Back when I was working as the director of the art department for a small manufacturer, I often got dragged into other tasks like managing our internal network and tape backup system. I didn’t mind and I learned a lot. One thing I figured out quite quickly was that our system was a too expensive for as small a business as we were. There were definitely a handful of less expensive options to explore, but the owners of the company were the types who got comfortable once things were running smoothly and it was hard to convince them to try something new, even if it might save money.

One solution that businesses are using more and more often is external backup and file sharing, through Online Storage services like IBackup. When a business uses online backup and storage, users can access the system simply by clicking on a folder or mapped drive on their computer. That way you can treat the backup system like a shared company drive. You drag and drop files, just like the interface most people are used to using anyway.

I like remotely hosted backup systems, because it allows you an extra level of security that is not 100% dependant upon your in-house capabilities. Plus, systems like IBackup allow the user access to backup files up to 30 versions back! That can be a lifesaver.

I am so HAPPY MRSA is in the headlines. No, I’m not a bit thrilled that it is because of a death of a Virginia high school student. That breaks my heart to the very core. It is because my own daughter has tested positive for MRA more than once and we’ve had some scares as I took her to the ER to have her boil-like infections lanced.

We live in a clean environment and I have taught Gigi good hygiene. Nonetheless, once she started pre-school, all bets were off. MRSA is in our communities and no longer only a danger in hospitals and to the old and frail.

In my scramble to find products to help us keep a re-infection at bay, I was introduced to StaphAseptic by Tec Labs. I got in contact with a rep from their company who actually sent me a sample and the product has been a staple in our medicine chest ever since.

Thank goodness more schools are finally getting on track. Tec Labs reports that requests for their MRSA education kits have been keeping them very busy this last week. It’s my personal hope that more educators will see the light and do the same.

The MRSA prevention kit contains a DVD called MRSA: The Ticking Time Bomb, a poster, bi-lingual handouts, a printable quiz, and sample packets of the company’s product. Schools can get the kit for free by calling Tec Labs at 1-800-482-4464 and pressing “0″.

I am not affiliated with Tec Labs, but as a mother, I DO believe in their product.

Getting ready to look for a job in any given area is hard enough, even if you know the area. When you are looking for jobs in another state or country, the task gets a little trickier. Back in the days before the internet, I would use both a headhunter and order the newspaper from the city where I was getting ready to move. It took a while lot of planning and tracking. If I let myself have a couple months BEFORE my move to plan well, I would usually have three or four interviews set up for the first week I was in my new place.

The internet has certainly changed the face of job hunting. If I were to look for jobs in London, for example, I could just get online and find local community and classifieds sites that service a particular area. It’s par for the course for most people looking for employees to post the job ads online now. I could simple do a search for London jobs and narrow the search results down by job title or the general category where I am looking.

I particularly like Gumtree.com if you’re looking for community pages that can lead you to info on jobs, rentals, even dating. Community is a relative terms these days. It used to mean the literal people in your physical neighborhood. Now you can go online and find a community while sitting in front of your computer.

Last week I wrote about ordering some “Jailbait” scented Biker Groove Lube Lotion™ from Big Bad Mama Biker Body Works. It arrived just this afternoon and I wanted to follow up on my last post.

The lotion is made with macadamia nut oil, shea butter, extra virgin olive oil and other good stuff. In fact, the nuttiness of the blend made the cherry smell more like cherry almond and that is actually so mouth watering I wanted to lick my own arm after putting on some of the lotion. I refrained, but it was difficult. There is no greasy residue. The lotion has a great absorption factor. And, as it wears on I find that the cherry scent is really rising to the top. It’s not sugary sweet, but certainly the fresh fruit shines through. I love it. Plus, I rather dig the idea of having the beer bottle sitting on my bathroom counter. You can bet it will be the first thing people visiting will pick up when they are in there. Maybe it will even deter the medicine cabinet snoopers.

When it comes down to it, the product appeals to me because of the natural ingredients and the small business aspect of Big Bad Mama Biker and her very intriguing Body Works line of cool things to slather on your body. I’m not so into walking into one of the big mall chains and filling up a basket with the same scents everyone else in town happens to also be wearing.

Let “Mama” help you get in touch with your inner biker… and pamper your skin at the same time

BTW, I was absolutely not paid to write this particular article. And, they threw in a free bar of their Skin Free brand of Extra Moisturizing Soap. It’s free of fragrance, colorants, petroleum, and harsh chemicals. The ingredients contain coconut oil, palm oil, olive seed oil, shea butter fruit, cocoa seed butter, and vitamin E.