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 Good with Coffee...
December 10, 2008
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The stockings were hung by the
chimney... 
Not
a snowflake in sight nor a drop of rain on the
horizon. Yet there is no mistaking the crisp air of
winter whispers Christmas is coming. When I
slid out from behind the steering wheel at Macy's with
my family's wish lists in hand, I wondered
how on earth did we go so wrong about Christmas
anyway? Are we not supposed to be focusing on
the real meaning of Christmas? Something inside
made me stop and really look at the mayhem I
was approaching. There has to be a
better way than elbowing my way through throngs of
people equally determined to get their gifts
bought. I looked at the fistful of papers I had a
death grip on, took a deep breath and went back to
my car. That was several years ago when I
took up internet shopping.
Yesterday
when my granddaughter stopped by for some cardamon bread
and a visit, I was on the
internet... shopping. At 14 she hasn't
done much internet shopping and wasn't aware of how to
tell if she was on an encrypted site. We talked
further and that led me to come up with this list of
tips to increase one's safety.
1) Before
parting with credit card or bank information at a web
site, look in the address bar/window to see if the page
you're on is encrypted. If it is it will
begin with https: meaing it is secure. If
the web page is not secure it will begin with http: like
this page. Most pages on any web site are not
encrypted or secure, which is normal. But when you
get to a page where you are supposed to enter your
credit or bank info it should be encrypted/secure and if
it isn't do not enter your credit card or banking
information. It is just that simple to protect
yourself shopping on the internet.
2)
If you receive an email saying your bank needs to
confirm some information, delete the email.
Under no circumstances provide any information
regardless how official the email looks. This type
of email is called phishing. The crooks are
fishing for people to part with key information so then
can steal from you.
3)
Disconnect your computer from electricity when you're
using it. Just shutting your computer off
does not fully protect you. Whenever you connect
to the internet your internet service provider assigns
you an IP address. That's what crooks are looking
to track and penetrate. Computers with the same IP
address all the time are far more vulnerable to internet
thieves. They are targets just waiting for
the bad guys and gals.
4)
Make sure you update your virus protection programs
regularly. I use Norton, and in addition to having
it run in the background, I run live updates
frequently. I also update my windows program
regularly, too. And, I have secunia running in the
background to monitor the software for
vulnerabilities.
We
have our Christmas page open now. If you looking for a
lost recipe or a new one, browse our Christmas Recipes, Cyber Kitchen,
and our Recipe
Index.
If
you have seen something you think others
should know about or something
amusing you would like share, please send
it to me on the form
or in an email with Coffee Break in the subject
line.
Share
Coffee Break with your friends. Copy and paste this
link into an email: http://www.joannegardiner.com/CoffeeBreak.html
I
invite you to so you don't miss out
on the latest news from the real estate
trenches, Coffee Break updates,
etc.
May
your Chritmas be merry and your new year bright with all
things good,
Joanne
Your
San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate Broker... and coffee
lover.
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You heard it here...
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Merry Christmas ~ Thanks to
Mr. Jim Knudsen
*’Twas the month of
Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was
praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken
away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could
say.*
*The children were
told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds
and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's
feelings, the teachers would say*
*December 25th is
just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready
with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to
the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX,
an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite
odd!*
*Retailers promoted Ramadan
and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken &
Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their
trees upside down*
*At Lowe's the word Christmas -
was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and
Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word
Christmas; it won't touch your ears .*
*Inclusive, sensitive,
Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate
me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now
Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on
Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate,
there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in
all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as
they took away our faith*
*Forbidden to speak of
salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas
was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the
season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter
Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your
Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully,
choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not
Happy Holiday !*
Please, all join together and wish
everyone you meet during the holidays
a
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Remember, Christ is
The Reason for the Christ-mas
Season!
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Green Tip:
LIGHT-EMITTING
NOEL
It's a fact: Christmas decorations will
cause a spike in your electricity bill. This year,
consider purchasing strings and strands that contain
light-emitting diodes, which use 99 percent less
electricity than traditional
bulbs.
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A chuckle or two or even a
gasp... |
Old people at it again ~ Thanks to Ms.
Florence Pierson
An old man and woman
were married for many years, even though they
hated each other. When they had a confrontation,
screaming and yelling could be heard deep into the
night.
The old man would shout, "When I die, I
will dig my way up and out of the grave and come
back and haunt you for the rest of your life!"
Neighbors feared him.
They believed he practiced black magic, because of
the many strange occurrences that took place in
their neighborhood. The old man liked the fact that
he was feared. To everyone's relief, he
died of a heart attack when he was 98.
His
wife had a closed casket at the wake. After the
burial, she
went straight to the local bar and began to party, as
if there was no tomorrow.
Her neighbors,
concerned for her safety, asked, "Aren't you afraid that
he may indeed be able to dig his way up and out of
the grave and come back to haunt you for the rest
of your life?"
The wife put down her
drink and said, "Let him dig. I had him buried
upside down."
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Polish Digital Clock ~
Thanks to Mr. Jim Knudsen
Every now and again there comes along a
graphic so good that it just blows you away. The
University of Poland science students have finally
finished their digital clock they have been working on
for 4 years.
Go to this site to see the
results: http://www.yugop.com/ver3/stuff/03/fla.html
Wait for it to load. This is a real clock,
and it's accurate. Check it
out!
