How Purchasing A Used Caravan Could Still Be In Your Budget

Have you always dreamed of travelling the country in your very own caravan, taking your family to see the sights that Australia is known for, including the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru and the Great Australian Bight? Have you been putting this dream on hold and pushing it into the back of your mind because you think that you simply cannot afford to achieve it? Even if you're currently on a tight budget, you might find that you are able to afford a used caravan, putting your dream will within reach.

Often, when you are forced to work within a tight budget, it can be tempting to purchase a used caravan and other larger investments (like a new car) through financing. This is not, however, your only option when it comes to securing a caravan for use by your family; you may be able to afford one of these vehicles outright by shopping right. When organizing inspections with sellers, make sure that you take along someone who is experienced with used caravans (if you aren't) to give it a thorough look over and ensure that there are no problems. If you decide to purchase used through a dealer, you might even find that the van is under some sort of warranty, which can be highly reassuring.

If you have been scouring the classifieds and eBay listings and still haven't been able to find a used caravan that meets your needs or your strict budget, then financing might be the most appropriate solution. Whilst it may be difficult to secure financing for caravans that you purchase through private sellers (such as those found in the classifieds section of the newspaper and even eBay), you should be able to do so when purchasing through a dealer. This will involve you making monthly or even weekly installments; over a few months or years, you will have paid the van off completely.

Whilst you may have long ago written off travelling around the country in a caravan as being an unattainable dream, we hope that this article has awoken the drive to make this dream a reality. It is possible to purchase a used caravan on almost any budget, providing that you know where and when to look. Once you take your first trip in the van and begin living the dream, you can rest assured that you will not regret this decision in the slightest.

Whatever happened to the other guy in Wham?

Yeah, random I know. But I suggested this song to Retired Sorority Girl as our first song (she didn't laugh) and it dawned on me ... what happened to the other guy in Wham? Didn't he marry the check from ABBA?



And then you can't play Wham and not include some George Michael ...

Early voting is the best!

In order to beat the rush (and I sure hope there is a rush because everyone should get out there and vote) for the 2012 election, Retired Sorority Girl and I voted early this AM. Pretty sure she wrote in Mondale / Ferraro, but that's a whole other post for another time ... anywhoo ... We still had about a 30 minute wait in line, but was pretty seamless and easy.  I usually do write in ballots to avoid the drama of stupidity on election day and didn't realize that early voting was an option.  After experiencing it today, I will early vote for everything moving forward.

Since many of you haven't voted (and you better vote), I thought I'd provide you my voting tips and comments:

• When in line, don't talk about Georgia Tech and UF Football. You lost, get over it ... has nothing to do with politics. 
• No, Hurricane Sandy will not be the reason that Romney gets elected.  Comments like this should be kept to yourself because it just proves there should be an IQ test to vote. 
• Get there early, wear lots of cologne and be sure to alienate as many people as possible with your hat selection. I went with a Soviet era hat with a giant hammer and sickle in the middle ... ensured that no one spoke to me or shared their political opinion. 
• If you have a political opinion, text it to your significant other (SO) instead of awkwardly trying to mix it into convo with a stranger. If you don't have an SO, post it on your dog's (and or cat) Facebook page b/c we know you have one. 
• In regards to the actual voting, if you think the ballot is confusion then you shouldn't be allowed to vote. And at least read what you are voting for ... don't just vote YES for everything! This isn't Russia, Danny, and politicians should win by 100%.  
• If you don't like a candidate, I recommend writing in previous ex's for non-presidential positions. Since I've dated a few lawyers, you can guarantee they will get some votes for county and tax commissioner.  The way I see it, they deserve a civil service position and the opportunity to work with "the people." 

Of all the tips, the most important thing anyone can do ... is vote! If you don't vote, then you don't have permission to complain and it is your right as a citizen to vote. At most, it takes 30 minutes out of your day and offers you the opportunity to annoy the shit out of everyone on FB and Instagram with updates about your voting.  So go vote, then go complain ... it's the American way!

