I’ve discovered a new daily addiction and it’s called Discount Coupons Guide. It’s a resource that compiles great deals, online coupons, and free offers — all in one place.

I love to receive free stuff, so I check the site daily for the latest. And, you should too, since there are usually only a limited number of offers available. If you wait too long, you might miss out. If you’re a Twitterer, you can follow freebiesguide to see the latest offers right in your Twitter timeline!

This isn’t a commercial, but a champuru recommendation. The site is maintained by a friend, so I can feel good about passing on this information to you, knowing that the offers are legitimate and the site is clean. I’m a leery netizen, so I don’t frequent sites offering stuff too good to be true, but once in a while you do get a free lunch. And this is it. So, go check it out.

Here’s another tip for you…

Whenever you sign up for anything, you get put on someone’s e-mail list — which makes you vulnerable to unsolicited e-mail. If you’re averse to spam like I am, I recommend establishing a separate e-mail account (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) for the sole purpose of registrations, offers, etc. This helps keep your personal e-mail account spam-free.

We have a spare bedroom that we are presently using as a computer room. I suppose in about nine months, it will be converted into the baby’s room. But, oh, the daunting task ahead. The room serves as a workout area/study/storage. The stuff has to go somewhere. But where?

I have the TLC show Clean Sweep on my DVR and I watch it from time to time. After viewing an episode, I find myself peering at my surroundings with a critical eye and I get an overwhelming desire to make “sell”, “toss,” and “keep” piles. The only problem is that I don’t have the luxury of a personal organizer and carpenter at my disposal to design space-efficient storage units for me. Also, since I live in a townhouse, I am lacking a vital component to a good garage sale: a garage. So, instead of a “sell” pile, I have a “donate” pile. We still have a long way to go, but I’m whittling away at it.

Aside from the entertainment value, I realize that we watch reality shows to make us feel better about ourselves in some way. Shows like Clean Sweep puffs me up by allowing me to say, “heck, at least my house isn’t that bad!” We relate to reality shows and compare our state of affairs to the folks on the show, who sacrifice their privacy and pride in exchange for free stuff, money, or an improved lifestyle. I sometimes wonder if I could be convinced to make such a trade.

In addition to improving our self esteem, certain reality shows can spur us to action and inspire us to make improvements in our lives. Whether it’s de-cluttering your living room, staging your house for sale, or simply learning how to dress more professionally, reality shows tell us that even average Joes like us can do it.

I’m not sure how this entry ended up making me an advocate for reality shows, but perhaps it’s because I spent the entire day watching TLC and the Discovery Channel in my pajamas. Unfortunately, nearly an entire weekend of downtime still didn’t banish this cold, but at least it’s not getting worse.

“Feed a cold, starve a fever”?

Today I took a break from the computer, and in addition to feeding my cold tonight at Makino Chaya for mom-in-law’s birthday, I spent the better part of the day resting.

Oh, my goodness, the grilled-to-order Wagyu beef with scallops and mushrooms were delicious. I wanted a second serving, but this strange feeling in my stomach that I’ve been having for the past few days prevented me from doing so. Instead, I opted for a few pieces of jell-o. I managed to steer clear of the chocolate fountain and the brownies, much to the dismay of my sister-in-law who felt it is simply inhumane to deprive oneself of life’s basic pleasures such as caffeine and chocolate. When I asked for a cup of hot water (no tea bag), she scolded Hubby for putting me on such a restrictive diet. But, truth be told, it’s not Hubby’s doing. I’m just super cautious and want to make sure I’m not doing anything to jeopardize the Snowflake(s). I’m OC like that.

Sis-in-law will be administering the progesterone injections for me while Hubby is on his business trip this week, so she came by the house after dinner to get some training from Hubby who can now be considered an expert in the craft. Convinced that I needed to indulge myself while pregnant, she showed up with some dark chocolate-covered cherries for me. I thought it was so cute of her to be so concerned about me. For that, I allowed myself to enjoy one of them — and told Hubby that he could eat the rest. You know, “feed the cold” and all. Amazingly, I don’t crave chocolate like I used to. Even after getting a sumptuous taste of that chocolate-covered cherry, I still feel that life without chocolate isn’t so bad.

I’m sure this is old news to regular patrons of the local library, but for the rest of us who normally get our reading material from the likes of Borders and Barnes & Noble, you’d be surprised to see just how much the Hawaii public library system has changed. It’s been years since I last darkened the doorway of a library. (Remember those card files using the Dewey Decimal System? Yeah.) But, let me preface this by saying that this has nothing to do with books.

Today’s mission was to find a Frank Delima DVD for a project at work. (Don’t ask.) Arnold, the library enthusiast did a search using their online catalog and found that the Salt Lake library was the only one with the DVD I needed, in stock. So, off to the library I went.

When I walked in to the library, it felt distant yet familiar. The morgue-like silence, the cool, completely dehumidified air, people speaking in hushed tones, the rustling of pages… I wanted to stay here forever. I think missed my calling. I should have been a librarian. But that’s totally off the topic here.

What I found was a treasure trove of DVD’s. It almost made me take my Blockbuster card out of my wallet and kick it to the curb: new releases, old classics, and *drum roll please* a martial arts section that would put Blockbuster to shame. (Seriously, Blockbuster, you call that a martial arts section? Talk about lame.)

