Another summer has passed and I have not kept my promise to myself. For the second year in a row, I had every intention of taking my kids to see a movie at one of the country’s last Drive-in theaters. How did summer get away from me again?

If you’ve wondered whether there are any Drive-ins near you, check out The Drive-In Movie site and take a look at the theaters in your state. I was surprised to find that there are three drive-ins near me; I’d know about only one of them.

Now, back when I was a kid, there were 6 drive-ins close enough to visit frequently. One was right at the bottom of our hill and the the old screen is still standing. That one was close enough that we could walk to it.

I guess traditional theater seating is more comfortable but there are still advantages to drive-ins. Although I no longer smoke, my husband still does and the drive-in allows him to do that while he’s watching his movie. And with snack prices so high at theaters, it’s much more economical to bring in your own food. And then there’s the simple joy of remembering all the great summer evenings spent at the drive-in with friends and being able to pass that on to my own kids.

Hopefully, some of you reading this are in a warm state and can still get to a drive-in this year. And next year, I WILL keep my promise.

Although I have a few favorite TV shows, I could probably get rid of my TV and be okay with that. There’s enough on the internet to inform and entertain me. My family, though, is another story.

For the past year, my kids have taken turns explaining to me why we need to purchase a plasma or LCD HDTV. They insist that if we don’t get new TVs we won’t be able to see any TV at all. They try to lure me into their madness by tempting me with home theater seating and room layouts because they know I like to redecorate my house every so often. Of course, my kids forget that I can read and I know how to search. And so I searched. And I read.

Here’s the scoop on digital TV. If you have cable or satelite TV, chances are you won’t need to do a darn thing. If your TV is really really old, you can call your cable company to be sure you’ll be okay.

If you don’t have cable or satelite, you’ll have a few choices. You can buy new TVs or you can get a converter box. The great thing about the converter box is that $40 coupons are available for them until March 30, 2009. There is a limit of 2 coupons per household.

You may know all of this already but I’d bet that there are people in your life who don’t know the details. My mom has asked me repeatedly about this and she’s so worried that shw won’t be able to get any TV channels after the transition. Just between us, I have to wonder if the wording for some of the new TV’s has been crafted in a way that will bring panic to those who don’t understand. Maybe not but it sure seems like people are clamoring to get TVs that they don’t need and really don’t want. Once again, it’s a marketing thing.

When I start a new blog I tend to tell my friends about it before I get it developed. Imagine my surprise when one of my friends told me about her new blog that had already been launched. Why didn’t I know about this sooner?

If you love fashion, style, makeup and all things luxourious, then you’re going to love Want 2 Be Barbie. If anyone enjoys Girly stuff more than I do, it’s my friend Cass. Whether it’s shoes or makeup or bling or just looking your best, Cass has it covered. With categories like Hi Tech Barbie and Middle Age Barbie, you know you’ll find something to amuse and enlighten you at this great fashion blog.

I’ve just found a great line of Squalane products, thanks to Want 2 Be Barbie and learned a little about how cheese helps when trying to lose weight. (Who knew?) Now I’m going to keep checking back for diet tips, too and hope that there’s a reveiw of various diets or products like orovo. I mean, if Barbie recommends it, it must be good, right?

Here come the holidays! Are you ready? Have you started your Christmas shopping? Well, if you’re looking to make some easy purchases, I’ve got some great ideas for you.

I’m not one of those people who make a point of getting to the stores on Black Friday although I do love the great deals on Cyber Monday. In fact, I’d rather click my way through my shopping list than stand in lines waiting for doors to open and then wrestling for a favorite item. I guess I’m lazy that way.

Anyway, one gift that works well for a lot of different people is a magazine subscription. If you know someone well enough to know the things they enjoy, then you can almost always find a magazine that they’d enjoy. And here’s the best part – Low Price Subs has great magazine titles for really low prices.

You can find many popular magazines, search by topic or even by price. Hard to believe but some of these magazine subscriptions are as low as $2.00 per year! That’s less than one issue of most magazines.

