If you’re more worried about someone breaking in while you’re at home, there’s actually a low tech option that can prevent your door from being kicked in. The OnGARD brace fits into slots in the floor at the base of the door. Even if a strong kick knocks out the deadbolt completely, the door still won’t swing open. A determined burglar could, of course, seek entry through another opening like a window. But by then, you’ve already retrieved your shotgun or called the police.

Besides these sensible home defense options, the market is also flooded with wackier stuff. Check out this blog post for more unusual residential protection devices – including one that’s supposed to annoy burglars with a high pitched buzzing sound. Perhaps the noise is designed to make the burglar slap himself silly trying to kill an imaginary mosquito?

So, have a discussion up front about your expectations and theirs. Instead of giving a lecture about “rules”, make it a conversation about “agreements”. This puts you both on an equal footing and helps make the whole thing less awkward. Make it clear from the start that these agreements can be revisited if either of you feel like things aren’t working. They are just in place to provide a framework on which you can build a successful house-sharing relationship. Here are some items you can use to start off your discussion by stating your preferences and inquiring about theirs:

Laundry – Do they prefer to keep clothing separate, or is mixing the washing together OK? Some people are embarrassed about having others wash or fold their undergarments.

Food – Would they like a designated food storage area in the fridge and pantry so they can stock no sharing” foods there? Or, would they prefer to chip in to the weekly food budget and add items to the grocery list as needed?

Bathroom – Do they prefer to shower in the morning or evening? Is it possible to assign a bathroom just for your guest? If you have special cleaning measures in place like the use of a daily shower cleaner, this is the time to bring it up.

Add dishwashing routines, cooking, use of family areas, noise levels, and any other items to this list as you think of them.

Fortunately, there’s an app for that. The MyStuff2 iPhone application is designed to help you create a comprehensive inventory of everything you own. This includes big stuff like your appliances and furniture down to the library of digital recordings on your PC or smartphone. You can add as much detail as you like including serial numbers and approximate replacement prices. You can even take pictures of things like jewelry or artwork to aid in identification if the items are stolen. Having all the information about your possessions readily available can make the insurance claim process much simpler – and more accurate.

Looking for El Cajon recycling, residential and business customers can choose from many professional service providers. These companies range from locally owned yards that accept recyclables and pay you cash to larger companies that offer regular curbside – or business-side – pick up.

El Cajon recycling firms responsibly help households and companies help the planet by recycling everything from newspapers and plastic bottles to printer ink cartridges and fluorescent bulbs, to construction debris, motor oil and other industrial waste products.

American Recycling, located at 210 El Cajon Blvd., pays cash when customers bring in aluminum cans, CRV plastics and glass bottles.

California Metals & Electronics recycling is located at 297 South Marshall Ave.

Locally owned M & M Recycling is found at 1485 North Magnolia Avenue and offers responsible recycling of many items brought to the site.

Waste Management San Diego offers El Cajon recycling with regular pick-up service for residential and business customers, along with recycling services for construction sites. Programs for businesses include recycling light bulbs, ink cartridges and other office waste. WM is based at 1001 West Bradley Avenue.

More El Cajon recycling is available from All Ways Recycling, located at 1425 North Magnolia Avenue.

Life Span Recycling, 1308 N Magnolia Ave # M, recycles all manner of IT equipment, including drop off and pick-up services.

Safety-Kleen Systems – 197 Vernon Way – recycles and re-refines motor oil (by the gallon or the drum). Life Span also recycles other industrial waste products and ensures the process is fully compliant with government regulations.

• Keep existing trees. They help stabilize the soil and provide shade that reduces the need for watering. Plus, they have deep roots and rarely need watering even in the most severe drought.
• You don’t have to do away with turf completely or make your yard into a rock garden. Use native grasses that are used to surviving on local rainfall. In Texas, buffalo grass is a favorite.
• Allocate part of the yard to ground covers and garden beds planted with drought resistant vegetation. This doesn’t necessarily mean cactus! There are plenty of succulents, wildflowers, and ornamental grasses that don’t need much water.
• Mulch liberally (a 3-4” layer is good). This is one of the most effective ways to keep moisture in the soil. Organic mulch decomposes, so remember to top it off every so often.

Check out sustainablesources.com for more in-depth xeriscape planning information.

Evaluate Availability

While you don’t necessarily want to join a gym that resembles a ghost town, you do want to make sure it isn’t so crowded that you can’t get the type of workout you desire. January is still the busiest time of the year for gyms, so you may actually want to wait until February rolls around before you start touring local gyms. This gives you an idea of how packed the establishment really is – and how long you can expect to wait for your favorite machines on an average day. Schedule your visit for the time of day when you usually expect to be at the gym (such as during the 6 PM “after work” rush hour). That way, you won’t be surprised by how busy it is when you actually start attending regularly.

What’s the Focus?

