I recently went back to earn my teaching certification and college was harder in some ways. I had to juggle running a household and raising my daughter with a LOT of studying. On the other hand, the tests and papers seemed easier for me this time. Keeping a 4.0 GPA was almost simple.

One of the best things about being a college student again is the student discount I get allover the place. I just really remember using it the fist time around. Now I get a discount at movie theaters and at the gym and best of all – on software purchases.

Hello, educational software.

Cost Captain sells all kinds of brand new major software titles to students and staff of schools, libraries and research facilities. Home schoolers can even get academic pricing. For example, if you buy Microsoft Office 2007 Standard on the Microsoft website, it will run $399.95, but Cost Captain sells it for $129.99 for authorized buyers. They sell all manner of software to all buyers, but if you want to purchase any of their products that have academic pricing, you’ll need to provide proof you are a student or buying for an institution.

“Something has to be done to show this is not acceptable,” the judge said.

During his five years of probation, Bollea is not allowed to drink alcohol and he must undergo an alcohol evaluation and treatment. Within the next year, he is expected to attend DUI and advanced driving school.

Graziano’s father urged the judge to consider jail time. He commented that, “This has gone on long enough and needs to be stopped.” Members of Graziano’s family claim Bollea has not shown remorse or apologized for the crash.

There is still civil suit in the future, because Graziano’s legal guardian Peter Musante is suing Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan), Bollea’s estranged wife, Linda, and Nick Bollea. Reports say that millions of dollars are needed to care for Graziano, who resides at James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa.

However, her father has a cat in his house now and every time my daughter has come home from a weekend at her father’s her skin has been worse and worse, until this week I finally broke down and took her to my dermatologist. Of course, she told me what I already know, that the cat is taxing her immune system and everything else is going by the wayside while she is in that environment. She set up a new regime and that means a new antihistamine and two new skin medications. And, all of them have outrageous $45 co-pays on her insurance plan. I went ahead and filled them for one month, but I promptly began to research the generic options, as well as websites that might offer the medications for cheaper than the pharmacies around here.

It’s amazing the medications you can find online from companies who will not ask for a prescription. I mean, it’s pretty common knowledge that you can get Viagra and Phentermine without prescription, but I was amazed at what else people are selling. I am still more comfortable going through a local pharmacy for the medications that were prescribed yesterday, but as I said – we are definitely going with generics the next time. I have no idea why I didn’t tell them that at the pharmacy when I dropped off the prescriptions that I wanted generics. Shopping with my daughter makes me lose all focus.

Of course, without the prescription insurance, the 2 creams would have been $202.99 and $247.99 – pretty much making it a sure thing that nobody at all can afford to buy most medications without insurance. And, that, my friends leads us to a whole other topic I will address at another time, which is the reform of our medical and pharmaceutical industries.

Really? How terribly shocking. Florida, which is almost completely surrounded by water, leads the nation in boat deaths? Florida, the state that is warm enough for water recreation all year around? This information is just so very perplexing that I do believe I have a headache.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says there were 77 people killed on Florida’s waters in 2007, making it the 16th time in 20 years our state has had the highest number of fatalities in the nation. I don’t want to make light of the deaths. In fact, I feel terrible for each one that happened. Certainly, nobody goes out to play in our lovely waters thinking they won’t go back home afterwards.

My dismay is that this information would be considered out of the ordinary. Have you looked at a map of Florida? It’s like running an article now that says mortgage lenders are losing their jobs or the Democratic party is deeply divided and expecting people to see the headline as fresh and interesting. It’s just plain obvious.

All I had to do was upload a photo to the public Mother’s Day gallery, but I have to tell you that the directions did not say that specifically. I had to figure it out through trial and error. I just knew I had to have an account and I had to upload a photo. That’s pretty much all the article explained.

I would almost rather go back and reconcile the records for all of my savings accounts since I was 15 than go through that loop of technical oddness again anytime soon. I’m pretty sure I uploaded the same photo to more galleries than any one person would be allowed to do.

