Dont stay at the Double Tree Hotel at Dana Point!

We saved for 2 months to stay at the Double Tree at Dana Point for our anniversary. I was so excited for a weekend away. Upon arrival, we thought the outside of the hotel looked pretty nice. For that kind of money, you should get what you pay for. When we checked in, we found that our room was not facing the ocean, but rather, the railroad tracks in the back of the hotel. We were located on the ground floor, room 105, right outside the lobby. The room was painted a horrible yellow and I instantly felt claustrophobic. We decided if we kept the patio door open, it might not be so bad. Then, to our surprise, we heard dogs barking....constantly. They put a couple with 2 small dogs right next to us. What??? Then, that very same couple decided to park their truck right in front of our patio door. Did I mention that was a fire lane? No view, no privacy, and no help from the staff when we called to complain. Needless to say, we survived the night and checked out a day early.

First of all, when you have guests with dogs you need to put them in an area together. Second, NO ONE should be allowed to park in a fire lane, and third, when you put people who picked your hotel because it is across the street from the beach, you should let them know they will be facing the Metrolink tracks. Which, by the way, had a train going by every hour it seemed. With no the privacy, the dogs barking, and the horrible view, they should have paid ME to stay there.

I plan on fighting the charge on my credit card. My reason, false advertising. They ruined our weekend and we are out $235 dollars. Did I mention they charge $22 a night for parking? Dont stay at the Double Tree at Dana Point!

Movie Etiquette and texting

I have always loved going to the movies, its one of my favorite past times. The cost of movies has gone up quite a bit in the past 10 years. I've noticed something else that has changed, the number of rude people in the theater. We pay over $10 dollars to see a show. Add popcorn, coke, and candy and you easily end up spending $50 dollars for your night out. Why do people think its OK to text while they are at the movies? Don't they realize how distracting that light is coming from their phone? Most of these people are updating their Facebook status. HELLO....if you came to watch a movie, why not watch it first then give your review? We don't need a blow by blow of your encounter. Who cares if you just bought a large popcorn and got great seats right in the middle? Not me. The only thing I care about is whether you're in front of me or behind me.

More often than not, we now wait for the video rather than go to a show. It's much easier going to the video store than getting pissed off at the retard sitting down front, who has absolutely no common sense and could care less about people's rights to see a movie distraction free. I totally don't get it. If you want to play on your phone all night, why did you bother spending the money? You should have stayed home and ordered in. I understand that people need to be plugged in ALL the time but there is a time and place for everything. When you go to the movies think about someone else besides yourself. Turn off your freaking phone and watch the movie!

Home Depot sells junk to their customers!

I remodeled my kitchen and two bathrooms a year an half ago. I bought new cabinets, replaced toilets, installed marble counter tops, a new stove and fridge, new molding and paint. We spent thousands of dollars on the project. We also replaced our backyard fence. Our house sits on ¼ acre so you can image the cost of the lumber. We were loyal customers to Home Depot.

