RLROUSE Infoblog

Articles and information to power your life!

Spring is the perfect time for an Alaska cruise

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It might come as a shock to many to see the words Alaska and cruise in the same sentence, but in reality Alaska offers some of the most exciting cruise opportunities on planet earth. Unlike their counterparts in the Caribbean, Alaska cruise ships sail past a wide array of rugged scenery that beats the daylights out of spending hours on end on the open water.

When you embark on an Alaska cruise you’ll see wildlife ranging from whales to polar bears as well as several varieties of northern waterfowl. You’ll enjoy magnificent vistas of snow-capped mountains, massive stands of evergreen forests, glaciers and much, much more. If the ultimate in rugged outdoor beauty strikes your fancy, you’ll do yourself a huge favor by foregoing the warmer climes and sailing north!

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Love the night sky? Take a gander at it through a pair of binoculars!

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Living (and loving) Life

I would guess very few among us haven’t peered up at the heavens on a clear, crisp night and watched the stars twinkling and working their magic on our imaginations.

I would also guess that fewer still have taken this occasional bit of  stargazing” to the next level by purchasing a telescope and actually becoming an amateur astronomer.

There are plenty of folks out there who would love to enjoy the beauty and mystery of the night sky in more detail but lack the desire to purchase, set up and use a telescope. If you’re one of those folks, a great alternative is getting a pair of quality binoculars.

While you won’t be able to enjoy Hubble or James Webb Telescope level deep space views through a pair of binoculars, you WILL get plenty of stunning views of the moon, several of the planets in our solar system and a number of galaxies and nebulae. Trust me, it will be well worth the effort if you really enjoy looking at the night sky.

If you do decide to buy a pair of binoculars for engaging in amateur astronomy, I highly recommend that you purchase a decent tripod as well. Even though binoculars are relatively light, your arms will tend to get weary as you hold them up to the sky for minutes on end.

The most popular binoculars for astronomy are 10 x 50’s. The designation 10 x 50 simply means that the binoculars have a magnification of 10x and an objective lens diameter of 50mmm, a combination that provides what is generally regarded as the best mix of magnification and field of view for general astronomy.

You can pick up a cheap pair of 10 x 50 binoculars at most any discount or sporting goods store. Why not pick up a pair and give the night sky an entirely new look?

How to fix a sticky lock in 10 seconds

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Living (and loving) Life

Like most items with moving parts, locks need to be lubricated from time to time in order to keep them working smoothly.

It’s usually pretty easy to tell if a lock needs lubrication because if it does you’ll have a difficult time getting the key to slide in or out of the keyhole, and occasionally the key won’t turn the lock once it has been fully inserted.

The most effective way to lubricate the inside of a lock is to squirt a little graphite into the keyhole, then insert and remove the key a few times to spread the graphite around and onto all the little parts that comprise the locking mechanism. Next, turn the key a few times and you should notice a big difference right away.

Graphite typically comes in a small tube with a pointed tip that is designed specifically to be inserted into a keyhole. You can pick up a tube for just a few dollars at any hardware or home improvement store. You can also get it at most auto parts stores or other establishments that make spare keys.

If I remember correctly, I bought my last tube of graphite in the Tire & Lube Express (TLE) section of our local Wal-Mart, but you can also get it online at Amazon.

How to build a happy and fulfilling marriage

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Virtually everyone gets married with the expectation of living happily together for the rest of their lives, but for far too many couples that dream comes to a premature end somewhere down the line. But there are a number of concrete steps you can take to help ensure that your marriage is a happy one, and that it lasts for a long, long time. Here are just a few of them:

1 – Spend time together. They say “absence makes the heart grow fonder”, but unfortunately that old saying isn’t all that accurate. Sure, being apart for short lengths of time leaves one pining for his/her mate, but when it happens too often and for too long at a time that pining tends to make way for finding ways to replace that missing companionship. That’s why long-haul truck drivers have such an astoundingly high divorce rate.

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Using the Mozilla Thunderbird email client under Windows 7

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Along with the release of Windows 7 came the unwelcome news that it does not include a POP-3 email client, and as someone who had used Outlook Express for many years this was NOT good news in my opinion. Still, I decided to upgrade my primary PC from XP to Windows 7 and simply bite the bullet in regards to email.

Well, I gave Windows Live Mail  a try as suggested by Microsoft and I hated it from the get-go. Determined not to give up my POP-3 email, I decided to give Mozilla Thunderbird a shot. Let me tell you, it’s awesome! Thunderbird does everthing OE did and more. I especially like the way it handles junk mail, a feature seriously lacking in OE.

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