How To Grind Coffee For Coffee Lovers

If you are a coffee lover, perhaps it is time for you to learn to grind your own coffee. If you don’t have the slightest clue of where to start, then this article is for you! To begin, there are two main types of coffee grinders on the market today: burr grinders and blade grinders.

Blade grinders grind the beans unevenly and without consistency in the grind. Since there are no settings on blade grinding units, you basically grind until you achieve the coarseness or fineness you need. The blade grinder causes static electricity and tends to make the process a bit messy if you aren’t used to doing it.

Burr grinders, on the other hand, grind the beans evenly and are much cleaner and easier to use; especially if you are just learning. Burr grinders have settings that allow you to choose an exact uniform size and consistency. They are often recommended for espresso grinds, but can also be used for other types of grinds as well.

If you are concerned about price, blade grinders are the cheaper of the two and sell for roughly $20 each. On the other hand, burr grinders often cost between $60 to $125. The extra money for the burr grinder would be well spent since you would be getting a better quality cup of coffee and the clean up would be quicker and easier!

Each coffee brewing method requires a different grind size. Drip coffee, for example, requires a medium size grind. Espresso requires a fine grind. The French press requires a much larger grind size. The following is a general guideline describing the basic grind requirement for use in coffee makers:

Coarse grind:

Coarse grind is used in a percolator. The percolator boils the water and forces it over the grounds in a metal filter that has holes in it. This grind would not be recommended for optimum flavor, as it over-extracts bitter oils and acids.

Medium-course grind:

Medium-coarse grind is used in a French press or metal mess coffee maker that has gold or stainless steel filters. These coffee makers force grounds to the bottom of the canisters after steeping the water/grounds mixture for several minutes. This would not be recommended for optimum flavor because it over-extracts bitter oils and acids and is a bad percolator. However, it is a good choice if you like a strong brew and don’t mind a bit of sediment.

Medium grind:

Medium grind is used in drip coffee makers. These coffee makers pour the water over the grounds in a flat bottom filter. You may have to experiment with the grinds if you use an electric maker, as this is the only way to control the extraction.

Fine grind:

Fine grind is used in espresso machines, which are considered the most efficient method of brewing.

Extra-fine grind:

Extra-fine grind is used in vacuum pots or some older Espresso machines.

In order to get the best extraction for your coffee enjoyment, grinding the coffee beans properly is the key. Freshly grinding the coffee prior to brewing is one of the most important steps to a great cup of coffee. Just remember, the coffee beans should not be ground more than two minutes prior to the beginning of brewing.

How To Grind Coffee For Coffee Lovers

How Smart Are Pit Bull Terrier Dogs

People say a lot of things about Pit Bulls, but you never hear them talk much about the intelligence of this particular breed. Fact is you’ll never hear anything about the intelligence of this animal, unless you are in the company of Pit bull owners. Anyone who has owned one of these fascinating dogs will tell you straight up that the Pit bull is a very smart dog indeed.

Pit Bulls are fairly quick to learn, but they also have a certain stubborn streak which is a direct result of their intelligence. These dogs have a definite will of their own, and they like to get their way, but then again most humans do as well!

This stubborn behavior which shows from time to time tends to make the Pit Bull breed slightly harder to train than other breeds. Some people mistake the dog’s independent will as the dog not being trainable, but nothing could be further from the truth! These highly intelligent dogs can be trained.

The problems in training arise from owners who have no knowledge about the Pit Bull breed. As with any breed, prospective owners should always invest a little of their time into getting to know the particular quirks that all dog breeds have. Owners who get a Pit Bull then whine about the training of them simply did not do their homework. That’s not the dog’s fault, now is it?

As the owner of a Pit Bull, you should understand that his stubbornness comes from his intelligence, and that you shouldn’t take it personally. Just because he doesn’t want to do what you want him to do at a specific time doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. If you can simply treat it for what it truly is, stubbornness, then you’ll both make out just fine.

Always meet their hard headed ways with patience and understanding. Certainly don’t give up on their training, just be a little more stubborn than they are!