Three weeks ago my husband noticed that one of our cabinets was coming off of the wall. I placed a call to Andrea at the San Bernardino Home Depot on Hospitality lane as she was the person that helped us with everything. She called the installer and had him come out to remount the cabinet. Upon inspection the contractors stated that it wasn’t a faulty install but rather the cabinets themselves were falling apart. He took pictures and reported back to Andrea. The cabinets we replaced had been in the house for over 40 years and were still in one piece when they were taken off of the wall. Isn't that the life span for cabinets? I have never heard of them falling apart or coming off the wall and after only a year and a half? Anyway, Andrea called RSI (the manufacturers of the cabinets), and explained the problem. RSI said they would send someone out to inspect our cabinets. In the meantime, everything from those cabinets was sitting on our counter tops. I was afraid the whole thing would fall so I emptied them and we put a temporary mount ( a cutting board) to hold the cabinets up. We waited four days with no response from RSI. My husband told me that Andrea called wanting to know the status of our cabinets. I called her immediately because as far as I was concerned, this was Home Depot’s responsibility to follow up and I was waiting to hear back from her as to what the next step would be. We wrote the checks to Home Depot, that’s who should be responsible. She told me that they were just the “middle men” and that it was my responsibility to follow up and make sure someone came out to check on our cabinets. Needless to say, I was furious. I placed a call to the corporate office along with a letter to the store manager. Nearly three weeks go by, in this time frame two people had already determined that we purchased faulty cabinets. I received a call back from Annie at Home Depot at the end of the third week who stated they were trying to work out a deal with RSI to split the cost. She asked if I could give her until Monday at 10am and she would have an answer for me. Monday at 10am came and went with no word from Annie so I placed another call to Home Depot. I was told she was off for the day. Why would she give me a day and time when she would call if she knew she wasn’t going to be working? I asked to speak with another manager. After speaking with a few people and explaining myself I was told someone would call me back and they did. I was told that Home Depot would take care of my cabinets and RSI would put $100 towards the reinstall.

When the contractor came out to replace the cabinets he made a comment that there had been other issues with the same cabinets we bought. My thoughts were, if Home Depot knew this product was crap, why are they continuing to sell it? The contractor left the faulty cabinets for us to dispose of. Really?? My husband put them in the garage until we figured out what to do with them. My cabinets were replaced so I wasn’t going to stress anymore about it.

On Friday we received a letter from RSI, actually it was a waiver. It stated that since they applied $100 dollars towards the reinstall of the cabinets, they shouldn’t be held responsible if anything else happens to the rest of the products we bought from RSI thru Home Depot. What??? You’ve got to be joking was my first thought. I put the letter aside and enjoyed my weekend.

Today I received a call from Lisa Bazon from Home Depot. She told me that I needed to bring the faulty cabinets into their stores so they can be reimbursed. Wait, if they needed the faulty cabinets why didn’t the installer take them with him? According to Lisa, that wasn’t his responsibility but rather it was mine. I told her if she wanted to get her cabinets they were in my garage. They could send a person anytime. She then asked if I had received the paperwork from RSI. I told her what I received was a waiver and that I wasn’t signing it. She told me that if I didn’t sign it that I was responsible for the $100 dollars RSI had applied towards the cabinet reinstall. Hold everything!!! Home Depot sold me crap cabinets that they had other complaints about. Home depot also made me go three weeks before there was resolution over $100 dollars reimbursement and now they want me to not only deliver them the old cabinets but pay them $100 dollars?? You must be joking!! After all of the money we spent with Home Depot, this is how they treat their customers? Shame on them and RSI for taking advantage of the consumer that works so hard for their money.

If you want quality products I suggest you shop elsewhere. I will never spend another dollar at Home Depot. If you cant back your products, you shouldn’t be selling them!

GE Money AKA Care Credit is a scam!

I went to the dentist a year ago for a cleaning. I had not been in a while and thought it was time to get checked out. I went to Brookside Dental in Redlands, California. After taking X-rays it was brought to my attention that I needed a couple of crowns because some teeth were allegedly cracked. After the dentist made that determination, a girl with the price break down came in to tell me the cost of the work that needed to be done. Over $1000 dollars and that was after my insurance. Wow, I didn't have that kind of money so she conveniently suggested I use Care Credit. I hate the dentist to begin with. All I wanted to do was get my teeth cleaned and get out. She did her smooth talk and before I knew it, I had signed a contract with Care Credit aka GE Money to finance my dental work. I wonder if the dentists get kick backs from the amount of patients they can over price and reel in for companies like this.

I have been paying my monthly amount for the past year. This month, I paid them a week late, that's 7 days. Sometimes the due date doesn't fall on a pay day. I just got a new bill from them today and they not only charged me $35 dollars late fee, they charged me $417.77 interest on a $1900 dollar balance. Now, rather than having my payment applied and bringing the total down, I was charged $452 dollars. My new balance is $2345.41 and I paid them $75.00 to begin with. My interest rate is 26.99. How is this legal? I plan on doing some investigation because I believe what they are doing is fraudulent. I know a law was just passed to protect the consumer against credit card companies. I plan to find out.

