New age spirituality morning has been all night coming part 53

There is a village in Scotland far from the bustling of busy cities. Or at least there was. Go, as the crow flies, north from Cromarty, beyond Dornoch Firth, toward the Northwest Highlands, and you will cross green, gently rising countryside to see the hills and lochs of this ancient land. You cannot help but be caught up in a spirit of exhilaration and freedom. Before you reach the ocean, about fifty miles away, turn sharply to your right and proceed directly east toward the North Sea. If you carefully follow my directions, you will come upon a little village nestled in the arms of the beautiful hills of Forever and kissed by the waters of Eternity.

I have never seen this village, and yet, I know it’s there. Perhaps Mardai’s great - grandfather roamed the highlands and visited that village. He was Scottish, you see. As a young lad, I remember the rapture I felt at the sound of the bagpipe. I loved to just stand and listen to a lone piper, piping away at eventide. The bagpipe fascinates me even to this day, so much so that I follow the Scottish festivals and literally spend hours treading behind the pipers. I see myself taking the high road and following the low road beyond Loch Lomond until I meet that special someone coming through the rye. Then off I go singing the Skye Boat Song to where the River Afton flows gently through County Ayrshire. The land of Robert the Bruce and Mary Queen of Scots holds a very special fascination for me.

Suddenly, my mind returned to the Restaurant at the Edge of Eternity, to Marla, Gideon and Theo. I opened my eyes and with firm resolve said to Marla, “I have always wanted to visit Scotland and to go alone the first time. Do you mind, Marla?”

To read the rest of the story visit spiritual-simplicity. com

Getting the cheapest possible airline tickets

:
For most people, trying to get a good rate on airfare is a necessity. Most people spend the bulk of their vacation dollars on airfare. So it's a good idea to put in the time necessary to finding a better deal.

There are a few things to keep in mind while you're researching that will save you a good bit of money. So these tips will help with getting better prices.

Be as flexible as you can

If you can leave a few days earlier or later, you can often save significantly, because cheaper tickets may still be available on a less popular day. Try to avoid the days most business people like to travel. For example, Tuesdays and Wednesdays can be much less expensive days to fly than any other day.

Look into consolidated airline tickets

Consolidators buy tickets in bulk and sell them at a discounted rate to help airlines fill seats up. You can find ticket consolidators in your newspaper's travel section or online at sites like Hotwire. com.

You should be aware of the fact that consolidated airline tickets have more restrictions than others, but could be a really good buy if you're willing to live with those restrictions. It's best to find out what those restrictions are so you'll know if you'd like to go that route or not.

Be aware of hidden costs

Ticket prices are often published without ticketing fees, airport taxes, security surcharges, etc., which can raise your costs by 10 to 20 percent. Know these fees before you buy your tickets to avoid any surprise. Read all fine print before giving up your money. It can mean the difference in getting a really good hotel or a cheap motel.

Check out ticket prices online

Ticket prices can be less than 10 percent or more if you purchase them online. Several online travel websites also offer package deals for vacations that include flights, so be sure to shop around and prices vary from website to website.

If you need cheap airline tickets, these tips work pretty well, as well as the other tips you can find online. The trick is to take the time to research well before you buy the tickets. You can often get good prices if you take your time finding out what's available.

Simple online revenue models

Setting up an online business is nothing new, consider the amount of new sites going live every day and you can be sure more than just a few of them going to produce some type return on investment. You can increase the odds of a positive return by selecting from a proven and simple revenue model such as advertising banners on a free dating site or using adsense and google on a free realestate site or selling a service such SEO and development. Travel is another huge online industry that returns commissions to website operators for traffic referrals that convert to a booking or sale.

Retail has been established online for years now with sites like amazon. com and the huge auction site ebay one of the biggest sites online. For the new players to the online world there are many established sites to study and model your web business on. Many of the hard lessons have already been learned and a wealth of information is available for those willing to seek it out and benefit from the experience of others.

Clearly you don't have to have an established business to make money online, affiliate sales make up a huge percentage of online sales with many companies becoming specialists in this lucrative field of online enterprise. Typically a market and a product or service will be identified and the online affiliate will source traffic and funnel into their own website as a conduit to the main site. The customer is tracked along the way via a code and any purchase is tracked and credited to the affiliate who is in turn paid a pre determined percentage of that sale. It's a very good system and there are thousands of niche industries now running affiliate programs for the products and services they offer. In effect there is something for almost everyone who has aspirations of selling to their online audience.

