Around the Office Happenings With a Guide to March Madness @ The Topes Tattler

Check out the happenings in the Isotopes office!

Here in the ‘Topes front office there’s a lot of action going on as our 10th season rapidly approaches. From the Pro Shop to the fields of Belen Little League, everyone has their glove-hands full (see what I did there?). Let’s check in with some of the big happenings over the next month:

• Fans can begin to redeem their season ticket plans starting on Monday, March 26 at 10:30 AM through March 28. With a great schedule ahead, you definitely don’t want to miss a game.
• Club Read just kicked off with some great incentives for kids to crack open a few books this season. Dion’s Pizza and your ‘Topes will be giving away some awesome prizes to participants.
• With the Lobos beginning play, our stadium operations crew has been hard at work sprucing up the stadium in preparation for our home opener. The field is starting to look great and it kind of feels like baseball season around here again.
• Speaking of that, the home opener is less than a month away when the ‘Topes take on the Omaha Storm Chasers on Friday, April 13 at 7:05 PM.
• Minor League Makeover starts on March 20 when the ‘Topes grounds crew will begin touching up Belen’s field. Home Depot has also joined the action and donated supplies for the project.
• The Pro Shop is fully stocked with great gear for the 2012 season. Take a look at our own Assistant Director of Retail Operations, Patrick Westrick, as he shows off what’s become his new home over the past few days:

(BELOW: Assistant Director of Retail Operations, Patrick Westrick shows off some 'Topes gear)

And also in the office, we’re all dialed in for some NCAA basketball, which means ’round the clock “expert” talk about basketball.

Even when you haven’t been watching any of the season.

So as the water cooler becomes the most crowded place in the office and the big wigs lock their doors because of a sudden “important meeting” (everyone knows you’re watching the games in there), please make sure to avoid the following mishaps for the madness that is the NCAA Tourney:

1. The “No That’s Not Going To Happen” Card: Don’t be THAT guy that reads over other people’s bracket and quickly points out that “No! That pick will never happen!” I don’t care how many hours of “Bracketology” you watched, you’re not the Schwab for a reason.

2. Bringing Up Others’ Brackets Just To Talk About Your Own: It’s the same rules as Fantasy Football; everyone wants to talk about their team, but no one cares, AT ALL, about anyone else’s team. Please don’t come strike up a thrilling conversation to hear the winner of my bracket when you have a 15-minute speech-of-the-century planned about that INTENSE 8/9 matchup.

3. Not Paying An Entrance Fee: I’m not condoning gambling, but if, by some far-shot chance, you’re involved in some exchange of money, goods or services for an NCAA pool, please, please, please pay the entrance fee ON TIME. Everyone knows that one person who keeps “forgetting” to ante up just in time for their bracket champion to lose in the third round. This, of course, is followed by “Well, I’m not paying now,” and 365 days to remember why you’ll never let that person join the brackets again.

4. Claiming You Knew That Upset Was Coming, And Not Putting It In Your Bracket:The list is long and frustrating; all those no-names that conveniently remind you of your bracket being destroyed. And then there are the teams that actually destroy your brackets. If you think Long Beach State is going to tear through the first few rounds and show up in the Final Four, then by-goodness, PUT IT in your brackets. I’ll entertain your “I knew Butler would win” rant as long as you have it in ink. If not, the next upset will be coming from you as you’re not allowed to watch the games with the rest of the group.

5. Picking UNC/Duke: ‘Nuff said.

6. Putting All 1-Seeds In The Final Four: This is self explanatory. Sure, they’re one seeds for a reason. And sure, they have the easiest path to the championship. But no, you aren’t allowed to pick all four in the Final Four. I’ll give you two teams…heck, I’ll  even give you three of the one seeds because I’m in a good mood from wearing jeans to the office today, but not all four. This just ruins any madness from this tournament when you pick the “best” teams to beat everyone else. I vote you let your hair down, live a little, and put that double-digit seed in the Final Four. Plus, you’ll have legitimate bragging rights about it (see number 4).

7. Informing Everyone That Your School Will Win It All: I’m sure your die-hard dedication to the alma mater will propel the team to an amazing run, blowing out every opponent along the way. My own Norfolk State is playing the two seed Missouri? Laughable. Just don’t. We all know you have insider news into your school you once went to for a few years and might have said “hi” to the basketball coach once while you were there, but don’t try to convince other people a 14 seed with an 18-16 record is a sure bet to win it all.

