We lived in central Florida in a 1400 sq ft home, and our electric bill in the summer was about $250-300. My friend lived in the same town with the same size house (but possibly better insulated) but a different electric company and her bill was close to $500. So there is a HUGE difference between companies, even within the same city. We were on well water, so I can't help out there. But our trash was included in our taxes, so it was not an additional payment. Oh, and even in the winter our electric bill didn't go down much because a large majority of heating in Florida is central heat and air, not gas. But instead of $250 it would run about $190-220.

Yes, this is a huge concern for me any time I think about going cell-only. My mom always calls me on her cell, and for very basic conversation it is okay. But the other day she was trying to spell out a website for me, and there would be a drop out as she was spelling, and she had to keep repeating it, and that just is irritating for both parties. I hate to make business calls on cell phones for this reason. And I don't know if it is just my hearing that is ruined by years of rock concerts, or if we just have really crappy cell phones, but I have a VERY hard time using a cell phone in the car. The background noise of the engine or tires makes it almost impossible for me. But my husband can use the same phone in the same car and hear just fine. So apparently it's me, but that still makes me apprehensive about switching. I do love the clarity of my land line.

What company would you be going through? Are your friends using the same one? I haven't been able to find mobile broadband that is as fast as our DSL, but the DSL out here is SO unreliable (remember the little girl who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead... when she's good, she's very very good, but when she's bad, she's HORRIBLE!!) I am considering switching to something else just on principles. We looked into satellite internet, but the speeds just aren't there yet. I would love to have another direction to look, though.

Oh, I would be completely devastated!! We haven't officially backed up our computer since back when you did it on floppy drives, and it only took about 6 of them. I have a false confidence in the fact that all of my important files are on my external hard drive, but of course that doesn't mean it won't crash. So sorry! But thanks for the reminder!

:iagree: Yep, this is what I have felt this year with my 5th grader. It has definitely felt like a transition year for me. Of course, every "next" year is a step up from the previous one, but this year has had a different feel. Maybe because 6th is considered "Middle School" (say that with a deep, echo-y voice) and I really wanted to cement some skills this year before moving into that phase. But it wasn't just me implementing change; I saw my daughter becoming more and more ready for the transition. It's been a good year. :) Unfortunately, I'm a mom of an only, so I can't help with the rest of your concerns. But I do believe, like others have said, that you still have a little time left with your "young" 'uns. :grouphug:

Finally got mine up! Wednesdays come so quickly!! Either that, or I just live in a completely different time continuum.

Marchioness Genie the Indefatigable of Deepest Throcking Yeah, my dh wishes! :D

Another vote for K12 here. I have learned SO much using this program with my daughter. We have used 1st-5th grade in all subjects except math. They teach some things I didn't learn until college, but in a very accessible and interesting way. Some people don't like the amount of "busy" work, but the K12 philosophy doesn't really expect that you will do every single activity in each lesson. They tout it as a buffet, where you have a variety of choices and it is up to you to decide how much or little is necessary to make the objectives of the lesson sink in. And though it is not exactly a "real books" curriculum, their literature program is the best I have come across for the grade levels mentioned above. If I could not use K12, I would probably choose Calvert (4th grade and above). I think Calvert's presentation is much drier, but it is a solid, complete program without doubt.

She's one of my step-daughter's favorite musical artists. I have listened to a little of her work, but just haven't been able to get into it. Do you have a suggestion for any particular songs I should check out?

My old roommate is their sound girl, so when they were in town she got me front-row seats. :D It was an awesome show!

Here's one I happened across yesterday that I find very clear, concise, and thorough.

We did this last year, and I have really mixed feelings on it. I really do love the look of the hardwood floors. They are truly beautiful. BUT... I love love love plush carpet. No one in my family has allergy problems, so that is not an issue for us. My dd and I DO have bad feet and some sensory issues, so again, we really prefer the feel of carpet. My dd and I have long hair, plus we have two dogs, and I really hate how now all our hairs end up under the furniture in huge tumbleweed-like dust bunnies. That never really happened with carpet. The hair would fall and stick wherever it fell, and then would get vacuumed up. We rarely had to move furniture to clean under, because with carpet, it just didn't get as dirty under there as quickly as it does with wood. It's a particular pain, for example, under our piano. It is high enough off the ground that you can see under it (because with wood, you will see the least little bit of dust), but low enough that it is hard to get a dust mop under it. Moving it will totally scratch the floors, so it just aggravates me. Our living room is fairly big, and trying to find an area rug that we can afford is a joke. It would almost be cheaper to just have carpet installed. (And cushier, and easier to clean.) And yes, the dog's nail do scratch ours. The previous owners had a toddler and a couple of dogs, and the floors were beautiful and had hardly any scratches. So we assumed the floors were pretty durable. NOT! We have small dogs, and that may be part of the issue, but unless we were to get their nails trimmed every other week, scratching is inevitable. Now I will also admit that some of the problem is the type of hardwood. We lived in a rental before this that had hardwood that was very flat and not very shiny. It was fine, pretty durable, no noticeable scratches. The wood we now have is Bruce hardwood flooring and it is very shiny, and the edges are kind of beveled, so there is a bit of a rut between each piece of wood. So the shiny aspect makes each little scratch all the more obvious, and I think that the ridges make it a little easier to gouge, and a little harder to clean. So anyway, I like the look, hate the feel and upkeep. I know I am the exception on this, and I do wish I could be more like everyone else and love my floors. If we ever can afford to finish the basement, you better believe we are putting the softest, plushiest carpet we can find. And I will probably never come upstairs again... :D

The actor: Nathan Fillion :drool: The movie: tv series Firefly, then movie Serenity The writer/producer: Joss Whedon (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame)

Not Quite Spring Yet...