Another popular method is paid banner placement on your site, you simply charge an advertiser for the amount of impressions or click thrus on their banner placed on your site. Selling impressions in my opinion is the least fair with banner ads, click thru advertising represents better value for the advertiser as they only pay when a customer has a genuine interest in the product or service being advertised. I've been burned on impression advertising before, the numbers sound impressive but if you have a product such as blue widgets on a site where people are only looking for bright red widgets then sure your going to get lots of impressions but not many clicks. The result is the advertiser is not delivering value to the client and so the client only gets caught once.

Adsense is googles way of giving back to the people! The adsense program allows website owners to display google PPC ads on their sites and then pays then an undisclosed percentage of the going click through price. I've heard of some big cheques being written by google to their advertisers and some of the high paying keyword industries can deliver impressive single click prices if you have the right type of traffic. Examples include finance, medical, hosting, real estate and travel. Be prepared to forever wonder exactly how much google is actually making off your traffic if you adopt this model and always consider going direct to the advertiser if you have enough traffic, you may in fact make a lot more this way!

Play games often

Two weeks ago, a friend of mine called me to inform me that it was about time we should meet, since apart from our weeks, also our weekends have been rather busy and we did not have the chance of meeting and spending some time together and have fun. Unfortunately, although I accepted his invitation to go to a beach volley match and play with his team, the weather destroyed our plans as it was pouring rain all weekend and then we both were working during the weeks that followed. As you can probably understand, our appointment got postponed to indefinite and we were left blaming the weather and our luck. But two weekends have since then gone by and I cannot help but wonder why our original plans to go out and play a volleyball game were never fulfilled.

Due to the contemporary business people's hectic schedules, finding the right opportunity to see friends, spend some quality time with family members or invest in personal advancement, have all been associated with exercising, playing games and team building through the participation of different sports. The problem in this kind of scenarios seems to be that just like with my friend and myself, if a misfortune happens there is no contingency plan to save the valuable time people need to spend with each other and there is not solution to rectify the situation.

Thus, it is imperative for people to try to come up with a schedule or at least not to be afraid to express their opinion and expose their need to hang out with each other. It is only natural and totally logical to wish to spend time with another human being. What is not healthy is for people to forget each other and to sacrifice their quality time together for games, discussion or any type of recreation activity just to get involved into war and not games with deadlines and projects from work. When even the limited free time people have today is further reduced, it is evident why people have become more and more alienated. In a sarcastic note, perhaps the only game people will remember how to play in some years from now, is that of "Risk" as they will be risking their friendships for the possible outcomes of their risky business activities.

Types of perfume

When you start looking at perfume, one of the first things you’ll notice is the array of terms used to denote the different kinds of perfumes and fragrances on the market. Some common terms you’ll see are perfume, cologne, eau de parfum, and eau de toilette. These terms are frequently confused with each other, and when buying perfumes, it helps to know what they are.

Perfume

Perfume is the broadest of the categories. The word refers to both body scents generally, and a particular type of scent, specifically. In its general aspect, perfume includes all of the other terms, but not scented body lotions or creams.

As a specific term, perfume refers to the strongest, and longest lasting, type of body scent. Most perfumes are “layered” scents, meaning they contain a combination of different fragrances. These layers of scent are called “notes” in the French perfume industry, and they are not chosen at random.

Typical perfumes have three notes. The first, comprised of the strongest scents, is also the shortest lasting. These are the scents that you’ll smell when you first put on the perfume, but they will usually wear off within a few hours, exposing the next layer…

The second layer, or “middle note,” is made of less volatile scents that will usually last until midday or early afternoon. By evening, the third and final layer is all that remains of the perfume. This is usually the most subtle scent; even though it is longer lasting, the strength of it will decrease through the day.

As a result of this layering, the best perfumes will slowly change their scent through the day. Good parfumiers have perfected the science of blending scents, so that the layers compliment each other, and the change in scent, while recognizable, is both subtle and pleasing.

Colognes

The next category of perfumes is cologne. I used to think that cologne was simple a word for “men’s perfume,” but that’s not actually the case. Cologne is a perfume, but one with only a single scent to it. Because of this, colognes are both stronger and shorter lasting than perfumes. The reasons for this apparent paradox are related.

Colognes, having only a single scent, will dissipate faster than perfumes. To balance that, they are prepared with a stronger scent, to last as long as possible. This gives colognes much less subtlety than perfumes, and makes it easy to “overdo it” when using them.

And back to my original misconception about cologne; while it is true that colognes are not exclusively for men, and that many fine women’s colognes are on the market, most men’s fragrances out there are colognes rather than perfumes. And even the men’s perfumes are frequently marketed under the term “cologne.” Perhaps perfume doesn’t sound masculine enough….

