Home Improvement

6 Benefits of Shipping Container Home Design

There’s an increasing need for homes to become more environmentally friendly and self-sufficient than ever. For this reason, many people are gradually and steadily taking a new turn for the greener by utilizing leftover steel boxes used in overseas transportation to build what we called shipping container homes. Shipping containers are made of Corten steel, which means they’re nearly indestructible and do not rust.

Shipping container homes are now a hot new trend. Essentially, it involves modifying and repurposing old shipping containers and sticking them together to build a house. There are numerous shipping container homes that are ingeniously designed such that they feel more like a home and less like a shipping container.

For those struggling to find affordable housing, container homes are an outstanding alternative to conventional housing. Such homes come with tremendous lots of benefits that you may never afford through traditional housing design. In this article, we’re going to look at the 6 Benefits of Shipping Container Home Design.

  1. The Cost Factor

Building a shipping container home design is more affordable than you can ever imagine. A 20-foot shipping container costs between $1,500 and $3,000, while a 40-foot container can cost around $4,500. Once you’ve bought your container, your desired choice of the interior finishes will determine the rest of the cost.

Generally speaking, finished shipping container homes can cost you around $15,000. What’s more important is that you’ve got complete freedom to decide your unique interior design and finishes. You’ll end up getting an affordable home with complete luxury at a fraction of the overall cost of building a conventional home.

  1. Structural Rigidity

Shipping container homes are essentially strong, tough and durable. The reason is that containers are intended to haul cargo through extreme conditions both on land and at sea. They are subjected to over 100-mph winds at sea and can comfortably withstand up to 50-foot waves.

Since they can survive all these extreme weather conditions, there’s a pretty good chance they can as well tolerate any storms your home might endure. Expert container home builders can balance the design and add glass doors and windows while still maintaining the structural rigidity. Shipping container home design allows you to position doors and windows behind the original shipping container doors to retain the structural durability and integrity.

  1. Simple Construction

Incorporating any container home designs into your shipping container is hands down simple and effortless. Whether you wish to add a staircase or want to have windows and doors at your own exact position, everything’s simple to construct. Shipping container home designs allow you to express your personal style statement – all at a fraction of the cost.

With shipping container home design, you can achieve the exact thing you have in mind. You can twist your container architecture in such a way that it reflects your unique personality and character. Perhaps this is your (rare) opportunity to show the world your uniqueness and get noticed.

  1. Flexibility

Container homes give you absolute flexibility when it comes to your layout, design, and configuration. You’ve got complete freedom to stack them, position them according to the shape that you like, and have a design that meets your needs and suits your block of land. As mentioned earlier, these containers come in standard measurements with popular ones being 20 FT and 40 FT.

Besides these sizes, you can choose high cube containers and get an extra 30cm height. With this extra headspace, you can make a huge difference in terms of versatility and comfort of your container home. Also, you’ve got the option to select a unique configuration that suits you.

  1. Suitability to Your Location

Various container home designs allow you to build a home that suits the natural environment. Whether you want to build your house in a lush forest setting or want to take advantage of the beautiful views of the coastline, rest assured your needs are covered. You have the freedom to pick a design that you think would suit your location.

  1. No More Cookie Cutter Homes

If you look at several new estates in Australia, you’ll realize that many homes feature the cookie cutter designs. There are many similarities in styles, colors as well as landscaping of houses. A shipping container home allows you to design your bespoke home – with no architectural price tag attached!

With shipping containers, you get a creatively designed home that meets your tastes and personality. You can create a home with the “wow” factor both in configuration and the exciting palate of colors. Most importantly, your home won’t be a cookie-cutter design.

Law

How much is a red light camera ticket in California?

Do you know what red light cameras are for? These are designed to make sure that all of the motorists will be safe. Some people have already received tickets even if they feel that they have not broken any rules. Now is the time for you to know as much as you can about the red light camera ticket in California. The more that you understand this, the better that you can deal with this with the help of the right traffic ticket attorney Los Angeles.

There are some things that you have to understand about red light tickets in general. Do not worry because you will know how much a red light camera ticket in California costs.

  • The rules for red light tickets will vary from one country to another.

