Blue Bottle Skip

How to Shake the Winter Blues by Learning to Play Video Poker for Fun and Profit

The snowy days of winter, what does it mean for you? To most folks winter means a time of slippery sidewalks, nasty roads, flu season, and something that can be much worse for others, the Winter Blues. The winter blues does not generally happen to someone who is busy all day with things to do in the winter, because they keep active and energetic, as night time approaches, they relax and go to sleep. Now, since you have enough extra time on your hands in the winter, that it causes you to get the winter blues, lets discover a great little hobby that can help fight against it, and maybe even win you some good money in time, and that hobby is poker.

Poker is the one thing that a lot of casinos do not like, because it is the one game where the house or the casino does not have an advantage at, in fact poker is the one game that is based upon the skill of the player when it comes to their odds of winning.

When I was a young person and I was living with my Mother and her boyfriend at the time, due to my parents divorce, I used to sit and watch them along with a couple friends who would come by, play poker on the kitchen table on Friday nights. They would always play and bet against each other, wagering change and sometimes miniature bottles of alcohol they purchased from the State Liquor Store. Sometimes the pile of change or 'pot' as it was often called, would grow pretty big during some hands of the cards played.

There are many different variations or games of poker, some of these are; Five card draw, Seven card stud, Texas Holdem, and others. Back a few years ago, I hardly ever heard of Texas holdem, it was always five card draw or seven card stud that was being played, now days the top favorite seems to be Texas Holdem.

Poker has become so popular that it is on television more and more, and every year there are more and more championships, the biggest poker tournament in the world is the World Series of Poker, which is held once a year in Las Vegas, the entrance fee to play is currently $10,000. There are a lot of books on ways to increase your odds and skills at playing poker, and there are even free online tutorials and actual video poker games you can play online for free, to help hone your skills.

Once you become good at beating the online video poker machines, you may have found that you now have a skill that can help you win some money the next time you go to a casino. If you visit casinos once in awhile or on a regular basis, you probably like playing slot machines, and maybe you have even won a few times on these machines. The facts are that slot machines are random and the house, or casino is the one that usually wins the most. If you have polished your skills by learning to play video poker online, the next time you visit a casino, you may wish to skip the slots and head towards a video poker machine, where you skills may just pay off good for you.

During the cold months of winter, when you have nothing to do, why not try improving your skills at playing video poker, it's not just a hobby that can pay off good in time, it's a great hobby to help shake the winter blues.

There is a website that describes numerous activities and other methods to help eliminate the Winter Blues, this website is called: Winter Activities - and it may be found at this url: http://www.winter-activities.com

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

About the Author

Robert W. Benjamin has been involved in weight loss and has been researching the Winter Blues for a few years. He has personally turned his life around at the age of 50, by reducing his body weight from 400 lbs to 185 lbs. If you want to turn your life around, and read other great info and ideas on beating the winter blues, please check out the website below:

Winter Activities

http://www.winter-activities.com

Searching For The Right Salon Hair Care Products

Selecting the right salon hair care products for curly hairstyles or any new hairstyles is really an individual experience, a process of trial-and-error, a painstaking coming-to-terms with one's own unique hair DNA. It can be tempting to ask, "Why does my hair have to be curly" or "Why is my hair so thin and fly-away?" But at the end of the day, there is a salon hair styling product scientifically formulated for just about any hair malady, from dandruff and hair thinning to curl taming and deep conditioning. Generally speaking, the best way to find a new product is to ask friends, get trial samples from salon professionals and sometimes just be adventurous and keep purchasing new products until one works.

In the 2008 Stylist Choice Awards, professional salon hair products leader Redken took the prize for "Favorite Overall Professional Products Company," which is no surprise, considering they've won the past seven years in a row! "Favorite conditioner" was awarded to Redken All Soft Conditioner, which is known for its detangling, replenishing and silkening formula. (One downside noted on www.epinions.com, however, is the scent.) California-based Redken Laboratories began in 1960 as a way of solving hair dilemmas through science, using protein-based solutions. Today, the headquarters are in New York City and their hair styling products are exported to fifty countries. In 2008, Random House Publishing and Columbia University honored Redken as one of the "Icons of the American Marketplace" along with 256 other trusted American brands.

Farouck Systems was nominated in the 2008 Stylist Choice Awards for several categories of salon hair care products. CHI Infra was nominated for "favorite shampoo," BioSilk Rock Hard Gelee for "best gel," Farouk CHI Nourish Intense for "favorite new shampoo/condition" and they were also nominated for best overall professional salon hair products company. Additionally, their "Biosilk Silk Therapy Conditioner" won best conditioner in 2007. In the LaunchPad Reader's Choice Awards, Farouck's BioSilk Silk Therapy and CHI Silk Infusion won for "best de-frizzers." The American-owned company has been around since 1986, not to mention it is owned and operated by professional hairdressers. Sales last year were $15.3 million, so it's a trustworthy name.

In a recent UK comparison test, salon hair care products were compared with average cheap High Street shampoo. To achieve the standards for a professional cleaning, the salon professionals had to use 50 ml of the cheaper shampoo and just 10 ml of the high-quality professional salon hair shampoo. This meant that the 300 ml bottle of High Street shampoo would be good for six applications, while the 300 ml of the more expensive shampoo would last 30 applications. The findings suggested that, while the cheap store brand products may seem like a good deal at the time, they don't last as long and therefore are a bunk deal, economically, and that's not even considering the quality of the ingredients either!