8. Pretending Not To Care: This is by far the worst move in the history of NCAA March Madness. No matter how little you know about basketball, or even sports in general, you DO care about this thing. Don’t be the killjoy that is “above” buzzer beaters and upsets. I’m not saying you’ll lose friends for pretending not to care, but you might find your weekend schedule quickly opening up.

All that being said, opening day can’t come soon enough. With great happenings around the office and a little Madness on the side, we’re finding ways to keep ourselves entertained until the first crack of the bat.

And hopefully it won’t come from me when someone violates a March Madness mishap.

Read more at http://mlblogstopesblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/around-the-office-happenings-with-a-guide-to-march-madness/

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How to Save Money on Kids Clothes

We need more articles like these…clear, simple, and packed full with great money-saving tips!

The marketing world may convince us that clothing must be replaced and updated each season, even kids clothes. But personally I’d rather put more money into a college account than try to keep up with the Joneses. That doesn’t mean kids shouldn’t look nice. But there are lots of ways to extend the life of kids clothes without sending them out the door looking sloppy or unkempt.

Buy Classic and Neutral

The basic tenant of any wardrobe is to invest in classic and neutral. You hear it all the time in reference to a woman’s wardrobe. If you want to have more options, buy classic pieces that will stand the test of time and then add a couple of trendy pieces for fun. Kids clothes are no different, especially if you have your eyes set on handing down the clothes or reselling them. While it’s true that kids clothes rarely trend as quickly as woman’s fashions, there ARE colors, characters and girls’ dress styles that can become dated. So to maximize your budget, populate the kids wardrobe with classic pants, skirts and tops that can be mixed and matched, then add two or three fun pieces each season.

Consider the Uniform

Before you say, ‘I would never stifle my child’s creativity and individuality like that,’ consider this: a uniform doesn’t have to be khaki pants and a white button-down shirt every day.

As a nanny, I cared for an athletic little boy who wore sweatpants each day (please note that these were well-fitting, clean, and free of holes) with a tidy t-shirt (in the winter we added on a sweatshirt). His mom discovered a style that her son loved to wear and was comfortable in and turned that into his “uniform.” At the beginning of each school year, she purchased 5 pairs of the sweatpants with matching sweatshirts, a stack of t-shirts and one or two “nice” outfits. We would just rotate the sweats+t-shirt combos during the week. There was no morning battle over what to wear and she maintained a conservative clothing budget. Let me also just add that it made laundry a breeze. He was even able to easily put his clothes away on his own because his dresser was not stuffed full with too many clothing options.

Maybe your child’s uniform would be jeans and a t-shirt or button-down, or a skirt and top. Use their favorite daily style to simplify dressing and reduce costs.

Layer for the Seasons

Instead of running out at the beginning of each season to replace warm-weather clothes with cold-weather ones, try extending the life of warm weather clothes with layering techniques. Here are some ideas:

• Layer a long-sleeved t-shirt under a short-sleeved shirt
• Put a t-shirt under a light-weight button-down shirt
• Add leggings under a summery dress or skirt
• Pull a sweater over a light dress or add a t-shirt under a sleeveless dress

Cut ‘Em Off or Patch ‘Em Up

When I was little most of our school clothes evolved into summer grubbies (this was my mom’s term for clothes we could make a mess in). Jeans that were too short got cut off about mid-thigh for summer shorts. Stretched out, faded t-shirts became bathing suit cover-ups or more often, the softest pajamas you could dream in. We were run-around, get-messy, play-hard kids so my parents got every dime out of our clothes. We were also on a tight budget so my mother would mend or patch anything that still had some good life in it.

Remember the little boy for whom I was a nanny? In the spring his mother would cut off those sweatpants and put a tidy (and very simple) hem around the bottom to make them into shorts. Then he was able to wear them just about anywhere without looking grungy.

End of the Line

At the end of their wearable lives, most of our clothes ended up cut into rags. But I have seem some beautiful crafts made with clothing scraps as well, such as memory quilts and rag rugs. What ideas do you have for clothes at the end of their wearability? We’d love to hear your ideas!

How do you extend the life of your kids clothes?

Read more at ColoradoParent.wordpress.com.

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New Mexico man registers dog to vote using fake name, social security number

This owner said he was trying to draw attention to some serious problems with the voting registration system. Do you think he succeeded?

A dog is man's best friend — and now he can even accompany him to the voting booth.


An Albuquerque, N.M., resident has successfully registered his dog to vote in Bernalillo County, he told KOB-TV.


The dog’s owner said he used fake information to sign Buddy up at a voter registration booth at the University of New Mexico.


