San Jose, CA

This morning I was filling out a questionaire to win a free Ipod when this question “What advice would you give your 18 year old daughter.”

Sure I’m at the age that my generation could have an 18-year-old daughter but I haven’t been blessed with one yet. I have to wonder though. What advice would I give my daughter if she were 18 at the moment?

The comments that were left on the page were very good. It was a collection of many thoughts that people should live by. One of my favorites was a mother that has told her daughter time and time again to not settle. I guess you could combine this with the taught of dreaming big.

Of course there were comments about waiting to have children, waiting to have sex till you were married, not being afraid to try for a male dominate career. These are all good answers. The only problem is that none of these comments helped on the issue that many man and women are struggling with today.

So the advice that I would give my daughter if she were 18 would be to create a budget and stick to it. Do your best to pay everything with cash on hand and keep the credit cards to a minimum. Also do your best to stay away from payday advances.

I know that many are thinking that everyone deals with credit cards today but if everyone had control over their credit cards we wouldn’t have people writing books on how to get out of debt. People would not be swarming to purchase the next published book by Jean Chatzy or Mary Hunt.

The reason why I would advice my daughter to control her finances is due to the fact that about everything revolves around a persons credit score. The chance of getting an apartment, job, house, automobile, raise, and small business loan all depend on a persons credit score.

It’s now time for tit for tat! San Jose residents, what advice would you give or have given your 18-year-old daughter lately?

I was reading The Digerati Life this morning and became excited about possibilities. We all know about Rachael Ray traveling on $40 a day.

What would happen if I planned to travel to overseas with no credit needed? My husband and I would simply be doing this by saving one hour of each workday for our vacation?

No better time than the present to start a 2008 Resolution.

This is definitely a great amount to get us on a cruise to see the world. Or we could visit different events in The United States like hot air balloons in New Mexico, the monuments in Washington D.C., and the shores of Washington.

What if we forgo the yearly vacation, and saved for our retirement? Would my husband and I be able to retire at 60 and travel around the world? Would we be able to open a business that allowed us to travel around the world to discuss the sights, sounds, and smells that we see?

At age 50 we would be millionaires. At retirement we would be multimillionaires simply by saving between $12-$14 a day, especially if the doctor clears me to get my resume together and work in 2009.

So why am I throwing these “What If” calculations at you? To simply point out that saving even the littlest amount of money can prepare you for a great future. Even with saving $1 a day, you could be sitting on a nice financial goose egg in 2058.

finance, savings, new years resolutions, saving money, san jose california, san jose, financial plans

I don’t care what some people say in San Francisco, California. San Jose, California is a city. Yes, you guessed it. I’m tired of people saying, “I don’t know where anything is around here, I’m from the city.” What the?

To prove that we are a city, here are some things going on at our convention center, theaters, HP Pavilion, art museum, and more.

Voices In Harmony
The California Theater will be host to Northern California’s Premiere Men’s A Cappella Chorus on Sunday December 16 2007. You can listen to a collection of their musical pursuits here.
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I have to say that I’m a little bummed that The San Jose Sharks lost to The Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. The final score was 1- 7. Big Hiss to Ryan Miller for all those blocked pucks.

Hopefully the San Jose Sharks will be able to get passed this one game to beat out The Minnesota Wilds. The Sharks have four games this week against Minnesota Wilds, Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, and Anaheim Ducks.

I personally will have my ears glued to Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. Currently the Ducks lead in the Pacific division in GP’s. That’s where I want the Sharks to be. Will I get my wish? We’ll just have to see next week.

For more in-depth commentary, check out Ponds And Pucks. The Flyers are on Michelle’s mind.

San Jose California, Hockey, San Jose Sharks, Sharks VS Buffalo, Pacific Division, San Jose California Sports

Do you have a cooking or kitchen fan in your family? How about some kitchen items for stocking stuffers. I know I would love some new and interesting tools to use in the kitchen.

The Grattugia pictured above will fit nicely in any stocking for $6. It’s a great tool for grating hard cheeses over dishes. This great tool can be found at A.G. Ferrari.
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Sorry for dropping the ball around Veterans day. I was really looking forward to finding Veterens around San Jose, California and celebrating with words. Especially the United States Marine Corp which I hear celebrated their Birthday recently.

About San Jose
I’ll be visiting six new San Jose locations. Plus I’ll have six full days of events and fun for the whole family.

Talking About San Jose
I’ll be writing about the community, culture and society of San Jose, California. Come join me and give your 2 cents.

Movie Review
I’ll be giving my review of several movies in the box office and on DVD. I know there has to be movie lovers out there like me. This week we have Jack, Wild Hogs, Vacancy, Failure To Launch, The Seven Ups, Live Free or Die Hard, The Invisible, and Pan’s Labyrinth.