When you go to the doctors they never try to up sell you on medical procedures, why is it that dental offices get away with this type of practice? Redland's Dental charged twice what most dentists charge for routine work. My Metlife insurance covers $1250 per year and not a penny more. What's the point of having insurance at all if you have to apply for credit just to see the dentist? This system is definitely broke and someone needs to step in a stop these companies from feeding off of innocent people just because they want to stay healthy. I ended up only getting one crown from that dentist and went to another one for the second one. To this day, the original crowned tooth gives me problems. The second one I had done for half the price was a piece of cake.

DO NOT USE GE MONEY OR CARE CREDIT FOR FINANCING. You will be sorry. I know I am.

Addendum:

This morning I called GE Money to find out about the bogus charges added to my account. I wanted to know where in the world they came up with a $417 dollar finance charge on a $1900 dollar balance. The answer, because I didnt pay off my loan in a year. It was the finance charge for the whole year. I guess my loan was on a deferred finance program???? Let me also state when I applied for the loan, the girl selling the product did not inform me of this. GE money told me the information regarding the deferred finance was posted on my monthly statement but because I paid my bill on line, I didnt read the fine print. My thoughts on the matter, if you are going to set someone up for a loan that must be paid off in a year, set up the payments so that the amount you are paying will actually pay off the loan IN A YEAR. Buyer beware...read the fine print and KNOW what you are signing.

I was pretty angry until I went into work and read my e-mail. GE money had read my article and wanted to help. I forwarded my personal information and was contacted via phone by Dawn from their Media/Finance department. I dont like bill collectors. I dont know how they can do their jobs and sleep at night. However, Dawn was very nice and professional. She removed the finance charge and changed the monthly due date so that I wont be late again. I am still not a fan of GE Money. If I had it to do over, I would have lived with the cracked tooth. Dont let dentists like the ones at Brookside Dental wheel you in to unnecessary procedures that are over priced and not fully covered by your insurance. You shouldnt have to take out a loan to fix a cracked tooth.

8 Reasons Being Stubborn Can Be Good for a Kid

Parents of a stubborn child can find it exasperating. They will obstinately refuse to do what they’re told and defy discipline with a steely determination. What most people fail to see is how stubbornness can be a positive attribute. There are many ways headstrong children can have an advantage over the more docile counterparts. Here are 8 reasons being stubborn can be good for a kid.

1. Perseverance – A stubborn child is going to be much better at accomplishing difficult tasks because they have perseverance. If at first they don’t succeed they will keep trying until they get the results they desire. From learning to tie their shoes to figuring out a complicated math problem, these kids will doggedly keep trying until they get it done. This is a great advantage over other children who tend to give up easily.
2. Can’t be bullied – Childhood bullies have gotten to be a big problem, so stubbornness can give a kid the toughness they need to stand up for themselves. No playground bully is going to push them around. The defiance they show to their parents easily translates to other situations, so the local bully doesn’t stand a chance.
3. Mental fortitude – This toughness will also help kids to develop the strong mental fortitude they need as they grow from childhood to adults. Mental toughness will help them to succeed in many aspects of their lives and make it easier for them to cope with stress or traumatic events. The demands of college, the military or a prestigious career are more easily met by the people who used to be stubborn kids.
4. Schoolwork – Children who give up easily are going to have a harder time learning difficult problems in their schoolwork than those who are more resolute. Whether this results in getting better grades depends on each child’s mental capabilities, but stubbornness can be an advantage to even learning disabled children. Teachers and parents should encourage stubborn kids to channel their determination into their homework.
5. Employment – Once kids get old enough to get a job, the stubborn ones will be more likely to find employment and keep it. It takes strong perseverance to find work in a bad economy, especially for teens. If their determination pays off, their employers will be pleased if they apply their stubbornness to their work ethic. Stubborn kids can be good workers.
6. Sports – Another way a headstrong kid can excel is in sports. What they may lack in physical ability can be made up for with sheer determination. Stubborn kids are very competitive and will not give up until they make the team or are the best in their field. They can channel their obstinacy into succeeding at whatever sport they choose.
7. Successful career – That successful doctor, lawyer or actor you admire probably used to be a stubborn child. The bullheaded kids are much better equipped to succeed at whatever careers they choose. Their ability to persevere will vault them to the top of the corporate ladder.
8. Survival – Another reason being stubborn can be good for a kid is pure survival. Whether it’s illness, injury or a natural disaster, those who aren’t willing to give up will overcome any obstacle to survive. Stubbornness is a key element in personal survival.