Go ahead over and check out the magazines. Order a few for yourself, too. After all, you’re going to finish your holiday shopping in record time, right? You’ll have loads of time to sit around reading your magazines!

When I first got internet access in 1996, I was totally amazed at all the software that was offered free or on a trial basis. I’d read about “shareware” in computer magazines but had no idea at how much was actually out there. Back then, my internet connection was a 14.4 modem and my hard drive was a vast 2GB. Needless to say, the size of any file I downloaded was an issue. That’s why the first shareware I discovered and downloaded was PKzip.

If you’re reading this, you probably know what a zip file is. What you may not know is that PKware’s founder developed the .zip format and offered it into the public domain. And PKWare is still in business, improving their software and adding security features to meet today’s needs.

Granted, internet speeds are lightening fast compared to 1996 and thumb drives are bigger than the hard drive in my first Windows 95 machine. Of course, files are much bigger now, too. There’s always a reason to want to save space and PKWare is still providing the best way to compress files as well as encrypting them. That’s right, the creator of the standard in file comprssion has added encryption to keep all your data secure.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the cost. PKWare offers a free-for-personal-use download of their SecureZIP software. Just head over to www.securezip.com to download your copy. SecureZIP can compress your files, saving you up to 90% of space. It also includes a digital certificate so that only the person you choose to see your files will see them, no password required. And don’t worry about spyware – SecureZIP contains no spyware, toolbars or other stuff that you don’t want.

If all that wasn’t enough, PKWare is having a great contest right now, giving away some really cool stuff at www.DecryptandDrive.com. After you download and install the SecureZIP software, register for the contest and use your software to decrypt your entry. You could win a Wii, a bike or even a Honda scooter!

I’m heading over to enter now. If I don’t win, then I sure hope one of my readers do. So, what are you waiting for? Get over there and win some prizes!

When I find a website that is notable, I usually look around a while, bookmark it and then blog about it. Sometimes, though, I get distracted. For instance, every time I headed over to Gadget Advisor to collect information and write a review of it, I started reading and reading and reading until I realized that time had gotten away from me and I still hadn’t written anything about the site. That isn’t fair to my readers, is it?

The fact is, there’s so much usable information here that it’s very easy to dig in and enjoy. While other sites offer fluff and filler between their meaty articles, Gadget Advisor offers only the “meat.” Looking for a universal remote? Check out the Gadget category and you’ll find a very cool Logitech that’s even rechargeable.

With HDTV coming to my neighborhood soon, I’ve been looking into new media/entertainment equipment. I’ve got a house full of computers but I thought it was time we looked into a networked media player to go along with the Plasma TV my husband has been eying. I know how to configure a powerhouse PC but I’m lost on the entertaining end. Not only did Gadget Advisor have a great recommendation, but also clued me in to the fact that not all LCD TVs are HD.

I could go on and on about this site since I haven’t even touched on their computer hardware and software sections, but I really want to get back to reading their reviews of backup online services. And I noticed an article on the Thermaltake Blacx Hard Drive Dock. And something about OpenOffice 3.0 being released.

There’s just so much good stuff at Gadget Advisor. I’ll see you there!

Let’s get this straight. Women are not genetically engineered to enjoy cleaning. There is nothing in estrogen that compels us to scrub a toilet or scour pots and pans. Yes, I like my house to be clean but no, I don’t get any satisfaction or sense of accomplishment knowing that I’m the one who made it clean.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s be realistic. I clean up around here more than anyone else. Part of the reason for that is simply because I’m here, in the house, more often than anyone else. (I really need a job outside the house.) Even when someone else is doing the cleaning, I’m usually consulted on the tough jobs. You know, like stains. Or is it safe to submerge the electric skillet in the water? Why do these people think I would know that stuff?

Perhaps it’s because I know where to find the answers on how to clean anything. Whether you need to clean a kitchen sink drain or a baby’s finger nails, you’ll find the answers quickly. At How To Clean Stuff, you’ll find cleaning tips for everything from typical household items like Crown Moulding to your favorite tech gadgets and games like the Wii Fit Balance Board.

