www.headshopfinder.com/index.html

Headshopfinder

Well... I purchased a hookah.  There are so many tasty wonderful flavors out there... Mmmm... But where to buy the Shisha ? Why a 'head shop' of course... I Googled 'head shops in Santa Cruz' and there were some links; someone asked Yahoo and received some replies, Topix returned zero results. Yelp did okay when I searched for 'Smoke Shop'... What does one search for ? smoke shop, head shop, pipe shop etc... Finally, I came across this site.  Who'd have thunk ? Headshopfinder .  Cool ! This site does not have a lot of bells and whistles, but it worked splendidly. So far there are no ads... How sweet is that!
Headshopfinder proclaims itself as "The largest head-shop directory in the world." It covers US , Canada and the UK .
There is a search option. "To find local head shops, enter a city/state or zip code and click "Find Head Shops" " I searched for Santa Cruz, CA and was able to select a distance between 5 and 50 miles. It returned 50 results within 30 miles. Each location name has a link which provides the address, phone number, and map. There may also be a review of the shop . Viewers can add their own reviews, rating it from one to five stars and they can also comment on their experience. Several shops have website links.  Unfortunately, many head shops do not have websites. If someone knows about a shop and they don't see it listed, there is a link to "Add a location to the HeadShopFinder.com database."
And just in case visitors don't know what a 'head shop' is, they provide the definition of 'Head shop' via Wikipedia.
Thanks Headshopfinder !

www.allmusic.com

Allmusic

 

I've recently decided to convert my music CD tracks to MP3. It has been time consuming, (at least the way I've been doing it... Lol). I am sure there is a great program out there which titles tracks and albums automatically. I've read about Nero. Nero is an application, which needs to be purchased, but they do offer a free trial. Windows Media Player will title tracks, if configured to access the Internet and the CDDB (compact disc database). Eventually I may seek out free-ware, but in the meantime, I am doing it manually. I discovered www.allmusic.com . The About Us page provides a site description, “The allmusic website was created in 1995 as a place for music fans to indulge their passion. Whether you're visiting allmusic to look up an out-of-print recording, to get our take on a new release, or simply to explore the world of music and see where it may lead, you've come to the right spot.”
There is a search box for Artist/Group, Album, Song or Classical Work. The search provides info, including the album title, year, genre, performer(s), and composer(s). The listings also include album cover art. I do not believe the actual CD design is shown, which is unfortunate because I have many CD s with wonderful artistic designs but no songs or artist information. I can usually find the song title by entering a few lines of lyrics into Google... But if its an odd, rare or demo CD, or I mishear the lyrics, "Rockin' the cat box... " this can be challenging. However, these Cd s make excellent coasters.  

There is a bar where you can select different music genres such as Pop/Rock, Jazz, R&B, Rap, Country, Blues, Electronic, Latin, Reggae, Int't and Classical. This is interesting because clicking on them leads to a list of Sub Genres. So if you are a music novice, like I am, you can now learn what Swamp Pop or Math Rock etc... is. There are also sound clips provided for many artists and genres. Simply click on the little speaker icon to 'listen now'.

There is also a site menu (in a box on the right hand side) which lists subjects such as New Releases. It categorizes them into Just Released, Reissued (which is nice so you don't get all excited about a new album which was previously released 25 years ago) and upcoming releases.

Another fun subject on the site menu is Themes. There are many suggested themes here, such as At the Office,  Scary Music, and D-I-V-O-R-C-E (if you need a good dose of depressing music... or you could just listen to Morrissey). These may or may not be helpful with creating a 'play-list'.

If you want to find a particular song with a certain instrument, or maybe you want to encourage or discourage your child from playing the Tuba... Basic info is given about Instruments, and their uses (years, venues, artists etc...) Several instruments have links for artists who have played them and sound clips. 

www.myhomeremedies.com

My Home Remedies

 

I prefer trying home remedies before visiting the doctor, which can be time consuming and expensive. This site has been very useful. Readers from around the world submit home remedies, which they claim have been successful. For a complete list of maladies, go to this website's home page and click on the topics link (found on the left hand side).
Obviously... if a bone is protruding from your flesh and you are bleeding profusely, or something of this nature, you will want to see a physician. Of course the site has a disclaimer, (Disclaimer as found on www.myhomeremedies.com) "WARNING: This home remedies site is intended to be archival in nature. The natural remedies here are submitted by numerous people from around the world, and we have no way to test or verify every remedy. As such these home remedies should be used for academic purposes only. Never use any home remedy or other self treatment" without being advised to do so by a physician.
This site is straightforward and simple to navigate. It does take some time to scroll through the remedies listed. Be prepared to reread about the same remedy over and over again. This can be monotonous, but it also shows the remedy is effectual.

www.goodreads.com

Goodreads

I love this site. It is the IMDB for books. Create an account and track all the books you have read. Members share their book ratings.  It is a 1 to 5 star system, and the rating system could be improved,  but oh well... :) I haven't explored 'everything' on this site yet, but what I've seen has been really useful. It is a great resource for finding the chronology of series' including the published and recommended reading orders. Many books are listed, including books which are self published and often difficult to find. Friends can see what one another is reading and compare books.  Click on explore in the upper right hand corner and select listopia to find books of similar genres.   On the explore link there is also an option for ebooks. There are some great free ebooks listed here. Some can be downloaded and others must be read on site.   There are contests for book giveaways.  I share my book reviews and read other people's reviews. Goodreads provides a link with basic html to enter on your web page or blog site of completed reviews, which I often use on my other blog site Another Boring Book Review Blog.

www.supercook.com

Supercook

 I just came across this site.  It is excellent for those who are broke or don't want to go (across the street lol) to the store.  You create an account, enter all the contents of your fridge and pantry, and it lists the recipes you are able to make. If you need an ingredient it highlights the missing item. If you need to use something because its preventing you from closing your cabinets or is about to expire, you can emphasize the item by clicking on it. I am a horrible cook and not very resourceful, so this website has been really useful for me.  Pickle apple pancakes ! Yum ! (just joking... so far everything I have tried has been edible/tasty). My only complaint is that it won't let me add the cat... (ha-ha)