You may want to consider using a type of training called play training. This type of training appeals to Pit Bulls because they absolutely love to play. When a training task is presented as a fun game, the task will appeal to the dog’s inner desire for play. With this technique, you can outwit the stubbornness you may have encountered with any other type of training.

When purchasing toys for your Pit Bull, keep in mind those strong jaws this breed is famous for. You’ll want to purchase toys that are geared to survive for the long haul. Be sure to get toys which will not break apart easily and injure your Pit Bull. Above all, enjoy your new found friend.

How Smart Are Pit Bull Terrier Dogs

How To Have Stronger Willpower

Have you ever wished you had stronger willpower? How can you make yourself stop doing things you don’t want to do? There are ways, and the first thing to do is to redefine the concept of willpower.

Self Awareness Instead Of Willpower

It’s hard to resist temptation sometimes, isn’t it? That piece of cake calls to you. What’s the simple answer to this? Don’t stand in front of the cake! Don’t go to the bar alone if you want a faithful marriage. Don’t have whiskey in the house if you don’t want to drink it. Stay away from people that lead you to trouble.

People often have this idea that willpower must mean being immune to temptation. What if true willpower is not only the ability to say no, but the wisdom to avoid temptation? Become aware of where your resistance is low, and don’t put yourself in those situations. Doesn’t that make more sense than fighting useless battles with yourself?

Other Ways To Strengthen Willpower

There will be times when you didn’t choose the situation, of course. Or at least that’s the excuse you’ll use. What can you do then? Try these tips:

1. Immediately begin to imagine the consequences of your actions. Give yourself a good scare, if you have to.

2. Substitute temptations. Quickly get a glass of your favorite juice or soda if you don’t want that beer.

3. Ask for help. If you can’t stop complaining, for example, have friends point out when you are doing it.

4. Relax. Willpower is low when you are stressed. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths.

5. Energize yourself. Willpower tends to go up and down with energy levels. Sleep well, play energetic music, move around, or start an interesting conversation.

6. Find the cause of the temptation, and deal with it. A boring job or life can lead you to all sorts of stupid ways to find “excitement.” Consider changing what you can change.

You can call it willpower, or self control, or something else. You just want to stop yourself from doing harmful things, right? Using the techniques and tips here will help.

How To Have Stronger Willpower

How To Unleash The Peace Within

We live in a hectic and uncertain world, with violence and chaos surrounding us every minute of the day. We are getting busier and busier and being bombarded with commercialism and adverts from every angle. Just like many of us I have been looking for a way to break the constant information overload to help give my mind a chance to relax and after many years of studying and test trying the art of meditation by many of the great religions like Budhism I have found a simple six step formula that helps me to unleash the inner peace that really wishes to come out.

Step 1 – Find a cool quiet place

The first step in unleashing your inner peace is to find somewhere that will allow you to feel safe whilst meditating and undisturbed. Some of the sorts of places you might consider are sitting on the ground in the garden, near a river, or if you are like me and bound to the city, simply sitting in your lounge room will suffice. There are though a few key things that you must consider -

There should be little traffic noise

There is Nothing worse than to just start meditating to hear the sound of the air brakes on a truck going off or an ambulance or police car going past.

Be Free From Distractions

When you first start meditating you will find it maybe difficult to get started but with a little practice, and that is the fun part, you will find over time that you will get better at it but in the early stages a little distraction from your children or noise can make it very difficult.

You Must Feel Safe

With todays society being the way that it is, you must have a sense of well being before starting your meditation. If you have a sense of insecurity you will find that it is very difficult to release your anxieties and most importantly your thoughts.

Be Comfortable

Most meditation periods usually will last around 20 minutes. When you first start off you may find that it takes a good 10 minutes to get to a point of being relaxed so make sure that you sit on a comfortable surface before starting the meditation process. I am a great believer in sitting on the floor however if you find it difficult to sit upright for any period of time, simply sit against the wall. Doing this can also help you with your sense of feeling safe. If you find it more comfortable sitting in a chair, try your meditation that way. I do not recommend sitting on a couch simply because you run the risk that you may fall asleep and whilst that is great before going to bed, it is not recommended as the outcome to the meditation process.