Eau de …

The last two categories of liquid based perfume scents are eau de parfum and eau de toilette. “Eau” is French for water, and “toilette” is French for the act of getting oneself dressed and prepared; eau de parfum and eau de toilette are, respectively, “perfumed water” and “make-up water.” Of the two, eau de parfum is the more popular.

Eau de parfum is a less expensive form of perfume, based on single scents, but less overpowering than cologne. This is the perfume that ladies like to daub on their wrists or necks, using the glass jar stopper. This sort of perfume might not last through a full day, but it will definitely last through a full date.

Eau de toilette is similar to eau de parfum, but not as strong, and even less expensive. Typically, these scents only last a few hours, but because they are relatively cheap, and sold in small bottles that are easily carried in a purse or handbag, it’s easy to refresh the scent during the day. Eau de toilette is usually not a strong fragrance.

Lotions and Creams

Finally, most body lotions and creams are scented, but these are not strictly perfumes. They typically contain scented oils in about the same concentration as eau de toilette: enough to detect, but not enough to overpower, and probably not enough to last more than a few hours. Such lotions are not intended as skin treatments, and not as perfumes. If you’re looking for body scents, it’s more cost effective to buy a good eau de toilette or eau de parfum than a scented lotion.

About YourDiscountPerfume. com

Sometimes, the array of perfumes, with their scents and their bottles, can be intimidating, and that can keep people from buying perfume. You can avoid those problems at Yourdiscountperfume. com. We’ve got hundreds of perfumes available for sale on our site, at great prices. You can browse them all, at your leisure, and read through the descriptions before you buy. You won’t find pushy salespeople, and there are no obligations.

What you will find are the best perfumes for women and men, at the best prices available, with delivery directly to you. So check us out, and see how easy it is to find the right perfume.

Oxford city guide including oxford hotels

Oxford, UK is a holiday destination to which the traveler can happily return again and again. One could spend days wandering through Oxford’s myriad cultural treasures which boast some of the world’s best exhibits. The winding streets are full of restaurants ranging from inexpensive local fish and chips shops to world class gourmet dining. Opportunities for recreational pursuits abound; all of this in a city which can easily be traversed on foot.

It should be noted that Oxford is a haven for the pedestrian. The center city is virtually car free. Public transportation is highly advised as it is frequent and inexpensive. Visitors who may be used to long commutes in many holiday towns will find that Oxford has literally dozens of interesting locales within blocks of one another and each side street holds its own jewels ready for discovery.

Oxford is a bonanza for the history lover. Museums and storied historical buildings sit on almost every corner. Trip after trip could be made here and there would still be cultural vistas to explore.

The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Architecture an arm of University of Oxford. Established in 1683 it is one of the world’s oldest and finest museums. Admission is free although donations are accepted and appreciated.

Sheldonian Theatre. This magnificent structure offers unparalleled views of the city. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built over a four year period from 1664-68. Self guided tours available at a modest cost.

Bodleian Library. Dating back to the fourteenth century and housing more than six million texts, the Bodleian is one of the premiere libraries in the world.

Christ Church. Founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1524, Christ Church is the oldest college in the Oxford University system and serves as Oxford’s Cathedral. The site is familiar to many tourists via its connection to Lewis Carroll and the Alice books and more recently its appearances in the Harry Potter movies. Lines can be long but the galleries and gardens are well worth the wait. Admission.

Museum of the History of Science. This unusual museum is devoted to the history of scientific instruments and its collection of almost 10,000 of these instruments is without peer. Rotating exhibits, many with free admission.

After mornings spent in cultural endeavors, a tourist will find a wide variety of activities to fill the rest of the day. No visitor should leave Oxford without at least a short water excursion.

Have a punt. Located on the Thames River, known as the Isis within Oxford proper, Oxford is home to legendary rowing teams. While rowing is a sport not learned in an afternoon, most people can manage a punt with a short lesson and a little effort. Try picking one up at the Magdelen Bridge Boathouse.

Picnic on the river. The banks of the Isis make for cool and inviting picnic locales and many shops are available for impromptu food purchases to fill a basket.

Self guided architecture tours. Walking the streets of Oxford is a feast for the eyes. Be sure and find the Bridge of Sighs on New College Lane and heads up for the gargoyles which can be found on almost every historic building.

Oxford Covered Market. Don’t miss this walk through center. It features stalls full of items from tourist kitsch to upscale as well as quick eats and groceries. Be advised that skinned animal carcasses hang from many meat market displays.

