Preparing Your Car for Vacations

It’s 3:30 in the morning and my mom has just come in to wake me up. I’m so excited I can hardly wait. I get dressed and make my way out to the car. We quietly get everything put in the trunk and stealthily make our way from the house. It’s going to be a long 12 hour trip, but I don’t care we are going to Portland, Oregon and Mt. Hood. I get to have Fish and Chips for dinner and after that, we hit Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone. This is our annual vacation and I used to look forward to it each year.

Now that I am older and have a family of my own, I have come to realize the amount of preparation my dad went through to make sure our vacation was as safe and free of mechanical breakdowns. Now is the time to prepare for your trip. Although gas prices are high and you may travel closer to home, you still need to do a few things that will help prepare you for the road ahead.

The first item on the agenda will be to get your car serviced. I would suggest you fight the urge to take your car to one of those “quick lube” places. Make sure the job is done right the first time and take your car to your regular mechanic. It may cost a little more, but you get peace of mind in return for the extra cash outlay. Here is a list of things that should be done before any long trip. These items will help assure that your car is running smoothly and efficiently.

Get a Tune-Up. This should be done at least once a year.

Get your fluids checked. This is usually done at the time of an oil change.

Get your oil changed.

Have your tires rotated. This will ensure that your tires wear evenly.

Have your air pressure checked. This is one of the leading causes of poor gas mileage.

Make sure you have new filters. The air and oil filters are usually replaced when you get an oil change, but it doesn’t hurt to check and be sure.

Have your mechanic check and make sure all the belts are “right and tight”.

Have the breaks checked.

Don’t overload the trunk. The extra weight will reduce your gas mileage.

These are just a few of the most important items that should be taken care of. Yes, it is just the usual routine automobile maintenance that every car should have; however it usually ends up being far from routine.

I hope these few tips have helped. Remember, this is your vacation…..stay off the cell phone!! You don’t need to talk on the phone while driving. Talk to your family instead, they’re the reason your on vacation in the first place.

Have a safe and wonderful vacation! If you want, send me a picture of your favorite destination and we can have a contest and see if anyone can name where it is!

www.epa.gov

Get Your Car Ready for Summer Vacation

A Night in Hell's Kitchen

Have you ever watched the television show Hell's Kitchen? This is the show where 15 contestants via for a shot at running the kitchen at Chef Gordon Ramsey's new restaurant. It is shown every Tuesday night on the Fox Broadcasting Network. It may seem like a dull premise, but it is anything but dull. Ramsey seems to have a PhD in profanity and he doesn't mind giving lectures.

The contestants are split into two groups, male and female. They compete against each other in a weekly competition. This could take the form of cutting perfect 6 ounce portions from a side of beef, to seeing who can make the best pizza. The winning team gets a great reward, while the losing team gets to do some very dirty and disgusting job in the kitchen.

In addition to this competition, the teams must complete a dinner service at the Hell's Kitchen Restaurant. All food needs to be up to Chef Ramsey's standards before it leaves the kitchen and goes out to the customers. This is when he gives most of his "lectures". Ramsey is trying to see who has the best culinary skills and who can stand-up to the pressure of a grueling dinner service
Yes, his methods are extreme, but if you can withstand his tirades and his abuse, and still cook world class cuisine, I think you have what it takes to run his kitchen. It is an entertaining show where you not only get to see how people perform under intense pressure, but you can also gain some culinary tips. It just too bad some of the contestants don't take advantage of Chef Ramsey's education and experience.

As I have stated before, there are only a few reality television shows that I am willing to watch. The reason that I don't watch very many of them is because I hate seeing people constantly sniping and stabbing each other in the back. Isn't that part of Hell's Kitchen? Yes, but for the most part Chef Ramsey doesn't let them get away with it.

The other Reality Shows I watch are The Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel and Ghost Hunters on the Sci Fi Channel. I know, quite a leap from Crab Fishing to Hellish Kitchens to Hunting Ghosts but, as they say, variety is the spice of life.

http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/chefbiographie1/p/ramsaybio.htm

How to Maintain Your Exercise Equipment

You've gone and done it. You went and spent hundreds of dollars on an exercise machine. There it sits, in the middle of the room just waiting for you to come for a visit; and visit you do. Every day you religiously workout. Weeks into your routine, you have no desire to stop. Soon, you have passed the dreaded six-week point and guess what, you're still motivated to continue.

I say this is great!! Keep up the good work. However, there is a slight problem: you have neglected to pay attention to your exercise pal. Yes, he needs love too.

If you read the instruction manual that came with your exercise machine, you will notice that they ask that before each exercise session, you check and make sure that all the screws and bolts are tight. Yeah, Right! OK, everyone out there who does this before your workout, raise your hands. I see a few out there, but most of you are just looking around at each other. I'll bet you that those of you who raised your hands are the same ones who floss their teeth every night. Am I right?

I realize that performing maintenance on your machine EVERY time you use it is a bit much, but it is a very important step that MUST be taken. Your safety depends on it. The vibrations caused as you exercise, DO tend to loosen screws and bolts. The machine DOES need to be cleaned. Since you have spent untold hundreds on this piece of equipment, you need to protect your investment and yourself.

If you don't maintain your equipment on a daily basis, at the very least do it once a week. As a reward to yourself instead of exercising on Friday, use that time to perform a checkup on your machine. Go through and make sure everything is "tight and right." Take a cloth and wipe it down. If needed, lubricate any moving parts (Be sure to check your instruction manual on how to do this).

If you maintain your exercise equipment on a regular basis, it will give you years of use. This will not only protect your investment, but will help keep you safe.