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I can
save the auto industry and make you
rich! ~ Thanks to Mr. Jim
Knudsen
It is about
time they bring this invention to the forefront of the
auto
industry.
YouTube - Turbo
Encabulator
I strongly suggest
that you throw your total life savings into this
invention! This product will revolutionize the
world as we know it!
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Bubba's at it again ~ Thanks to
Ms. Linda Jo
Bruton
Down south, Bubba called
his attorney and asked, "Is it true theys suin them
cigarette companies fer causin People to git cancer ?"
"Yes, Bubba, sure is
true," responded the lawyer.
"And now someone is suin
them fast food restaurants Fer makin them fat an cloggin
their arteries with all them burgers an fries, is that
true, Mista Lawyer?"
"Sure is, Bubba."
"And that lady sued
McDonalds for millions when she was gave that hot coffee
that she ordered?"
"Yep."
"And that football player
sued that university when he Gradiated and still
couldn't read?"
"That's right," said the
lawyer. "But why are you asking?"
"Well, I was thinkin...
What I want to know is, kin I sue Budweiser fer all them
ugly women I slept with?"
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Grandmas
don't know everything ~ Thanks to Mr. Jim
Knudsen
Little Tony was
9 years old and was staying with his grandmother
for a few days.
He'd been playing outside with
the other kids for a while when he came into the house
and asked her, "Grandma, what's that called when two
people sleep in the same room and one is on top of the
other?"
She was a little taken aback, but she decided to tell
him the truth. "It's called sexual
intercourse, darling."
Little Tony said, "Oh, OK," and went back outside to
play with the other kids.
A few minutes later he
came back in and said angrily, "Grandma, it isn't called
sexual intercourse. It's called Bunk
Beds. And Jimmy's mom wants to talk to you."
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Senior Road Trip
~ Thanks to Ms. Florence
Pierson
While on a road trip, an
elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for
lunch. After finishing their
meal, they
left the restaurant, and resumed their trip.
When leaving, the elderly woman unknowingly
left her glasses on the table, and she didn't miss them
until they had been driving about forty
minutes. By then, to add to the aggravation,
they had to travel quite a distance before they
could find a place to turn
around, in order to return
to the restaurant to retrieve her
glasses.
All the way back, the elderly
husband became the classic grouchy old man.
He fussed and complained, and scolded his wife
relentlessly during the entire return
drive. The more he chided her, the
more agitated he became. He just wouldn't let up
one minute.
To her relief, they
finally
arrived at the restaurant. As the woman got out of
the car, and hurried inside to retrieve her
glasses, the old geezer yelled to her, "While you're in
there,
you might as well get my hat and the credit
card."
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Life in the South
~ Thanks to Mr. Jim Knudsen
A group of Alabama friends went deer
hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That
night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering
under the weight of an eight-point buck.
"Where's Henry?" the others asked.
"Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a
couple of miles back up the trail," the successful
hunter replied.
"You left Henry laying out there
and carried the deer back?" they inquired.
"A
tough call," nodded the hunter, "but I figured no one is
going to steal Henry."
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50 years worth
watching~ Thanks to Ms.
Merrilee
Love-Debiaso
Whether you are a
Billy Joel fan or not, you probably remember his great
song "We Didn't Start the Fire."
Here it is, set to
pictures--- Had to share this one. It's a fabulous
flashback through the past half century. Turn up volume,
sit back and enjoy a review of 50 years of history in
less than 3 minutes! Thanks to Billy Joel and some guy
from the University of Chicago with too much
time to Google!
I wonder how
many of the images those under 40 will recognize from
the early part of the song?? You might have to watch
this more than once.
Click here: We Didn't Start The
Fire
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Worth a thousand
words... |
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Love the
snow ~ Thanks to Ms. Florence
Pierson
Watch this dog having fun in the
snow
http://maniacworld.com/dog-having-a-blast-in-the-snow.html
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Before we say so
long... |
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Before you go,
remember your comments, suggestions, and
contributions are welcome. When you come across
something funny or informative and in good taste,
please send it along. I would love to include
it with your name and
our thanks.
Be sure to tell
your friends about Coffee Break. And if you have
time, explore the other sections of our web
site.
I leave you to
ponder these words a good
friend shared with me:
"The happiest of people don't necessarily have
the best of everything;
they just make the best of
everything that comes along their way."
Carry that
thought with you as you tackle the rest of your
week.
For information
on buying or selling in the bay area,
please call me at 510-429-4800 or send me a
note on the form.
~ Joanne
Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker, e-PRO
Realtor
Advantage Realty
3205 Whipple Road - Union
City, California 94587
(510)
429-4800
San Francisco Bay
Area
San Francisco East Bay Real
Estate
 Our primary realty
service areas in the San
Francisco Bay Area: Hayward, Castro
Valley, Fremont, Newark, Niles, San
Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Ramon, Sunol,
Oakland, Foster City, Burlingame, and San
Mateo.
The
types of real estate in which we specialize
are: single family homes, detached homes, attached
homes, duets, condominiums, townhomes, garden
homes, PUDs, manufactured homes, mobile
homes, income property, investment property,
tri-plexes, four-plexes, apartment
property, and special use properties such as
churches for
sale. | | | |
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