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Brunch must have been invented by a female. When we lived on the East Coast, brunch was a late, Sunday breakfast at home. It was an edible excuse for me to sleep more and cook less.

On the West Coast brunch is big business. On the West Coast you don't have bunch, you DO brunch. On the West Coast you do brunch on Saturday or Sunday.

There are two kinds of brunch - menu and buffet. If it's my choice, it means my birthday is on a weekend.

I avoid brunches on major holidays - especially Mother's Day. I don't want to pick a corsage out of the eggs benedict.

I like buffet brunches more than menu brunches. If it's my choice, I choose the buffet with more choice.

Having my big meal at midday is good for my conscience, which foolishly feeds on the idea I'm going to exercise afterward. I don't - unless walking to and from our car to nap on the couch counts as exercise.

Having a fixed price for this munching marathon, no matter what the price is, is a bargain when you have teenage sons.

Some brunchers wait for a table with a view, which makes it easier to get a table with the view we want - of the buffet.

Our system is to make three trips to the table - appetizers, entrees and desserts. Okay, occasionally there are four trips. The extra trip is for the best of show in the appetizer and entrees categories.

I'm proud to say we've never made five trips. At that point I think our server would give us troughs instead of clean plates.

In the buffet line I'm usually behind Mr. Pile-it-on or Ms Indecision. Usually the almost-gones taste better than the hardly-trieds and few brunchers are willing to try something they don't recognize and that doesn't have a name card.

Not me. I'm always looking for something new and different. I can get runny scrambled eggs, dry sausage and unripe fruit at home.

Yes, some brunches are better than others; but I always eat too much. I leave the restaurant not wanting to see Belgian waffles, cheese blintzes or bread pudding for at least a month.

In the meantime, I wait for an enterprising chef - an enterprising, female chef to invent lunner. After all, by combining lunch with dinner, she'd have an edible excuse for sleeping more and cooking less.

KNIGHT PIERCE HIRST takes humorous looks at life. Take a minute to make yourself smile at http://knightwatch.typepad.com

Department of Insurance rules require all automobile insurance companies to accept premium payments in installments. However, some insurers offer the installment payment plans through their associate finance companies in which case you are generally forced to pay high rates of interest.

Clearly, shopping for car insurance smart infers that you shouldn't just seek and settle for low rates but also do your math on identifying low-cost financing. You can do this by simply asking who is providing your installment plan. There are insurance companies that proudly offer their own equated monthly payment plans. Whatever that be, make sure of things such as the outright down payment, the number of installments, interest charges, service charges, if there are any hidden charges and the final amount of monthly installment. But before you get insurance quotes with installment payment plan from any company, make sure you get everything about the plan in clear writing.

Asking for payment break-ups in writing is a way of committing the insurers to freeze your installments for the entire term of validity of the policy. Usually, when you do so, all possible charges which the agents had deliberately hidden till then will have to surface up which is to your advantage. Also you will not be in shock when you receive the bill later.

In the present market, all auto insurers and finance companies have their terms at least as good as follows:

* For a policy of one year's validity, the down payment will be 16.67% and ten (10) equal installments payable monthly. If you have your policy written through associations recognized by companies, then the down payment will be 20% of the total.

* On similar lines a six-month policy will require a down payment of 33.33%, and four equal payments payable monthly.

While the above is the stipulation, some insurers and finance companies are willing to offer smaller than what is stipulated down payment and are not so rigid on the term side too. However, an insurance company is at right to add a service charge to your payment, but make sure everything is crystal clear in black and white before you sign on the dotted line. Here is an indication of the basic service charge that can be levied - $3 per month, and the company is also at its legal liberty to add 50 cents for every $250 (or fraction) of premium paid over $500.

Alevoor Rajagopal, MBA, a business consultant, voices for fair practices in used car deals. He also writes passionately on showcasing individuality with MySpace layout. Visit his blog on online income tips.

An office chair is an integral part of a professional's life. A major part of the day of a working individual is spent on that chair. A chair is not just a piece of furniture, but also speaks volumes about the stature and authority of the individual occupying it. By looking at a person's chair, one can mostly make out whether the occupant is a lower, middle or a top level executive. Not only this, the chair, at times, can also be indicative of the nature of duties of the individual.