So the next time you encounter your child’s stubborn streak, turn the negatives into a positive. Parents would be wise to recognize the potential of their bullheaded kids and help them to use their stubbornness to their advantage. By channeling that willful determination, these children are much more likely to succeed in life. In this dog eat dog world, survival of the fittest reigns supreme. The stubborn kids are better equipped to deal with whatever comes their way.

A great resource for parents

10 Ways Kids Use Cell Phones to Badger Their Parents

A reader forwarded the link for this article. I decided to share:

Cell phones are now the number one form of communication for teenagers. In 2010 at least 85% of 15 to 18 year olds had cell phones, nearly 70% of 11 to 14 year olds and a third of 8 to 10 year olds. With this powerful new technology in their conniving little hands, kids are learning how to use it to take advantage of their parents. Some kids don’t know how to take “no” for an answer and are finding new ways to get what they want. Here are 10 ways kids use cell phones to badger their parents.

1. Calling – The first technique used to badger their parents is constant calling. This can be very annoying, especially during work. Parents don’t want to be accused of not taking calls from their own children, so this can really get out of hand in a hurry.
2. Texting – If a parent stops taking their calls, the next avenue the kids will take to badger them is texting. Since they already text 15 times more than making calls, this comes naturally to kids. They can take badgering to new heights by sending one word messages like; Please…please….can…I….GO!!!!…Please….please….please!!!!
3. Voicemails – Once parents learn to ignore the text badgering, the next step is unlimited voicemail messages. Imagine checking your voicemail and finding out you have 75 new voice mail messages. You have to go through them all to sort out any important ones while listening to all the ones with your kid whining.
4. Emails – By this time you’ve shut off your cell phone and are trying to get some work done on the computer. Kids with email capabilities on their cell phones won’t hesitate to use them to get their parents attention. Soon your inbox is flooded with messages from your kids bugging you about their latest issue.
5. Tweeting – If you allow your child to have a twitter access on their phone, this is another way they can badger you. You have to follow their tweets to monitor what they’re up to and can get pummeled with constant tweets about how you’re the worst parent ever for not letting them do what they want.
6. Sending pictures – Next thing you know, your kids are bombarding you with pictures of all their friends that are going to the latest concert. After that comes a variety of pictures with your child making sad faces. The situation has elevated into a whole new level of harassment with the help of a camera phone.
7. Annoying ring tones – If all other efforts have failed, and you have a particularly inventive child, they can change the ring tone of their phone to attack you. Every time someone calls your kid the phone now says, “My mommy is mean”. This takes badgering to an all time low.
8. Playing games – Another tactic your child may try is to annoy the heck out of you by constantly playing games on their cell phone whenever you approach. This is a form of reverse-badgering that is known to work in some extreme cases.
9. Enlist friends – Kids never hesitate to enlist the help of friends to manipulate their parents. They can give out your cell phone number to all their buddies and have them bombard you with all the badgering tactics already mentioned.
10. Hang up – If your children want to be particularly annoying they can keep calling your cell phone and hang up when you answer. Of course this is typical childish behavior that shouldn’t be tolerated (but they are kids after all…).