There are even instances when the rules will vary from state to state. You cannot expect that just because there are things that are “okay” in your country, it will already be okay in another place. Going against the rules can make you have a negative driving record. At times it may even affect your credit score.

  • Some people receive them even when it is not necessary.

What if you made a left-hand turn but you have forgotten to do a complete stop? You can already guess what this can do. It will be enough to get you a red light camera ticket. You can get an orange county traffic ticket attorney to get help on this and the other tickets you may have acquired.

  • The companies who place the red light camera tickets sometimes have a quota that they need to meet.

There are some third-party companies who may be in charge of installing and monitoring the cameras. They may be required to catch a certain number of people making some traffic violations. This can sometimes result in people getting tickets when they have not done anything wrong. If you want to contest the red light ticket los angeles that you have received, do yourself a favor and find the right traffic ticket attorney.

  • There are instances when the red light camera tickets can become dismissed.

This is already expected since the companies just need to reach a certain quota. If it is proven that you did not do anything wrong then the ticket will automatically become dismissed. Once again, this can be done better when you have hired the right traffic ticket attorney to help you out.

  • The fine for the red light camera ticket is considered to be expensive in California.

Are you prepared to shell out $100? This is the basic fine that you have to pay for getting a red light camera ticket. If you think that this is already high, wait until you hear that there are still some additional fees that will be considered. All in all, you can already expect to get about $400 in the fees for a red light camera ticket.

It will surely help if you would get the help of a professional lawyer to get your red light ticket dismissed. It will help you save up on potential fees.

Playtime Benefits in and Around Your Cat Tower
Pet

Playtime Benefits in and Around Your Cat Tower

Your cat has an incredible imagination. How else could they have fun with crumpled paper, a ping-pong ball or a toy hanging in their cat’s tower? You can get tired just by watching your cat’s energy while you play. While this whole game is fascinating and interesting to them, there are some real health benefits that arise from creating a supportive environment and regular playing time. When all the fun and excitement of the game is over, you can jump to the top of your cat and take a nap! So, how can you light the toys better and play on your cat’s day?

Being fussy, like some cats, some pet owners discovered that when they just pass a new toy, the reaction of this beautiful creature is to ignore it. If so, it would be useful to find a part of the fun toy. You can put a new toy in the lair of the tower of your cat and make him believe that he found a precious hidden treasure. Then give him the freedom to spend hours breaking his new toy.

Observe security measures

If you plan to rotate in several elements of home games, keep in mind some security measures. Cats love to hide. A paper bag can be a simple place for them to sit. If the bag has handles, be sure to cut them. If your kitten tries to jump on a rabbit that passes and ends up in pens, you can chase the bag to interfere with them in the house. It can also be a little dangerous, since you can knock down objects when your cat tries to “shake the tail”.

cat towers

Inspect your home and remove any items that may be dangerous to your cat. As a small child, cats love to do things. Your job is to make sure that what they fall is not harmful. Such items include thread, floss, rubber bands, plastic bags, paper clips, staples and tape. If you have toys hanging from a cat tower, make sure they are secure and that the cord is not too long.

Catnip is safe and your cat will not become addicted to it;

However, each cat manages the stimulation in its own way. Dry catnip is a member of the mint family and contains a chemical that attracts most cats with its irresistible aroma. If your cat is over stimulated by catnip, it may not be used in the future. Many cats experience a relaxed reaction.

Consider the feline’s original nature;

For a long time they have been predators in this world, especially outdoors. Although we may feel that domestication is easy, they still support the prey drive. With the help of the cat towers, your cat can sit on a hill, which not only gives them a sense of superiority, but also protects them from “inaccessibility”, while at the same time maintaining a position that allows them to see everything.

It may seem quite boring to the viewer, but such a disturbing stimulation can prevent the cat from getting bored. With any type of custom cat towers, you have the opportunity to create an incredible game environment for your cats that can grow with them.

Summary

The best type of game for your cat is the time you spend with yourself. You can play hide and seek in the cat tower using a small object. This time you spend with your cat will strengthen your connection and add happy and healthy years to your life!

dog learn
Pets

Make your dog learn rollover

Teaching your pet the trick of rollover is mandatory. Together with sitting up and sitting down, this is also a popular trick. This trick is more difficult compared to the other tricks for a dog to learn. With a lot of encouragement and patience, your dog can definitely learn the trick of roll over.