There are various kinds of office desks and chairs available in the market. In an office set up, one gets to view various kinds of chairs that adorn the place. Office chairs can also be classified on the basis of the material used in their manufacturing. The most popular varieties of chairs used in offices are:

1. Operator or Task chairs are used commonly by employees in middle or lower executive level. They are chairs with wheels (casters) and with the ability to swivel, hence making them the most popular chairs used in present day workplaces. Mostly, these chairs are not specific to a person's designation; hence, they may be used by different kinds of employees. The height of these chairs is adjustable to suit the convenience and comfort of the employee.

2. Executive Fabric office chairs are similar to Operator chairs but have better padding and a reclining back. These two features considerably increase the comfort level of the chair.

3. Though most chairs are equipped with a reclining back, special Reclining chairs are usually bigger in size, better padded, besides the reclining feature. Some are even designed with a foot rest for extra comfort.

4. Top level executives prefer an Executive office chair that has a longer back, bigger arm rests and usually of leather. They are heavily padded and provide tremendous comfort.

5. Visitor or Guest chairs usually do not have wheels as visitors are required to remain stationary. They are usually simple chairs and reasonably comfortable.

It is up to the organisation to decide what kinds of chairs are required and in what numbers. There are numerous styles, varieties, fabrics and price ranges to choose from when it comes to buying an office chair, but the foremost thing to be kept in mind is the employee's comfort.

About The Author: Brooke Theresa is an interior decorator who also has a passion to write for her area of interest. Currently she is focusing on office furniture (such as office chairs, reception desks, computer desks, office desks and glass desks) and current clientele includes leading organization in UK.

We are all aliens upon this planet, all acting out roles weve learned from each other during the course of our existence.

How to be noticed as a baby, how to communicate our needs, how to develop as a young child growing up, how to utilize our abilities and talents, how to get what we want as adults, how to live and interact with people in this world. How to dance, how to cook, how to seduce.

For every meeting, for every encounter, somebody is relaying as much of the people who have influenced his life as you are relaying your influences to him/her. Through words, feelings and perceptions you are learning the way people have spoken, felt and expressed themselves around him/her. You are learning his/life experience; he/she is copying and relaying every single thing he/she has heard and seen to you.

We are all actors and actresses; acting like people weve watched, reacting like people weve watched, thinking like people weve watched. This is how the cultures of people begin, this is how groups have identifiable characteristics and interests, and this is how things are classified into like and not like.

Interestingly, I think our brains actually get telepathic flashes of the people and events that replay in the eyes and expressions of a person relaying his/her personality to us. Laughter, clothing, hobbies, and even down to how you open the door to your room and walk in or pour yourself a glass of water. You are doing what you have watched done at some point in your life. Watched, heard, read about, deciphered intuitively. A series of repetitions.

Its why mentally impaired people that do not seem to fit the order of this world do not fit the order of this world. Their senses are not tuned into receiving and duplicating in some way, at least not the influence of people acting around them. They mix up the signals and cross wires. They stop copying; stop acting. They are disconnected from their roles in the drama of life.

Its fascinating.

24 Oct. 2005

Paraben is often used to preserve the 'freshness' of skincare products which thus increases the expiry date of skin care products. Think of it as a preservative. Therefore, paraben-free products generally have very short lifespan and comes with higher price tag.

Paraben-free products generally spoil within 3 months. If you have very sensitive skin, you might consider trying paraben-free products, people having sensitive skin have reported very good results with them. Paraben-free products are known to be kinder and healthier to the skin.

Researches have shown that these preservatives used in skin care products like SLS, ALS or parabens are known to be cancer causing ingredients. However, the researches done on SLS and parabens are not intensively substantiated to prove whether these preservatives can actually cause substantial damage to our health. SLS (sodium laureth sulphate) itself is a foaming agent. It is practically an ingredient in all our shampoos, bath foam and facial foam. Ir exists in our everyday common skincare and cosmetic products. It might not be so comfortable to use a SLS free product as its not so smooth to use due to the lack of foaming properties that SLS provides.

Brands like Vitasence, Jurlique, Fancl, Avalon, Haba and Miessence do not contain paraben. Be careful to check the ingredients for paraben as some brands tend to call their products organic even though they might contain paraben.

Many people have reported that after switching over to paraben and SLS free facial prodcuts, they have less skin clogs and thus lesser blackheads and whiteheads. Other girls have seen a huge improve in their skin conditions and texture and also gives a better glow to the skin in about a month or two upon usage of paraben free products.

