This time you can - Judge a book by its cover

Everyone has read, or at least heard of Twilight, right? But, have you ever wondered what the book cover means and who is holding the apple?

Kimbra Hickey has the answers. How? She's the hand model. "I think that because the story is being told from Bella's perspective they should be her hands. So I think they are Bella's hands and Edward is the "forbidden fruit," Kimbra tells The Twilight Lexicon.

Kimbra says that when she went in for the audition, the photographer looked at her portfolio, filled with pics of hands and feet and then put her in front of the camera and snapped a few shots of her palms and the back of her hands.

Kimbra said that when she was chosen for the job, they asked if she'd be okay with trimming her nails shorter. They told her that the story was a vampire teenage romance and that her hands had to look young. "He wanted my hands to look soft, sweet, and death-like all at the same time!" And just in case you missed it, her arms are folded in that precise position - with the part of my arms forming the perfect V, for vampire. Of course!

What a Night at the Oscars!

Did anyone watch the Oscars the other night? I didn't but, we talked a lot about it yesterday at work.

I was sadden to hear that poor Farrah Fawcett was dissed again, first by the media when Michael Jackson died, overshadowing her death, and now the Oscars! I was happy however, to hear that Sandra Bullock, won two awards this weekend.

Sandra Bullock won best actress for her role in "The Blind Side" at the Oscars. In the same weekend, she won an award for worst actress. That award came at the Razzies, which celebrate awful movies, including Bullock's "All About Steve." She accepted her Razzie in person, the first worst actress to do that in years. She gave everybody at the ceremony free DVDs of "All About Steve," and she asked them to re-watch and reconsider.

After the ceremonies were over, she announced she had plans to put both statues on display in her home for the world to see. She said:

"They're going to sit side by side, as they should. You know we're in the entertainment business. That's what we're supposed to do. You take the good with the not so good…I had the best time at the Razzies… It is what it is and, you know, it probably means more that both of them (awards) happened at the same time because it's the great equalizer. Nothing ever lets me get too full of myself. It quickly chops me off at the knees, and I like it that way because it keeps things stable…They'll sit side by side in a nice little shelf somewhere; the Razzie maybe on a different shelf, lower."

Now that's a girl who keeps things in perspective!

Credit Card companies are automatically reducing your line of credit

If your credit card limit has suddenly plummeted for no apparent reason, don’t be surprised. Lately, credit card companies have started to review customers’ account history, looking for reasons to cut off or reduce their lines of credit – even if you pay your bills on time! Here are the details, courtesy of Real Simple magazine.

Credit card issuers are monitoring what we buy. Robert Manning is the founder of the Responsible Debt Relief Institute – a nonprofit organization in New York. He says that creditors are looking for changes in how and where we use our cards. For example, if you’ve never been to a dollar store, but stop by to pick up a pack of gum, the credit card companies will see that you have made a charge at this type of discount store and may assume you’re having financial trouble. Or, if you never put restaurant meals on your card, and you suddenly charge a chicken sandwich at McDonalds, they might think you’re low on cash.

What come after the credit card company gets concerned about your purchases? Manning says you might receive a letter saying that your credit’s been cut off, or reduced by as much as 80%. Once it’s cut, you could end up with a limit that’s too close to your balance – which will reduce your credit score and raise a red flag to other creditors.

How can you protect yourself? Manning says don’t use your card to pay for items you don’t normally charge, and avoid charging anything that could indicate personal issues, such as marriage counseling – which could indicate a potential costly divorce or a large number of drinks at a bar – they might assume you have a drinking problem that could lead to employment issues. If your credit line has been reduced, keep your spending behavior consistent, and in six months, call your credit card company and ask for your old limit to be restored.

There is no need to panic, just be careful when using your card for items you would not normally charge and ofcourse, always be sure to pay those charges off each month if you can. Hum. Why didn't I think of that....

Overdraft Fees are Going Away

What took so long?

Has anyone heard, that starting this August, if you try to use your debit card to make a purchase without having the funds in your linked checking account, that purchase will be declined right in the store?

From what I have found, banks will no longer be able to approve the transaction and then hit you with a $35 overdraft fee -- unless you decide that you want to be able to charge without having the funds, and opt in – signing on the dotted line that you want this protection.

