What's Da Buzz?

The more I learn on what is actually factual as opposed to the blatant opinions and distortions of information; the more I’m prone to getting rid of cable TV. On the Internet, you know you can’t trust half or more of the information posted as being factual because so much is opinion based.

That is part of the joy of living in the world these days. It is quite challenging to separate fact from opinion especially with all of the intentional misinformation and disinformation. Whatever happened to honesty is the best policy? Oh well.

One of the intriguing stories out there was about a guy whose skin turned blue. In the news articles and TV stations, colloidal silver was blamed as the cause. However, it turns out that the Blue Man may very well be a fraud. Unfortunately, this is nothing surprising as lying for money and manipulating others has become so common.

So did colloidal silver have anything to do with the guy’s condition? Yes as a targeted topic to try to discredit through the mass media. Otherwise, the answer is no as the links above go into the details. The guy did this to himself intentionally.

Take a guess what industry would benefit from the bad press. If you said pharmaceutical, you would be correct. Now who pays for those commercial slots on those TV stations?  Oh yeah, plenty of them are about drugs you are supposed to ask your doctor about. Hmm, is that a coincidence? Nah, it is not at all. Of course, pharmaceutical companies would never use their advertising dollar leverage on a media source. Yah, right.

Anah

Today, I must share with you a blunder I made on the technological side and the solution I generated for it. As you read, you’ll understand the title.

First, you will need a little background information. Our household has recently acquired a brand new 27″ iMac. It was supposed to be for my hubby to mount on the wall in his computer area but it is in my office. I must say I really like my new toy. Toy? I mean tool. Yah, that’s it.

As much as I like it, I have to admit there is a minor design oversight in the iMac. They placed the OS/2 port next to the DVD drive. This may not seem like an issue but it is if you aren’t paying attention or are tired.

To be blunt, I accidentally put the camera card in the DVD drive. Looking online for solutions, I found out I wasn’t the only one who had a brain fart. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a workable solution. Some tried to send in their computer or take it to a service station to get the card removed. The danger in that is you have succeeded in invalidating your warranty as it counts against normal usage. There is also no guarantee they will get it out either.

So what do you do? I tried a variety of things to fish it out but I had to be cautious on my selections so I wouldn’t damage the DVD drive. In the end, I found a use for those annoying inserts in a magazine. The stiff paper was the perfect solution for a device rigid enough to fish out the card but soft enough to not damage the drive. See photos below.

How do you do it? Well, you are going fishing. The answer is to simply change the stiff paper into a fishing hook of sorts. I have included a photo of my finished “tool” so you can find out a potential solution should you make this same warranty-busting blunder.

Hopefully, you will never need to use this advice. If you do though, be nice to your iMac and yourself. In any case, learn from your mistake and don’t repeat it again. Or in the case like mine, get more rest after having a baby.

Live well and make it a great day,

Anah

The author is a Marriage, Family Therapist for 27 years and helped many people resolve issues with their friends and create healthier friendships.

Are you being a good friend? Do you have friends that you appreciate? Would you like to improve your friendships? Is your loving partner your best friend?

The following are some mistakes friends make and how to improve the relationship.

1) Mistake: Try to fix the person. Solution: Ask the person if they want your help and the kind of assistance they wish to have. Some examples are to just listen, or tell them what you would do in their situation.

2) Mistake: Be impatient. Solution: Be patient. We all appreciate when others are patient with us.

3) Mistake: Be unforgiving. Solution: Forgive others when they blunder. We all make mistakes.

4) Mistake: Discount or judge the other person’s feelings. Solution: Accept all their feelings and help them express them constructively.

5) Mistake: Take personally what your friend says. Solution: Understand that what people say or do is a reflection of them and not you.

6) Mistake: Be indifferent when they are upset. Solution: Comfort the other person when they are hurting by being compassionate and reassuring, listening, giving them a hug, etc.

7) Mistake: Tell people what to do. Solution: Help them solve their own problems with win-win solutions.

Mistake: Be jealous of their success. Solution: Be happy for them when they experience success and reach their goals.

9) Mistake: Drop them when you are romantically involved. Solution: Continue to connect with your friends even when you are in romantic relationships.

10) Mistake: Withhold your thoughts and feelings. Solution: Tell them your thoughts and feelings in a loving way. Take responsibility for them by beginning your sentences with “I feel” or “I think.”

11) Mistake: Break your agreements Solution: Keep your agreements, or inform them before that you wish to change the agreement.

12) Mistake: Do not feel worthy or deserving of the friendships. Solution: Realize that you deserve loving, supportive friends.

13) Mistake: Take them for granted. Solution: Let them know that they are important to you and you are grateful for their friendship.

14) Mistake: Expect them to help you overcome your loneliness. Solution: When you love and like yourself, you are not dependent on others to fulfill your needs.

15) Mistake: Bombard them with your problems. Solution: Ask them first if they are open to hearing a problem you are having and keep it short and to the point. Then focus on the solution.

16) Mistake: Be their leader or follower. Solution: See each other as two equally powerful people.

17) Mistake: Be too busy for friends. Solution: Set aside quality time for your nurturing, supportive friends.

18) Mistake: Try to make them just like you. Solution: Honor who they are and be aware of how you complement each other.

19) Mistake: Be disrespectful and hurtful. Solution: Respect them and be kind.

20) Mistake: Be willing to take abuse. Solution: Love yourself enough to remove yourself from abusive relationships.