Hop a sightseeing bus. Although Oxford is totally foot travel friendly those who have only a short time in Oxford might enjoy a trek around town on a bus. This is also a good way to get an overview of the abundance of things to see and do in town. Tours are reasonably priced, easy to hop and make frequent stops.

Alice’s Shop. The small shop is the true inspiration for the shop in “Through the Looking Glass” and the real “Alice”, Alice Liddell, was a frequent visitor.

A quick stop at a pub will leave one refreshed for an afternoon spent on foot exploring Oxford’s side streets. Pubs can also be a fun atmosphere for an afternoon or evening spent watching football or rugby. Multi course gourmet meals of almost any cuisine are also readily available at fine restaurants throughout Oxford.

Eagle and Child. This pub was for years a favorite haunt of both C. S. Lewis and Tolkien and remains largely authentic.

The Exeter Hall. A lively venue further out than most, Exeter offers pool, two bars and a growing reputation for live music.

The Jack Russell. Open to both dogs and children this family friendly bar is also largely handicapped accessible.

Rosamund the Fair. This cruising restaurant specializing in distinctly British cuisine requires advanced booking but offers excellent food and a varied wine list.

Head of the River. This busy outdoor restaurant is a favorite of students. It has heat lamps for cool evenings and a few hotel rooms for evenings spent with beer in hand.

The Navy Oak. Located north of the Ring Road this restaurant may take a little effort to find but a reasonably priced and tasty menu make the hunt worthwhile.

Oxford Hotels & Accommodation

As a university town, Oxford offers lodging running the gamut from bed and breakfast to the most luxurious of accommodations. However, the wise traveler will begin booking early as the city is busy year round and any sort of hotel or self catering establishment can be difficult to find on short notice.

The FEATHERS

Westwood Country Hotel Ltd

The Oxford Hotel

Cotswold Lodge Classic Hotel

A Lakeside Town Farm B & B

Holiday Inn Oxford

Victoria House Hotel

Express by Holiday Inn Oxford Kassam Stadium

The White Horse

The Bat & Ball Inn

For those seeking a little nightlife, Oxford has several lively venues including The Zodiac and Oxford Brookes Student Union. Most name acts visiting Oxford will be found at one of these sites. If the play’s the thing try New Theatre located on George Street or the Oxford Playhouse across the way from the Ashmolean. Oxford also has four cinemas with currently popular offerings as well as foreign and art house fare.

Those who make a first visit to Oxford may well find that there are drawn there many times over. History, food and pleasant recreation are all to be found within easy walking distance. Couple these advantages with hospitable people and climate and Oxford becomes a destination of choice for almost any holiday.

To pee or not to pee

The eternal question of wetsuit urination

If it hasn’t happened to you already, it will. You descend to 15 feet, and you’ll feel the sudden urge. You can’t hold it. And there’s no way you can get to a bathroom without spoiling the whole dive. So you consider – if I’m in the water, my urine will just dissipate and dissolve and disappear. Is it OK to whiz in the wetsuit?

The simple answer is “yes”. Take a leak.

The truth is, there is no health risk to watering the neoprene. Many people do not realize that urine – unlike feces - is sterile, unless you have a urinary tract infection. It contains a lot of dissolved bodily waste (mainly nitrates), but poses no health risk to you. The only symptom of wetsuit whizzing is temporary warmth in your vicinity. But beware, if your urine is dark (a sign that it is probably strongly odorous as well), you might get a reaction from other divers, especially if they happen to swim through your “yellowish cloud of warmth.”

As a frequent diver, your best strategy for dealing with this common situation is counterintuitive: drink more water. A hydrated diver can urinate in their wetsuit and their urine will not be dark or smelly. You have surely noticed the difference between your morning pee and your pee after (or during) a long night of drinking. Dehydration is very common, yet minimal dehydration is tolerated and goes unnoticed by most people because of the symptoms are fairly mild. If you are properly hydrated, your urine is clear and odorless. A practical diver should drink plenty of fluids the night before and the morning of a dive, to ensure adequate hydration.

You may hear divers joke about “warming the wetsuit”. The warmth offered by wetsuit irrigation is comfortable, but temporary. Yes, when you pee you will feel warm initially, but in the end it will actually lower your overall body temperature.

You might notice that even though you relieved yourself before the dive, you need to go again when you get down to 20 feet. Why do you need to pee again? You may be experiencing a phenomenon called immersion duiresis: as a response to an increase in pressure, your body feels compressed and your kidneys start to produce urine.

Since you already rinse your wetsuit after each dive, you don’t need to be concerned about odor from your underwater urine. An unrinsed wetsuit develops its lovely stink from algae and crud in the water, not from your urine. Tinkle away!