Step 2 – Use a Light Incense

Depending on where you are, you may find that a light incense will help you break through the barriers when you first start meditating. If you are like me and are constantly on the rush and stressed, when you first stop you might find that it is really difficult to focus on your meditation because of the buzz running through your blood so using a light incense like lavendar can certainly help.

You can purchase incense from any number of stores like chinese food stores, oriental food stores or even some of the mystics stores and there are certainly many places on the web where you can purchase a light incense. Be warned though that it is illegal in some countries to buy incense via mail order and more so only buy from a reputable dealer as you never know what you could be importing.

Step 3 – Put some quiet music on

The saying, “Music Soothes the Savage Beast” is never a more truer statement then when trying to find your inner world of peace. Playing some quiet music will certainly help soothe the buzz you have after a hard day but be very cautious on the type of music you choose. You need to ensure you choose music that will slow you down rather than increase your heart rate.

Many meditation gurus will recommend music like flowing water, a rushing stream or the sounds of the great outdoors, which will all certainly be suitable for this process but what I find the most useful is music from the Baroque period.

The music from this period has particular elements that make it suitable and more conjucent to helping you find that inner peace. Baroque music is built on 60 beats per minute, which funnily enough is the same as what our hearts should be doing. What some research has shown is that listening to music that has 60 beats per minute actually increases the alpha waves that cause calmness on both the left and right side of the brain. The outcome of this is that you will becom calm and relax, similar to if you whistled a tune. Research has also shown that this “alpha state” can help in your learning process, creativity and more importantly becoming more calm.

Step 4 – Focus on Your Breathing. Breath In and Out

Now that we have the elements we need to meditate, it is now time for you to try . My preferred way to sit when I meditate is to cross my legs and to place my hands on my knees with my open palms up. If you can not cross your legs simply sit with your legs layed out flat. If you are sitting in a chair, simply spread your leg apart a little and place your hands on your knees.

The next step in the path towards peaces is to close your eyes and to breath in deeply and then slowly exhail the air. You need to consistently repeat this process but whilst you are doing this, there are a few important things to remember. When you first start to meditate you will find that as you relax, the things that bothered you during the day will start to resurface and come to the forefront of your mind and we need to stop this during your meditation period because if you do not, you can end up being more stressed then when you started. Whilst you are breathing, simply look into the depths of the darkness and clear you mind.

If you are finding it difficult to let go, try this technique. Whilst breathing in slowly, concentrate in your minds eye on the number one and focus on the number as you exhail. Then as you take your second breath, change the number one to a number two and then focus on the number two and maintain that focus as you exhail. With each new breath, focus on the next number. However, if at any time your focus gets away from you and you start thinking about making dinner or what you are going to do tomorrow, then simply restart from the number one. You will find that after a while using this process will really help you to maintain that focus and start to bring out that inner peace a lot quicker.

If you are having difficulty sleeping I find that using the counting process and the breathing process really helps a lot. Once again it does take time to master the technique but the more you practice the better you will get at it.

Step 5 – Clear Your Mind

Once you have mastered the process of breathing and getting into a relaxed state, the next stage is to clear your mind. This can take a little bit of work and will take a while to conquer but when you do conquer it, you will really no what inner peace is. To clear your mind, you will simply not think of anything but just exhist. The key to clearing your mind is to focus on the space around you (whilst your eyes are closed) without thinking about a thing.

When you do this, an overwhelming sense of peace will come over your. You will find that the endorphins will give you a tingling feeling through out your body and you will be extremely calm. You will find as time goes on that you can in fact turn the tingling on at your own will but that comes with practice.

Step 6 – Feel the Rush of Peace

The Budhists talk of meditating to reach enlightenment and whilst it can take a life time or two to achieve that, I can certainly say that when you do get to that point where you have let go of your surroundings and you are at peace its certainly feels like a whole new world. At the very least, not being stressed and feeling that constant buzz caused by the pressures of our day-to-day lives, will certainly give you a new definition of normal.

