Normal Frequency of Sex

Have you ever wondered how your sex life stands up to another couple? Have you wondered if you are having too much sex, too little sex, or just the right amount? Have you wondered if there is a set amount that is considered normal? I will discuss the idea of a normal sex life and what factors may be influencing your numbers and how you stack up to other couples.

One of the major factors that determine approximately how much sex is "normal" is your age. Much younger people, especially young hormonal boys, want sex many more times than they are usually getting. Their sexual appetites far exceed what would be considered normal. Newly married couples or couples that have just gotten together are more likely to have more active sex lives. It is "normal" for these couples to have sex at least once a day however it maybe more or less. Their "normal" is much higher than couples that have been together for a while. People in their forties will have less sex than people in their twenties but still more than older couples. Their frequency is more likely to be a few times a week or a few times every few weeks. Then you have people in their fifties and higher that are likely to still have sexual desires but are much more diminished. They may have sex a few times a month and that is considered their "normal".

The amount of sex you have also depends on the stage of life you are in. Young people without any major responsibilities are likely to have more time for sex but less opportunity. College students may be busier with school work and have less time but more opportunity. Couples that have married, gotten their first big jobs, and started families are extremely busy and may be too tired to have sex all the time. Couples who have established their careers and have kids that are grown still have strong desires and more time to indulge them. Older couples definitely have the time but their desires are not as strong so are less likely to have sex.
There are numerous different factors that can affect your sex life besides just age and stage in your life. Factors such as stress, diminished desire, and illness can affect your frequency as a couple. The important thing to remember is there is no across the board number that is "normal". What should be considered normal is what is right for you and your partner. Do not feel the need to compare your sex life with that of other couples. Some couples may have sex all day everyday and that is normal for them but you may have it a couple times a week and that is your normal. No matter what your number is as long as both parties are satisfied there is no need to worry about normalcy. Chances are your numbers fluctuate and so do your friends.

Increasing your RSS

Every strong website or blog has an RSS feed. These feeds are used by subscribers to read your content and stay updated when changes happen. The stronger the site is in maintaining and increasing these visitors the more money the site will make. However, RSS feeds work off of their own business model and website owners should understand what works in RSS feeds and what doesn't.

Tips for Increasing RSS Feed Subscriptions:

Original Content: Original content gives readers a reason to subscribe to your feed. If they can get the information somewhere else they will subscribe there. Even though it is acceptable to add interesting articles from other authors most of the articles should be uniquely designed for your site.

As well as content the owner of the blog or website should concern himself or herself with quality over quantity. Misspelled words, poor grammar and typos detract from the overall impression of your site. Continual mistakes will make it appear as though you are an amateur.

Credibility: Subscribers to your work want to know that what you are telling them is the truth. They don't enjoy information that is questionable and may hamper their overall reading experience. Questionability is a sign of an amateur who can't back up his work.

There are a number of ways to increase credibility. Quoting well known people in your writing, using references like you were in college, having an appropriate knowledgeable tone for your work. It is also important to understand that the quality of your work (i.e. spelling) also supports the overall credibility of what you are saying.

Listen to Your Audience: The internet group is very verbal about what they like and what they don't like. Listen to your audience's feedback, comments and emails. Watch how certain articles bring in new visitors and try and offer similar type content.
You may also consider adding a poll to your website so that you know exactly what the want. Once you have narrowed down your overall topic base you can then ask them which they prefer. After you have collected this information you can move forward in the process of designing your page and writing content that appeals to them.

Getting Exposed: The best way to increase your overall RSS subscribers is to get your information out there. Submit your RSS feed to RSS directories. You can either do this for free by hand or you can pay a service that will help you submit to these directories. The more times people see our RSS subscription button the more people will subscribe to it. It is a numbers game.

The second method is to locate this subscription feed in a place that everyone is going to see it. Simply shoving this feed some haphazard place on your page isn't going to work. Market in your site, write about it and make your readers aware.

A Thanksgiving Story

Are you interested in learning about the history of this fall holiday? Are you wondering when it is celebrated? Were you ever curious about how we determined which day to celebrate this post-harvest holiday?

When is The Holiday Observed?

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is always observed on the fourth Thursday in the month of November.

In Canada, this harvest holiday is celebrated in October, not in November. The Canadian holiday is not on the fourth Thursday of the month, but on the second Monday in October.

When Was the First Holiday Observed?

The first Thanksgiving was held in 1621.

Important Dates and Milestones for this Autumn Holiday

1621: A harvest feast was held by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag (Scholastic.com)

1777: George Washington calls December 18, 1777 "a day for solemn Thanksgiving and Praise."

1817: The State of New York adopts Thanksgiving as an annual custom. (http://www.holidays.net)

1863 President Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation. It was this proclamation that determined that the holiday should be held on the fourth Thursday of November. (http://www.holidays.net)

1927: The first giant balloons appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (macy's)

1934: The NFL game that may have started the whole football on Thanksgiving Day is believed to be the game between the Lions and the Bears (Pro Football Hall of Fame).