The ISBN is 1-931728-34-8. I have a like-new extra copy of this book. If the one you found isn't correct, I would be happy to give you this one for the price of shipping. Just let me know!

You know what's funny? That's what I call her half the time anyway because that was her character's name on Guiding Light (years ago when I watched that). And I'm sure the writers would know that fact, also. :001_cool: Another thing I have always wondered about is if her husband who died, named David, happened to be the Dave that was Hurley's imaginary friend in the institution. Who knows. Even though I hated her dying, I loved the poetry of her boat showing up during her funeral. What great writers!!!

Yes, yes, yes! Glad you're back!!

The Desmond and Penny storyline has to be one of my favorites. Honestly, even if they never end up together, that phone conversation they had was enough to satisfy me. ("It was enough... I am pacified." :)) My hope and dream is that they do end up together, and possibly do some major time shift, and end up being the Adam and Eve from the cave. They have such an epic love story, and I think they would be the perfect couple for that. (Not sure the writers will go that extreme with the time-shifting, though. But I can dream, right???)

Nikon will be releasing a 60mm f/2.8 soon. Sigma will be releasing a 50mm f/1.4 soon. My guess is that they will both be quite a bit pricier than Nikon's 50mm 1.8m, though. But it is a step in the right direction, and I do agree that all the companies will be releasing more and more prime lenses that are compatible with the AF-S system.

One thing that I have read that many people use is the Katzeye focusing screen. I don't really know much at all about it, other than it helps people with D40(x) focus manually with the 50mm 1.8. If you really want that lens, you should go ahead and get one. They are super-cheap (in terms of lenses!) and if you buy from Amazon, you should have a 30-day return policy. I have returned a couple high-price items recently, and have had NO problems whatsoever. Thirty days should be more than enough to decide if it is too hard to manually focus. Oh, and apparently there will be a green dot in your viewfinder when it is focused, so you aren't completely shooting "in the dark". Likewise, you can try manually focusing using your current lens in good lighting conditions to get a feel for it, if you haven't already. Many people say that having to learn to focus manually has really improved their photographic skills, and like you said, you will be able to get shots that you might not be able to with the kit lens without flash. Another option is to wait it out a few more weeks/months until the D80 successor is released. (Most are calling it the D90, but that is just speculation.) Once it is released, the prices of the D80 should really drop (they already have started to). Then, if you really wanted to, you could probably sell your D40 for a decent price (it is a well-loved camera), and upgrade to the D80 at that time. (The D90 will most likely be well over $1000 when it is released.) The ability to autofocus with non AF-S lenses was another big reason that I went with the D80. Plus Adorama was offering a killer deal on the kit with the 70-300mm VR that I just couldn't pass up. There's SO much to learn when entering the dSLR world!

The difference is that the D40, D40x, and the new D60 do not have an in-camera focusing motor, the D80 does. So all the Nikon lenses will mount on her camera, but they won't autofocus. Therefore she is limited to only using lenses that have an in-body focusing motor (the AF-S line), or having to manually focus. This is very frequently discussed as a "crippled" factor on the 40/60 line on dpreview.

Here is a post that helped me decide. When I first read it, I didn't understand all the terms, so I made a list of them, and looked each of them up and studied until I felt like I understood the what they meant. The biggest factors for me (I ended up getting the D80) were the larger, brighter viewfinder, and the additional buttons on the camera body. I knew that having to look through menus to make changes would deter me from trying knew things. If it's just a push of a button, I'm much more likely to try it out. Many many people have no problem with dealing with the menus, this was just a person issue for me. The D80 is definitely heavier. I personally like that. Both cameras have an Auto mode where you can just point and shoot, just like you are used to. The D40x will have punchier colors and slightly more sharpening to the pics. (It is geared to people switching from point and shoots.) The D80 is slightly more subtle, but you can easily achieve the same effects with Photoshop. Let me know if you have any more questions, and I will explain specifics as much as I can. I spent several weeks immersed in educating myself before this decision with the help of the posts at the board linked above. But beware, if you spend much time looking at the photos posted and the comments critiquing them, you may never be able to look at your pictures the same way.

Oooh YAY! :w00t: This is one thing I had not yet figured out how to do! Thanks!!!!!!

I guess I'm thinking more along the lines of how Nadia shows up in so many flashbacks. Not that it is her flashback, but we see some of her past in someone else's flashback. My thoughts are that she is referring either to Annie, or to Ben's mom, who had the blonde curly hair like Juliet did when she first came to the island. Ooh, maybe that is why she started straightening it! She realized that linked her with Ben's mom or Annie, and she wanted to separate herself from that identity. I really want to see more of what happened between the time Juliet came to the island and the time of the crash. She went through a major change! I can totally see Kate getting on the helicopter first, and the Claire handing Aaron to Kate so she can climb on board, and then she starts to get on (like in Desmond's dream) but then it takes off without her. And then we're left with a clip of Kate with this horrified look, starring down at the baby that she is now responsible for. One thing that stumped me when Michael was about to press execute on the briefcase of explosives was that Libby appeared and told him not to. Most of the time when I see an apparition of a dead person, I assume it is the island, or some manifestation of Jacob. If Ben was in line with the island, then why would it tell Michael not to do what Ben told him to do? Wouldn't "it" know that the bomb wouldn't go off? Was that maybe a clue that the island doesn't agree with Ben? Or was Libby simply a figment of Michael's OMG-I'm-about-to-die brain? And I would really love to see Locke grow his balls back. He's been very pitiful this season.