When you feel that your time for meditation is over, slowly allow your mind to start to think. You will find that its actually a lot easier than you think. Then slowly open your eyes and become more aware of your surroundings. Give yourself a good five minutes before you rush to get up but when you do, you should feel a sense of calm and peace around your body, mind and soul.

How To Unleash The Peace Within

How Starving Your Body Can Make You Gain Weight

 One of the things that makes people not get the weight loss results that they want is that they may occassionally be starving their bodies.

There are two basic ways that this can happen. One is for it to be done inadvertently—like when you just get busy and forget to eat.

Another is when you purpose deprive your body of food to try and “speed up” your results.

Regardless of how it happens, either scenario in this case is equally damaging. Although you will decrease the calories that you take in which may lead to some short-term weight loss, the kicker here is that you will be slowing down your metabolism.

What this means is that after the starving is over, your body will hold onto the next meal you eat for dear life, expecting to be starved again.

If you allow starvation to become a habit, you will actually be contributing to your own weight gain in the future.

Therefore, make sure that you are keeping your meals no more than 4 hours apart. As long as you do this, you will be supporting the healthy metabolism that you’ll need to lose the kind of weight that you’ve committed to.

How Starving Your Body Can Make You Gain Weight

How To Save Money And Avoid Temptations

Saving money and financial management is very crucial in one’s life. Money is very important in order to survive in this world but only a few people know how to manage their household budget properly. Many people have a hard time saving money even if it is for their own good.

Most of the time, you may be motivated to save money but there are times when temptations come your way and before you know it, you have already spent the amount that was supposed to be added to your savings account. Here are some helpful tips on how you can avoid temptations and be able to save money:

1. Try hard to avoid those things that keep you from saving. If you are fond of buying shoes even if you don’t really need them, try very hard to stay away from them. Keep yourself away from shoe stores so that you will not be tempted to buy one.

2. When going to grocery stores. Always bring the exact amount and bring with you a grocery list. If you have limited money in your pocket when in grocery stores, you will be forced to buy only those important things that you need. Preparing a grocery list will also help you get organized and will help you in deciding the things that need to be prioritized.

3. Go to the malls only when needed. Do not go shopping if you do not need anything important to buy. Window-shopping will only tempt you to buy the dress you saw in the boutique even if you don’t really need it.

4. Do not bring with you your credit cards all the time. Having a credit card in your pocket will only tempt you to buy things that are not necessary. This will also help you lower your balances and have a good credit score.

5. You may want to save money in the bank or invest in time deposits. You will not be tempted to get money from the bank every time you need cash, if they are placed in a time deposit account.

6. You may also want to consider consulting a financial advisor. There are a lot of programs that offer these services for free. They may be able to help you and give you advice on how you can avoid temptations and save more money.

How To Save Money And Avoid Temptations

Dandruff is one of the most common scalp problems. But it is surprising that no precise cause off dandruff is known. There is therefore no cure for dandruff, but you can treat it whenever it shows. There are many factors that trigger dandruff and some speculation about the possible causes. Let us talk about them so that we can keep our scalp squeaky clean from dandruff.

Dandruff and fungus-

Dandruff is a kind of Seborrheic dermatitis and it is believed that dandruff is caused by a fungus that normally lives on the human skin and feeds on skin oils. During dandruff this fungus known as malassezia multiplies manifold and creates problems in the scalp. Why a fungus, which otherwise lies dormant, suddenly flares up and multiplies is not precisely known.

Dandruff and other causes-

Other causes that are held responsible for dandruff are – stress, poor hygiene of scalp, over use of shampoos, under use of shampoo, chemical treatments that harm the hair and scalp etc. the incidence of dandruff is less in summer than in winter. We can deduce that less sun may be causing dandruff, but exposing more to sun may cause serious skin problems.

