Travel

There seems to be the conception that gay spirituality travel (whatever that means to you) is “work”. Nobody wants to work on a vacation. That’s why we take a vacation in the first place, to get “away from it all” for awhile, to escape. We seem to frame the concepts of spiritual and personal growth with thoughts like: “I need to do this” or “I should do that” because “it would be good for me”. With those ideas as a background, it’s no wonder that so many of us think of spiritual and personal growth as “work”. When we’re on a vacation, we want to leave all the “need to’s” and “should’s” of daily life behind us, for at least a short time.

Spiritual gay travel is actually a great joy. You meet likeminded people and share your experiences with them and you get a chance to really get to know them. Connecting with others this deeply adds a great deal to our vacation enjoyment. It is this connection to other people that is so lacking in our lives.

Also, we have learned being “spiritual” requires acting seriously or even solemn. We seem to think that laughter is the antithesis of being spiritual. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We connect more deeply to spirit when we laugh. After all, it is said that laughter is the best medicine.

When we connect spiritually with others and the world, our vacation is greatly enhanced. Conscious awareness of our surroundings makes a gay vacation more exciting and we can get more out of our travel experience. We become very aware of everything we experience while travelling and as such, we are more fulfilled.

Little children are a wonderful example of this. They are enthralled with the world around them; everything is new, everything is a wonder. Discovering and learning new things is not “work” to a child. They find joy in all that they encounter; everything is a new toy to play with.

And last, but certainly not least, sometimes people confuse the experience of being awestruck as being serious or solemn. When you travel with conscious awareness there can be times when you will be “deeply moved” (awestruck) by something you encounter. It could be the hospitality of a family you meet; a genuine smile; the grandeur of a sunrise or simply the revelation that you are blessed to be alive. Personally, even after countless visits to Monument Valley, I am still moved tears while I am there. But these are tears of joy, humility and gratitude.

Information by Howie Holben for gay retreats. Spirit Journeys focuses on your gay spirit.

categories: metaphysical,spirituality,self-improvement,motivation,inspirational,coaching,attraction,happiness,travel,gay,retreats,religion

Living in a big city, I can choose from about ten different coffee makers within a few blocks of my apartment. This is a great thing that I definitely try to take advantage of.

Not too long ago, I discovered what has quickly become my favorite source for coffee in the city. While this may sound like a bit of a stretch, I mean it when I say that this could very well be the best cup of coffee in the entire city.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters is a Portland chain with a very homegrown approach. While they’ve maintained a limited number of locations, the company’s owner recently relocated to Brooklyn, bringing about a few new locations in the New York area.

It seems that everything on the menu may very well be great. I’ve heard others say this, and the theory has proved true thus far. The coffee is higher grade than anything you’ll find at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, and it’s hard for me to go back to those after trying Stumptown’s roast.

Interestingly enough, the prices aren’t much higher than those that you’d find at a Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. This is a great thing when you consider the difference in the quality of the beans. One negative is the fact that they only accept cash, though I don’t know if that’s specific to the location I’ve been to.

I’m not alone when I say that this is the best coffee I’ve ever had. The chain has won numerous awards, and those who’ve tried it seem to be just as hooked as I am.

I’ve seen people on both the East coast and the West coast claiming that Stumptown brews the best coffee they’ve ever had. It’s rare to find a brand that wins such universal acclaim, especially in coffee cities like Seattle.

If you have a Stumptown near you, consider yourself lucky and try it out. If you don’t, hope that the chain expands, and take advantage of any traveling opportunity you may get and try it out.

If you enjoy this writer’s style, read his articles about Armani suits for men and the Armani tuxedo.

categories: coffee,food,drinks,gourmet,happiness,product reviews,hobbies,business,culture,art,leisure,health,awards

It appears that there has been a decline in consumer confidence in the building and construction industry of late. This may be because of the scams highlighted on television or the bribery and corruption endemic in the corporate sector, but it is almost certainly the same motivation why so many are now carrying out home improvements by themselves.

And why shouldn’t they? A little knowledge of the technical aspects combined with an eye for creativity is often enough to do the home improvement on your own.

Why are people turning to do-it-yourself home improvements?

There are many people trying to pass themselves off as construction workers, although they do not have a lot of experience in construction or home maintenance and they are literally are out there right now practising, learning their trades on homes like yours and mine across the country.