Needless to say, my favorite part of the site is the Strategies category. With articles on How to Polish a Turd, How to Wash a Rabid Monkey and (my favorite) Getting Your Spouse to Clean Up After HIMself, I’ve bookmarked the whole category page. Laughing at the mess my family of men makes sure beats running a steam cleaner through the house every day.

A terrific site like this deserves a little help so if you have any cleaning tips, be sure to offer them up for others. Not only will you get a great feeling knowing you’ve contributed but for every tip they publish, the site owners will donate $0.25 to the Clean Water Fund. Not bad, huh?

Usually I blog about sites that I’ve found over the years that are useful in specific ways. Every so often, I like to tell you about a blog that I enjoy, just because it’s well written and entertaining. Like today.

My friend Tammie has been blogging for over a year now and even though I live right next door to her, I still visit her blog to read about her day to day life. Tammie can turn even the most mundane tasks, like searching for Mac memory or tracking down the perfect chairs into a fun read.

Read along as Tammie shares the latest animal tale (and just between us, Bird freaks me out) or one of her interesting teaching adventures. She’ll pull you into the story and leave you with a smile on your face.

I know I’m the lucky one, having Tammie right next door but all you have to do is check out Tammie’s blog to enjoy her company, too. Add a cup of coffee and it’ll be like you’re sitting right here at my kitchen counter with us!

I love hardware especially anything past its prime. I tend to “collect” discarded electronics and then fix them up to squeeze more use from them. It’s all part of my packrat thing and the fact that I love hand tools.

The biggest obstacle to this harmless past time is that most of the older items I have do not come with any documentation. Add to that the fact that most people have tossed out their old stuff, there aren’t many places to find help with specific problems. Or is there?

FixYa is fast becoming my very favorite site ever. This is the best place for any consumer to get information on virtually any product at all. From computer hardware, photography equipment, kitchen appliances or even cars, you’ll find troubleshooting information, tech support accessories and Manuals.

You can search the vast database or go straight to one of the experts with your question. If you have a special area of expertise, you can also register as an expert and answer questions. FixYa combines an easy way to find the information you need with a helping community to give consumers a much needed helping hand.

I first put FixYa through a few tests to see if it would really be useful. First, I searched for my old computer monitor, entering Hitachi CM772. Sure enough, it was listed along with a list of questions about monitors, a link to accessories and one to the owner’s manual.

I also searched for accessories for my daughter’s old camcorder. She lost the battery charger a long time ago and it’s been sitting in her room, not being used at all. It took just less than a minute to track down a battery charger for the camcorder. Not bad.

I also searched for some generic terms like CAT5e cable, vacuum (I need a new one) and Bunn (as in coffee maker). Every term brought up usable information.

I haven’t yet tried asking a question but I’m sure I’ll do that soon enough. Heck, maybe I’ll even offer myself as an expert – I’m just not certain what my area of expertise is. Oh yeah, drinking coffee.

Before we even start here, let me assure you that I am not currently on a weight loss program. I’m not going to bore you with details of my attempts to lose weight. Nope, not going to do it.

What I will tell you about is CalorieLab, a very handy website that lists the nutritional values for lots of foods as well as a huge number of restaurants. I know, there are other sites that do that but this one is very thorough and easy to navigate.

One of my favorite parts of the site is the Calories Burned database. Just enter your own weight, the activity you want (or choose from a group of activities) and click search. You’ll see how many calories you can burn in 15 minutes or an hour of each activity. Just in case you miss you, there’s one group of activities that I found especially interesting. Yes, there’s a breakdown of calories burned during various sex activities. Fun read!

CalorieLab also has a diet review section and some excellent news articles. I didn’t see a listing of weight loss products or exercise equipment but I did find plenty of information about dieting, food and fitness. Before you head out for a meal, be sure to check in to CalorieLab. Whether you’re watching your weight or not, it’s good to know what you’re eating.