  • Make your dog lay down
  • Lure with a treat or a training stick and make him move to one side of the hip. Use the treat to make him go on to his back. However, this may take a little amount of time.
  • Continue using the treat so that he rolls over again and again.
  • When your pet rolls over readily, do not use the lure. Expect more prior to giving him the treat. Always praise him and give the jackpot when he performs very well.
  • When he rolls over very smoothly, give him a verbal command of Roll Over. A circular hand can be helpful. Always praise and click occasionally. Whenever he performs well give him a treat.

This is an important trick that your pet should know. You can log onto https://ultimatedog.info/ for additional information.

dog learn

Things you may need

When your dog is performing a roll over after hearing the rollover command you may wonder how he is performing the trick. It is not the biggest challenge to train a dog roll over but it takes a lot of patience, time, and attempt. The only problem is that it is not a very natural session. For training your pet roll over, you shall need things like the following:’

  • A soft area like a rug, a carpet, or a grassy area
  • Treats
  • Time, mostly several sessions that last ten minutes
  • Plenty of patience

You may not attain success in the first attempt

The trick of rollover may look easy but its training is difficult. You may need a few attempts before your pet can comfortably perform it. For more success, break down the complete process into several smaller steps. Breaking the steps into smaller ones is important otherwise, the training may look very monotonous and your pet may lose interest. In very small step, lure him with a treat so that his interest in the training remains. Even if you do not achieve success at the very first attempt, try it again several times. You can visit the site https://ultimatedog.info/for more related information.

Travel

EB5 Visa Requirements: U.S Green Card for Sale?

On May 2017, the United States President Donald Trump signed his first significant legislation. The H.R.244, or the HIRES Act of 2017 (Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans), better known as the Appropriations Act.

Click here for a complete summary about the H.R.244 or the Appropriations Act.

The primary purpose of the bill is to avoid a government shutdown and keep the lights on. But behind the law is a language that focused on something else: visa. And the visa that attracts the most attention is an immigrant visa known as EB-5.

This visa program was named because it is the fifth preference among the employment-based visa in the United States. It was created in 1990 to help foreign nationals get permanent residence status but with conditions. The immigrants that apply to EB-5 visas should invest in the United States with a minimum capital of $1 million or half a million if they plan to spend in rural areas.

According to USCIS, or the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the program was intended to stimulate the United States economy through the creation of jobs and capital investments by foreign a national who wants to invest in the country.

Under the said program, investors, businessmen, and their spouses as well as children under 21 that are not yet married, are eligible to apply for EB-5 visa if they invest in a commercial enterprise that will meet specific criteria. Green Card will grant the immigrant permission to remain in the country indefinitely. Green card holders and their families can apply for citizenship, but with EB-5 visa, they don’t have to.

Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Citizenship_and_Immigration_Services to know more about USCIS.

Here is the reason why the visa is making big news: before President Trump signed the new law, the sister of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Nicole Meyer and Trump’s adviser, Jared Kushner, flew to China to persuade investors to take advantage of the EB-5 visa program by investing in the companies owned by Kushner.

Meyer was criticized for her comments about the program. She suggested that her “family” would be very appreciative if they invested in U.S soil. According to the spokesperson for the Kushner company, the inclusion in the program was not intended to carry favors.

Instead, according to Meyer, her brother stepped down as the chairman of the company in January and has nothing to do with the project. Meyer’s apology has little to no effect to stem concerns over what people believe is a conflict of interest.

It is also an uncomfortable position for many in the Congress and Senate, who find themselves in a position of defending the bill that allows a lot of investors with money to enter the United States on a fast track. There is a good reason why Nicole Meyer chooses China, and not its neighboring countries like the Philippines or Thailand.

With money and a desire to enter the country, Chinese citizens account at least 80% of all EB-5 visas issued. A trip to Citizenship and Immigration Services of the United States page for EB-5 visas, says that: only Simplified Chinese has the translation on their website.

For English speaking foreign nationals that don’t know how to start the process of applying a visa, you can always ask the help of visa processing companies like EB5Deals, to make sure that everything will run smoothly.

How much money is involved?