Sure, I knew the library had DVD’s for rent, but I thought they only had a limited (and lame) selection of stuff that I’d never want to watch, even at the bargain rental cost of $1 for a 7-day rental. Boy, was I wrong. Apparently, in addition to the great selection of other film genres, martial arts is a specialty of the Salt Lake Library’s DVD section. I didn’t have time to browse, but I did notice that they even had a four-part instructional series on Shotokan karate, which is the art that I practice.

And, Bae Yong Joon fans, you are not to be left out. According to Arnold, who is the compendium of information, the McCully library specializes in Korean dramas.

So, dust off that library card and check it out. You might be surprised at what you find at your local public library.

It all started with a tweet by Mitchell that said: “Dreamhost says I owe $388.05 from 11/20/08″

This piqued my interest as I just noticed a bill receipt from Dreamhost in my InBox this morning. When I opened the message, imagine my surprise when I discovered that Dreamhost had just charged me $526.54. What the…?! The worst part is that it’s not billed to my credit card, it’s billed to my debit card — which is tied to my checking account. Never again. I’ve been with Dreamhost for YEARS and never have they made a billing error, especially not of this magnitude, so I figured it would be safe. As soon as this fiasco is cleared up and the money refunded to my account, I will promptly remove the auto-bill.

The worst part of it all was the moments before the Twitterverse came to the rescue and pointed me to the Dreamhost status page and the Dreamhost blog which both explained, in great detail, what the heck happened. This massive billing faux pas was the result of a big, fat finger according to the blog. Prior to that, I was beginning to think that Dreamhost was going out of business and running off with my money. (Sorry, I’m cynical.)

I was later to find out, it was an error to the tune of $7.5 million. I suppose that would be enough to run away with to some faraway, foreign land for a very long time.

There are a lot of not-so-happy Dreamhost customers out there right now. I’m sure the 1149 comments on the Dreamhost status blog is just a small representation of the mountain of angry hate mail awaiting Josh Jones, who is apparently the cause of this huge billing debacle. I kind of feel sorry for the guy.

This whole episode taught me a few things: 1) Twitter has once again proved to be a very useful tool for information (and comfort!) during a time of need, 2) never put an auto-bill on your debit card, because you never know if you might be the victim of a billing error or outright fraud (read: disgruntled employee in Accounting, perhaps?), and 3) never mess with your customers’ money, because most of them won’t take it lightly.

I wonder how many folks have decided to take their business elsewhere because of this blunder? As for me, it crossed my mind for a fleeting moment, but then I realized how much trouble it would be to move all of my domains somewhere else and I reconsidered. Dreamhost has served me well all of these years, they deserve a second chance. Right?

[tags]Dreamhost, web host, billing, error, Twitter[/tags]

Hubby was reading a NY Times article about the neti pot (or “nose bidet”), an ancient Ayuvedic remedy that is used for nasal irrigation and relief from common sinus infections and allergies. Since its television debut on Oprah, the neti pot had been catapulted from mysterious yogi practice to mainstream whitebread America, even sold in stores such as Walgreens and Wal-mart. (I’ve come to the conclusion that anything or anyone featured on Oprah is an instant favorite of millions of Americans, just because. If it has Oprah’s stamp of approval on it, it must be good. Right?)

Of course, as a big proponent of natural remedies, I was interested. Except for the part about liquid flowing in one nostril and out the other. That doesn’t sound pleasant at all. But, if it would solve my allergies and sinus woes without drugs, it would be worth a try. If I come across a neti pot on my next jaunt to Wal-mart, it just might make its way into my cart.

But, perhaps the most amusing thing about the article was the reference to the dozens of videos that have popped up on YouTube demonstrating the use of the neti pot. One such video has gone viral with over 240,000 views, by a cartoonist named Drew who not only demonstrates the proper use of the neti pot, but also some unorthodox methods that you probably don’t want to try if you value your sense of smell. This includes irrigating his nasal passages with coffee, and later, a spot of Kentucky bourbon. Get the kids out of the room before the end of the video, however, since the bourbon flush elicits an explosive expletive in response. And, understandably so. That’s gotta burn.

The video got us thinking about the phenomena of Internet fame. All you have to do is be willing to do something sensational/gross/dangerous/stupid and put it on YouTube and (wham!) you’re famous!

Hubby: “Jeremy would be famous if we filmed him snorting that line of chili powder and put it on YouTube.”

Me: “Yeah, he could be an Internet star!”

Hubby: “Do you want to film me shooting you up with your drugs so you can put it on YouTube?”

Me: “Okay.”

Hubby: “Are you that hard-up to be famous? Dang, woman!”

Me: “Maybe.”

[tags]nose bidet, neti pot, nasal irrigation, homeopathic, allergies, natural remedy, health[/tags]

Last night was spent researching LCD HDTVs online with the Hubby. Since we couldn’t make it to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl, we’ve decided to upgrade our 32″ boob tube for either a 37″ or 42″ LCD TV to watch the UH Warriors play Georgia on New Year’s Day.

At around 9:00 p.m. last night…

Me: The 42″ Vizio is cheaper at Wal-mart.

Hubs: Is it in stock?

Me: *clicking the link to check* Yeah! It’s in stock! Let’s go now!

Hubs: Are you on crack?!

Needless to say, we didn’t go last night to pick up the TV. Hubby and I are different in that respect. I am willing to jump in my car at almost any hour to make such a purchase, while Hubby is much more practical and will wait for the light of day to avoid making impulse buys. I believe that’s why it’s good to have a spouse who is the yang to my yin, we keep each other in balance.

And, just for the record, I’m not on crack. I’m on dexamethasone, doryx, and climara patches!