Systems Overload: August 2008

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Don't Forget to Register for Your Absentee Ballot

The 2008 U.S. Presidential election is not so far away now and it is time to start the registration process for absentee balloting. For Americans living overseas, you’ll want to start as soon as possible so that can have your absentee ballot completed and returned before the election. For many other Americans, the absentee ballot and balloting process can make voting a lot easier to do.

For Americans living overseas it is probably a good idea to contact local officials in the town of your last residence to find out how you can get an absentee ballot. In my case, I visited the website of the city where I last resided in and sent an email off asking how do register for an absentee ballot. The city clerk was nice enough to respond back and contact the person that ultimately provided the information that I needed. Because the process can vary from state to state and location to location, it is probably best to contact your local government to find out the process. You also don’t necessarily have to live overseas or be out of town on Election Day to participate in absentee voting; some communities have expanded the criteria allowing people to get a ballot for a variety of reasons. When I lived in Texas several years ago it was possible to go to your polling place and vote prior to Election Day, allowing you to avoid some of the lines that you would normally face on the big day.

The Democrats just finished their national convention in Denver, while the Republicans will be holding their convention in Minneapolis shortly. John McCain and Barack Obama have both recently made their sections of running mates, McCain announcing his on his 72^nd birthday on Friday. For those of you that aren’t interested in the candidates of the Democrats or Republicans maybe you can cast your ballot for the Libertarian Party or one of the other smaller third party candidates. I have to admit to being somewhat of a political junky and have enjoyed watching the speeches at the national conventions in the past.

I’m sure that there are probably many people out there that are tired of the campaigning already and just wish that it was all over. For others, November 4^th will be here sooner than you think, so be sure to register for your absentee ballot, if you’ll don’t plan on going to your local polling location on Election Day. If you’d like to provide a link to any of the candidates from parties that I didn’t mention, feel free to post it in the comments section. Don’t be afraid to tell friends, associates, and anyone that you think might be able to use anything that is written here. If you like what you’ve read, why not subscribe via email or your RSS reader of choice. I’d also appreciate it if you shared any ideas for reaching more readers. Please share our posts on delicious, Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social bookmarking or networking site.

Looking ahead I’m planning posts…

· Commemorating our one year anniversary

· 2008 Blog Action Day

· Along with the normal posts that you read here.

Other Posts That You Might Also Like to Read…

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Thursday, August 21, 2008

One Hundred Posts at Systems-Overload

Neukirchen, Austria taken in August 2006

I’m pleased to announce that the post that I did recently about interviewing your parents marked the 100^th post for Systems-Overload! I reached that milestone at the DC Heron Family blog back in June, after blogging for around a year and eight months, with Systems-Overload this milestone has been reached in around 11 months.

While I was very proud about reaching the 100 post milestone at DC Heron Family blog, I’m that much more excited about reaching this milestone with Systems-Overload because most of the posts have been about sharing things that I have learned, something that I’m very big on.

I started the Systems-Overload blog in September 2007, so I’m fast approaching the one year mark. I had thought that I was starting to write about some things that didn’t really fit into the family blog, so I decided to start a new blog. I’ve tried to focus on being more productive, GTD (Getting Things Done), family, parenting, technology, web 2.0, social networking, photography, and health.

Being a writer was one of those early childhood dreams of things that I wanted to be when I grew up that has kind of stuck with me. In One Year of Blogging, making that occasion at the family blog, I briefly discussed some of my motivation about blogging. Writing something is often rewarding, going from an idea in your mind to having something fleshed out on a piece of paper or in your computer and the internet is rewarding, because although it often takes time to do this, there is something tangible that you have to show at the end. It is also satisfying when someone else can read what you wrote and get your point, or better yet, is inspired.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our readers. Whether you’re a subscriber, regular reader, or only just passing through, I appreciate that you have been here! Comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged. Whenever something is written there is always more ways that it could have been said or more things that could have been said and sometimes you might have valuable input to add, you might have a different perspective not represented in the piece, or maybe you have connected with it on a personal level and would like to share this. It is also nice to hear if we’re on or off track, if you found a post informative, or if there is another subject or point that you would like to see written about here. I have sometimes looked at some of the bigger blogs which have built up a loyal and active readership and been envious. I have seen posts where there are over one hundred comments and in some cases this is a normal occurrence for those blogs, and thought that it would be nice to achieve that here as well. So please let me know what you think. Don’t be afraid to tell friends, associates, and anyone that you think might be able to use anything that is written here. If you like what you’ve read, why not subscribe via email or your RSS reader of choice. I’d also appreciate it if you shared any ideas for reaching more readers. Please share our posts on del.icio.us , Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social bookmarking or networking site.