For the purpose of conversation, the minimum qualifying investment needed to be considered in the United States’ EB-5 visa program is $1 million. However, if the investment was made in the rural area or let’s say, a city with the highest unemployment rate, the minimum investment needed is $500,000.

The critics allege that the program’s criteria for a rural or high-unemployment area are sometimes ignored and manipulated. For example, the development Meyer proposes is in Jersey City, a few miles away from the business district like Manhattan or New York City, where the office of Forbes is located.

The EB-5 visa is not always a sure way for foreign nationals to get a green card. If the investor does not keep records and the money used for the investment is a little muddy, the visa can be very difficult to get. Immigration pointed out that a lot of countries around the world transact using paper money or hard currency like gold.

They might not have valid bank statements: these immigrants will need a competent and experienced lawyer to help them prove to the government that their money is clean, lawful, and ready for investment. The process of getting approved is also costly. It takes at least $500,000 investment that needs to be at risk for loss. Legal fees could also cost at least another $100,000.

Adaptive Clothing Making Life Easier for the Elderly & Disabled
General

Adaptive Clothing: Making Life Easier for the Elderly & Disabled

Providing best quality care for a loved one who has a disability is not easy. Many families and caregivers struggle to help the elderly and people with disabilities and in many cases, most of the care solutions available are not sufficient. One of the most frustrating aspects when providing care for the elderly and disabled is in their clothing.  The hospital clothing and gowns have been around for a long time but they are not stylish or convenient.

Many people under care would love to wear ordinary stylish clothing but they experience challenges when dressing and undressing. Luckily, there’s now adaptive clothing for the elderly & disabledthat provides an alternative to hospital clothing and gowns.

What Is Adaptive Clothing?

Adaptive clothing encompasses clothes and footwear specially designed for people with physical disabilities, the elderly, and the infirm and post-surgery patients.  This type of clothing is also a godsend for caregivers who have to dress and undress those under care.  Most of these people would love to look good in their clothing but they experience difficulties in manipulating buttons and zippers due to lack of full range of motion in their hands.

Such garments feature innovative solutions such as open back and VELCRO® (hook & loop) to make it easier for people suffering from arthritis, limited shoulder and arm movement to wear.  This type of clothing benefits a large group of people including bedridden patients, anyone who hasALS, advanced Parkinson’s, patients convalescing from major hip or back surgery among others.

adaptive clothing for the elderly & disabled

Other Benefits Of Adaptive Clothing

If you have someone under your care who has mobility problems, buying adaptive clothing is a great solution.  Some of the other reasons that make this alternative clothing popular include:

  1. Flexibility: Adaptive garments and footwear adapt to the needs and limitations of the patient.
  2. Ease of maintenance: Adaptive clothing features highly durable material that is easy to wash.
  3. Style and convenience: Adaptive clothing offers more than an easy solution for mobility problems among patients. It also allows them to look great in ordinary-looking clothes. No one can tell the garments are in any way modified to suit their mobility needs.
  4. Innovative closingtechniques: To make life easier for both the patient and caregiver, the best adaptive clothing for the elderly & disabled feature bilateral zippers for trousers, VELCRO® closures on the side, back and front of the garment.This makes it easy for patients with partial mobility to dress themselves and for caregivers to easily change the clothes.
  5. Improving self-esteem: Relying on someone to dress and undress leads to loss of self-esteem. The elderly and disabled would love to regain the independence they used to enjoy and this is what adaptive clothing gives them.
  6. Versatile clothing: Adaptive clothing is a great solution not only for the bedridden but those suffering from mobility problems caused by Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, motorneuron disease, multiple sclerosis,and

Adaptive clothing is a win-win for the patient/elderly, the caregivers and the family. It gives a sense of independence to the patient suffering mobility or an elderly relative while also making it easier for family members and caregivers to provide better quality care.

hemp flower for sale
AGRICULTURE

What You Should Look For When Buying Hemp Seeds

Hemp is a plant that is part of the cannabis family. There is a big misconception about hemp that its the same as marijuana and surely even the legislators’ got confused as well since it was also included in the controlled drugs act. But in reality its far from marijuana. Taking closer inspection will reveal that and the most noticeable is the use. You see, unlike marijuana, hemp is geared towards application for medicinal use due to its high CBD content and low in THC.