Puddles ... the reason I love Oregon

That and their head football coach has a cool first name and their offense is highly entertaining to watch.

This is just sad ...

I'm still trying to figure out how we were not prepared for our embassy / consulate to get attacked in a country that collapsed in a civil war six months earlier.  We also know that a lot of insurgents in Iraq came from this area and were even cautious to putting our troops on the ground during the hunt for Momar.

I also love how no other media is covering this story and how Obama is skirting it. Yes, it's a State / CIA issue and Hilary won't have much of a political career after this, but the buck stops with the President.  Yeah, he made some comment about that during a debate recently, but those were words ... what's being done? Where are the heads of the terrorists to who did this? Where is the explanation from Patreaus and Panetta on why nothing was done?

From the reports, we had a SEAL team on stand by 2 hours away and gun ships near by ... unbelievable. And we had drones in the air filming all of it? And the two SEALs that were KIA survived for 6 hours before being killed by a mortar round?  Wow ... talk about SNAFU. Imagine what was going through those two heroes minds when they were saving everyone. I hate to think that our country abandoned them and didn't even send in a drone with some hell-fire missiles. This story just makes me furious ... why did we leave them to die after all they did to save everyone else? Why hasn't the government allowed the people they saved to speak? Reminds me a lot of Black Hawk Down but at least those troops had lil birds and help from Delta / Rangers.

mylittlestprelovedshop

mylittlestprelovedshop

Finally, the last debate

So I'm watching the final debate and sharing a few comments in real time. So here goes:

• So far, so boring. Yawn ... I hope it picks up soon. 
• ok ... now it's going and here comes my only rant. The comment about the "1980's called and want their foreign policy back" shows how short sighted and uninformed this presided acts.  His callousness towards the Russians is amazing and they are run by an ex-KGB leader who wants nothing more than to further dominate natural resources and build a modern empire, as well as modernized military. Course, this is the same man that told Vlady to just wait til after November for further conversations.  Read any European newspapers -- Putin has no respect for Obama and walks all over him. Its embarrassing ... and I'm not saying Romney would do better, but the comment was stupid and now I'm irritated b/c act presidential for once.  Just once ... presidents don't  make sarcastic comments. Imagine if we had a real leader that didn't resort to pandering and ridiculous comments to win votes. 
• This debate is garbage so far ... it's a contest of one liners and argumentative comments. Might as well be hosted on MTV with Jesse Camp sitting in the background doing heroin. 
• Bob Schaffer just brought up Mubarak ... relevant how? And no, the Egyptians didn't run over their people with tanks.They ran around on camels with knives and beat up Anderson Cooper. I watched it live ... see 1989 and Tienanmen Square for people getting run over by tanks.
• "America is stronger now than when I came into office,"  -- I feel stronger ... don't you? I've been in the gym and I'm pretty sure so has the rest of the country. 
• Opa! We are on the road to Greece everyone. Woo Hoo. If that's the case, I'm wearing armor everyday and moving to Sparta. THIS IS SPARTA! 
• At the 30 minute mark they talked a lot about teachers and argued over numbers from Mass in the mid 90's.  In a meeting today at work  I told my team that I enjoyed Jack and Coke slushies. Yeah, neither are really relevant.   
• Space ... OMG ... space? Did he just say SPACE?  I immediately send you to this link to watch Dave Chappelle and Black Bush.  United States of Space ... M . A . R . S .... MARS, BITCHES! 
• "Fewer horses and bayonets?" Umm ... yeah. 
• I think the common sense light just clicked on and both are talking calmly about Iran and Israel instead of making negative remarks about each other. 
• So now we are talking about travel and the apology tour ... POTUS is getting angry.  He's getting defensive and of course, Romney is just staring forward into Bob Schaffer's eyes like its Prom night. Just like on Saturday Night Live, maybe he will turn into Barak "The Rock" Obama and start throwing things.
• For some reason, I really want to hear the Beatles ... You say "yes", I say "No"; You say "Stop" and I say "go, go, go"
• Yawn ............................... I just got some new arm sleeves for running ... these things are pretty cool. 
• Speaking about Pakistan now -- I'm trailing off because they are both rambling and I no longer care. Did you know, that if you shorten the word Pakistan into the first 4 letter and call someone from Pakistan that ... that is very bad. I did that on accident when I lived in London b/c i heard one of my co-workers call someone that ... note to self ... never say that again. It's bad ... 
• Wait ... I think I heard Bob Schaffer slur the words Obama Bin Laden.  Awesome ... any chance we can get a moderator under 60 years old? I'm sure Carson Daley is available. 
• Tweet of the night about the debate: "I just tried to fact check this debate and my laptop blew up." 
• I nodded off ... something was said, POTUS got angry and Romney said that POTUS was wrong. 
• Oh, one more thing ... the Navy SEALs killed Bin Laden, not politicians.