Not surprisingly, homeowners are finding that the jobs are not being completed to their liking. Sometimes they are even pre-paying for services that do not get done or were not part of the plan.

You do not have to trust and pay someone to enhance your home. Why not have a go yourself?

You can enhance your home?s existing concrete surfaces using acid stains, acrylic paints, epoxy paints, and scoring techniques.

If you are tired of looking at bleak gray concrete, there are some easy jobs if you are sincere about having a go at home improvement DIY, you can easily give your patio, driveway or garage a refreshing new look.

Decorative concrete work costs about double that of standard concrete, which is why many people cannot afford it.

However, there are inexpensive methods to beautify concrete after it has cured, without having to pay skilled tradesmen.

Acid-based concrete stains are becoming more and more popular for coloring concrete surfaces. They chemically react with the cement to produce permanent color with a variegated or mottled appearance similar to that of marble. This results in a natural, stylish looking exterior.

Water-based concrete stains are an alternative to acid stains but are much more user friendly because they are so much less toxic. These stains do not chemically react with the concrete; they are absorbed into the porous surface and act like a colorant. The big advantage of water based stains is the wide range of colors on hand.

If you want to venture beyond the basic staining of your concrete, think about using some scoring techniques to create patterns on the surface.

You can make your concrete resemble a tiled floor for example. It is just up to your imagination. A mini angle grinder with a 4 inch cutting wheel is the perfect tool for this.

The key thing to remember when scoring is to draw the pattern on the concrete first and make sure you are happy with the way it looks because scoring is permanent.

Epoxy paints make an excellent coating for garage floors and cellar floors. Many commercial floors have epoxy coatings because of their hardiness and resistance to chemical spills as well as their appearance.

In recent years, however, it has become very popular for residential use with the availability of an growing quantity of different colors. This is not a tricky job, but the key to successful application is surface preparation.

Epoxy paints have also become available in a water based form making it safe for the DIY’er and perfect for indoor applications. They cost a little more than stains. For a 400 square foot area, you’ll pay out about $200 for the materials needed for this job.

So, you see? You do not have to spend big money to improve your home. You have the ability to do it yourself. With a few instructions and a little bit of work, anyone can turn dull concrete into a work of art of their own.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with Flowtron Bug Zapper devices. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Indoor Bug Zapper

categories: review,products,advice,happiness,holidays,travel,garden,insects,gadgets,electronics,skin care,accessories,self help,other

I don’t know whether you have ever used a handheld, indoor bug zapper, but I think that they are marvelous. I?m talking about the handheld type that looks like a child’s plastic, toy tennis racquet. They come in two basic kinds. I prefer the rechargeable bug zapper, because batteries end up up costing more than the indoor bug zapper itself, although you could always buy rechargeable batteries, but then they are dear as well.

My wife and I like to spend time in the garden. We meet friends there, dine there and in general loaf about outdoors, as do most folks around here, when they are not working. Besides, it’s far cooler outside than indoors. A comfy chair, some snacks, a cool drink and a book or a friend and life does not get much better. In fact, it?s idyllic.

That is until about six or seven o’clock when the first wave of mosquitoes have judged that the sun’s rays have lost enough strength that they will not evaporate and they come out looking for blood. Some evenings are worse than others, of course. Normally, the mosquitoes are quite bearable, particularly seeing as I have discovered the indoor bug zapper. (I don’t know why it is called an ‘indoor bug zapper’, it is equally as effective outdoors as in)..

It’s not that I want to kill things, but I find it difficult to have sympathy for mosquitoes. Nevertheless, I do get a certain amount of enjoyment from seeing and hearing mosquitoes and other bugs literally blow up with a flash and a spark as they come into contact with the electric and ground wires of the indoor bug zapper. These electric bug zappers are capable of packing quite a charge, especially if the batteries are new or the pack is wholly charged.

The other day, I found a novel use for my handheld, indoor bug zapper. I’ll tell you how it came about. I was in the garden, as usual, and my bug zapper was close at hand as the first wave of mosquitoes was due. I had my book in one hand and the bug zapper on my lap, when my wife asked me to go to the shop for her. No problem, therefore, I set off on the five minute walk.

