Mishmash Musings

Did you know that Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) claims the lives of nearly 900 people every single day? That comes to more than 325,000 people annually — and that’s just right here in the United States.

One of the reasons for the high number of SCA fatalities is the fact that it strikes so quickly. From what I’ve read, if SCA isn’t treated within the first four to six minutes, the results can be deadly.

To assess your own risk factors for Sudden Cardiac Arrest and to learn how to respond should someone fall victim to SCA while you’re present, I recommend visiting InsideCardiacArrest.com. That site has free videos, articles, and other resources to help people learn about the causes and symptoms of SCA, as well as tips on what to do in the event of an SCA-related emergency.

I’ve already reviewed the information on the site, and now I’m going to go make my husband sit down and watch the videos as well. It can’t hurt to be prepared!

If you’ve been wondering why Eminem hasn’t made any public appearances in the last couple of years, it could be because his weight has ballooned to over 200lbs! Apparently Em was hospitalized over the holidays with pneumonia, and a staffer leaked Em’s weight — a reported 212lbs. — to gossip website TMZ.com.

To put that in perspective, just remember that Eminem is about 5’7″ tall, so 212 is huge!

Then over on the Daily Mail website, Eminem’s mom is quoted as saying she fears her son is turning into a fat recluse like Elvis during the latter stages of his career. The article goes on to say that Eminem is battling depression, and mostly just stays at home ordering artery-clogging meals like filet mignon and Mexican dishes, while completely avoiding the gym.

Wow, if these reports are true, then I can understand why Eminem is trying so hard to avoid publicity right now. He’s become the type of person he used to make fun of in his rap lyrics!

I bet someone could make a nice bit of cash by leaking some Eminem fat pictures to the tabloids.

Do you think any paparazzi are hanging around his Detroit home right now?

I’ve had a very expensive Nikon digital SLR camera for a few years now, but have never really learned how to use the device to its full potential. I’m hoping to remedy that deficiency, however, by taking digital photography classes this spring. I’ve already signed up for the class, and have received a list of recommended equipment that I should bring. I have everything on the list except for camera tripods.

Since I’ve never purchased any camera tripods before, I’m definitely going to do some research and read a few user reviews first. I’ll likely head on over to Wize.com for this kind of information because I know that the site always has tons of excellent, detailed product reviews from regular, everyday consumers like myself. These reviews are far more helpful to me than ones written by professionals because they usually cover a range of important issues rather than just product functionality and technical specifications.

Anyway, I’m planning to read some of the reviews of camera tripods over at Wize.com this weekend, and will hopefully be able to make a final purchasing decision sometime next week. In any case, I’ll have my tripod well before my class is scheduled to start.

I’m very excited about learning how to take “real” pictures! I’ll be sure to post some of them here once I get rolling.

Do you recognize this celeb without her makeup and perfect hair? I had absolutely no idea who this was, even though I watch her show regularly! I think the hair color threw me off as much as the lack of makeup.

Answer: It’s Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives!

She is still cute without makeup, but is definitely more of a head-turner when she’s perfectly done up as Gabby Solis, her character on the show.

Jerry and I have recently been talking about where we should go for our next vacation. I would love to hit Las Vegas for a few days of casino fun, but Jerry’s not much of a gambler. He’s actually leaning towards one of those Disney family cruises.

We spent last night looking through the offerings, and were surprised at the number of options. We were under the impression that these cruises only went to the Bahamas, but now St. Croix is also listed as a destination.

Anyway, the Disney cruise does look like a lot of fun, but we can’t afford something like that right now — not even if we just go for the cheapest 3-night Bahama cruise.

Maybe we can shoot for one of these cruises next year!

I am so ready for this week to be over! It’s funny how even though I work at home, I look forward to weekends as much as I did when I was a corporate drone. I guess it’s just because everything slows down on Saturday and Sunday, giving me a chance to catch up on a bunch of stuff. Plus, it really helps to have Jerry around to keep our son occupied while I get some work done. Better yet, they often go out together all day, which gives me some much needed peace and quiet!

Anyway, it’s only Thursday night, barely dinnertime. Can I make it through these next 24 hours intact?

I’ve had bad skin ever since I was a teenager, and even though I’m in my mid-thirties now, I still suffer from the same types of problems. I’ve slowly come to accept the fact that my acne is probably not going to disappear anytime soon, so the only thing left for me to do is try to control my breakouts as much as possible.

I take a two-pronged approach to dealing with my skin problems. First, I’m a big believer in the merits of acne prevention. I know from experience that I’ll never be able to stop pimples and blackheads completely, but I can certainly cut down on their appearance by following a good skin care routine.

Second, I try to use only quality acne treatment products on my skin to help get rid of the pimples that do emerge. I like to read consumer reviews of products before buying them, that way I’ll have some clue as to how effective they are. I’ve been using Proactiv for the past few years with some success, but I find that I have to switch things up every now and then because of my sensitive skin.

So, where do I go for the latest acne prevention tips and treatment information? Acne.com, of course! I’ve been using that site for a long time now, and have to say that it’s by far the best online resource for acne sufferers like me. The site has tons of interesting and useful articles, including a fantastic page about acne myths and claims.

If you’re afflicted with problem skin, then you really need to check out Acne.com soon. You might just come across a treatment option that will work wonders for your face!

So, I want a new iPod Nano to replace my current one. I have a 4GB second generation model, but it’s almost filled to capacity with songs and audiobooks. So the next iPod I get has to have more capacity.

I know I can go with a 16GB Touch or 80GB Classic, but I like the small, lightweight Nanos the best.

Anyway, I can buy one right now (or pretty soon) for $187 (and free shipping) from Amazon.com, or I can wait a few months and get the whole thing for free by using rewards that I’ve saved up by using my credit card.

I’m leaning towards just buying the thing — not because I need it tomorrow, but because I don’t want to use up 25,000 points on the item. I only get one point per dollar spent, so that means that I’ve spent almost $25,000 on my credit card in the past few years. Getting a $200 iPod in return doesn’t seem like a good trade-off, ya know?