As you have known by now, there two main components that a marijuana has and that is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which causes psychoactive effects and cannabidiol (CBD) which is used medically for its relaxation effects. Unlike marijuana that has 5% to 35% THC, hemp only contains 0.3% of THC. So if ever someone asks how many hemps are needed to reach that psychoactive effect in hemp? The answer is most probably a truckload of it and you have to smoke every last one of the hemp present in the truck. But knowing it and buying it is a different thing. If you plan to grow your own hemp (legally), provided that you’re in a state that has legalized its use, below are a few tips in buying one.

hemp flower for sale

Know the strain:

Knowing what strain is important when you go to a hemp store to buy one. Its because  its already assumed that you know what you plan on buying. Knowing what strain to buy will determine the effects and the effectivity of the hemp. Although generally hemp is used on a number of medicinal applications, its effects vary from one strain to the other.

Know where it was grown:

Knowing where it was grown is also crucial. Why? Because there are many things that dictate a hemp effectivity based on where it’s grown. Say you got one strain of hemp, you planted each one in various locations to even various countries, you will realize then that the single strain will taste differently, but the ones that will taste best are the ones that were planted in favorable conditions and it’s not the artificially grown ones.

Know about the taste:

Taking hemp isn’t going to be something that your body will embrace instantaneously, especially if you are just new to it. In fact, taking hemp is an acquired taste. The taste has various levels that can fit various types of users, from beginners to experts.

The best price:

The price also matters. In terms of buying hemp seeds, Its not just about getting the best strains, its also about getting the best price. If you’re just starting into growing hemp, it’s better to look for affordable ones for practice and finance ones that are easy to grow and maintain.

Hemp might be in the same family as marijuana but its far from marijuana in terms of use and chemicals. Although it has the same CBD and THC, don’t expect that it can provide psychoactive effects, because it doesn’t. It’s very low on THC, but high on CBD, thus its perfect for medicinal use. If you’re looking for hemp seeds for sale, make sure to know the strain, know where it has grown, know about the taste and the best price.

Technology

Two Touted Best Laptops for personal and business use

An answer to your quest of finding the best laptop ends with one that delivers great performance, portability, comfortable keyboard, a good screen and a reliable touchpad. However, even though you find these minimally significant things in a laptop there are many more features that give them an outlook of being the best. And more often it also depends on the kind of work you do or the reason for which you require a laptop. Like for example, if you are a collegiate, then you might want a laptop with some distinctive features that could help you while doing up your projects, reading and preparations for your upcoming examinations. On the other hand, a corporate staffer or a business professional would need one that is efficient and able enough to be productive. Learn more on noypigeeks.

Which is your Pick?

 

  1. Lenovo Think Pad X1 Carbon – The Best Ultra Book

If you are looking for a durable, sleek and light weight laptop for your business purposes then this one is something that you can certainly zero in for.

  • High resolution web screen
  • Long Battery Life which involves less charging time
  • Webcam that offers high quality of pictures and video
  • 4 GB Ram
  • It is all of 3 pounds and measures only 0.74 inches in thickness

While the features that this UltraBook offers is seamlessly amazing for every road warrior, it is without any spec of doubt one of the best business notebooks.

  1. Dell Latitude 3330 – The Best Budget Laptop

Whether you are a service professional or a business man, this laptop is one that will never get you wrong. It offers an amazing user experience with high quality features. This laptop suits an individual in every length and breadth – from quality to performance to affordability

Features

  • A very comfortable Island style keyboard – Regarded as one of the best keyboards seen and used until today
  • Strong Tactile keys
  • Amazing Audio Output with Front Mounted Speakers
  • 3 X 1.75 inch touch pad that is exclusive for navigation and offers a flawless one
  • Two distinct buttons for all the clicking purposes
  • Very innovative ideation to have the ports and webcam placed at their best spots to deliver optimum connectivity
  • 720p web cam is something that you can vouch for to have the best and high picture quality
  • It works on a 4GB Ram that is able enough to offer the best productivity at work

There are many more effervescent features of this laptop. However, the bottom line is that if you are looking for a light weight, affordable, cost effective and productive portable system, then this one is the best!

