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I love my cell phone and I am in no real hurry to replace it. Plus, my contract with Sprint is finally up and I am a free agent, which feels good. If I let them talk me into a new free phone, then I end up signing away in blood again.

But, you should see my phone. It is beginning to show its age. I have never kept in a case or had a good cover for it. Don’t get me wrong. It looks “ok”, but I’ve been hard on the poor thing. The scratches on it are what have kept me from carrying my TomTom and Palm more often.

I found this product called the invisibleSHIELD™, though, and it is just what I need to protect my beloved gadgets from the wear and tear I put them through on a daily basis. It is made from the same material the military uses to protect helicopter blades, strong stuff. There are designs to cover most any gadget, including iPods, MacBooks, cell phones, and even my TomTom One. They will custom make a cover if you can’t find what you need on their site. Need a particular ipod case? Just let them know. Look first, though. I was impressed with their selection.

The best thing about the invisibleSHIELD is that it is a “full body” cover for your device, custom cut to fit the unique angles of each gadget. And, they are super inexpensive.

Yikes. Just yikes.

I watch a handful of reality television. I like the Amazing Race and Survivor. And, I also like shows involving aspiring chefs, Gordon Ramsay, or the Food Network. I’ll even admit that I have enjoyed So You Think You Can Dance both seasons that it has been on in the United States. Other than that, I have had my fill of reality TV. Up to my eyeballs, in fact.

The writers strike meant an early end for many scripted shows this past viewing season. It made me mourn the cancellation of the one of the best shows to hit the airwaves in over ten years – Journeyman – all the more, because that is one show that made up for a viewing schedule otherwise packed full of mushy, soft boiled reality crap.

A pox on the writers. Their strike means that complete shite like NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice is getting a prime Thursday night spot. What?!

January will be a month to savor palatable television. Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, C.S.I.: Miami and C.S.I. each have one new episode left to give us this month. ER, House, Ugly Betty and Boston Legal, have three or four shows left.

I usually frown on the networks starting some show’s seasons in January, but it turns out that CBS’s Jericho, ABC’s Lost and NBC’s Medium will give us some sanity by starting late this time around. They don’t have full seasons available, but even a half-season worth of new shows will feel like a real treat.

There are some new scripted shows beginning this month and next, though most critics say they are nearly worth avoiding. Still, if my other choices are VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew or yet another excruciating season of American Idol, then I will indeed be checking out ABC’s Cashmere Mafia. You still can’t get me to watch October Road, though – not even with a gun held to my head.

Here’s something a little different in the world of search: a sustainable search engine. We all know that with the latest grabby Google antics, the world can use a few new good search engines.

Each time you use the Carbon Neutral Search Engine, fooke limited will offset each query by a minimum of 300g via the Climate Care and Carbon Fund. Climate Care is a leading offsetting organization in the UK. They invest in renewable technology, energy efficiency and reforestation. Carbon Fund is a leading US non profit carbon offsetting company.

Yikes. For Florida, it sure is cold here near the Tampa Bay. I live between the Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, pretty much equidistance. This unique location usually means that we get breezes all summer and remain a tad warmer than other surrounding areas in the winter.

Despite all of that, temperature are expected for tomorrow morning that would bring the low 20s to Hillsborough County, the teens in Pasco County and maybe even bring a very rare freeze to Pinellas County.

The upside is that even with temperatures in the teens just a few miles north, the air in my coastal county should not get below 31 degrees. The downside is that the freeze could endanger strawberry and citrus crops.

The last reported freeze in Tampa was January 24, 2005, when the temps at Tampa International Airport were 31. It was exactly two years before that, though (January 24, 2003) that temperatures were as low as forecasters say they might get tonight.

Bring in your pets, cover your delicate plants and get the word out that the cold-weather shelters are opening up for the homeless and those without adequate heat in their homes. Floridians get used to warm weather and we tend to forget to keep an idea on our pipes. Thankfully, by the time the weekend rolls around, we should be back to warm weather.

I’ve been divorced over a year now. Nonetheless, I still have several financial ties to my ex and I’m not comfortable with that fact. He has yet to actually get our house on the market and until it’s on the market, it’s not going to sell. Until it sells, we still own it together. I’m stuck paying for half the repairs as he lives in it with his girlfriend. That’s not a great deal for me, but even though he is contempt of court by not having it for sale yet – who can afford to go to court over every single infraction of an agreement? Not me.

There is also the issue of our car loans. The loans for both our cars are still in both our names. I have mine about paid off, but his is a much more expensive vehicle and there is still a way to go in getting that loan completed. I’m urging him to move the loan, but when he does he will no longer be able to obtain rates for new car loans and that is what is keeping him from moving his feet. I’ve told him that there are bad credit auto loans available from multiple sources, but I suppose it is going to come down to me actually doing the legwork to get the information. That’s fine with me. I’m just looking at any way to cut financial ties where I can. ? I won’t go into the other ways we are still connected financially. I can only hope they will resolve soon.

Yesterday my daughter and I went over to Sand Key Park in Clearwater Beach to watch the surfers. The place was crawling with people in wetsuits. We finally had a cold snap last night and at the same time, surfing conditions are decent at certain times of the day. So, people dressed for the weather and headed out to the north end of the park. Sand Key is a county park often overlooked by tourists and one of your best bets if you’re looking for a less crowded option for beach activities. The sand is just as powder soft as Clearwater Beach, but the parking is more convenient and less expensive. Plus, you avoid the boisterous crowds of out-of-towners. It’s curious that so many people overlook the park, seeing as it is just south of the main drag and you can see the piers from the park.

Sand Key is known to have a jetty that makes it the best surfing in North Pinellas. In addition to the surfing, the park is known for its great views, generous playgrounds, modern bathroom facilities and hometown friendliness.