It is amazing to me how things have changed in our society. When I was growing up there was no such thing as bottled drinking water. If you were going to purchase something to drink the largest selection was soda. The main decision was to purchase it in a returnable bottle or can. Now the stores are filled with a variety of bottled drinking water in many flavors.

There are many reasons why people started buying bottled drinking water. Some people do not like the taste of treated city water that comes out of their taps. There have also been many studies that caution people that the drinking water supplies in certain areas may be contaminated. People are also more aware that they should drink more water throughout the day. Some studies indicate that you should consume a minimum of eight glasses a day. In the past when you would see someone drinking this amount of water the assumption was made that they were dieting. Most diets included the eight glasses of water in their regiments long before it became popular with the general public. I do think that people are going a bit over board with the bottled drinking water.

Next time you are out in public notice how many people are carrying bottled drinking water with them. It is everywhere. At the work setting most people carry a bottle of water into meetings with them. They also have a bottle of water on their desks and in their cars. Many people in our office refill their water bottle throughout the day from the large bottled drinking water that we have in the company break room. For some people it seems that the bottle of water is a security blanket.

Walking down a side walk or in the mall the majority of people are carrying a water bottle. When I go for walks around the neighborhood I see other walkers toting a water bottle with them. Recently we had a family gathering and my sister-in-law carried bottled drinking water around with her throughout the day. As they were driving out of the driveway she had to run back to our house to retrieve her bottle. She asked if it was safe to refill it from our tap water. I explained that we had safe drinking water so she filled her bottle for the ride home, which is only a fifteen minute drive. I told my husband that I feel that our society is addicted to carrying around water bottles. It makes me wonder how many forms of bacteria are growing in the bottles that people keep refilling.

I can’t even remember how many morning after college parties, I would wake up to find empty beer bottles scattered throughout the house or apartment. Sometimes, there would even be a few leftover party goers who had had too much to drink and were passed out in the midst of the beer bottles. The parties always seemed like great fun until it was time to clean up the following morning. I don’t miss those days.

Now, years after those college days, I still find myself cleaning up beer bottles the next morning if my husband had the guys over the previous night. Why in the world guys cannot clean up their own messes is beyond me. How hard is it to put the empty beer bottles into the recycling bin? I constantly remind my husband that when he takes the time to line the beer bottles up on the counter, he is only inches away from the recycling bin. He just doesn’t seem to get it. Maybe he likes to watch me cleaning up the beer bottles. I purposely avoided cleaning up for an entire weekend one time just to see if he would take the time to do it himself. After two days of living amongst this mess, I caved in and cleaned. I had to resist the urge to throw those beer bottles at him.

One New Year’s Eve, a group of us were having a very in depth conversation over many empty beer bottles and I asked why in the world they would choose such an ugly dark color to make the bottles. One of our friends actually had an answer to my random question. He informed me the glass of the beer bottles are a dark color so that the light doesn’t spoil the beer inside of them. While that actually made perfect sense to me, I still think that the dark colored glass could be a better color than the standard brown. Heineken has nice dark green bottles, as does Yuengling Lager. I think that green should be the standard color for beer bottles from now on. Of course, no matter what color the beer bottles would be, it wouldn’t make it any more fun to clean up after parties.

My personal favorite is when you’re assuming that all of the scattered beer bottles are empty and you find one that just happens to still have a few sips left in it. It is always when I’m carrying those bottles at an awkward angle that I find the one that still has some liquid left in it that splashes on me. There’s just nothing like cleaning up beer bottles. No matter what color they are.

Benjamin Franklin wrote that beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. For this reason, I like to give beer gifts to friends and family, especially my husband. The reason I love to give beer gifts to my husband is that he shares the beer gifts with his wife. Every time he gets a beer gift he says, “Exactly what we wanted!”

Actually, most of the beer gifts I buy for my husband are mostly glasses, shirts and signs. He loves the old bar room mirrors and they make wonderful presents for a collector. Since we are from the Pittsburgh area, I choose Iron City as the brand for the beer gifts that include items like mirrors and glasses.

I do like to indulge in unique beer gift that are made up of, well, beer. The beer of the month is a great present to get any beer enthusiast. I do get a little worried about buying beer gifts that requires membership to a club. Things change from month to month and I’m not sure if I want to make a commitment like a membership just to come up with unique beer gifts.