Online business

What is a Blog? – Blogging Explained

By now you have most likely heard the term “blog” used many times. Blogging has become popular in recent years and more people are starting their own blogs.

So, what is a blog? What exactly does it mean to be a blogger and start blogging?

This post will teach you the definition of a blog and what “blog” actually means.

There are many reasons why people blog. Blogging allows people to share with others, make connections, meet others, learn, and best of all have fun.

A blog can also be made to be profitable. Blogs can be a valuable way to promote your business, create new opportunities, and encourage a more positive lifestyle.

Without further delay, let’s start!

What Is a Blog?

Let us first start by clearly defining what a blog is and the literal definition of the word.

Many people get confused with the meaning of a blog. Some people ask, what is the difference between a blog and a website?

The truth is, there is no difference at all because a blog is just another type of website. However, a blog has some unique characteristics compared to other types of websites. Many “normal” websites may also have a blog section with blog posts.

Let’s look at the definition of a blog. Wikipedia offers a concise definition of a blog. According to Wikipedia:

A blog (a truncation of the expression weblog) is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries (“posts”) typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first).

Webopedia also provides a definition of what a blog is:

Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.

To reiterate, a blog (short for “weblog”) is an informational website that features articles (blog posts) listed with the most recent ones appearing first. If you need further explanation, here is what Google defines a blog as:

What is blogging?

Now that you know what a blog is, it is easy to guess the meaning of blogging.

As blogs grew more and more popular, some terms came into use to describe actions and people associated with blogs.

Here are some common terms you most likely heard:

  • Blog: A type of website consisting of articles (posts) usually published in reverse chronological order.
  • Blogging: Used to describe the actual act of writing blog posts. When someone is writing for their blog, they are said to be blogging.
  • Blogger: Blogger typically has two common meanings and it is important to understand the difference. The most common use is referring to someone who owns a blog. Someone who owns and writes for a blog is called a blogger. The second meaning refers to the Google blogging platform, Blogspot.
  • Blogroll: Sometimes when bloggers want to share other blogs with their readers, they create a list of blogs called a blogroll or blog-roll. A blogroll is essentially a list of blogs the blogger likes.
  • Blogosphere: This term is used to refer to all blogs and bloggers that are on the internet.

Blogging is used for many purposes and there and many different types of bloggers. Two typical uses for blogs include business blogs and individual blogs.

Businesses may choose to add a blog to their site as a way to attract more customers.

The other type of is individual people blogging for a hobby or for profit. These are the blogs you have probably heard of and include travel blogs, lifestyle blogs, food blogs, fashion blogs, and much more. Blogs are a great way for people to share their life and experiences with others.

Why Blog? Benefits of Blogging

Blogs are a great source of information and many people seek them out.

A blog can easily be created by anyone. The nice thing is, no experience or technical programming knowledge at all is required to set one up.

There are many reasons why people start blogging. Here are a few of them:

  1. Blogging is easy: There are really no requirements to be a blogger. You don’t need to do any coding to set one up, and you don’t have to be an extraordinary writer either.
  2. Learn and improve skills: Blogging can be a great learning opportunity. Through researching, writing posts, and connecting with others, blogging can improve communication skills, writing skills, and be a way to learn about new things.
  3. Help others: When you blog, you are creating something for other people. The fact that you are doing something for others is nice and adds to the experience.
  4. Share and make connections: Blogging is all about making connections with other bloggers. By reaching out to others, you can promote your own blog and also meet new people.
  5. Create opportunities: A blog is a great thing to use to build your own credibility. Successful bloggers use their blogs as an advertisement for themselves which can lead to speaking, coaching, and other opportunities.
  6. Blogging is fun: Most importantly, blogging is enjoyable. If you decide to make money from your blog, you can do something you like as well as potentially making a profit.

There are many benefits to blogging whether you are doing it just for a hobby or want to get serious about it.

How Easy Is It to Start a Blog?

In short, very easy. Creating a blog should only take less than 20 minutes.

With the rise of blogs, many services and tutorials have been created on how to get blogging. The most popular one you have probably already heard of: WordPress. WordPress is used by well over half of all websites using a blogging platform.

WordPress is one of the best ways to start a blog and is one of the easiest especially for beginners.