Different gyms cater to different clientele. One might be geared toward serious body builders. Another might be targeting the luxury/spa crowd. You should be comfortable and feel that you blend in reasonably well. It’s unlikely that other gym members will actually try to make you feel unwelcome. But you may shy away from working out even if the perception of not fitting in is just in your head. The focus of the gym will also determine what types of equipment and amenities are available. If you want to make swimming your main form of full body exercise, you wouldn’t want a gym that invests most of its money in great spinning equipment and doesn’t keep its pool in fantastic condition.

Meet the Trainers

There’s no rule saying you have to hire a personal trainer or fitness instructor to help you work out. But you should at least try a few classes to get a feel for how the gym is run. Ask questions about how long the various employees have been associated with the gym and how things have changed over the years. Gyms that have established long term relationships with instructors and trainers are most likely to care about your experience as well. If there are far fewer specialty classes available now than there were a few years ago, this may be a sign that the gym is cutting costs even at the expense of customer satisfaction.

Luxury camping makes it possible for you to go camping in style with accommodations that rival those of a 4 or 5 star hotel. Just like the British aristocracy going on safari with a full complement of servants to care for their needs, you can now camp out at beautiful resorts while glampground staff cater to your every need. You don’t have to slum it with a solar shower and port-a-potty. Instead, you can expect the bathroom in your gigantic teepee to have heated floors.

Is Glamping a Silly Idea?

Maybe, maybe not. Everyone has their own concept of what’s fun. Some like to rough it by eating only what they can harvest or kill and sleeping under the stars. Others like to at least have a tent and some sandwiches in the cooler. Glamping is another step in the direction toward being “at home” in nature. It’s the ideal way to go camping for folks who like the idea of spending time outdoors but who need to be sure they can retire to their familiar creature comforts at the end of the hike.

The price tag for the most luxurious resort-style camping is over $1000 per night. However, there are less costly options at some glamping locations for less than $200 per night. The poor campers at these lower class sites are probably expected to survive without a Michelin star chef to roast their marshmallows.

Animal shelters are often overflowing with unwanted pets in late December and early January. If you are an experienced pet owner or have been seriously considering adopting an animal companion for a while, this is an ideal time to find just the right fit. Want to have a better idea of what’s involved? Find out with this in-depth article by Petfinder.com.

• Only make 2 resolutions.  That way, you don’t feel overwhelmed. At the same time, if you stop keeping one, you can still say “At least I’m still keeping my other resolution”. Then, you can pat yourself on the back about succeeding rather than focusing on your failure.
• Make a New Week resolution. Don’t commit to doing something for a year. Instead, commit to keeping your resolution for 1 week and then revisit it. That way, you can adjust your resolution to be more or less ambitious depending on how it actually felt from day to day. For example, you could increase or decrease the amount of exercise you do based on how sore you get.
• Don’t boldly go where no man has gone before. If you don’t actually know someone in real life (not on the internet) who has successfully stopped drinking, smoking, overeating, using caffeine, as part of a New Year’s resolution, don’t even attempt it. If you do know someone who’s done it, ask them how.

Fortunately, there are other puddings that are much more appetizing. My personal favorite is chocolate cold-bread pudding. I learned this recipe from my grandmother who learned it from my great grandmother. I’ve just tweaked the ingredients a little to use baker’s chocolate instead of cocoa powder.

One of the best things about this recipe is how the ingredients separate a little during cooking. You get a bready crust on top, a thick chocolate pudding in the middle, and a lining of sweet creamy goodness at the very bottom. You can serve this desert warm from the oven. But it’s even better after chilling in the fridge overnight. Vanilla bean ice cream makes a great companion for this rich desert.

You will need:

• 8 slightly stale biscuits (preferably made from scratch the previous day)
• 4 cups whole milk
• 4 squares unsweetened baker’s chocolate
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

These ingredient amounts are approximate. You can adjust them up or down based on how many biscuits you have and how sweet you like your pudding.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt chocolate in a glass measuring cup or glass bowl in the microwave (1-2 minutes depending on your microwave setting). Add butter and let it melt over the hot chocolate. Cool to just above room temperature.

Crumble biscuits into thick chunks in a large bowl. Pour milk in until biscuit crumbs are covered and just beginning to float. Allow to soak for at least 10 minutes.

Add eggs, sugar, and vanilla to chocolate and stir together. Combine biscuit crumb mixture and chocolate mixture. Stir gently until thoroughly mixed.

Pour into a 13” casserole dish. Place dish on a cookie sheet that has a lip. Place them on the oven rack. Pour water into the cookie sheet (not the casserole dish) to a depth of half an inch.

Cook for 50 minutes. Check texture of pudding. It should be firm at the edges and only very slightly soft in the center (if at all). A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a pudding-like coating on it. If the mixture is still soupy, cook for at least 10 more minutes.

Cool to room temperature. For a nice, moist crust, cover the pudding with a sopping wet dish towel during the cooling period. Refrigerate once the pudding reaches room temperature.

Serves 12