If you have extra budget to splurge this month, why not try out the really true natural products?

More articles available at http://secretsofmodels.com

When your child has a birthday, it can be loads of fun! The cake, the gifts, the gueststhe party! But if you dont plan ahead, the party planning might just overwhelm you. With these helpful childrens birthday party ideas, we try to make it a little easier on you. With the right planning, youll be able to pull off a star quality birthday party for your little celebrity.

One popular childrens birthday party idea today is to theme a party around your childs favorite television show. Using Sesame Street or Barney and Friends as a guide, you can plan a party your child will love. With a Teletubbies cake and cardboard cut-outs of the characters, your little one will enjoy turning three. Or get Ninja Turtles plates, pizza and green punch to thrill your older child. You can even hire someone to dress as the characters from the show!

A great childrens birthday party idea is a pirate themed party. Pirates are very popular these days thanks to pirate-themed movies and television shows. A cake made in the shape of a pirate ship will thrill the buccaneers at your party. Swedish fish and fish-shaped sandwiches are just a couple of fun foods you can have to go with the theme. And a delightful treasure hunt ending in chocolate gold coins is a great pirate-themed birthday party activity.

Another fun childrens birthday party idea is a party that is themed after a location. A fun island party can be planned using Tiki Torches, glasses of Hawaiian punch with umbrellas, and shell necklaces. Or plan a fun Mexican fiesta with tacos, a piata, and paper sombreros. A French or Italian party can be a lot of fun as well. Serve food typical of the region and find music and decorations that represent the culture.

The most important thing when choosing a childrens birthday party idea or theme is to consider the childs personality. Try not to get too caught up making it gender-specific or showy. If the child is old enough, consider including them in the planning. As long as your child enjoys the party, then it is a big hit!

For more fun ideas for kids visit http://www.jmgkids.org - resources, tips and reviews for parents of toddlers and school aged children.

For fun gift ideas visit http://www.mybabyrocks.net - the coolest selection of rock and roll inspired baby and toddler gifts and apparel.

The student loan consolidation program is a loan repayment program designed for students with multiple loans from different lenders, to make the repayments easier for them. When you were in college, you took loans to finance your studies and now you may be facing difficulties to keep track of the different loan repayments. You might be paying too high an interest or may be missing the payment deadlines due to late payment or payment defaults.

In this case, you should consider student debt consolidation loan. Here, if you have three different government educational loans, you can combine it into one single loan. Technically speaking, all these 3 loans will be considered fully paid and you will be taking one new loan of the same amount. These means that instead of having three different loans with 3 different repayment amounts and due dates, you will now have one loan with one repayment check to make and just one due date to remember. Thus, the student loan consolidation program has made repaying the loans easier for you. For deciding on which lender to choose for consolidation, you may take help of organizations who specialize in student loan debt counseling.

What Are The Benefits Of Such Programs?

As we saw above, the first benefit of the student loan consolidation program is that, it is more convenient. You are less likely to miss the due date for monthly repayments, thus improve your credit ratings.

Next is the more important factor that is money. The student loan consolidation program may be able to negotiate your new consolidated loan at a much lower interest rate than your previous loans.

Another benefit of taking student debt consolidation loans is that they offer flexible repayment plans. You may opt for different repayment schedules available. If you are new in your career, not earning much, are unemployed for sometime or are facing financial hardships, then under the student loan consolidation program, you have different options to repay the loans at your convenience.

Why Is Student Loan Debt Counseling Important?

If you are a novice at the loan sector, all student loan consolidation programs will appear the same to you, you may be confused as to which suits you best. For this, take help of student loan debt counseling. A counselor will help you plan a good repayment scheme with better terms and fewer burdens on you. The problems which most of the students face while looking around for a suitable student loan consolidation program can be taken care of by the counselor.

Student debt consolidation loans are a good way to go if you are facing problems with multiple loans and higher monthly payment amount. Choose the right student loan consolidation program which is in line with your financial requirement and meets your goal.

You can combine your multiple student loans in one by choosing the right student loan consolidation program. While deciding on how to go for the student debt consolidation loans, take help of student loan debt counseling. It would be a good idea to compare different student loan debt consolidation options before selecting one for you.