Behind the Scenes at Community Ed: Fall Is In the Air

Well, sort of. Even though spring quarter classes are just beginning and summer is still ahead, for some staff members at Community Ed the focus is already on fall. That may be surprising until you realize just how much work goes into planning over 200 classes each quarter, many of them never before offered. We are on timelines similar to some national magazines, which are working on their holiday issues as we speak. At least we don’t have to carve jack-o’-lanterns and decorate Christmas trees in April and May for photo spreads! Nonetheless, all of our fall classes have to be planned and scheduled by the third week of June in order to be proofed, laid out, and sent to the printer by August 1. All so that we can deliver our fall schedule on-time to homes like yours when fall really IS in the air.

Cooking: The Best Way Yet to Peel an Egg

All of us can peel an egg. But I bet you can't do it like this. It's so simple I can't believe we all didn't try it long ago. Crack both ends and blow on the egg. It slides right out of the shell. Watch this great video from the Lifehacker blog and give it a try.

Egg Peeling Video

Travel: Baseball Roadtrips

Don't tell my staff about this trend!

Baseball road trips are becoming more and more popular with many major hotel chains teaming up with ballparks to put together travel packages that include baseball and travel.

In a recent NY Times article titled All The World's a Road Game author Fred Bierman explores traveling to view stadiums and watching your favorite teams play a game. In one recent survey 60% of travellers who took two or more domestic round-trip flights a year were found to be Major League baseball fans.

Hotels across the United States (and Toronto!) are putting together packages with tours, tickets, access to players, and other amenities to provide unique vacation opportunities to baseball....ummm.... fanatics.

Just don't tell my staff. We need to get some work done.

Personal Finance: 11 Myths About Credit Reports

One of the things you learn about in our Managing Your Money workshops is to keep an eye on your credit reports. Your credit report and your credit score can make or break whether you get a loan or mortgage. Do you really know what affects your credit score? Do you really know how to make your credit report look better?

This article from Bankrate.com explores some of the more popular myths about credit reports. Many common beliefs about credit reports are just not true. For example:

• Paying your debts early does not make your credit report look better.
• Bad news on your credit report does not necessarily come off in seven years.
• You can't really pay someone to fix your credit report.

So take a quick peek and get the real dirt on what your credit report has in store for you.

Back to the Dark Ages for Gardening Ideas

Seems that apothecary gardens are making a comeback. In the dark ages, no self respecting monastery would be without a large and thriving healing garden. Doityourself.com explains that most healing plants grow really easily and are fairly common. The article goes on to explain how to arrange plants for easy care and maintenance. A great idea as the sun starts to peak out, the temperature gets warmer and thoughts of planting your gardens become more urgent.

Click here for the complete article