Using cell phones to badger them isn’t something most parents think of when they get the phones for their kids. They want their children to be able to contact them in an emergency and be able to let them know if there’s a change of plans or if their running late. The most important thing to remember when getting cell phones for your kids is to establish firm ground rules to begin with and make sure they’re enforced. Don’t give them a new tool they can use to manipulate you. Kids will use badgering to get their way, especially if they find out it works. Stay strong and never let them find a week spot or you’re doomed.

Thank you Coleen!

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

Someone sent this to me in an e-mail and I wanted to share it. I think we could definitely put a dent in the budget if we followed these guidelines:

1. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.

8. There should be a salary cap.

9. Term limits for Senate and Congress because our founding fathers did not intend for Senators and Congressman to have lifetime appointments! Feinstein has been in office for how long????

TSA is out of control!

We just returned from our 2 week vacation to Maui. It was our anniversary present to each other that started out with a traumatizing experience in the airport. I have never had a problem traveling before but that has changed. I find myself having a full blown anxiety attack when I know I am about to go thru a TSA check point in an airport. Am I a criminal? No! Do they make you feel like one? ABSOLUTELY! Since when is it OK to feel up a 70 year old woman? I watched in shock as a female TSA employee searched a woman in the Maui airport. I think she was singled out because she was wearing a dress. Heaven forbid! She made that woman spread her legs and felt all the way up to her crotch, around her butt, and under her breasts. This woman wasnt a terrorist. She was a person that came to Maui for vacation. What gives these people the right to molest anyone? Did you see the video of that 5 year old child being searched? Seriously?

I can understand a search of someone that might spike your interest. For no reason at all is a crime in my eyes. I understand not every criminal looks like your average "Joe" but I can safely say children should be exempt. What message are we sending our kids if we allow a stranger to feel their private parts while we stand by and watch? What gives any of those people at TSA the right to take our rights away? I am appalled by the whole situation. Let's not forget the X-ray machines that allow a stranger to see you naked. We werent fortunate enough to experience that on our travels but I did witness it coming back.

We pay the airlines so that we can go on our dream vacations. However, we are invaded and made to feel like criminals before the fun even begins! Not to mention, United airlines wanted to charge us $100 dollars per suitcase because we were 5 pounds over the weight limit on each. We paid $25 per bag before our journey started. I think the prices we pay for airline travel should more than cover our ability to take clothes with us. And forget it if you have a question for anyone at one of the terminals in the airport. I watched a United airlines employee snap at a woman that had questions regarding her flight. Im sorry, if you cant handle the job find another place to work. These people are there to assist us with our travel needs. I have yet to find one friendly face when I walk up to any given terminal. I am disgusted by our whole travel experience. The vacation itself was amazing but the traveling I could have completely done without.

SHAME ON YOU TSA. May you experience in your life what you put each of us through. You are abusing your power and made me feel like the witness to a sick perverted fantasy. I didnt feel one bit safer on my trip, instead I felt like a victim to a system that is way out of control. There needs to be a better way. Innocent until proven guilty. That's the law and I dont remember giving away my rights. As Thomas Jefferson once wrote,"If you trade your freedom for security, you end up with neither."

Eat Pray Love

I just finished a fabulous book by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's the story of a woman in her early thirties that had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want. She had a husband, a beautiful country home, and she was successful. Instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed by panic and confusion. She set out on a journey that took her across the world for a year. She ate in Italy while learning the language, prayed in India while perfecting meditation with self discipline, and experienced the essence of love not only for herself but others while living in Indonesia.

I found myself consumed the minute I started to read. It was as though I took the journey with her. My husband bought me both the book and movie for Christmas. I didn't want to watch the story first but rather experience what she went through on a deeper level. Now, I cant wait to see the movie! Eat Pray Love is a must read for all women! Kudos to you Elizabeth, you did a great job.