“I made up a birthdate and I made up a Social Security number, and I had a voter registration card in my hand for Buddy two weeks later,” he told the TV station after receiving the card in the mail on Wednesday.


The man, who doesn't actually plan to vote using Buddy’s name, said he was only trying to prove that there are problems with the registration system.


“They should verify,” he told KOB-TV. “Somebody should have verified this information and somebody should have come out and took a look at exactly who it was.


“We’re going to have a lot of people that are registered to vote that shouldn’t be able to vote,” he added.


Bernalillo County Clerk's Office told the station the office followed state law, which doesn't require proof of a voter’s Social Security number, date of birth or name when registering.


According to Bernalillo County clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Buddy's owner committed voter fraud.


“I would warn those individuals who think this type of activity is a joke or a ‘gotcha’ that, regardless of their intentions, they have broken the law and will therefore have to be subject to due process of law,” she told KOB-TV.


Toulouse Oliver added that it was “disheartening that someone would attempt to present fraudulent information to test a system that the state legislature has intended to foster participation in the voting process.”

Read more at NYDailyNews.com.

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Vulgar Tweets Target Albuquerque High Schoolers

Are your kids on Twitter? Are you worried about cyber bullying?

 

A Twitter page that gathers insults and nasty allegations about Albuquerque high school students caught the attention of administrators Thursday.

And although many students pushed back against the original page – which was deleted after less than 24 hours – copycat pages quickly sprang up in its place.

The Twitter accounts aggregate messages from students at high schools around the city. The anonymous administrator of the sites solicited “direct messages” from students, then posted those messages to the page, allowing students to make anonymous allegations about their peers.

The posts ran the gamut from name-calling to cruel insults about physical appearance to allegations about students’ sexual behavior. Initially, the posts targeted students at West Side schools, but nearly every high school had been mentioned by Thursday evening.

Albuquerque Public Schools officials became aware of the original page around midday Thursday and began investigating it, spokeswoman Johanna King said. It had been posted for less than 24 hours.

There isn’t much APS can do about the page unless the district can somehow figure out who is responsible for the tweets, in which case the district could enforce its policy that prohibits bullying.

It was unclear how APS officials first found out, but many administrators have a presence on Twitter.

APS policy specifically includes cyber-bullying on and off campus if that bullying leads to the disruption of a “safe, respectful and fear-free environment for other members of the school community.”

Although some students tweeted that the page, called “HS Hitlist” was funny or “the greatest idea ever,” others admonished their peers.

“That hitlist profile is the kinda thing that makes kids commit suicide. It’s cyber-bullying,” one student tweeted.

Isaiah Vigil, a sophomore at Volcano Vista, responded to the pages by starting a “HS Lovelist” page that solicits and reposts anonymous compliments instead of insults.

Vigil said he became angry about the hit list pages when some of his closest friends were mentioned on it.

“They’re really close friends,” he said. “And the stuff that was mentioned about them wasn’t even true. It got me mad.”

By Thursday evening, the love list and the second incarnation of the hit list each had more than 200 followers.

Jesse Lopez, a member of the anti-bullying group the New Mexico Coalition for Student Justice, said cyber-bullying is different than the school-yard conflicts of the past.

“Bullying used to just be something that happened in school and was relevant on the school grounds,” Lopez said. “It’s not like that now. We’re not living in the ’80s or ’90s anymore. When kids go home, now they’re having to deal with a whole new issue of cyber-bullying.”

Lopez said rapidly changing technology can also make it hard for adults to keep up, since students have grown up with social networks and are often more comfortable on them than their parents.

“When a site like the Hitlist comes up, it can go viral really quickly,” Lopez said. “Before someone can even address it, you already have this whole ruckus of communication that goes on.”

Lopez advocates for national policy changes that would make it easier to track cyber-bullies who post anonymously.

“It’s not about government intervening and saying we’re going to control the Internet. But at some point, where does Twitter have to take responsibility?” he said.

Twitter has a policy of not revealing information about users without a subpoena or court order. Its website features a section on safety tips for parents and teens, which urges students to “block” bullies from seeing their tweets and refers to bullying as “a serious issue.”

Twitter’s advice to parents largely places responsibility with students and families.

