Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Shouting From The Rooftops

Well, not really a rooftop, more like a cushy passenger seat. Anyhoo, I always love a good web site find. I'm a bit of an Internet junkie and since I spend so much time online, I often stumble across a great site or someone passes it on to me. Once I know about it, I have to immediately notify everyone in my inner circle and of course, you lucky readers! (Half of whom are already in my inner circle. Ahem.)

So, here are a few of my favorites. Some of them are helpful in the trucking aspect, but others are just plain 'ol useful.

Weatherbase: This is just fun. Planning a vacation? Don't know where you want to go? Plug in your information and preferences and get some ideas.

Hazelmail: Love postcards? Don't love the ones that they sell in tourist shops? Make your own! And Hazel will send it for you.

Goodreads: Sometimes a pain in the ass to update, especially if you're a voracious reader (uh, like Michelle), but it's a cool way to keep up with friends and what they're reading, in addition to getting suggestions.

U.S. Naval Observatory: We use this when we're running an over-dimensional load and you're only allowed to travel during daylight hours. Most loads that require this type of permit allow you to start driving a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. So this helps to know when twilight begins and ends.

Tastebook: I'm not sure you know this, but I love Oprah. Moreover, I love Oprah's Favorite Things. So when I saw this in last year's Christmas issue of my Oprah magazine, I thought wow, what a genius idea! Oprah always finds the coolest stuff. You can make your own cookbook by combining youre own recipes with those from friends and family. No more recipes written on the back of paper plates or saved in your email in-box. And now I won't have to sneak into Garnett's house in the middle of the night and steal the highly valued box of her mother's recipes. She just saved me from a life in the big house!

Tiny URL: This one is great. If you don't know about it, you should. Ever want to send a friend a link but it has more letters than War and Peace? Use Tiny URL. So small, you can text it.

RefDesk: I love this site for too many reasons to list. Go there.

VRBO: Vacation Rentals By Owner. Want to go on vacation but don't want to stay in a hotel? Find people here who rent their personal homes, vacation homes, city apartments, beach cottages, etc. There are locations all over the globe!

Festivals.com: Have a free weekend but don't know what you want to do? Check out this web site for all sorts of festivals and events going on all over the country. You can search by category, keywords, zip code, dates. Don't be surprised if you see an festival you never even knew existed!

Coin Laundry Association: This site comes in very handy for us. I don't like doing my laundry at the truck stop - most of the time, they don't have enough machines and I'm don't want to be sitting there enduring the glare of a driver that needs to wash his coveralls and a few pairs of socks while I'm folding my sixth load. This site allows me to plug in a zipcode and find a place with all the washers my little heart desires!

MoMA Store: The Museum of Modern Art store has some of the most unique items I've ever seen. Need to transport a banana? They have a way. Get lost on the way to the kitchen for a midnight snack? never again. And when a whole scissor is just too much for the job? There's this. I'm sure you can find something here and think how cool you'll be giving a gift that someone can't go to the local Walmart and find themselves. You can thank me later.

And finally, something so delicious I just couldn't pass it up:

Bacolicious: In the mood for a slice of bacon? How about slapping that bacon on a web site to send your friend? What? You've never considered it? Well it's about time to start. Click on the link, follow the directions and slap some bacon on someone!


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As this is the first of the month (and no, this is not an April Fool's joke) I am going to add a new feature to my posts. At the end of each one, I'll be linking to posts from years past. It will allow you to see what was going on in years past and you'll be able to delve into the archives a little at a time, without having to start from the very beginning. Click to enjoy!

1 YEAR AGO:
View From Fifteen
2 YEARS AGO:
The Sun Before The Storm
3 YEARS AGO:
This Is No Joke
4 YEARS AGO: There is no four yet because I started my blog in May 2005. So next month, you'll start seeing the "4 Years Ago" category.

3 comments:

Gil said...

I wish that my cable company carried Italian TV instead of Mexican TV!

Gil said...

Posted in wrong place. I guess I was too upset after watching Ferrari screw up qualifying!

Team Caffee said...

Awesome links thanks!