Both sides will claim that each won.  I think CNN will say Obama because he looked snarky and Fox / Drudge will say Romney because he wasn't snarky.  My dad will say Romney and my sister will say Obama. Honestly, they both were pretty bad and I'm still stuck on installing a monarchy. The fact that either one of these clowns will run the country (for the first time or again) is just frightening.  

I'll say it again, but wouldn't it be great if we can find some leaders who have leadership potential and act presidential? I know pandering is part of politics but sarcasm is embarrassing on both side. Since the debates are going to be run in this manner, then we should have them hosted on MTV and any other teen network around. These aren't debates, they are sarcastic grandstanding that I'm happy to see come to an end.  

And I'm back ...

Sorry for the hiatus, but I was out on vacation last week and did everything I could to stay away from technology, email and most importantly, work.

Retired Sorority Girl and I took some time away and went on another cruise. This time, we choose to go on Carnival instead of RCCL ... mainly because we have a wedding coming up and since weddings are the most expensive day ever invented, we decided to do more of a budget / than luxury cruise.  Some key takeaways and experiences:

• The crew on board was amazing ... by far the highlight of the trip.  The other passengers were some of the best people watching I've seen in years. Let's just say that I felt like a young, wealthy model on board that ship compared to the other passengers. I'm also convinced the crew was nice to us because we were the only two spending money. 
• Clubs on cruise ships are always a good time ... especially if there is no one else in it but you.  That happened to us on the third night b/c we had the entire club to ourselves. If you are afraid to dance in public, then this is the way to go. Of course, at one point during my special dances, the DJ did come over the intercomm and make fun of me ... a real highlight of the trip. 
• The food was surprisingly amazing. I had heard a rumor it wasn't very good but I couldn't say anything was bad or even not good. In fact, I think they had more options than RCCL from a casual experience and the dining room was really good. Most importantly  they offer you warm / molten chocolate cake each night which is one of the greatest things on Earth. Had I not caught the Norwalk Virus, I'm sure I would have gained weight! 
• By the pool deck, they have a Wok station which was fantastic.  Personally, I thought having Wok food by the pool was odd, but then I experienced the phenomena and it was incredible.  Everyone should have noodles, chicken and veggies while sipping on a pina coloda and listening to dance music.
• Speaking of which, if I hear anyone say, CRISS CROSS anytime soon they are going to get punched. 
• Always get a private cabana ... no matter what cruise, if a private cabana is offered, get it no matter the cost. I've done it on two cruise lines and both panned out great. 
• Three card poker is bull shit. Just sayin ...
• Freeport, Bahamas is a miss ... stay on board a ship unless you feel the need to go look at straw products and clothing made in China.  
• No matter what you think, water proof sun tan lotion is not water proof, comes off and you get sunburned pretty badly.
• Everyone should Karaoke on a cruise.
• No one should watch a presidential debate on a cruise with strangers.  While an interesting experience, not one I'd like to repeat again. 
• Pictures, pictures, pictures -- since my father is a photographer, I've never been a huge picture person.  On cruises, they are worse that a bad sorority party with pictures.  The difference is that on RCCL, they take the pictures seriously. On Carnival, they are awesome and let you do whatever you want.  For instance, one night, we went from bad glamour shots to dressing up like Mexicans. It was amazing! One of the highlights of the trip and I'll be sure to scan some of the images. 
• Another highlight was the second annual Jed / RSG Olympics - each cruise, we compete against each other in events such as ping pong, gambling, shuffle board, air hockey, etc. Unfortunately for RSG, the results this year were a land slide victory for Jed. In fact, he even tried to let her win a few and she lost.  Looks like someone needs to get training before the next trip. 