“Since online harassment is usually rooted in ‘real world’ relationships, blocking another user is sometimes just a temporary fix,” according to the Twitter advice page. “Determined bullies may create new accounts on Twitter and other social media services, so sometimes it is more helpful to deal with the person or issue offline by working with school officials, the bully’s parents, or other local authorities.”
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal

Read more http://www.koat.com/r/30529862/detail.html

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Aftermarket Resources for Customizing IKEA Furniture

Ikea furniture is a great price, easy to get…but not everyone likes the style. Fortunately, there’s a whole industry of aftermarket add-on resources out there to help you customize your furniture.

IKEA furniture is great but we always love it even more when it has been altered. That's probably why we see so many IKEA pieces in before and after posts, which are some of our most popular. In addition to the usual DIYing we've seen here on Apartment Therapy, there's a whole industry of aftermarket add-ons for customizing IKEA furniture…

• O'verlays We've seen this product used a few times on projects - most recently on the Before & After: IKEA Trondheim Madeover With O'verlays. The lightweight, decorative fretwork panels are compatible with many IKEA lines — everybody's favorite, RAST, as well as MALM, PAX, EXPEDIT, EFFEKTIV and LACK. Check out the O'verlays Gallery for inspiration. (And don't forget to send us your Before & After photos!)

• Panyl For those times when you like the shape of an IKEA piece but not the finish,Panyl offers self adhesive vinyl to create new finishes. Their product is currently available for EXPEDIT, BESTA and FRAMSTA, with 34 colors to choose from. Shown above is EXPEDIT with Rosewood Panyl.

• Bemz Covering upholstered IKEA furniture in new fabric can instantly give the illusion of higher quality. Let's face it - IKEA upholstery is pretty cheap and not always very handsome. Bemz creates custom slipcovers for upholstered IKEA furniture. Slip on a new cover and folks won't notice they have the same exact sofa for their last trip to IKEA.

• Mykea — Artist designed decals from Mykea are quick way to add some attitude to a boring old MALM dresser. That attitude comes from a company whose matter is "say no to naked furniture". And just like clothes, Mykea decals can be removed when you tire of them. Seasonal wardrobe just took on a whole new meaning!

• Semi Handmade — Many old, dated kitchens have been freshened up with IKEA cabinetry. It's cheap, it's solid, and it works! Semi Handmade can help you dress up your flat pack cabinets with custom doors and drawers.

• Parts of Sweden — And, finally, the ultimate in IKEA customizing sites! Parts of Sweden offers everything from vinyl decals to handle knobs and even new feet for IKEA beds. Plus, it's from Sweden, so it's like shopping at the big blue box from the comfort of your own home. (Bake some cinnamon rolls to complete the experience.)

Read more: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/aftermarket-resources-for-customizing-ikea-furniture-165751

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KOAT’s “Get the Picture” Photo Contest

Do you have a camera? Then you should enter this super easy photo contest. The prizes are pretty awesome, and it looks like fun too! The first winner is Dawn Chapman, who took the picture below.

To celebrate New Mexico’s Centennial, take a picture of 100 of the same item… 100 pieces of candy… a 100 year old woman holding 100 pennies… you name it… and upload it to u local for a chance to win a grab bag of Centennial goodies from The New Mexico Tourism Department! Hint: the judges love entries that have New Mexico and Centennial themes!

One winner will be chosen daily each weekday from Monday, February 6th through Friday, February 17th. You can enter as many times as you want up to 3 p.m. on Friday, February 17th. The winner’s name and photo will be posted on this page and at http://ulocal.koat.com/.

Upload your photo to the Get The Picture category for it to be entered in the contest and appear in the slideshow below. Please include a brief description of the photo, along with the location of where it was taken. Your upload may be shown on-air!

Click here for official contest rules.

Start sharing your photos today! Not a member? Join u local -- it's free and easy.

Read more: http://www.koat.com/ulocal/30331357/detail.html#ixzz1lbeErTSj

PRIZES: Winner(s) will receive:

WEEK 1:
2 New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail t-shirts
2 Cultural Passes good for one time entrance into any state run museum
VALUE: $55

WEEK 2:
2 40th Anniversary Balloon Fiesta Mugs
2 Cultural Passes good for one time entrance into any state run museum
VALUE: $55

GRAND PRIZE FIRST FRIDAY:
2 New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger trail t-shirts
2 40th Anniversary Balloon Fiesta Mugs
2 Cultural Passes good for one time entrance into any state run museum
2 Ski Lift Passes to Angel Fire for use this ski season
VALUE: $213

GRAND PRIZE SECOND FRIDAY:
2 New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger trail t-shirts
2 40th Anniversary Balloon Fiesta Mugs
2 Cultural Passes good for one time entrance into any state run museum
2 Ski Lift Passes to Red River for use this ski season
VALUE: $213

Read more http://getthepicture.newmexico.org/featured

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How much do you know about the chili pepper?

