08 Mar 2012
Personal Wisdom • Tech

Kindle case light too bright? Try electrical tape!

Lately, I’ve been finding myself immersed in Amazon Kindle books more and more. So much, in fact, that I’ve upgraded from my 2nd gen model to a brand new lighter, thinner Kindle with the built-in LED light on the case. I found myself cursing the lovely device nightly, however, once I had to turn on the light to read and the brightness would give me a headache.

Rather than give up my built-in LED, I decided to look around for a quick-fix.

Scotch tape, even layers of it, didn’t do much to mute the powerful little lamp. But, after a bit more experimentation I found that a little bit of electrical tape over the tip of the light (see pic) cuts down the overall brightness and keeps the LED from shining directly in my eyes when holding the book in most of my normal reading positions.

The tape is also so thin and secure that it allows the light to still properly fold into the case when it isn’t needed.

If you have a Kindle case with an overly-obnoxious built-in LED reading light, try this little electrical tape trick. In the future, it would be nice if the LED was designed in a way that the light is directed more effectively away from the reader’s eyes and onto the page. A dimmer would also be a nice addition (hint, hint Amazon!).

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wconeybeer | No comments
13 Dec 2011
Human Behavior • Personal Wisdom

A decade of experience: 5 things for happy marriage

This December 30th, 2011 will mark 10 years that I have been married to my husband, Chris, and I can honestly say that I’ve never been happier at any point in my life. In this decade, we’ve certainly had our ups and downs, however, and I think the milestone at least somewhat qualifies me to be an authority figure on what makes for a happy marriage. (I also know what makes for an unhappy marriage, seeing as how this is my third one, but we’ll talk about that in another post.)

Here are the 5 things I believe are necessary to attain and maintain happiness in any marriage, no matter how long you’ve been together:

  1. Communication – Is there an elephant in the room? Don’t let there be if you want to stay satisfied with your mate. Talk about everything from work to sex to whatever you saw in the daily news. Tell each other about your friends. Listen when your spouse is talking to you. If you cannot effectively communicate with one another you union will likely not last.
  2. Intimacy - Do it! Yes, that. Have sex on a regular basis (whatever “regular” is to you and your spouse. Communicate to find out!). Role play. Talk about your fantasies. Get funky, go forth, and fornicate. It brings you closer, boosts confidence, and sends all kinds of good hormones flowing through your bodies.
  3. Trust – Do you worry about whether or not your spouse might be cheating? That worry alone is stress on your relationship. Trust lifts the weight of that stress. Let go of unnecessary jealousy and let each other flirt knowing that you’re going home to each other. Communicate and define your boundaries as a couple and you’ll be just fine.
  4. Compliments - Tell your partner on a daily basis that you think he or she is sexy, beautiful, smart, etc. Notes are nice if you can’t be there in person for some reason, but they work best coming straight from your lips to your spouses ear. (I have a card on my dresser’s mirror from Chris telling me how sexy I am in beautiful script. It’s a fantastic daily reminder!) Make sure the nice words are genuine, and don’t allow the relationship to become one-sided in this respect.
  5. Spontaneous Kindness – Surprise your spouse by picking up a chore that you don’t usually do, bringing home a present or carry-out dinner out of the blue, or taking them out on a spontaneous date that you think he or she might like. Don’t get caught in a rut of day-in-day-out chores and work. Keep some spontaneity alive to stoke the happiness factor. 

So there you have it. Try your best to adhere to these 5 things, but know that no marriage is perfect. When you have a problem, communicate about it. If either of you screws up (and you will, periodically, still take each other for granted and not be the greatest partners in the world), forgive. And, remember, nobody is perfect, and no relationship is perfect either.

Do you have any special secrets to keep your marriage alive for years to come? Feel free to share them in the comments.


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wconeybeer | 9 comments
07 Dec 2011
Meta

A post for first-time commenters

Since I’ve begun blogging a few times per week again, after a months-long break, I’m gaining some new commenters here. It’s great to hear some new voices, so I wanted to give you a little tidbit of info on what to expect from here on out.

It’s a little bit like the Gawker commenter system in that you must “try out” to be a commenter. That is simply to keep the spam and abusive people (yeah, some people aren’t even spammers, they just suck) to a bare minimum around here, and I think that is something we can all appreciate. Don’t get too turned off by that though. Once you’ve made it through your first comment, it’s free-wheeling fun from there. You’ll be free to post as you wish with instant results and a very light moderating hand.

It’s unfortunate, and I don’t completely enjoy doing it, but I really think it is for the best. You don’t want to read spam or downright sad, abusive behavior (and if you do you’re have to go elsewhere).

So patience, my friends. I know that moderated feeling can be a bit of a turn-off for first timers, but stick with me here and it will be worth it! If you are worthy* ;)

 

*Note: I’m not all that strict, so please don’t let this freak you out.

 

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wconeybeer | 3 comments
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