With WordPress, there are literally thousands of themes (blog design templates) you can use to pick how you want your blog to look. Also, the WordPress community is huge. With extensive guides and support forums available, you can find an answer to virtually any problem you might have. Make sure you use WordPress.org to get the full features.

You can learn how to start a blog quickly with this easy step-by-step guide.

Conclusion

Whether you are looking to learn how to create a blog, or you just want to understand what a blog is, you now should have an answer.

Blogs are a wonderful source of information. In fact, one study shows that there are over 128 million blog readers and growing.

A blog is a unique because it allows a writer to actively with their readers. Responding to comments and answering questions from your readers can be exciting. Anyone can start a blog now and this is why so many people become bloggers.

Whether just for a hobby or for serious blogging, starting a blog has many benefits. Bloggers learn, share, and make new connections each day. Reading blog posts is fun, and for bloggers creating them can be even more enjoyable.

Health

A Much Needed Me Time at the Spa

The holidays are quickly approaching and Christmas is just a few weeks from now.  Working longer during the holiday season is normally what most people have to do to get extra cash for buying gifts. I’m not a stranger to that. Doing quite a bit of overtime at work has taken its toll on me and I feel exhausted.

Me Time

I finally decided to take a day off for myself. I need to revive myself and prevent myself from getting burned out. There are still so many things to do and plan for, but I do need some time for pampering and taking care of myself. Tomorrow, I plan to spend the day at a full-service spa, starting with a much-needed massage. I picture myself laying down in one of those massage tables. Yes, the ones that have that hole for your face on the table. I picture myself getting a Swedish massage, with a relaxing aroma of lavender oil, as a massage therapist relaxes the stress knots on my back and shoulders. Just thinking about it made me call the spa in a hurry to schedule my spa day. I asked what other services they offered besides the massage, and they said they offered a wide array of services from manicures, pedicures, and facials. They said that I would be able to spend the whole day there as they also have various cafes in-house, as well as swimming pools. They also mentioned relaxation rooms, which are popular in Asia.

Spa Day

The following day I headed out to the spa. Once I arrived, I was astonished by their lobby. Their lobby had gold statues of lions and the floor appeared to be marble. The check-in area was super modern as it included a computerized self-check-in kiosk similar to those at the airport. Once I checked into the spa, a friendly receptionist greeted me and gave me the rundown on some house rules as this is an all-inclusive spa resort. She said, per our conversation, I selected the package that included a Swedish massage, manicure, pedicure, and a body scrub with a body wrap. She said the payment included entrance to all amenities, including all the relaxation rooms, the swimming pools, and gym. She then handed me what appeared to be a plastic watch. She said the watch is for purchasing anything additional while inside, including food from the cafes. She said, “wear this so you don’t have to carry around money with you. We’ll total up everything after you check-out, and just pay at the cashier area.” “Wow, wow and wow,” I thought to myself. She then handed me a spa uniform. She said to wear the uniform when walking around the spa so that I don’t have to use my own clothes.

Inside The Spa

The receptionist then directed me toward the locker room where I can store my belongings and change. After I changed into my spa uniform, I looked up at the clock and it showed that it was time for my massage. I asked a staff member where to go and they kindly pointed me in the direction of the massage rooms. I entered the room and a therapist said, “Hi! I have you for an hour and a half. My name is Jennifer and I am your massage therapist today.” I laid down on the massage table and the one hour and a half massage was wonderful. She massaged away my stress knots and massaged my head. I felt rejuvenated (and hungry) after the massage. I thanked her for her professional service and left to go eat at one of the cafes. I looked up at their menu and decided to get a cold-pressed juice and a light sandwich. After eating, I headed over to look at their pools. I saw that they had both swimming pools and hot tubs with various temperatures to soak in. In another area, wall climbing. Next to it was the gym. Behind the pool area were the relaxation rooms. In this area, a sign says “welcome to the relaxation rooms, please read the description for each room you want to enter.”

After experiencing all that the spa had to offer, I felt that it was an amazing experience. I felt refreshed and revived. I no longer felt exhausted and I feel I can tackle any challenges ahead of me. I thought to myself, “maybe it was a good idea, after all, to have some me time. Next time I start to feel overwhelmed or just need to get away, I will definitely schedule another spa day.”