I’ll also let you know what will be coming out on DVD this week and hopefully obtain some good video feed.

30 days of stocking stuffers
It’s 30 days of interesting places around San Jose, California to get stocking stuffers for Christmas. I’ll give you suggestions for moms, dads, kids and more!

Free Friday
I’ll be opening up the contest crate to see who is giving away free stuff, having contests, and giving away prizes. It will also be time to announce what reader will be receiving a crisp $20 from us.

Chatting about The Biggest Loser
Tomorrow I’ll be catching up on NBC’s The Biggest Loser. We’ll see if all my exercise has dropped the scale a few pounds. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait until the finale and I’m crossing my fingers that someone from San Jose, California will be on next year.

Anyone have a video camera so I can apply?

Twisted Thumbs
I’ll let you know about a few online and downloadable games.

San Jose, California, San Jose California, NBC, The Biggest Loser, Free Friday, contests, free stuff, stocking stuffers, Christmas presents, movie review, dvd review, video games, downloadable games, online games

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get out and about San Jose, California today. I have English lessons to deal with and several Blog posts to make. I hate it when stuff that I need to do backs up.

Thinking about San Jose and Silicon Valley, I ran across a Blog that is all about money, personal finance, geeks and cyber space. I have to say great! I love other blogs that deal with San Jose and the Bay Area.

The Silicon Valley Blogger wrote about the struggle of achieving class mobility. I have to say “Amen Brother”. Thankfully, I’m currently part of a group that people call “Middle America”. I haven’t always been part of this group but thankfully I am now.

It reminds me that when I want to complain about my social status that there is three hundred or more people in San Jose, California who just wish they were in the situation that I am in.

Why does it have to be this way and will San Jose, California eventually become “Upper Americans” only? The Silicon Valley Blogger classifies “Upper Americans” as professionals and managers with a college and often a graduate degree. From where I’m standing it looks like it.

Thinking back to the three hundred or more people that spend their nights wishing for a job and shelters in San Jose, I could only find job listings for 50% of them on Craigslist.

Why the rant on social status and how San Jose, California is changing? I guess I just wanted to give people a wake up call. There are people out there that need employment and want it. All you have to do is visit some of the shelters and you will meet them.

So when the boss is giving you hell in the work place. Just be happy that you have a job and remember that it could be worst.

San Jose, California, social status, Silicon Valley, class mobility, money, personal finance, geeks, cyberspace, computers, culture, society

Where did the weekend go! Here we are at Friday most likely spending the next two days getting ready for another week. It’s Veteran week in this household!

I personally want to thank those of you who spend your life protecting our air, land, and sea. Veterans have affected my life in so many ways. You are the family member, the Classmate, the Firefighter, the Peace Officer, and Friend.

I thought it would be cool to showcase the Veterans in San Jose, California. I would love to hear about your personal experiences as a Veteran or as a person who has a Veteran in their family. If you’re against Veterans and war, it’s O.K. to speak up too. Just remember to be respectful.

So here’s what to expect from About San Jose, California this week:

Sunday – Veterans in San Jose, California
A different look at Veterans lives in San Jose, California.

Monday – Veteran Honor in San Jose, California
Giving respect to a Veteran in San Jose, California. I invite you to chime in and give a shout out to your favorite Veteran.

Tuesday – Army of None
Those trying to counter Military recruitment and build a better America.
I’ll also be showcasing a new gadget, company or website for Tech Tuesday.

Wednesday – Code Pink
When women see a lighter shade of red and what they do about it.
I’ll also be checking in with the local Radio stations for Radio Waves Wednesday. Find out what’s hot in the local scene and who is giving away what.

Thursday – Veteran Honor in the Bay Area
Giving Honor to a Veteran in the Bay Area. Once again, I invite you to chime in and give a shout out to your favorite Veteran.

Don’t forget to check out Tank Thursday and find out what is going on at the HP Pavilion.

Friday – What I’m Pregnant?
The story of a woman ready to join the Army and what happens after she finds out she’s pregnant.

I’ll also be letting you know who has free stuff to give away and where the contests are. Don’t forget to check the updated movie review and my thoughts on the DVD of the week.

Saturday – Desensitizing Children
Do video games really desensitize children to the acts of war?

San Jose, California, Veterans, Children, HP Pavilion, Technology, Military, Army of None, code pink

In a school in South Yorkshire, students who were uniforms are being tracked by GPS. The GPS is linked to a computer at the school that monitors the students’ attendance, location, and alert teachers to student behavior.

As a parent, how would you feel? Human rights campaigners are up in arms about the tracking. Some believe that the school is taking on a “Big Brother” approach and this would be normally be suited for someone just exiting prison.