But, I really do want a shot at that Getaway. Yes, I live in Florida and I theoretically get to enjoy a vacation-like setting 365 days a year (and 366 this year), but home is home and it’s just healthy to get away from time to time.

Anyway, I’m pretty tech savvy. I pick up on things quickly and seem to retain knowledge. This tripped me up, though, and made me feel like I was 88 and just exploring that witchcraft called the internet for the first time. *sigh*

This is the seventh time since 2007 that Hillsborough eighth-graders have brought home the top writing scores in the state. Officials credit teacher training.

FCAT scores help parents to see where their children improved in various subjects. They can also determine whether or not a student will advance to the next grade level the following year. FCAT scores also determine school grades, or ratings. A grade of “A” or an improved score means money and status for a school.

Parents, you can see your child’s scores beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 13 on the FCAT Parent Network (www.fcat parentnetwork.com). Just use the secure login and password provided by your school.

The bidding is up to $27.94 (shipping is free) and the auction has nearly two days left. The same seller old a box of Lucky Charms for $36 and a wad of crumpled newspaper for $26.09, so I am assuming I really am missing something. Either way, it seems like anything goes on eBay and you can always find a buyer.

My problem is more with finding the time to ready the items and prepare the auctions. I have bins and bins of Gymboree clothes I meant to sell on eBay and finally ended up giving away before my last move. I love I missed out on a LOT of money and I wish now I had just walked the bins into the iSold It store up in Palm Harbor. They do the whole thing for you for a fee. You just drop off the items along with some info about your expectation for the auction content and you are good to go. They will let you know when you have a check ready to claim. If you have items that will turn a tidy profit and no time to deal with getting them online, this is the handiest solution.

Multiple witnesses have come forward to say that Bollea was racing with Danny Jacobs. Both Bollea and Jacobs were charged.

Initially, Bollea pleaded not guilty to his charges of reckless driving with serious bodily injury. However, in a risky move, he is expected to make an open plea in court tomorrow during a 1: 30 p.m. pre-trial hearing Friday. Circuit Judge Philip Federico will then conduct a sentencing hearing.

Speculation is all over the map as to what sort of sentence Bollea will receive. He could get merely probation or as much as five years in prison.

Anyway, my point is that with identity theft becoming more and more prevalent, the industry around it is also growing and what that means is more new jobs. Lifelock is advertising position is all kinds of fields, including marketing, accounting, public relations, compliance, human resources, and information technology.

Lifelock is becoming a popular service. Auto clubs, banks, and other industries are recommending the service to their members. In fact, NextAdvisor just gave Lifelock their highest rating for identity theft protection, which is only serving to heighten the confidence consumers and other businesses have in the company.

So, check out their job listings. I think it is encouraging to see a company expanding in these tough financial times.

In between the frenetic pace of the “American Idol” competition, Mercado is finding the time to come home to Sarasota on Friday. She will give a free concert, visit local radio and TV stations, and to sing the national anthem at a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game.

Of course, the visit is not without its publicity merit. A production crew from the reality show will follow her in order to air the footage next week.

Mercado will appear on the MJ Kelli morning radio show on WFLZ, 93.3 FM, just after 7 a.m. Friday. She will also be on with Nancy Alexander on WMTX, 100.7 FM. Also, she will perform live between 9 to 9 a.m. Friday “Good Day Tampa Bay” on Channel 13.

Then she is off to Bradenton for a celebration downtown at 10:30 a.m., followed by a visit her alma mater, Sarasota’s Booker High School, where a parade at 12:30 p.m. will precede a private concert for teachers and students. That performance will be streamed on MyFoxTampaBay.com.

Mercado will top off her day in St. Petersburg, where will sing the national anthem at a Tampa Bay Rays game against the Los Angeles Angels at 7 p.m.

Personally, I stopped watching “American Idol” years ago. I find the competition repetitive and mind-numbingly boring. But, this is big news around here and Mercado is now considered a local celebrity. Of course, she should not be confused with the other Sarasota-native reality TV celebrity James Zinkland, he of the gay porn career.