Here at Systems-Overload, we’re a one person show. To those people unfamiliar with blogging, you might not be familiar with all that really goes into running a blog. Obviously there is the writing and research that is often necessary, but there is an awful lot of things that I have learned along the way. I’m not a trained programmer or designer, so there are all those things necessary to make the blog look the way that it does, which often means playing around with code to get it right or looking for code to do things that I want to happen within the blog. In addition, I’ve done various things to network and get Systems Overload known to the public; I am the Public Relations and Advertising departments. Because I have a full-time job and family, I don’t have the time to devote to the blog that I would always like, but I make due with the time and energy that I do have at my disposal. Life does go on and often not as planned.

Looking ahead I’m planning post…

· Commemorating our one year anniversary

· 2008 Blog Action Day

· Along with the normal posts that you read here.

Other Posts That You Might Also Like to Read…

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Tempo Runter (School Is In Session)

"CN Tower..." courtesy of dimitri_c

For many school kids Summer vacation has ended and they’ve returned to the class room, for others it will be staring soon. My oldest daughter started a few weeks ago and there are signs up in various villages in our area alerting drivers that School is in session and to slow down (tempo runter) and be on the look out for school kids.

Many of us adults have lots of things on our minds when we’re driving around so it can be easy to miss school kids that might dart across the street in front of you. Kids are often in their own worlds (well aren’t we all sometimes) and they don’t often pay attention around streets that they should. As drivers it is our responsibility to be on the look out for them.

When a school bus is driving in front of you, be ready to stop. Also be aware that kids might cross the street at any point to get on the school bus. It is also a good idea to be mindful around other types of buses. We don’t have normal school buses in the area that I live.

Slow down in school zones. When you see a what looks like a school, chances are pretty good that there are school kids around that might be crossing the street to get into the school or that some might be leaving the school. Learn what speed you need to drive in school zones and at what times, this can vary greatly.

Be mindful of play areas, all year round. While there is more likely to be activity in these areas all year round, there is a higher possibility that they’re active during the times of year that kids are in school. Where I live they’re signs posted on spiel stresses (streets with play areas). Drivers are supposed to drive less than 10 kph, which is almost only coasting.

So, now that school is in session (or soon will be) it is time to be mindful of kids crossing the roads in front of us. Be careful they might be thinking about seeing their friends in the classroom, recess, or anything else under the sun but that they need to keep their eyes open for cars, so be on the look out. Do you have any tips you use to remember that kids are around and to be careful? If you have any other comments, I’d love to hear them. If you liked this article, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS or email, share it on del.icio.us or on Digg and pass it on to anyone that you think might appreciate it. Thank you. :)

On Deck…

I’ll be publishing posts about…

The next in my series of weight loss strategies
My next Spotlight on the web.
The next of my dating and relationship tips
More on productivity, web 2.0, social networking, family, parenting, health, and other things that you can use.

Other Post That You Might Also Like to Read…

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Blog Action Day 2008 Has Kicked Off

"Hunger and Gratitude" courtesy of leonalim

I was excited to see and email that Blog Action Day for 2008 has kicked off. Last year, its first year, the theme was the environment. This year the theme is poverty. According to the wrap-up email that I received shortly after the event last year, there were 20,603 bloggers that participated, I'm sure that this number will grow this year. Last year's event certainly lived up to the one issue, thousands of voices motto! If you're a blogger, would like to read more about the event, or would like to see how you can get involved, please check out the Blog Action Day site. One voice amongst thousands, you can make a difference.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Making Low Key Birthdays Special

"A Flower Birthday" courtesy of IngerM

Yesterday was my wife’s birthday and while we decided to keep things a little more low key this year, I still wanted her to have a nice birthday. So here are some things that I did to make her low key birthday special.

First of all, I got our daughters involved. With younger kids this can make parent’s birthdays special. I took the girls to pick out some nail polish and they were so excited about that. They each picked out a decorative bag to put their treasures in. They also helped pick out some treats and a birthday card. I asked them what they wanted to say and wrote it down for them because neither one is really able to really write yet. If given the chance, kids often say cute things anyways.

I gave her a gift certificate to be redeemed for something that I know she wants. While I don’t mind getting gift certificates or money as gifts, I don’t usually like giving them because they often seem impersonal to me and I like to give gifts. It is rewarding when you pick a gift for someone and they really like it. I looked through a few sites to find one that had templates for gift certificates that I could customize and I ended up using gift-certificate-templates.com and tweaked it to my liking. While the one that I settled on was designed to be used by a company, I made our family a company and put a family picture in for the logo. The template that I used was a Word document so it was easy enough to work with.