• And finally ... the best part (and careful, this gets graphic) ... the night before the last full day at sea, I caught the dreaded Norwalk Virus. Yes, that's right sports fans, Jed got sick on vacation. And I'm not talking a runny nose, I'm talking that shit (literally) was coming out of all areas and it was horrible.  Imagine clinging onto a tiny toilet vomiting in a tiny cruise ship bathroom only to realize you now have explosive Montezuma's revenge. Now flip that, you are taking care of the revenge and then you vomit all over yourself. Yeah, pretty amazing experience! Looking back, I really laugh about the disgustingness and movie worthy experience that was the cruise ship bathroom of horror. 
• What's neat about having the Norwalk Virus on board a cruise ship is that you are quarantined to your room.  Sounds horrible, but then you realize that you are tremendously contagious so you can't blame them.  In fact, they go to extremes. I was give bio-hazard bags (giant red) to put my 'waste' and food into so no one else was contaminated. I felt like I was a victim in the movie Contagion, but I survived!
• And a quick lesson ... always, always, always wipe down your cabin with Clorox wipes. We do and that's not why I got sick, but can you imagine the family that had our cabin the cruise after us? I feel bad for anything they dropped on that bathroom floor. I'm not sure napalm would have cleaned it.  

All in all, the cruise was a great time.  I've learned that with any vacation, its what you make of it. So if your looking to take a Carnival cruise, go with friends because it will be a lot more fun. Carnival's biggest problem is their pricing. The product they offer isn't bad, but when you make it affordable to everyone, you don't always get the best results.  I'd go on a Carnival ship again, but I'd make sure it was one of their newer ships, took friends with me and most importantly, ensure they have bathrooms with plastic floors.  

Camping Essentials List - Lighters

Are you eagerly planning a camping trip? Is this your first camping excursion or are you a veteran camper? Regardless of your level of experience, whether you would rate yourself as a camping novice or expert, there are helpful tips and essential items that will assist in ensuring your camping experience is a fun-filled experience. Of course, many of the items that would qualify as necessary is contingent upon the manner in which you will embrace nature. Fueling up the family RV or pitching a tint are two of the most common manners of camping, and will greatly impact the list of provisions and supplies that will be required. However, there are many things that will undoubtedly be necessary for both methods of camping, and in this article we will discuss several of these, for each method.

If you are in fact planning to pitch a tent, then of course a sturdy, spacious and weather resistant tent is absolutely paramount. With this, you will undoubtedly want to also bring along warm and waterproof sleeping bags, in addition to an inflatable air mat for added comfort. A good rule of thumb when selecting your tent is to double the number of people who will be using the tent for sleeping and select a tent that accommodates this number, which will ensure ample space. If instead you are planning to use an RV, or camper, then most likely you have already furnished it with the necessary blankets, pillows and other items commonly used in a camper of any sort.

Whether you are roughing it with a tent or embracing nature from a safer distance, there are still numerous essentials to add to your checklist prior to your departure date. Lanterns, lighters, and first aid kits are among the most frequently forgotten items that every camper should have on hand. First Aid kits should include a ready supply of band-aids, antiseptic, aspirin and burn ointment. Other helpful items include mosquito repellent, moist wipes, and emergency candles & waterproof matches. If you have opted to bring a refillable lighter, having lighter fluid reserves is a good idea too, along with replacement wicks & flints.