The beer of the month option for beer gifts does allow the buyer to opt out of the membership at any time with no questions asked. I may look into finding out if I can buy a one year membership for my husband’s birthday this year. I think that this will be one of the nicest presents I have ever gotten for him, but again, I have to consider the investment.

I can create my own beer gifts anytime that I want to. For some reason, baskets do not seem to fit these kinds of presents. Wine and cheese baskets are wonderful, but for beer gifts the baskets would contain warm beer and nacho cheese. It just doesn’t seem appealing. If I were to assemble baskets for beer gifts, I would include items like glasses, bottle openers and cozies. Of course, a t-shirt makes a great present that fits well into a basket.

I think that my husband’s idea of great beer gifts include ice cold beer and hot pizza. This is his traditional birthday dinner that we both enjoy. In fact, we had beer and pizza on our first date and we celebrate our anniversary with beer gifts that include ice cold beer and pizza and a hotel room. It’s the best combination.

When we hear the word coffee, most of us light up.  This caffeine infused, addictive beverage holds strong in our everyday lives.  Even after studies claiming coffee is not good for us, we all continue to lust after the tasty drink that keeps us on our toes in a world of hustle and bustle.  In fact, the coffee industry is even bigger now than it ever was.  With coffee shops on every corner in America, there’s no avoiding those rich, taunting beans.  The perfectly roasted smell lures us in like cattle.

I first noticed coffee when I was in high school.  I always assumed that coffee was not for me.  That I would never be one of those stereotypical adults who make coffee an essential part of their daily lives.  Okay, first of all, never assume things.  The coffee industry had certainly snatched my attention by my junior year.  So much for not following the adult trends.

Let’s face it, we now live in a world loaded with coffee options.  When our parents and grandparents sipped on a hot cup, the old Folders or Maxwell House was about all one could find.  Those days are long gone.  The coffee industry has now flooded us with choices.  You want a hot latte or an iced one?  You want a frapaccino or a shot of espresso?  The possibilities are endless.  The 90s revolutionized the coffee craze.  Starbucks hit street corners worldwide.  Who’d of ever thought we’d see a billion dollar fast food style coffee house.  It’s crazy.  There are actually drive thru windows so you can grab a mocha latte on your way to work.

Now being a coffee freak, myself, I can’t complain about the java explosion worldwide.  In fact, I think most of us can appreciate the coffee industry these days and the convenience they’ve provided us with when we’re craving a shot of tasty caffeine.  Yes, the old school drip coffee pots may become obsolete in the near future, only to be replaced by espresso machines.  Let’s face it, we love the convenience of the drive thru coffee houses, but the costs may break us down the road.  Fortunately the espresso machines available today will surely keep us satisfied.  Our daily caffeine fixes will not be squelched.  While these trusty machines can cost you a pretty penny, no worries, they come with a wide range of price tags.  You will find that they pay themselves off rather quickly.

I have never had to go through the agony and struggle of a 12 step recovery program, but I have seen first hand what it is like, and have marveled at the strength of someone close to me to overcome addiction. You see my brother had to go through a 12 step program. He started off the way the rest of us did – binge drinking on the weekends in college, partying and having a good time. When you are young, this is simply enjoying life and most of us move beyond it eventually and never look back. Unfortunately, my brother was not so lucky. Before his 12 step program, his life fell into a shambles and he hit bottom.

The only way for us to get him to join a 12 step program was to all confront him together. In the speech of recovering alcoholics, this is called an intervention.  If you know someone who is battling an addiction and needs the help of a 12 step program, it can be one of the most important things that you can do for him or her. Doing an intervention might feel like ganging up to the target of the intervention, but it is always done out of love. Even if they decline to go into a 12 step program and even if, as was the case with my brother, they respond to the intervention by lashing out.  Chances are that they will eventually come around and realize that you saved their life. Once they recover from their addiction, they will probably even thank you for what you did. But the praise is not what is important. The real reward is the full recovery of your friend or loved one.

There are many different 12 step programs. My brother tried a Christian 12 step program that was highly recommended, but it conflicted with his atheism, so he had to go. It is not just a matter of enrolling in a 12 step program and letting them fix you. If there is not the right bond between you and the other people in your 12 step recovery program, you simply will not recover and will slip back into addiction again. It helps to bring someone with you to help you along when you are first starting the 12 step program. I went with my brother to almost every meeting and when I could not, our sister came along.