RJB/Supportkids

I received a letter the other day from a reader with some interesting information about RJB. I wanted to re-post his e-mail in my blog. This information may help some of you in your quest to reclaim your life and child support accounts back:

Hi Lori,
I wanted to respond to your blog about support kids now being handled by RJ boudreau and associates. I worked for this collection agency for a very short time and what I saw was tons of illegal actions by the collectors. The trainer would tell you how to get away with threatening law suits on people which you are not suppose to do by the FDCPA Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. I left there and actually reported them to the FTC. There have been tons of law suits against this company and they just pay settlements to get out of them. Support kids using them is just a sign of how bad this company really is.

I never even saw a paycheck from them either. My friends husband worked for them for a bit and they tried to get out of giving him his last check as well. Its a very corrupt company like many collection agencies are. RJB obviously was the cheapest that support kids could contract with. I couldn't see them using that agency for any other reason.

It's sad that companies take advantage of parents who are trying to get help. I knew the way they did business was illegal, this just confirms it.

District Attorney vs. Supportkids

After 16 years of battling the system, it finally worked! I was informed 4 months ago that I was going to get the back child support that was owed to me and my children (who are both grown adults now). My ex husband inherited a house that he put on the market. When it sold, the DA put a lien on the house and guess who got the first cut of the profits? I did. My suggestion to all struggling single parents who are going thru that same fight? File your case with the DA's office. They keep track of everything and it NEVER goes away. Not only that, it collects interest. If you sit back and wait for your ship to roll in without researching your options, you're going to be waiting a long time. Companies like SupportKids are the wrong way to go. They may collect money for you but they take 34% (or at least that is what is use to be) off the top and send you the rest. The DA's office doesn't make a profit off of your case, they fight for you for FREE. When they cut my check it was for the full amount that was owed.

I started my blog to put Supportkids out of business and get out of my contract. Both were accomplished. Supportkids has since been bought by another company and have proceeded to do business as usual. During that time (when the company was bought and in transition with the new owners) was when I put up the biggest fight and won. Supportkids was going out of business and the new company was clueless. I started my blog in 2007. 4 years later, I'm out of my contract with Supportkids and received full payment of my back child support. That may seem like a long time but is it really? Not compared to the years I spent trying to collect the money.

The DA's office have come a long way in their battle against "Dead Beat" parents that refuse to help support the children they helped produce. They suspend Drivers Licenses, refuse to issue Passports, deny the offenders the right to leave the country, and put liens on assets. If you try to take on this battle alone you will fail. Everyone needs help. What's the first step? You must get your case started with the DA in your area. The moment the non custodial parents refuses to pay, do something about it. The system does work. If you are currently trying to get out of your Supportkids contract, read some of my previous posts. There are a lot of helpful hints and other parents with great advice. Times are tough. You need to find your back bone and stand up for your rights. There is only one word to describe what you need to be and that is unrelenting!

Our family June 5th, 2010

THIRTEEN THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your
carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in
your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window
to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste... and taste means
there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always
make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I
might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes
you to remove it..

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car
and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead
giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your
alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That
makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the
windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom - and
your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to
lock your door - understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day
off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions
somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check
dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where
you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with
me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm
system . If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of
town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the
flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at
http://www.faketv.com/)


8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy
and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If
your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait
to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to
what he was doing. It's human nature.

4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy
alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're
home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or
walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds,
just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier
than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way
to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit
the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and
Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs
http://www.crimedoctor.com/ and Richard T. Wright, a criminology
professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105
burglars for his book Burglars on the Job

Protection for you and your home:

If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's
evil plans for you. (I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.):

WASP SPRAY

A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was
concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them
when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police
department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she
get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a
lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too
close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds
an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a
can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from
people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at
home for home protection. Thought this was interesting and might be of
use.

FROM ANOTHER SOURCE

On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in
Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High
School . For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet
spray near your door or bed.

Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."

Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than
mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if
someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit
in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also
one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka
says look to the spray.

"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."

Maybe even save a life.