Cabin fever has been settling in lately. Gray skies and bitter winds keep the outdoors out of reach unless there is somewhere to go by car. Since school is in session during the week, often a weekend road trip can be just the thing to pull the family out of the funk of winter blues. Depending where you live, there can be a good handful of places to visit in a weekend. By planning ahead, you don’t have to spend a large amount of money to get some quality family time and add a little fun to the weekend.

Start by researching destinations that are within a two hour drive time or less to keep the cost of gas to a reasonable amount. There are many online resources which can point you in the right direction as far as activities and the price range you have in mind. Even if you don’t start out with an idea in mind, such resources are chalk full of good ideas that you may not have thought of on your own. Make reservations in advance to get better rates and online discounts. It will also save you time when you are on your trip. You will know what to expect and not waste time wandering aimlessly in search of information. Time is limited on weekend road trips. If you are making the trip, be sure you make the most of it.

A great place to start is the local visitor’s center. Not only can they provide a wealth of information on various places to visit or things to do, they also offer promotional information, discounted rates on entertainment, accommodations, and dining. Many visitor bureaus have websites you can explore and email addresses to contact a staff member if you have a specific question. If you are on a weekend road trip, keep your eyes open for the actual visitor’s center and make sure you stop in, stretch your legs, and find out about the area. The staff is eager to help and usually provide great personal insight about the area. Plus, you can usually get free or cheap coffee before you leave and continue toward your destination.

Weekend road trips can be as inexpensive as you want them to be. Make plans to bypass fast food restaurants and unnecessary purchases at convenient stores. Pack a cooler for drinks and grocery items to snack on. Make sandwiches before you head out for convenience on the road. The amount of money you spend at the grocery store before the trip can save you a lot of money when on the road. Pack extra food items for breakfast and lunch for the trip as well as for the next day if you plan to stay overnight. Make lists for packing, budgeting, and things you want to do or see in advance. When you hit the road, enjoy every last minute of it!

Great Price! I called and got my refund from the original $132.

Star Trek TOS S1 HD DVD

Amazon has the Onyx Black KitchenAid 12 Cup Food Processor KFP-750OB for $129 here

Rebate link is here.

The YMMV is there b/c the rebate is from the Macy's deal, but the fine print doesn't exclude Amazon as a seller.

If you look at the dropdown box, the other Onyx Black and the other colors are listed again for $199.

It's more than if you had tried the Macy's deal, but if you missed out, free shipping and no tax in most states is a pretty good deal. The KitchenAid has better reviews across the board than the Cuisant Pro model, FWIW.

Frys has the Seagate 750GB Serial ATA/300 16MB Buffer ST3750640AS-RK - Retail Hard Drive Kit for $149.99. Best Buy has it for $279.99. Have BB match it plus 10% of the difference. That brings the price down to $136.99. Here are the links:

BB - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7909301&type=product&id=1149208161406

Frys's - http://shop4.outpost.com/{fqWiu242OzHWHELj7xUlxw**.node1}/product/4924331;jsessionid=fqWiu242OzHWHELj7xUlxw**.node1?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

This may only work if you have a Fry's in your area since it was in their ad and on their website it says "on-line only".

Either way it's worth trying if you need a large HD and at .17 cents a GB its not bad.

Utnorris

frys ad link

product link at outpost.com

Not sure how hot this is, I know myself I would like to get one for under $400

I hope this is not a repost, I did search. SS has a free subscription to Parents magazine up:

Parents is America's leading magazine devoted to serving people who are raising children. It regularly features information about beauty, food, fashion, home, age specific child development, health, pregnancy, marriage, finance, child care, education and discipline.

Note: You will receive ONLY 24 issues of Parents Magazine with no commitment or obligation whatsoever. You will NOT receive any additional magazines and you do NOT have to cancel a subscription. We will not be accepting feedback on this magazine.

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Link: Parents Magazine from SS

State Farm customers get to file their taxes for free with Turbo Tax. [State Farm]

Text

Stunning, hot, beautiful. She’s all that.

She’s beautiful

Hot, she’s hot, everything about this photo is hot.

Turn on the lights, here she comes to seduce. A hot girl with an attitude (and sexy underwear).

A sensual girl.

Cool portrait, beautiful model

Smiling girl with dark glasses and jeans. I think already knew that, but oh well…

Long legs, very long legs. Did I say long legs?

Sexy and edgy, the way fashion should be.

Cool photo of a sexy brunette in lingerie

Mugshot!

Say hi to the cute sweet hottie in red next to the tree right there in the forest of your dreams

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

“At one point, however, I had beaten him four times in a row, and he cried at least once, revealing the depth of his intensity for the game. But one night at the Marshall Chess Club rapids we played a French Defence, and a very peculiar thing happened. In the middle of the game Bobby made ….”

This is from a new and very special book we just published: Hooked on Chess, by Bill Hook.

In his memoir Bill Hook looks back on his long life in chess, art and gambling. He played with a motley crowd of amateurs, hustlers and celibrities like Marcel Duchamp, Stanley Kubrick and Miguel Najdorf.

He participated in a record 16 chess olympiads for the British Virgin Islands, winning the gold medal on first board in 1980. The book contains dozens of Hook’s fine photographs.

“A good read, a colorful document, and an admirable life”, commented The Washington Post chess writer Lubosh Kavalek.

Please have look at this wonderful memoir of chess and gambling.

You know, sometimes we need to take the path of most resistance. It doesn’t matter whether it’s taking a risk by getting up the courage to start a business that has good chance of being successful, giving up what seems like a safety blanket by cutting up the credit cards, or cooking a meal at home instead of calling out for pizza. We just need to do it.

Many times the hardest thing to do is also the BEST thing to do in the long run. You become a successful businessperson, and learn things about yourself. You get out of debt, and begin building up savings. You stay in better health, and spend less money.

How do you know if something you’re resisting falls into this category? For me, I get this feeling in my gut. It’s almost like anxiety, but not quite. Maybe it’s more like a nagging feeling.

I just know that the more I resist doing something, the more likely it is that that is EXACTLY the thing I most need to do.