back on that great afternoon you spent with us and you smile."

If you really, really want to learn more about Mental Floss, click on this link which takes you to the 'About Us' page on the site. 

That all said, there are 5 links that appear on the top banner of the page.
1. Amazing Facts - the Amazing Fact generator generates, well, amazing facts...fun stuff. In a flash card sort of way.  

2. Big Questions - answer the 'big questions' in life like 'Why Do Shells Sound Like the Ocean?' and 'Why Are Baseball Seasons 162 Games Long?' and more...

3. Videos - lots of videos hosted by John Green...as the site proclaims, 'Join host John Green as he makes a rapid trek through everything you really need to know about science, pop culture, and history.  Check back every Wednesday for a new episode of the Mental Floss List Show!'

4. Lists - list for every occasion. Examples of lists include '30 of the Best Parents in Literature',

5. Quizzes - again, a quiz for every occasion.  Examples of quizzes include 'A Simpsons Guest Star Quiz', 'Ikea or Cheese?' or 'The Name Behind the Initial'.

So there you have it...a fun, tongue-in-cheek entertaining, pseudo-educational website.  Did I mention that Mental Floss is fun?   

Enjoy the site!

Regards, 
Stu

That Time of Year! Family Get-Togethers

Hi All,

The weekend might have come and gone, but there is always a next weekend on the horizon.

That means 2 days off from work...and most (if not all) folks have family. And what does that have to do with a blog entry? Simple - todays topic is family entertaining and fun stuff to do with the relatives once they are over at the house.

As frequent readers know by now, I really, really like using About.com. As a matter of fact, if you click on this link, you'll find an article on 'Getting Together For the Holidays - Taking The Stress Out of These Gatherings'.

If you click on this link, you'll find some ideas for things to do once your guests arrive. These are some fun activities and games that you can play once your guests arrive.

Not sure how to put together a family get-together? Click on this link to get the scoop on this aspect of getting everybody together in one place

Finally, because of all the great advice I've imparted to you in this brilliant blog entry (note: humor alert), you will possibly want to photography this event. Click here to find out how to take memorable photos of the event - and to prevent everybody from moving when you take the 'family picture' at the end of the day.

Enjoy - and I hope you have a memorable family get together very shortly!
Stu

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