Sparkle & Dust

Giving old things new life

heathermunoz — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:19:26 +0000

Took a little break from the chores to loiter @ Unplggd.com…and saw an “aha” repurposing project idea courtesy of Leo Kempf, a designer in Arkansas.

You take a vintage Tv console, graft in some modern media devices and….viola! A different take on the home media center.

Find old TVs at your local thrift shop, or eBay

being vigilant

heathermunoz — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:40:17 +0000

Jeff and I have a hobby of house-hunting and rental hunting. We are grateful for the roof over our head, but for various reasons know that we will have to move. Preferably to a place where we can have pets of our choosing. Anyway I’ve responded to a few listings on craigslist that sound promising, and the emailed responses are sketchy. More specifically they say that there are so many people responding that the landlord needs to weed out the competition and fill out a pre-qual app online….complete with a link. After you submit your info, then they say they will share the address of the rental.

Excuse me? I don’t give out SS for an unseen apartment, with a faceless (supposed) landlord, and who knows what is behind some random link they send me. If you’re looking to move, be careful. Here’s an example below:

—–

“Hello

Before we begin giving you more information on the apartment we need to know if you are currently up to date with your credit report. Obtaining your credit rating for free is easy, using the following link:

–link removed for your courtesy–h.m. (The process is free and safe and only takes a minute to fill out).

We have had a large number of defaulting tenants who came from Craigslist, so before we can set up an appointment with you we need to verify you are a credible tenant.

Once you have completed the application please e-mail us back.”

—–

Here’s an article advising would be renters on what to do http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/fakes-scams-and-phishing-on-craigslist-jobs-housing-postings-424259/

post-project blahs

heathermunoz — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:12:26 +0000

It’s silly, really. When putting my energy and focus into a project, (one with a deadline no less,) I have to constantly fight the urge to work on the myriad other things that need to be done. I don’t want to emulate the “structured procrastination” dude.

The project has been turned in, and apparently the adrenaline has ebbed, because I’m in limbo like I have nothing to do…surfing blogs. I found this timely q & a at SimpleMom…just in time to get myself in gear.

Off I go to get into action!

and video too!

heathermunoz — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:06:54 +0000

The recording setup is working like a charm, but we recently found out that yahoo offers similar services to skype, and calls to phone are half the price…now to figure out if i can get it all to work through yahoo….

Bust out the broom…

heathermunoz — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:07:43 +0000

Tomorrow’s the kickoff of the Apartment Therapy 8 week Spring Cure, and I’m along for the ride this time around. Since we last moved, I’ve been making efforts to consolidate, clean and organize a’la Flylady.

The AT Cure adds a different dimension to putting together one’s home, and I’m hopeful about how the place will look in May!

This call is being recorded

heathermunoz — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:14:27 +0000

Archiving phone calls isn’t something I’ve had an interest in; the only reason why I’ve had to learn more about this is because I’ve been ordered to recall specific calls. It’s too lame to explain the whys, so I won’t.

Finding out the various ways to record phone calls have been a research adventure. There are digital recorders that are quite pricey. There are old school recorders that use cassette tape, I bought a deep-discount one on eBay. Great, right? Not so much…getting the cords and cables that match have been troublesome, and feel that I’m going in circles trying to get a setup that works and doesn’t cost a fortune.

The one I bought (after much consideration) was made to work with corded phones that have a detachable headset. Apparently that old phone setup is something you can’t just walk in and buy for under $30 anymore… and I just so happened to give away my $6 Unisonic after the last move.

So today, I find out that I can call on Skype and record directly on my ‘puter. It takes some fiddling, and we had some technical bugs… but I think we got it. It involves Garage Band, Soundflower, and LineIn.

Wish me luck!

Fakeness

heathermunoz — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:54:49 +0000

A few minutes ago I was searching the internet for a fake diploma to use as a prop…is there any other legitimate use for such a thing?

The sites I found were selling for the express purpose of obtaining employement….so not fakes, but counterfeits. One site in particular even touted fake reference services, to get a competitive edge over other candidtates…whatthe..?

On one hand the audicity is outrageous, yet part of me is not surprised.

Joining the iPod nation

heathermunoz — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:14:07 +0000

The iTouch is pretty cool. I also don’t have one. No iPhone yet either. I’m not about latest and greatest gadgets. I may window shop from time to time and admire from afar, but if it’s not necessary, it’s no biggie to not buy.

I had bought a Sony Bean a few years back; iPods were everywhere. At the time, I just needed something to make my train commute more pleasant (read: not hear cell phone conversations that should be private.) When I was pregnant, I would go from Fullerton to the Miracle Mile, and even with the drawbacks of public transport, it was still better than driving my car. But, I digress.

That 1 Gb Bean lasted about a year. I didn’t drop it, or abuse it… Probably why you don’t see them in stores anymore. In the last few years, I didn’t see much need for an mp3 player, so I didn’t miss the Bean much. Lately I’ve been adding podcasts and audiobooks to the mix, and have really gotten used to using iTunes, which means non-Apple mp3 players were already eliminated.

A couple weeks ago, I was able to get a good deal on a used 4 Gb, 3rd Gen Nano…the little square ones that play video. Podcasts don’t take up much room, and I update often, so it’s perfect for taking my toddler for a walk, or plugging into my car stereo while running errands. A week later, my hubby also decided it was time to also get a used Nano. My 12 year old has a perfectly good 2 Gig mp3 player he got last year, but is now asking when he can get an iPod too. *sigh* “Take care of what you have,” I tell him.

My toddler, emulating my oldest, now insists on having headphones. He like to plug them into an old, non-working mp3 player… especially while he sits happily in his car seat.

Yes, I’m a latecomer to the iPod party, and I brought crashers with me.

Gone Cold

heathermunoz — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:02:09 +0000

I’ve been making an effort to get up earlier, at least 6:30 or so. Hoping to get into a rhythm before the kids are up. Both of them beat me to it, with my youngest screeching at 6:20, thus waking up my oldest who promptly jumped into the shower and used up all the hot water. I didn’t really mind, as it would be a half hour or so before I could pop in there.

So I tried, and the water ran cold. I tried in another hour, same deal. Then Jeff had me check the circuit breaker, since we have an electric system. No go. I took an icy shower.

Afterward, I called the apartment manager. He confirmed that our water heater had in fact broken, and just as my mind started to run, he said they’re going to fix it today. So they’re here right now, getting it all hooked up, and I’m so thankful!

Starting over

heathermunoz — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:00:44 +0000

A sparse trail of neglected blogs lay behind me, seemingly great ideas left to be forgotten. Rather than try to set up different blogs on varied areas of interest, this will be my little storehouse, with tags for categories of course.

Here’s to beginning anew!