A couple of weeks ago when my father was here, we checked out a newly renovated local swimming pool. The pool is really nice as it has a whirlpool, one that starts inside but allows you to go outside, a couple of saltwater pools, a few saunas, a real nice little kids pool, and so on. My wife really enjoyed one of the saltwater pools where you could lay in the water with your ears below the surface and enjoy relaxing music. The time that we went there weren’t too many people there (it almost felt like we had the place to ourselves). We’re going to be going again as part of my wife’s birthday.

I remember how my mother loved to go to Hallmark stores to buy greeting cards. She always found wonderful cards for all occasions (especially birthdays). Here in Germany there are some preprinted cards available but there isn’t much of a selection and they usually consist of a blank inside where you can write your own greeting. I went online and found a simple birthday card template and customized it. I wrote my own entry for the inside and on the back I inserted a few pictures of the girls from the past year and of our dog.

Also last month while my father was here, one of our friends that was training to be a masseuse and gave everyone wonderful massages. I remember how much my wife enjoyed this so I’m going to let her select a massage as part of her birthday celebration.

So with a little thought you can make a low key birthday special. Do you have any tips for making birthdays special? If you have any other comments, I’d love to hear them. If you liked this article, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS or email, share it on del.icio.us or on Digg and pass it on to anyone that you think might appreciate it. Thank you. :)

On Deck…

I’ll be publishing posts about…

The next in my series of weight loss strategies
My next Spotlight on the web.
The next of my dating and relationship tips
More on productivity, web 2.0, social networking, family, parenting, health, and other things that you can use.

Other Post That You Might Also Like to Read…

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Interview Your Parents

My father on a recent trip through the Deutsche Wine Strasse (German Wine Street) and France

As my father’s visit is drawing to a close I was thinking about what I still wanted to do before he left and I got to thinking that it might be a good time to ask some of those questions that you think about later in life and wish that you had asked. Since my mother passed away a few years back, I’m not able to ask those questions to her.

Because my father lives an ocean away (and a good eight plus hours by plane), I don’t usually see him that often, but I have been fortunate enough to have seen him a few times in the last couple of years. My family has also been fortunate that he survived a heart attack and has recovered nicely from bypass surgery in October 2007. When I’m talking to him on the phone I wouldn’t think to ask these things, so I’m hoping to ask him some questions before he goes back next week.

Below are some of the questions that I’d like to ask. You could use some of them to interview your parent(s). I have a couple of friends that have lost both of their parents at a pretty young age, so you never know how much time you’ll really have with your parent(s), so why not take the time to interview them? The questions below aren’t exhaustive, so there may be a whole different set of questions that you would ask based on their interests, job, life history, or other considerations. Maybe your parent(s) moved to where they live now from another country. Maybe your father served in a war or had some other major life experience. The reality probably is that there is more to your parent(s) than you realize and this could be a good chance to uncover such things. The questions below are all kind of starters, so they’ll hopefully lead to some stories and probably more questions.

What is your earliest memory?
Do you remember your fist day of school?
Can you tell me the story about me about how your met Mom?
Can you tell me about your wedding day?
What is your favorite memory of your parents?
What is your favorite memory of your grandparents?
What are you proudest of in your life?
What was it like at the dinner table when you were a kid? It should be noted that my dad had five brothers and three sisters.
What was your favorite thing that your mom used to cook?
What kind of things did you like to do as a kid?
What did you dream of being when you grew up?
What was your first favorite song/group/band?
What is the first movie that you remember?
Who was your first best friend?
When did you go to your first baseball/football/hockey game? Do you remember who played?
Are there any lessons that you’d like to pass on to your kids and grandkids?
Do you have a favorite teacher?
Did you have a favorite priest/pastor?
Who do you most admire?
What is the cheapest that you remember gasoline costing?
What was your first car?
Who is the first president that you remember?
When did your interest in the stock market first hit you?
What kind of things did you used to do as a kid?

While I hope to squeeze this in somewhere over the next few days before my dad leaves, I hope that you get a chance to do this as well. Knowing that I’m not able to interview my mother, I certainly don’t wish to miss that opportunity to do so with my dad. After interviewing your parent(s), maybe you might want to do something similar to some of the older prominent family members, if any of your grandparents are alive, or that favorite aunt or uncle of yours. This can be a nice legacy or heirloom for your kids. Have you interviewed your parent(s)? If you have any other comments, I’d love to hear them. If you liked this article, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS or email, share it on del.icio.us or on Digg and pass it on to anyone that you think might appreciate it. Thank you. :)

On Deck…

I’ll be publishing posts about…

The next in my series of weight loss strategies
My next Spotlight on the web.
The next of my dating and relationship tips
More on productivity, web 2.0, social networking, family, parenting, health, and other things that you can use.

Other Post That You Might Also Like to Read…

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Systems Overload

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Don't Forget to Register for Your Absentee Ballot