What Causes Dandruff

How To Download Free And Legal Mp3

Free music? Of course! But free and legal music? Yes, it’s possible. Everybody who has ever surfed the Net knows that music can be downloaded freely. Although there are many questionable sites that offer free music, you do not have to do anything illegal to find good music on the Web.

So, where can you download free and legal MP3? Below are some great sites where you can download good music without having to break the law.

Download Free and Legal MP3s at Amazon.com

Amazon.com may be best known for its books, but the site also features a Free Music Downloads section where you can download free and legal MP3s. The site offers music from different genres, including Alternative, Indie, Punk, Blues, Broadway, Children’s Music, Christian, Classical, Country, Dance, Folk, International, Jazz, Latin, New Age, Opera, Pop, Rap, Hip Hop, Rock, R&B, Soundtracks, and more. If you’re a musician or an artist, you can also upload your own MP3s here for free and let music lovers discover and experience your own brand of music.

Download Free and Legal MP3s at eMusic.com

Perhaps one of the best places to look for and purchase MP3s online is eMusic.com. This is because the site offers files that are not copy-protected, thus letting you download an unlimited number of songs to satisfy your music needs. The music may not come for free but for every new sign up, the site offers up to 50 files completely without charge.

Download Free and Legal MP3s at GarageBand.com

GarageBand is where you can find the best Independent music from the most talented Indie artists. The site has recently partnered itself with MSN music to realize the Internet’s true potential in providing a means for both artists and music fans to connect and transform the music business.

Download Free and Legal MP3s at IUMA.com

IUMA is where you can find and download free and legal MP3s from famous, not-so-famous, and unsigned artists all over the world. If you’re into Indie music then this is the place for you. IUMA is mainly dedicated to bringing you music from undiscovered artists whom you should know about.

Download Free and Legal MP3s at Download.com

CNET’s Download.com is one of the premier places where you can download free and legal MP3s. The site has one of the largest music archives on the Web so you can have your choice of music to suit your taste. At this site, you do not only hear the artist’s music, but you can also take a closer look on how their music came to be by reading artist’s bios and stories.

Download Free and Legal MP3s at AmpCast.com

Ampcast is another music site where you can download free and legal MP3s. Search through their entire archive for Independent artists or music from popular rock/pop groups. And if you don’t like to download anything, you also have the choice to feeds from the Ampcast Surreal Radio. The site also offers great music videos which you can watch through video streaming and community features such as forums and chatroom where you can talk with other music lovers or Ampcast artists about your favorite topic – music.

How To Download Free And Legal Mp3

How much energy do you spend trying to get what you want from your partner? Think about it for a moment – how much of your thinking time is spent on what to say to your partner to get him or her to be the way you want him or her to be?

Many of us spend a lot of time thinking about how to get what we want from our partner – how to get our partner to open up, be more caring, see us, love us, pay attention to us, spend time with us, have sex with us, and so on. We spend at lot of energy trying to get what we want from our partner because we believe that if only we do it right – behave right or say the right thing – we can have control over getting our partner to change. This illusion of having control over getting another to change keeps us stuck in behavior that not only does not work to get us what we want, but drains us of the energy we could be using to learn to take loving care of ourselves.

It is very hard to accept that we can’t “get” others to do what we want them to do, even if it would be good for them and for the relationship. I frequently hear:

“How can I get my wife to be more sexual?”

“How can I get my husband away from the TV to spend time with me?”

“How can I get my wife to be on time?”

“How can I get my husband to talk with me about our problems?”

“How can I get my wife to spend less money and write the checks into the checkbook?”

“How can I get my husband to clean up after himself?”

“How can I get my wife to stop being angry?”

“How can I get my husband to stop blaming me for everything?”

Everyone wants to know, “How to get my partner to change?” The truth is, you can’t.

What you can do is take your eyes off your partner and put them on yourself. You have total control to change yourself, and no control to change your partner. The question you need to be asking yourself is, “What do I need to do for my own well-being if my partner doesn’t change?”

“Do I need to stop reacting to my partner with compliance, resistance, withdrawal, blame, lectures, explanations, nagging or anger?”