Enjoying your camping trip to the fullest will be much easier to accomplish with a well-developed checklist on hand. While preparing for your out-of-doors adventure and prior to departure, check (and double-check) your inventory; as you pack and again as you load up. This will ensure you are less likely to forget items.

Vice Presidential Debate review

Well, I have a number of thoughts about this debate and will bullet them out below. First off, Martha is not as bad as Leherer as a moderator, but she's still piss poor.  I think they need to have a non media moderate or perhaps a talking dog? You know, that German Sheppard that barks I love you? Pretty sure that would be better than what we are forced to watch.  Anywhoo, some of my key learnings: 

• Mularky -- pretty sure someone in the audience "shat" themselves when that was said. Literally, you could hear some one try and laugh and then it sounded like a minor explosion. 
• Biden's laughter is interesting ... I'm pretty sure its a nervous move but it kinda makes him look like a smug lil bitch. I love me some smiling Joe, but I don't care for the bitchy laugh. If I used a smug laugh in some of my meetings, it would not go over well and I'd lose my job.  
• Another complaint on Mr. Biden -- he's really argumentative tonight. Where the fun loving, drunk, rambling Joe that I've come to love? I even started directly into his teeth looking for some mesmerizing wisdom and drunken revelry, but I got nothing. 
• Ryan must have hit up the P90X early this AM or he was hammering some vodka in that glass. 
• Conflating? Biden said it twice and I have no idea what it means but I"m certainly going to figure out a way to work it into at least four conference call next week. 
• "Hey Taliban -- we are getting the f*ck out in 2014. Put down your guns and wait til Jan 2015 until we leave." -- Amazing military strategy -- tell the enemy when we are leaving! It's a phenomenal approach that will ensure they stop fighting, go back to their mud huts and help re-establish the Afghan Narnia.  
• "Afghans to do the job! Afghans to do the job!" - not the quote of the night but Biden's attempt to argue Afghan policy.  
• "All our allies are on the same page," said Biden on Syria -- except Russia. See, they are arming Assad and they don't agree with us. Yeah, umm, hmm ... ok, moving on. 
• At least Biden didn't laugh during the abortion comments ... that would have been a tad tacky.
• "Hey Martha -- I hope I get equal time ... and I mean at the bar damn it. Where's my beer." Joe said the first part and I added in the latter. I quit listening because his laughter made me sick. 
• And the final speeches:  
• Biden:  he thanks Marta and then talked about inheriting a bad situation. YES-- blame Bush, baby, blame him! At least Biden had a closing speech - much much better than Obama.
• Ryan: At least he thanks Joe and looked into the camera.  His closing statement was a speech and not a rambling. What's up with the rambles from the democrats? Did they never watch Kennedy? Seriously, he's on YouTube, look it up.  Anywhoo, Ryan looked more presidential and I'm sure both sides are going to claim victory. 

So ... when is Obama gonna bring out Bill to bail him out? Biden was condescending, kinda rude and certainly not presidential but at least was combative -- enough to get the Democrats excited. I'll bet you a Buffallo nickle that Willie will be on the scene shortly.  

Honestly, I think we need to look to the East and create a monarchy.  Yeah, a monarchy.  After the first two debates and the fact that our Congress is on "break", I think we need to take a new approach and try out the monarchy. But I'll leave you on my last take away form the debate ... Smiling Joe makes me think of Ricky Bobby! Yeah, that's right ... Ricky Bobby! 

 

Thanks for the memories, Chipper!

Friday night marked the end of Chipper Jones career. I'm not going to lie, after I watched his final press conference, I teared up and felt a piece of me die a little because his career was finally over.  Granted, the a few hours earlier I was all fired up and plotting ways to severely maim and injure Joe Torre, MLB and the Umpires after their horse shit "infield / outfield" fly rule. I don't care if the Braves weren't going to win, that call was absolutely horse shit.  Worst call ever.

