Forgive me if this appears twice! Somehow the first one evaporated. Anyway the best thing I did was to join Garden Writers Association. It is not cheap and the meetings are reasonably priced until you count the getting there and staying! BUT... the networking is invaluable. You cannot beat getting to meet the editors face to face and getting a feel for what they want. Or plant people from university research places that are a great resource for articles. However, even with such networking, it still comes down to finding the right angle and article to reach an editor at the right time - networking can only get you introductions, not outright work! Which ever way you choose, network locally with freelance writers, and garden writers and enjoy what you do - we are gardeners first and writers second! Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Writer's Association

Jane no doubt it will be an Apple commercial if it is not already! I saw one last night that could have been about this reboot over and over situation, have to admit those commercials are funny. IF you have your computers fully updated with all the windows updates and you do not want to tackle this now you do not have to (totally up to you), this is not a super critical update like sp2 was, it is rated moderate. There are some additional changes it makes to the system itself which microsoft would like people to install. But I know a lot of people have decided to at least wait some time to see if there might be some hotfixes that come out to handle some of the issues that are cropping up and there has been discussion in the microsoft forums that this time they may actually put out a hotfix for some of the problems prior to pushing out sp3 in auto update. So waiting is not a bad idea at this point. I would suggest though that you uninstall your IE 7 through add remove before you do install sp3, because if you do not you will not be able to do so at any time in the future and it also affects the ability to try to do fixes on IE7 should they be needed. You can just take it out, put in sp3 when you decide to, then put IE7 back. Or just stay as you are and continue getting your other regular critical windows updates. It is your choice. At this point in time they will not stop you from getting your windows updates just because you do not have sp3, so don't be concerned about that.

Go to the Laticrete web site to get the final word. But this is what I understand. SpectraLock is an epoxy grout, meaning that it has a part A and a part B that is mixed (like epoxy) and then the colored sand is added. It is durable and stainproof. There are 2 formulations of SpectraLock, the Pro (at Lowes) and the Pro Premium. I have heard that while they are both epoxy there is a slight difference in the color out come and they should not be used next to each other (in the same grout job) because the grouts will be slightly different in color. I have also heard that the Pro Premium is supposed to have better spreadability. Laticrete has a regular cementous grout product called LATICRETE PermaColor. I do not think that Lowes carries this any longer. I have heard from Bill V. on this site that this is a very fine product. I have just finished grouting my slate bathroom floor and used the SpectraLock Pro Premium that I ordered online with great success. The site I ordered from was linked on the Laticrete site as a distributor. This is their web site and I was very happy with the packing and shipping time frame. http://www.tilestoreonline.com/default.asp I got the "full unit" without the bucket for $43.70. I can't remember if shipping is free. Anyway, got the grout, and with my 1/4 grout margins, I got about 45-50 sf out of this "full unit" - about what I predicted using Laticrete's grout estimator. I have read that epoxy grout is hard to use for some people. I did not find it to be difficult, but I don't have much to compare it to. I followed the instructions to the "T". Except I learned on the JB forum from a poster, that you can freeze the epoxy and take it out later for patches. So, I took a zip lock bag and put about a 1/2 cup of the grout in to it, smashed it to about the thickness of a pancake, zipped it shut, and froze it. A few days later I found a few divots in the floor where my toes or fingers may have pushed in, as I was grouting. I broke of some pieces of the frozen grout and it thawed very quickly. I smeared it into the imperfections, then waited 20-30 minutes. I then went over it with a damp sponge rinsed and rung out in a few cups of H2O mixed with a few TBS of white vinegar. In other words I used the same cleanup procedure that I was instructed to do with the initial installation of SpectraLock. Except I didn't have the "rinse" product. I had read on the JB forum to use vinegar in the water and this will work as a rinse. After it fully dried I could not see any difference between the small patches and the original installation. I plan to use SpectraLock Pro Premium on my walls too when I get them tiled. Here is a link that might be useful: Laticrete web site

greg_h: That's correct. They look like a credit card, with the Mastercard or Visa logo on the lower right corner. When using at an ATM, you MUST use a PIN#. When using at a retailer, generally you can choose between a signature transaction or a PIN# transaction. In the US, there was a huge dispute over this. Fees to the retailer are much higher for signature transactions, which are processed through the Mastercard/Visa network, than for PIN# transactions, which are processed by smaller, regional systems. At Walmart, for example, the payment pad automatically prompted you for the PIN# if you swiped a debit card. It did not give you the option to do a signature transaction. In the examples I have seen cited, service fees to the retailer on a $100 transaction are about $3 for a signature transaction and 35 cents for a PIN# transaction. Personally, I have ceased using my debit card, except at ATM's. If the number is boosted, your account could be cleaned out before you realize it. Although you would likely receive reimbursement under fraud protection, you are still without the money until then. With a credit card, fraud still creates a hassle, but at least your bank account is not cleaned out.