Today, June 14th, is Flag Day, commemorating the adoption of our Stars and Stripes by the Continental Congress on June 14th, 1777. Noted on CBS’s Sunday Morning by the world’s only full time flag expert, vexillologist Whitney Smith, our country had no common race, no king, and no common religion; the idea of a document like the constitution or the concept of liberty being the binding force is very abstract, and people needed something concrete, so the flag became that binding force. Happy Flag Day.
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If your community has an exercise center, take advantage of it! You’ll save the time and money of commuting to a local gym, and you’ll save gym membership dues- at about $30 per month, that can be $360 in annual savings. That’s a weekend getaway trip, or Christmas gifts or just more money in the bank, and who doesn’t want more money in the bank?
Apr
21
2009
Let’s grow our own little White House Gardens!Posted by: Theréase in Great ideas, tags: garden, herbs, vegetablesJust because you live in an apartment doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy growing your own herbs and veggies. Freshly harvested vegetables are, after all, the tastiest and healthiest. There are so many fun ways to do it. I know, I know. Times are tough, belts are tightening, there’s less money for the fun stuff. But we still need fun! Some entertainment! Netflix and Blockbuster.com are both great places to get hours of movies for cheap. The cool part is No Late Fees! Forget to return the movie? No problem… no late fees! Leave the movie at your friend’s house a month ago? No problem… no late fees! That’s good, but suppose you don’t want to ante up $20 a month? If you really want to live on the cheap and still watch a new release, go to the library! Yes, that’s right, the public library. They have shelves of movies, documentaries, self-help, animated family shows all for … wait for it … FREE!!! The hitch? There are late fees. Keep the movie for more than their 1 or 2 week period (ask before you borrow- not rent), and you’ll have to come up with the late fees. But wait, there’s more! Many libraries have online DVD catalogs where you can download a movie or audio CD to your computer and watch/listen for free, and you don’t have to return it. It is coded to “self-destruct” (become inaccessible) after a certain date. Well, that’s easy-peasy. And if you want to watch it again? Just download it again! I think you can even run a cable from your computer to your regular TV so you can watch it on a larger screen with friends and fam. Google Library + your town or county name to access your local library’s movie shelf. But the popcorn is still gonna cost ya. One of the great things about apartment living is the likelihood of seeing your close neighbors while your are coming and going. You probably smile and say hello. You might have at least one neighbor who works all day, maybe even a single person or a single parent. It’s coming up- that hallowed day for which people around the world die – Voting Day. No matter which candidate you like or which you hate, if you vote your conscience or strategically, if you vote by mail or in person, do it. Vote. My daughter says she doesn’t like either of the major candidates and that not voting is her right, as well. Yes, not voting is a right, but voting is a privilege. If you don’t exercise your privilege often enough, it may slip away from you while you are ignoring it. I ignored it when I was younger, but now that I’m getting older and realizing that I seem to have little power and have accomplished less than I would have like to in my life, I realize that I can still vote. I can study up on the initiatives, the referendums, the policies, the candidates, and I can make an educated choice on the ballot. I can, so I will, and I will hope that others take it as seriously as I do. Apathy never helped anyone, never made anything better, never helped a nation in trying times. I am no longer apathetic about what comes our way, and one way I can let my voice be heard (at least outside of the electoral college) is to vote. Here’s hoping you have a great and meaningful November 4th.
Sep
04
2008
Have The Neighborhood Lease Apartments This FallPosted by: Blogging Apartments in Great ideas, Special Event, Uncategorized, tags: apartments, community, rentals
Two months to go until the 2008 elections and some Voter Registrar offices across the country are still in the midst of trying to find places to set-up voting locations and alternate voting locations. This is a great opportunity for apartment communities to turn a medium to large space in the community into a voting location. If you have a business center, a large lobby area/ office, Community center or room then you have space. Plus this is what you get back: Make sure to: Remember this is for one day and it is a good way to give back to the community and show some good will. It will return loads of good busines in return. Contact your local registrars office today. Vote!
I recently came across a site about walkable cities. The site allows you to find out if a neighborhood is walkable or not. www.walkscore.com lets you type in a zip code or city and it will score the area based on serveral factors. There are also heat maps for larger cities showing the most walkable in green and the least in red. Some west coast cities that are not usually thought as walkable made the list. One city most people think is not walkable is LA and it made the list as a walkable city. Check out this site and see if where you live is walkable.
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Ahead of the heat waves, ahead of the crowds- Now is the time for a picnic! Pack up your favorite sandwich fixings, some chips and fruit, and your favorite beverages and head out for a picnic! You can go to a local park or a national park, or just to the common green area of your community and sit in the shade of the new leaves on the trees. Bring along a ball or frisbee or a deck of cards and make some memories. One of the simple joys- quiet time with friends and family, spent away from the distractions of the day.