Dying a person's hair looks to be the number one quick fix on shows made for makeovers. The question is why is this? Basically this is because it is the most detectable change. If you have a brunette and turn her into a blonde, the overall impact can be quite pronounced. Nowadays everybody is varying the how the color of their hair looks. Some people want a effortless one color for their whole head and some are going with several colors. Hair dye has become the "in" thing. Still kids are imploring to get permission from their parents for highlights, streaks or a wacky color that sets them apart. If you have never had your hair dyed then this article is for you. You can find out the history of dyes and in what way to mend any slip ups that you may happen along the way. You will have a stunning new hairdo that you can be proud of.

Dying a person's hair seems to be the number one quick fix on shows made for makeovers. The question is why is this? Basically this is because it is the most noticeable change. If you have a brunette and turn her into a blonde, it is a big impact. Nowadays everybody is changing the how the color of their hair looks. Some individuals want a simplistic one color for their full head and some people are going with various colors. Hair dye has grown to be the "in" thing. Still kids are begging to get permission from their parents for various types of highlights, streaks or a wacky color that sets them apart. If you have never had your hair dyed then this article is for you. You can learn about the history of dyes and in what way to fix any errors that you might happen in the process. You will have a exquisite new hairdo that you can be proud of.

What is hair dye?

Hair dye or hair coloring is a chemical or a substance used to alter the color of someone's hair. There are extensive varieties of substances that can be utilized. You can even make up your mind if you want it to be a specific color for a specific amount of washes or you have the option to make it lasting. It has grown into a very trendy way of modifying your the way you look. Numerous individuals are turning to all natural products instead of using chemicals to alter the color of their hair. The reason is that they want to keep away from damaging chemicals that could maybe end up leading to hair breakage.

Can hair dye cover my gray hair?

Many people make the mistake and think that any hair coloring system has the ability to conceal their gray. The truth is that gray hair is substantially different than a usual hair. That is why coloring manufacturers make specialized dyes that will cover their gray hair. The color then adheres to the root of the shaft and will stick to it longer. If you use a regular dye you may find that the rest of the hair colors fine but the gray hairs remain resistant. Before you purchase any hair color you must read the box to ensure that it will cover the gray. One of the methods that many hair salon's use to fight gray hair is to highlight the hair. This way the gray hairs blend in with the rest of the colors and it is complementing the new colors.

How does a blonde hair dye work?

Blonde hair dye works by stripping the hair shaft of color. It actually diffuses the color that is present. But you should keep in mind that coloring your hair blonde is vastly different than bleaching it. When you bleach your hair you are stripping it of all color. The finished product is almost white. It is the way that many people with dark hair can lighten their hair without producing any orange or red shades. Many people also use bleaching systems before they color their hair unusual shades of blue or green. The white-blonde hair becomes the perfect canvas to showcase the new vibrant hues.

I've used a hair dye and the final color is horrible. What do I do?

The initial step you have to take is to appraise the situation calmly. Did your endeavor cause your hair to be too dark? Did the color end up being orange or a shade that you can't stand? Nothing is totally permanent regardless of what the box reads. Each box of dye comes with an 800 number that you can call if you run into a problem. The customer service agents are trained to help you fix the problem. If you are too scared to attempt correcting the problem yourself you can always go to a professional hair stylist. The color problem you ran into can then be corrected by them.

Click on this link to discover more information: Natural Hair Care and Aveda Hair Care Products and more educational information at Professional Hair Care

Halloween Party?! Help Guys! ?

So..
Well, this Halloween, i've decided to host a Boy/Girl party, its the first one i've ever held(: But we've been to one before but there was alot of people there. This time theres only about 3 guys, and 4 girls (including me)

SKIP THIS BIT IF YOU WANT (: its backgound info
So we're all dressing up and then gonna watch a scary film ( I think the Saw?? Or the Grudge?? opinions? [= ) And my crush is gonna be there, so there might be kissing, i dunno, i'm only 14 so yeah... and me and him are best mates, so thats awkward if we did LOL :')

My questions are:
What should we do apart from films?
Truth or dare, spin the bottle? Etc..
I am planning to go as a sailor, any idea, i was thinking white tank top, sailor cap, blue mini skirt and white pump things?? Any good?
And any other films you can think of, preferbly scary:)
And anyways i can make my crush notice me?

Sorry its long
Thanks!!

First, sounds like a lot of fun :]

Maybe scary stories to?
Apart from films, get music and dance!
Truth or Dare should be brought up kinda as a spur of the moment thing. So, just be like "Hey let's play truth or dare!" Then maybe suggest spin the bottle.
I think your costume sounds cute. Maybe get a blue tie or vest that match the skirt just to add some accessories.
As for movies, I suggest something that make you jump:
- The Reaping
- Disturbia
- One Missed Call
- The Ring

Hope I helped! And have fun :]

FFXII IZJS - Sub Quest No.18 "Nebra Fishing Quest" Part 1/3