1939: President Franklin Roosevelt changes observance of the holiday from the last Thursday in November to the third Thursday in November. (Scholastic.com)

1941: President Franklin Roosevelt give this feating holiday a fixed celebration day: he signed the legislation that determined the fourth Thursday in November was Thanksgiving.

1971: Actress Christina Applegate was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1971.

The Friday After The Holiday

The Friday after Thanksgiving has gained status as its own kind of holiday of sorts. For some, the day after Thanksgiving is also known as "Black Friday." Black Friday is officially the first day of the holiday shopping season. Many retailers hold special sales events on this day.

The Friday and the weekend after the celebration is also a traditional day for early birds to find and purchase a Christmas tree. Christmas tree farms tend to open on the Friday after the holiday celebration, or on the weekend after the holiday.

The Friday following the holiday is also a day when some people choose to hang up their holiday decorations.

Verizon

I am, quite frankly, a bit of a mess. I am constantly forgetting things and my memory seems to have rapidly deteriorated within the past several years. It is quite often when I have to return to a previous locale and attempt to locate my personal belongings. I cannot count how many times I have lost a hat or various articles of clothing. Another item I seem to have difficulty holding on to is cell phones. Cell phones are convenient because they are portable - but for me that is also their downfall. I will set them down somewhere and go about my business, and not remember where I have left it - so for me, when I went to Verizon Wireless to pick up my new cell phone, their insurance policy was extremely attractive.

In previous years I have had to resort to buying phones on eBay after losing my cell because I refused to get insurance (This time I won't lose it! I'll be extra careful! etc.). The full retail price to purchase the phone again was much too expensive and eBay offered a moderately cheap replacement of a different model. This year I went with a different route. Verizon's insurance policy involves paying $6 a month and a $50 deductible when you are in need of a replacement. The phone I bought this past April was a Samsung Flipshot tagged at a hefty $220 price - something I would not want to pay again. I must say it has payed off so far.

Me being the klutz I am, I left it out in a locker room and it was stolen within my first month of ownership. I deactivated my phone and then filled out the necessary paperwork before being shipped a replacement in about two weeks.

Several downsides of Verizon's insurance program were the $50 deductible (I could have gotten a working replacement on eBay for this amount) and the fact that you had to pay for the

Verizon service while your phone is out of commission. Also one cannot simply go to the Verizon Store to replace your phone. You have to mail it to Verizon's insurance company and then wait for them to process your claim.
Regardless I decided I made out quite well because I really liked the make and model of my phone and wanted to keep it. Several months later I left it in a hotel room and when I called to see if it had been reported missing I had no such luck. I ended up filing the insurance report again and received another replacement.

How much did I save? The math:
2 new phones = $220 each * 2 = $440
2 $50 dollar deductibles = $100
6 months of insurance = 6*6 = $36
$440 - $136 = Approximately $300 in savings

For me getting insurance was definitely worth it. Unfortunately Verizon's insurance company will only replace 2 of your phones a year so I will have to be extra careful for the next 6 months or I will have to resort to eBay again. Moral of the Story? If you purchase an expensive phone and have a past history of losing or forgetting your cell insurance is a bargain.

Home Insulation Basics: Higher R-Values = Higher Insulating Values

Whether you live in Bangor, Maine, or Bakersfield, California, your home will be more comfortable and energy efficient with the right insulation. Insulation helps reduce the costs of heating and cooling your home. Here's how: Heat travels. In the winter, heat flows out; in the summer, heats flow in. A properly insulated home reduces heat flow, using less energy in the winter for heating and less energy in the summer for cooling. That could mean money in your pocket.
To help you get the most for your insulation dollar, the Federal Trade Commission offers answers to some basic questions about home insulation.
Q. What's the first thing I should look for when buying insulation?
Look for the "R-value." "R" means resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulation power. The R-value must be disclosed for most insulation products. (Pipe and duct insulation are the exceptions, although duct wrap is covered.) For instance, if you buy loose-fill insulation with an R-value of 38 from Company A, it will have the same insulating power as loose-fill insulation with an R-value of 38 from Company B. You also can compare the R-value of one type of insulation to another, such as loose-fill to blanket.
Q. How do I know how much insulation R-value my home needs?
Several factors affect the R-value your home needs:
Where you live — You'll need a higher R-value if you live in the Northeast than if you live in Southern California. How your home is built — For example, is it a single-level or multi-level structure? Do you have cathedral ceilings? Is there a basement or is your home built on a slab? How you heat and cool your home — Do you have a furnace, a central air conditioner, or a heat pump?
Q. Should I use the same R-value of insulation throughout my home?
It's more efficient to use insulation with higher R-values in the attic and in rooms with cathedral ceilings than in wood frame walls and basements or crawl spaces with walls.
Your local home improvement store (or its website) may have information to help you calculate your insulation needs.
Your state energy office, local building department, or your gas or electric company, can tell you how to conduct an energy audit to help detect waste and gauge the efficiency of your current heating system. Your utility company may offer free or low-cost energy audits, or you can conduct your own. The Department of Energy offers instructions at www.homeenergysaver.lbl.gov.
As the colder weather sets in, I hope that this information is useful for you. At the same time, if you or someone you know may be thinking about buying a home or refinancing an existing home, please give me a call.