I was half-way there when I realized that I had the indoor bug zapper in my hand, but it was not worth taking it home and beginning the trip again. Anyway, on my return journey, I had my small bag of provisions in one hand and the indoor bug zapper in the other, when a local bully of a dog came running out of a garden right for me. This has occurred often and, although he has never bitten me yet, it is quite intimidating. He stood there glaring at me with teeth bared and his ‘pack’ of assorted local friends came out to encircle me and join in.

I don’t actually know what the best course of action is in this situation. I have tried holding my ground, but the intimidation just continues and I have tried to continue walking, but he gets worryingly close sometimes. This time, I suddenly lashed out with the indoor bug zapper and just hit him on the snout. Well, I’m not sure whether it hurt him, it did not appear to too much, but it gave him a very nasty shock in more ways than one, I can tell you! He leapt about four feet into the air as if he were on a pogo stick and then fled for all he was worth with all his friends behind him. It was very gratifying after six months of persecution from this dog.

Nevertheless, I don’t take my indoor bug zapper everywhere with me, but I will in future, if any more local dogs trouble me. I know it works a treat. I have seen that one since, but he keeps far away from me and doesn’t utter a peep. I think I would take my indoor bug zapper with me, if I were wandering in an unfamiliar part of town or the park nevertheless.

Some of the most common indoor bugs we see anywhere in the world are flies, spiders, fleas and beetles. Nobody likes to see a bug indoors, so most people will go to almost any lengths to get rid of these common indoor bugs. The less common indoor bugs may be woodlice, earwigs, scorpions and millipedes or centipedes, although they are not less unwelcome.

It does not matter where you live in the world, it can be very hard to keep these common indoor bugs outside, unless you go to the extremes of keeping all your windows and doors shut at all times, which is obviously impossible. I now stay in Thailand and I know for certain that this is not possible.

So, just what can you do about it? Well, let’s deal with all the flying insects first, as of all the common indoor bugs, I find them the most unpleasant indoor bug. They are very annoying, buzzing around your head and mosquitoes and other flies can create irritating sores and besides that, all flies spread disease. I hate to see them strutting about on food, knowing that they have probably just come off some dung heap somewhere and now they are spitting on my food to taste it with their grubby feet!

My first line of defence is fine-mesh door and widow screens. They are not dear and can be added retrospectively to any window. My window meshes slide, so they can protect only one half of the window at a any one time, but I do not think that’s a problem. You can still set up cross-winds, by opening two or more windows at opposite sides of a room. I just love to see the flies on the mesh trying to get in by day and the mosquitoes doing the same by night. At night, it is wise to turn on as little light indoors as possible in order not to draw these common indoor bugs.

My second line of defence is natural predators – lizards, like Geckos (Jin Jok, in Thai). Some people don’t like them in the house much either and I can’t say that I’m all that keen on them indoors myself, but they are hard to keep outside and they do eat hundreds, if not thousands, of indoor bugs every day. I particularly like to see them lying in wait on the outside of the mesh, ready to pounce on any bug trying to wriggle its way through the wires.

My third line of defence is an indoor bug zapper. You know, the electric, handheld bug zapper that looks like a child’s tennis racquet. They are brilliant at catching and destroying any flying indoor bug. The bug literally explodes and vaporizes on contact with the fully-charged wires of the indoor bug zapper. If you haven’t tried using one, you really should. They are most gratifying. These three defences keep our house pretty much free of flies.

The creeping common indoor bugs are not so much of a problem really. Door screens on self-closers will keep 99% of them out and the Geckos will help too. Spiders can get in fairly very easily, but then, I don’t mind them too much as long as they keep out of my way, as they consume other insects too. They are on our side really. However, for those who can not bear to trap them and throw them outside, the handheld indoor bug zapper works a treat on spiders too.

Fleas can sometimes be a problem, if you have cats or dogs, but then if you wash or dust the animal once a month, you should be able to keep these common indoor bugs under control fairly easily. However, there are two final measures that we use. Once a week, before we go out for the day, we spray every room with fly killer and every six-months we spray any rugs or carpets with an insect killer containing permethrin, which will survive washing and vacuuming for that long without losing its ability to kill common indoor bugs on contact. If you follow these measures, you should be able to keep your home or office quite free of the most common indoor bugs and any less common indoor bug too.

Have you ever heard of an indoor bug zapper? If you haven’t, or if you want to get an indoor bug zapper, please click one of the links to our website or blog.