I don’t see what the harm is. The microchip is not implanted into the child themselves but the clothing. All children in the study are volunteers. I don’t believe that a school would enforce student tracking without parental consent.

The system could be help for parents, teachers and the police. Along with logging attendance and grades, the database could include information such as medical history. Less time would be spent on attendance and teachers would be able to get right into class studies.

On the negative side, computers can be hacked into. People could obtain private information and use it to their advantage. I’m sure that everyone wants to keep his or her student and child safe from harm.

San Jose, California it’s your turn to voice your opinion. Would you like to see GPS testing happening in your school? Or do you like the old fashion way where teachers physically took attendance?

For more on parenting, schools, and education be sure to check out:
Mom is teaching
Single Parenting
Teacher Smackdown

san jose california families, gps in schools, tracking children, childrens safety

I know that I love animals but I have to say the newest addition to San Jose, California is cute, cute, and cute. Happy Hollow Park and Zoo have a Meerkat Manor of their own with new babies that are almost a month old.

They are definitely not “Flower” from but I’m sure that Kubaza and her friends would love you to sponsor them. As a sponsor you will get

Personalized letter
Certificate with a picture of a Happy
Hollow meerkat
Meerkat fact sheet
A meerkat bag tag - great for backpacks
or as a luggage tag
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One more day till TGIF and the weekend. As we prepare for the holidays, I’m sure we still want things to do to relax and spend time with family. San Jose is a bustling town and there is a lot to do today.

Family Supportive Housing Inc is having their Annual Soup Kitchen Dinner. I can’t believe that the dinner has been going strong for 21 years. Enjoy a great meal, support a wonderful organization and enjoy music from The Magnolia Jazz Band.

Family Supportive Housing Inc works hard each year helping those in need. In 2006, Family Supportive Housing Inc. provided housing for 175 families and supplied 633 San Jose residents with daily necessities. They also prepared over 172,000 meals for those in need.
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Among all the other events that are going on in the month of October, this month is also Get Organized Month. I know that I need to do it, how about you?

Today I’d like to offer you some tips on getting organized in your home, office, and on your Blog.

Blogging
Organized Blogging is not an easy task and no one knows this better than Web Dev Notes. Deceth offers some interesting tips on organizing you blog and the time you take to blog.

There are also some other tips that I would like to offer. Invest in a paper organizer. These organizers come in handy for collecting notes, pictures, magazine clippings and newspaper articles for your blog.

I also like to create an organizer with my url favorites. When I see a url or picture that catches my interest. I’ll sort it into my special section and use it later.
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Yesterday I wrote about speaking for those who are unable to. As a victim of Domestic Violence, I have experience first hand what it feels like to feel trapped and hopeless.

There is the shame of hiding physical and emotional scars from the world around you. Many times I had felt that no one understood what I was going through ore even cared.
http://www.about-sanjoseca.com/speak-out-domestic-violence-awareness/

Thankfully there are organizations and people that do care and that are willing to help. These organizations are only a phone call away from helping the abused, batterers, and families of Domestic Violence.

Here are several organizations in Silicon Valley that are willing to help.

Battered Women 24 Hour Hotline
1-800-572-2782

This number will connect you to a counselor 24 hours a day. They also have a main office located at:
1257 Tasman Dr Ste C, Sunnyvale, CA
(408) 541-6100
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The holiday season is coming. Soon Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will be here!

How about a free Caramel Apple, Apple Pie, or Snowberry Pine candle to light up the holidays. I will be giving a reader a free jar candle in their scent of their choosing.

I have over 100 scents to choose from. Visit my site, choose your scent, email your information to me at catherine@glowingwyck.com, and one of you will be a winner each month!
Let me know if you have a blog too because I love reading other peoples work!

October is a busy month! We have Domestic Violence Awareness, Breast Cancer Awareness and Halloween! Buy any product from Glowing Wyck and I will donate my profit! That’s right any profit that I make will go to a Domestic Violence organization, Breast Cancer organization, and Enviromental organization in San Jose, California.

san jose, california, domestic violence, breast cancer, candles, free candles, prizes, free stuff, enviromental

Perhaps people do it because they don’t want to get involved in other people’s affairs. Perhaps people think that the violence will turn their direction. There is a reason Domestic Violence is a silent epidemic. People are afraid to speak out for themselves and for others.

People rush to the scene of an accident and call 911. Why can’t the same be done for a Domestic Violence victim? There are things that you can do to help.

Contact The Police
Your local Police Department will have information on Domestic Violence laws and procedures. The Police will also have information on how the victim can obtain a restraining order.

If you witness Domestic Violence, please call 911. You have the right to be anonymous but no one deserves to be beaten and battered.
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