We all love our chiles. But how much do you actually know about our spicy little friends?

Fortunately, there are entire websites devoted to chilis so you can brush up on your knowledge.  And New Mexico State has its own institute devoted to these peppers! Here is a list of their most commonly asked chili pepper questions. How many did you already know the answer to? Which ones surprised you?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do you get the burning to stop?

A. The best way to ease the burning sensation is to drink milk, or eat any dairy product. A substance found in dairy products known as casein helps to disrupt the burning sensation. If you get the oil on your skin you may want to rub it with rubbing alcohol first then soak in milk, this seems to alleviate the burning. If you get capsaicinoids in your eyes the only thing you can do is repeatedly rinse with water.

Q. Where did chile peppers originate?

A. All chile peppers are Western Hemisphere crops, varieties listed from the Eastern hemisphere have origins in the west. Chile peppers are believed to have originated in what is known as a "nuclear area" in South America bordered by the mountains of southern Brazil and to the east by Bolivia.

Q. What are bird's eye peppers?

A. This variety is also known as Tepin, Chiltepin, Chile Piquin or Bird Pepper all similar and somewhat interchangeable varieties of wild peppers that still exist today. These are the small chile pepper fruits found growing wild or in kitchen gardens. The small size resembles a "birds eye" and are eaten by birds, the natural dispersal agent for wild chile peppers. There is also a misnomer with the name "bird's eye." Some individuals have called Asian types and Tabasco peppers birds eye which are not true bird's eye chile peppers.

Q. What does "heat" do for the chile pepper plant? Or in other words, why did evolution produce hot peppers?

A. Chile peppers evolved heat to protect the fruits from being eaten by mammals. Birds, the natural dispersal agent of chile peppers, cannot feel the heat, the seeds then pass, intact, through the birds digestive system and thus, can disseminate the seeds naturally. Unfortunately, when mammals eat chile peppers, the seeds are destroyed in the digestive tract, so the heat is to discourage rodents from eating the fruits in the wild.

Q. What is the string of red chile peppers seen all over the southwest United States?

A. This stringing process is called a "ristra." In the early days of chile pepper cultivation, farmers would takes partially dehydrated red chile peppers from their fields, string them into ristras and hang them outside their homes to finish drying. Hanging a ristra outside the front door of a house is said to bring the home good luck.

Q. What is the difference between a green chile pepper and a jalapeño?

A. All chile peppers belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceae) along with tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, and eggplants. The difference between green chile peppers, which usually means a New Mexican type, and a jalapeño is the shape of the pod, flavor, and heat level.

Q. What is a "Hatch" pepper?

A. There really is no chile pepper variety named "Hatch", but rather is the area where the chile peppers grow. The town of Hatch, New Mexico is located about 40 miles north of Las Cruces, NM. The town of Hatch, New Mexico has marketed their Hatch grown chile peppers over the years in a way that "Hatch" chile peppers are in high demand all over the world.

Q. Can you eat ornamental chile peppers?

A. Yes, as long as it is a true Capsicum. Many times breeders are considering the aesthetics of the plant when breeding new cultivars of ornamentals thus the cultivar ends up usually being very hot and without much flavor. This leads the nursery industry to label the plants "non-edible".

Q. What is the hottest chile pepper in the world?

A. Up until September of 2006, the Guinness Book of World Records listed the world's hottest chile pepper as the 'Red Savina' habanero. The new hottest chile pepper in the world is the ‘Bhut Jolokia' with a Scoville rating three times that of the ‘Red Savina,' at 1,001,304 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).

Q. What makes chile peppers hot?

A. The heat in a chile pepper is caused by a group of alkaloids called capsaicinoids. There are currently 15 different capsaicinoids making up capsaicin, meaning there are endless possibilities for flavor and heat combinations.

Q. Is there any way to take the heat out of a jalapeño?

A. You could carefully remove the placenta (midrib), where the capsaicinoids are located. The orange or yellow color seen on the placenta is the exact location of the capsaicinoids. By removing the placenta, the heat is removed.

Q. Are chile peppers perennial plants?

A. In nature wild chile pepper plants are perennials, growing for up to 10 years. If the growing conditions are favorable (no frost or freezing temperatures), such as in southern California, Texas and Florida, they can be grown as perennials, sometimes growing for many years.

Read more http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/frequently_asked_questions.php

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