These protective, controlling ways of responding to conflict will always exacerbate the conflict and make us feel badly within. The wounded part of us believes we can get love and avoid pain with these protective behaviors, but in reality it is often these behaviors that are actually causing our own pain. None of these behaviors are loving to ourselves, nor are we taking personal responsibility for our own feelings and well-being when we behave in these controlling ways.

“In what ways do I need to be more loving, caring, understanding and attentive to myself – to my own feelings?”

Often we project onto our partner the inner unhappiness that results from not taking loving care of ourselves. Instead of trying to get our partner to me more loving, open and attentive, we need to focus on being open, loving, kind and attentive with ourselves and with our partner.

“Do I need to take specific action, such as changing the way we handle money, or the way we deal with getting places on time? How can I take care of myself in these kinds of conflicts so that I don’t feel like a victim?”

Anytime we blame another for our unhappiness, we are being a victim. Moving out of being a victim means taking loving action for ourselves so we are no longer frustrated with the situation.

“Do I need to be willing to explore with my partner the underlying reasons for a lack of intimacy or sexuality? Am I willing to be open to learning with my partner, or am I stuck in just trying to control?

Opening to learning with your partner can be magical regarding creating intimacy and resolving conflict. While you cannot make your partner be open to learning, if you open to learning yourself, you might discover the power you have to change your relationship.

When you move out of seeing yourself as a victim of your partner’s behavior and into taking loving action on your own behalf, you may be surprised at the changes that occur in the relationship. Most conflict is stuck in power struggles that result from each person trying to control with some form blame, anger, resistance, withdrawal, or compliance. When you stop your end of the power struggle and start to take care of yourself, as well as open to learning with your partner, the possibility opens for great change to occur.

How Can I Get My Partner To Change

How To Excel In Your Performance

It is generally known that to excel in any given sport or activity, you will need skill, natural talents, and lots of practice. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that people spend much time training and practicing to get better at any given activity. What people often neglect, however, is how important the mental and emotional outlook can affect performance. The best of them all are not only the ones with the best skills or with the most practice, but the ones with the toughest, most competitive, and positive minds.

This is especially true when you consider how some of the better skilled people you know failed somehow because of many reasons such as being distracted or having a bad case of the jitters. Now given this, how can you prepare your mind for the activities ahead to ensure that you have the proper head on your shoulders when coming out to meet the challenges each performance?

Focus

During any performance – especially in sports – you are subjected to an undue amount of stress to perform at your peak. And excelling in your performance will generally involve being able to concentrate in any situation. If you are unable to focus and concentrate on the task you are to undertake, you are more likely to fail or make mistakes.

In competitive sports, the winner is often the one who keeps a level head until the end. In basketball, the last second free throw that could win the game is often greeted with all sorts of distraction from the fans (who do all sorts of unsettling things), from his opponents, and even from the player himself. If the player buckles under the pressure, it could mean that the point or two – may win or lose the ballgame.

To improve focus, you must be able to tune out unnecessary thoughts and stimulus, and concentrate solely on what must be done. The great ones are often asked what it feels like to be on center stage amidst the lights and the pressure. Most of them reply that they are anxious before the performance, but confident during the performance itself. This is because they are able to zone out unimportant thoughts to concentrate on the task head.

Confidence

Confidence is built up with competence. You can develop a strong sense of ability when you are indubitably sure of what you can achieve. The more well prepared you are, the less anxiety you feel, therefore increasing your chances for a great performance. But what happens when, after building competence, your confidence is suddenly shattered? That would certainly spell doom for any performance.

Confidently performing beyond limitations is possible if you are not holding back anything and giving all you have. When the confidence is gone, you will instinctively hold back and become tentative towards the task ahead. What we’re talking about here is not simply a 5 to 10 percent decrease in performance, because such mental tentativeness will easily lose you about 20 to 50 percent of your potential.

This is the reason why coaches, players, and even businesspersons like playing mind games with their opponents. If they are able to break them down way before tip off, then they have a decided advantage over their opponents. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they have won the battle halfway even before it started.

How To Excel In Your Performance