Anywhoo ... Thanks, Chipper. I've enjoyed all the heroics and your leadership the last (almost) 20 years.  The late inning magic / home runs and the fight with Jamie Moyer are some of my favorite baseball memories. Hopefully, we will see you in the front office in a few years ... or join Glavine in the box making fun of Simmons. Regardless, you've left your mark, had an amazing career and the Braves will never be the same. Godspeed and enjoy the Hall of Fame.

Happy Birthday Dr. Noisewater!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Noisewater. Have a great day, play some golf and be careful of friends who try to shoot you with BB's when you miss a note during Guitar Hero.

Careful, Canada's getting nationalistic

Great FRONT PAGE story on MSNBC today about how Canada is celebrating the 200 anniversary of the War of 1812 and discussing how the Canadians fought off the Americans.  Nevermind that they one won battle and not the war, but that's really not the point with Canada.  Their goal is to create something out of nothing because when your a country ruled by polar bears, that's what you do.  

And a couple of quick things:  Canada became a nation in 1867 ... so this would have been a conflict against Britain and not Canada ... hmm. Anywhoo, I'm not going to to into my Canada rant because I'm in a good mood today, but really MSNBC? Please stop with all the hard hitting journalism. I'm not sure I can take much more award winning stories like this one:  Canada Higlights War of 1812 with US as Villain

And as a Monday Funday ... some South Park for ya ... 

I can't wait for Thursday

The last minute is great ... all about my boy Smiling Joe!

This movie will win awards for being wrong

Definitely NSFW ...

Debate #1 ... some comments

For the record, I have pneumonia so I could be delirious due to medicine and a constant cold sweat.  So here are a couple of my takeaways.

• I spent a good portion of the debate fairly confused ... not because I don't understand the issues but more because there was a lot of wandering through topics, poor pauses and inaccurate information. 
• Obama is not a good speaker off teleprompter -- if I stuttered that much I'd get fired. Also, he's also not good at staying on message. As a professional who has media trained many people, he's doing a lot of things wrong. His bridge messaging, which is what connects one idea to another, is not going so well. In fact, if it were a real bridge, it would be on fire.
• Both candidates need to work on  the drama effect of the pause. If you pause too long, you should take a shot -- the candidates, not the viewers.  
• This just in ... Romney's plan is not a $5 trillion dollar tax cut.  I wish that was repeated a few more times.  I counted 17.
• How old is Jim Leher?  He looked like an old puppet - basically one of the angry guys in the balcony from the Muppets.
• Pretty sure I heard Obama say insurance companies are going to jerk me off. I think he meant jerk me around, but that's not what he said (and this occurred around 10 or so).
• Are there applications for the board that determine's people's fate?  I vision a bunch of dudes in black capes sitting next to a hang man's noose. I bet it pays well ... if anyone knows how to get on that panel, gimme a hollar. 
• For the record, I watched the healthcare debate. There was nothing bi-partisan about it.  
• Neither candidate can pronounce "alternatively" and I think Wolf Blitzer just call Candy Crowley "snacks" 
• Trickle down government -- everyone should try and work trickle down into some sort of conversation this weekend. 
• What's the deal with community colleges? What if we pushed people to go to 4 year schools? How about we challenge kids to be the best?  
• I just created a survey of pretend things in my house and they feel that there were too many surveys polled for this debate.
• Only one Bin Laden mention ... I was disappointed. 
• They need a scoreboard in the middle so people can watch the time. Neither candidate is good at watching time. I mean, there's a coin toss at the beginning so why can't there be a "speech" clock. 
• 12 million jobs ... that seems like a lot.  Are we installing the draft? 
• The vice presidential debate will be amazing! I can't wait ...

So the debate was interesting. Curious to see the next couple and of course, the Vice Presidential debate will be the greatest thing EVER!