There will be yet another product on the market that will save people an extra few moments in the mornings. If you’re one who likes to sleep in for an extra few moments, that concept might sound enticing. What is this new product? For those coffee addicts out there who simply cannot walk out of their house in the mornings without a cup of coffee, you’ll find a new type of coffee can that will actually heat itself. Yes, you did hear that correctly. Wherever you can find a coffee can of Wolfgang Puck gourmet latte is where you can get your hands on this new technology. Supposedly, it takes six minutes to heat the coffee and it will stay warm for thirty minutes after it is heated. Pretty interesting, if you ask me.

This new coffee can is only a single serving and will sell for around $2.25. That’s quite expensive for a single cup of coffee, yet cheaper than some people pay each day. However, whenever new technology involves saving people some time and energy, it doesn’t seem to matter what the cost is. People are willing to pay for convenience and quite a few companies have cashed in on that concept. Plus, not only will this be a major convenience, think about all of the clean-up time it’ll be saving you. There won’t be a dirty coffee pot that has to be washed anymore. You can take the small coffee can and toss it when you’re done. No mess, no fuss – just convenient coffee. While the coffee can is supposed to be recyclable, let’s just hope that people do plan to recycle.

I have to wonder what this new coffee can invention could do for other items in the food industry. Will soup manufacturers come up with a similar concept? What about people who don’t drink coffee but wish that their hot tea would have the same convenience? This new coffee can that could very easily flop, or become a huge overnight hit, could very well end up changing the way that people start their mornings. I personally don’t find myself too lazy to make myself a cup of coffee in the mornings. It is part of the ritual that I perform when I’m still waking up. But when you tell me that I can sleep an extra few moments and simply push a little button to have instant coffee without the preparation time, I’m game. I have a feeling quite a few people will agree with me. I’m just not sure that I want to spend $2.25 a day for that. The grand total for an entire week of coffee would be $15.75. Ouch. That’s $63.00 a month just to have a single serving of coffee every day. Something to think about.

Take in the fresh ground aroma! There’s truly nothing like the smell of fresh java in the AM. I think half of us rise from our warm, cozy beds just to get our hands on that hot mug. The scent calms our senses and reminds us that the day ahead is not so bad after all. Just be careful you don’t exceed that sixth cup. I hear that one can be a doozy. Now, what’s the preferred blend? It seems like we all have a specific coffee specialty beverage we enjoy on a regular basis. One that becomes our routine norm, and makes us grin with excitement at the sight of it. I don’t think we will ever get our fill of fresh java.

It took me a while to figure it out, but I eventually found the ideal coffee beverage of my dreams. You take a couple shots of vanilla syrup, two ounces of fresh espresso and a cup of whole milk. Once these three ingredients are poured over ice and shaken like a martini, I strain them into a glass. This is my morning cup of Joe. I have probably made this particular coffee specialty drink a few hundred times at least.

How about you? Have you found your perfect caffeinated treat yet? Sometimes it takes a lot of taste testing. But this is not a bad thing. This way you get to sample a plethora of coffee specialty drinks and see which ones you’ll purchase of concoct again. I can’t even imagine how many different flavors of syrup are out there now days. I have tasted nearly all of them. Well, with the exception of lemon and a few other bizarre fruit flavors that I feel would clash with espresso.

Take your pick from a number of coffee chains. The best way to decide which ones offer the finest coffee specialty beverages is by testing the waters. Once again, you need to test the product to know for certain. We all have different tastes and expectations. While a number of individuals consider Starbuck’s the best, I don’t think it even comes close to some of the small chains and single coffee shops you can find. Fortunately for us all there are plenty of coffee specialty drinks to go around, and a number of ways to concoct them. Go find your favorite java drink today!

You only turn twenty-one once in your life, so why not go all out on the occasion? There are plenty of things to do after you reach this milestone and you can find the perfect 21st birthday invitations for the special event. Finding the right one for your tastes and personality might not be a tough as you think.  The first thing that you want to do is choose a theme for your event. You might want to have a night out on the town with a handful of friends or you might want to spend a quiet afternoon with family. Some want to do both. For these individuals two sets of 21st birthday invitations might be in order.

When I turned 21 I was so excited about the event that I made sure to send 21st birthday invitations to my extended family. My mother was planning a party for our close-knit group and I was thrilled. However, I was turning a very special age that boasts some new opportunities as well.  Of course, my parents expected me to hit the town for a few hours after the afternoon family party. They designated my older brother as the driver. He was less than thrilled until he discovered that I was sending 21st birthday invitations to my sorority sisters. He suddenly got the urge to do some driving after he heard the news.