Keep in mind that for the banks, these $35 fees add up to $20 billion in annual revenue. That's why The New York Times reported, that your bank is going to try to convince you to join a new group. The banks are going to try to raise your level of fear, using words like "protection," and "emergency," and sending letters like the one from Chase quoted in the Times story, which read:

"Your debit card may not work the same way anymore, even if you just made a deposit. Unless we hear from you. If you don't contact us, your everyday debit card transactions that overdraw your account will not be authorized after August 15, 2010 -- even in an emergency."

Don’t give in. Some of you may not have a problem with this at all, but for someone who was unemployed for almost a year, I do. Either way, don’t do it. Fees like this can sometimes be more than your purchase and are outrageous. With online banking, you should be able to keep close enough tabs on the money in your account that you don't overdraw. I go into my online account everyday now and haven’t bounced a check in over a year. Yes, that is a good thing for me.

Get Paid to Party?

The other day, I got an invitation from a friend to attend a "Party of Gold." It appears "gold" parties are popping up all around and I am the only one who doesn't know about them.

These parties are similar to the Tupperware parties of the 1980's. The host of the party invites all of his/her friends, family and neighbors over for a Party of Gold - where people bring all of their unwanted or broken gold jewelry and sterling silver (although my invite didn't say anything about silver) to sell for cash!

There is a certified gold buyer at the party who appraises the items and cut you and your friends a check on the spot.

Not only does the Party of Gold representative make on the spot appraisals and settlements for your gold & silver items, but they also help plan your Gold Party from start to finish.

The party reps are certified gold & silver buyers who offer true market value for your jewelry, based on the weight and purity of your items.

It seems like a fun and easy way to sell all old, unwanted or broken gold jewelry that's been sitting around collecting dust!

Although, I probably only have about $7 worth of unused gold sitting around in my jewelry box (a few broken earrings), I am planning to attend her party on the 17th. I will be sure to get back to you and let you know what I find out. If it ends up being fantastic, watch out, you may find yourself invited to mine very soon. Does anyone have any gold they want to donate to me? LOL!

Win a trip around the world!

It's impossible to read or watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory without imagining yourself as Charlie Bucket, holding that magical golden ticket.

The Nestle-owned Wonka candy brand hopes to offer a similar feeling with its new promotion. Buy a candy bar in its Exceptionals line, and you may pull out a wining Golden Ticket.

Although, none of the prizes involve a tour around the Wonka building with Gene Wilder or a magical elevator ride, the prizes are pretty sweet. The Grand Prize is a trip around the world for four - you and three friends get to take on a trip around the world with $12,500 in spending money.

The Execptionals bars are their priciest item and are being marketed as "premium chocolate."

Other prizes include movie certificates, airline vouchers, Ticketmaster gift cards, and free chocolate!

I want to jet around the globe! Click here to learn more about out to enter and maybe you'll be the lucky one to win the trip around the globe, or a least a chocolate bar.

Just Dance

If you're anything like me, over the years you've joined gyms and paid for unused memberships, have expensive gym equipment acting as a clothing rack, or are waiting for the cold weather to pass, so you can go outside and exercise, but then suddenly realize it's too hot to go out.

My youngest daughter Hannah has been begging me for weeks to buy her a new Wii game, Just Dance. Just Dance is a Wii music & rhythm game where you dance to the image on the screen. It features soundtracks spanning the 80's, 90's, Disco, Rock and more, tons of party modes and a simple pick-up-and-play control.

We've all heard that we can achieve weight loss and healthy hearts with only 30-minutes a day of aerobic exercise three times a week, right? However, for those of you, like me who can't stay 10-minutes on a treadmill without getting bored, you may benefit from Just Dance. The 30-minutes goes by so fast! It gets your heart rate up, and you can feel the calories burning, just as if you were on that dreaded treadmill.

In addition to the wide range of songs, you also learn dance moves! You'll learn the dance moves to, "Who Let the Dogs Out," "Womanizer," and personal fav "Cotton Eye Joe." That one is a killer, but really, really fun. By using the Wii remote, the controller detects whether you're dancing correctly or not and gives you a grade of "Great", "Okay" and "X". I got a lot of Xs. Guess I need more practice.

Admittedly, Just Dance is like many fitness and dance games on the market. It's an exercise game that’s not called an exercise game. But, I've gotta tell you ~ I was getting a total workout and my triceps were killing me. Hey, I even learned a few dance moves for the next wedding I am invited to. The best part was that I got to spend some fun time with my kids. Well, my girls anyway. Casey gets enough exercise and thinks he already knows how to dance.