The invites were great. I chose a trendy circular design that had a martini glass tipped in the center. I loved these 21st birthday invitations because they had a great texture on the front. The colors were understated and mature and I knew that these were perfect for my special evening out with the girls.

The planning for the home party was pretty much up to my mother. She did a great job with choosing the right food and entertainment but she neglected to choose 21st birthday invitations. About a month before the big event I started shopping for just the right one for the family as well.  These 21st birthday invitations were a lot different than the ones I chose for the girls. I chose a great design that looked like an admission ticket. I figured that my younger nieces and nephews would enjoy the look of these 21st birthday invitations and so would the older attendants. They also went wonderfully with my mom’s movie theme that she chose for the occasion.

My birthday that year was one of the most memorable days of my life. I even kept a copy of both 21st birthday party invitations to remember the day even better. It was a true milestone.

Charcoal is a natural element that has many uses. Activated charcoal is also known as activated carbon. This natural element has various uses for the home, most commonly for water filtration. The charcoal is an absorbent material that is useful in capturing unwanted elements in water. The activated carbon is also useful in collecting unwanted household odors that seem almost impossible to destroy.

The difference between regular charcoal and activated carbon is the porous texture of the material after it is activated. The carbon is activated by treating it with oxygen. The oxygen opens the many pores in the charcoal and makes the material a regular sponge that soaks up impurities, including odors. But the most common use for activated charcoal is water filtration.

I use a water filter that is attached right to my sink and I love it. The activated carbon traps unwanted organic materials from the water and it traps unnatural substances like chlorine. However, some elements can pass through the activated carbon like sodium and nitrates. However, most of the impurities are taken out of the water and I am satisfied with that.

The filter has to be changed frequently because the activated carbon literally fills up with materials and needs to be replaced. Once the pores are full, the unwanted materials in the water pass right by the charcoal and into my glass. We have well water in our home, so the water filter is one of the most important devices we own. I save hundreds of dollars each year by using a water filter instead of buying bottled water.

We have used activated carbon for other things in our home as well. The basement was musty and smelled like mildew. After we fixed the leaky basement, we still smelled the awful mildew and mold stench. I tried a number of different products but nothing worked. I finally put activated charcoal in the basement and within a few weeks, the smell vanished.

The smell did not vanish immediately. I had to replace the activated carbon twice before the smell was completely gone. The pores can fill up with odors as well. The charcoal is also valuable for pet owners. My sister keeps the product in her home all the time. She has two dogs and three cats. You would never know it because there are no pet odors in her home.

Activated carbon is a natural, low-cost material that works as a sponge. If the charcoal is replaced on a regular basis, it is an effective filtration element and it is a magical odor eliminator. You don’t have to use bottled water and you don’t have to cover odors with perfumes. The activated charcoal does the work without leaving anything behind.

Nothing gets a worse rap than coffee made in the office. No one I know jumps out of bed on Monday morning eager to run off to get a fresh cup of sludge at work. We all know the taste of stale, thick, black, even with extra cream. An office coffee service can change all of that.

The first great benefit of having an office coffee service is for the employees. There are few things more motivating than a really good cup of brew. I’m not suggesting that you will find more productive employees who will never gripe but you will have a happier bunch if they appreciate good coffee.

Employees like the idea of getting their favorite hot beverage whenever they want. They really like the idea of having it at no cost to them. The office coffee service is an investment for the employer but it is a great money-saver for employees. Happy employees are productive employees.

This is not just hearsay. The National Automatic Merchandising Association conducted a study that revealed that almost 80 percent of employees who had access to free hot beverages from an office coffee service felt appreciated by their bosses. They also showed to be more productive as well.

The office coffee service also makes employees feel special in that the beverages are created to their specific tastes. This is a great benefit that workers really appreciate. They also won’t feel the urge to get their favorite drink at a coffee shop, which can take time away from work, if they can have whatever they like at work.

Many companies spend a lot of money on expensive coffee appliances. Some systems cost a great deal but they don’t provide personalized products as the office coffee service does. The appliances are also not always the best items on the market for making the ideal cup of java.

One office coffee service provides your company with all of the equipment that the company needs while another may charge a monthly rental fee. The primary investment that the corporation makes is in the product that will be consumed. If the company cancels the office coffee service, the equipment is returned.

There are few of us who look forward to the coffee produced at work. However, there are many employees who enjoy the benefits of an office coffee service. They just can’t wait for Monday morning.