Using Zuma Blitz Powers for Super High Scores

My Tips for Selecting Powers and Achieving High Scores in Zuma Blitz

Just about every week I'm asked via Facebook wall posts and email messages just how I achieved my current Zuma Blitz high score. Now, I'm not the best player in the world, but my current high score is 1,898,990 and my last two weeks' scores were over 2 million. Not too shabby. This article focuses on which special powers I use and why I choose them. Look for another (more detailed) strategy guide on game play in the next few weeks.

Analysis: Which Zuma Blitz Powers Are Best

Every week the Zuma Blitz developers come out with a new puzzle. Before I use any powers I get a feel for the board by playing without any powers at all. In fact, I play far more games without powers than with powers. After playing a few games I analyze the data Zuma Blitz provides and make a determination as to which will serve me best this week. Truly, the best combination of powers will vary for each player based on their own strengths and weaknesses in the game in general and on the current puzzle in particular. I like to pick powers based on my strengths for the current week. So, for example, if I find that I got a crazy high amount of points from the fruit, then I'll pick the fruit power. Basically, I match the three powers (I either play with all three or none) to my three highest scoring areas for this week's puzzle.

My Usual Selections: My Favorite Four Zuma Blitz Powers

I'm guessing that most of you either don't want to take the time to analyze your strengths or just want to know which powers I use. If that's the case, here is my secret. Most of the time I use the multiplier, the time bonus, and the chain bonus. These are the three powers on your second screen (assuming you've reached a high enough level in Zuma Blitz to have access to all three) and in picture two for this article. However, when a puzzle is tougher for me, I tend to replace the chain bonus with the fruit bonus.

Timing: When to Use Zuma Blitz Powers

As I mentioned earlier, I play more often without powers than with them. This lets me bank my mojo (what you need within the game in order to access your powers.

When I do not use powers:

• When multitasking (for example, watching a movie and playing Zumba blitz at the same time).

• When tired, hungry or otherwise distracted.

• Before I think I've got a good feel for the new puzzle of the week.

When I do use powers:

• When I feel especially alert and focused.

• Once I think I've mastered the current week's puzzle well enough for the mojo expense to be justified (this is just an intuitive thing. If I figure out how to quantify it I'll amend the article or write a new one).

I hope this article was helpful for you! Best wishes for high scores in Zuma Blitz!

Sources:

Personal Experience

http://apps.facebook.com/zumablitz/?ref=canvas_bkmk_top&count=0

originally published on Associated Content. Currently published at http://voices.yahoo.com/using-zuma-blitz-powers-super-high-8166105.html?cat=19

Fluffie Blanket Product Review

Photo credit/copyright: Phyllis Wheeler

If you're looking for a super soft blanket that is machine washable and dryable then this review is for you! This is my personal review of the "Fluffie Blanket" including why I chose to purchase it and my experiences with it since bringing it home.

Truly Lives Up to the Promise "Our Cuddliest Blanket Ever"

Sometimes you just want a super soft blanket to cuddle with and this blanket delivers. Walking through the aisles of my local Marshall's I enjoy touching the various blankets and comparing softness. I just love soft fabrics, and the softer they are the more I enjoy them.

We already have plenty of blankets for ourselves and the occasional guest, but when I touched the Fluffie Blanket I just had to try it. It was literally the softest blanket I'd ever felt. And it wasn't just a thin little thing. Even though it's a lightweight blanket it has some serious loft to it. I wondered if it would remain as soft as it felt in the store after being washed, if it will pill or leave messy debris all over my house and what our cats would think of it.

If figured if it did pill excessively or didn't live up to it's promise of being the "cuddliest blanket ever" I could return the blanket to Marshalls or take advantage of the label's "Wow guarantee" (see the "Package Details" section of my review, below, for more information).

Given that Marshall's is kind of an outlet store, there are sometimes not many colors from which to choose. I would have loved a light blue but they had purple, teal, white, beige, and green. They had king, queen/full and throw sizes available as well (Not all sizes had all colors). I chose a king size blanket in beige as that would go well in my bedroom without hiding my cats (we've had problems with dark blankets and our black cats; when the cats sleep on the dark blanket we cannot see them at night and we'd prefer to avoid sitting on them so we stick to lighter color blankets and comforters).

As I have allergies, the first thing I did upon bringing the Fluffie blanket home was wash it. I was pleased that it didn't leave debris in my washer and both pleased and very surprised that it left very little lint in my dryer. I was happy to find that it was just as soft after being washed and dried as it was in the store.

Living in the mid Atlantic region means that we have regularly changing weather. It can be 95 degrees one day and 55 the next. I always like to have a blanket on the bed, even in summer. The longer I have this blanket the more I find that I enjoy it. It hasn't pilled or left debris. It's a pleasure to sit on the bed and just run my hand through it. The cats adore it and now spend more time on our bed than they do in their usual places (I might have to buy a throw version and sew it into liners for their baskets so they don't spend so much time on the bed!).

Package Details: The king size blanket is 108 in x 90 in (274 cm x 229 cm), is advertised as "soft & cuddly, lightweight warmth, machine wash & dry" with a "Wow Guarantee: We guarantee that this product will make you say 'Wow, I'm totally satisfied.' If it doesn't, simply return it for a full refund or exchange. For customer service, please call 800-372-2018. 100% Polyester."

Bottom Line: At $34.99 for my king size blanket this was a decent buy and as I expect to get many years of use out of the super soft Fluffie Blanket, the cost per use should be in the pennies. I am very happy with my purchase and I would definitely recommend it to others.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.

Originally published 5/19/2010

http://voices.yahoo.com/fluffie-blanket-product-review-6057916.html?cat=30

Prayers for People with Schizophrenia

Photo copyright/credit: morguefile.com/anitapatterson

What is schizophrenia? How do I pray for someone suffering from it? Includes sample prayers for general schizophrenia and paranoid schizophrenia.

Sample Prayers for People You Know Who Are Afflicted with Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe disease of the brain. It can be managed with medication but does require lifelong medication management and can be debilitating. It is extremely important that people with schizophrenia remain on their medication. The National Institute of Mental Health advises, "Patients should not stop taking a medication without a doctor's help. Stopping medication suddenly can be dangerous, and it can make the symptoms of schizophrenia worse." If you or someone you care about has this disease it can be a heavy burden (to say the least). Prayer can help ease that burden.

As I have a loved one who has schizophrenia I did a web search for "schizophrenia prayer". What I found was appalling and not at all comforting. I wanted to offer a sample prayer that was in line with what schizophrenia really is while embracing the Christian faith (if you have a different kind of faith feel free to alter the prayers for your own faith). Instead of having a specific name in the prayers I use "loved one", "her" or "she". Feel free to substitute your loved one's name and change the gender as appropriate.

How do we pray for someone with schizophrenia? There's no right or wrong way. Pour out your heart to God. He longs to hear from you. These prayers are for the afflicted, for the care partners and for the extended family and friends of people with schizophrenia.

I offer these prayers to help you pray specifically for the challenges that schizophrenia can present and for those that find uttering more than a "Lord, please help my loved one" prayer difficult. The first prayer is a general prayer for someone with any type of schizophrenia. The second is more specifically for someone with the paranoid type of schizophrenia. You don't have to pray the whole entire prayer; you can pray the parts that speak to you or a sentence here and there. Use the prayers in whatever manner you prefer. Whatever you choose, I hope these prayers are a blessing and a comfort to you.

General Prayer for Someone with Schizophrenia

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are the great healer, the only living God, ruler of the universe. We are humbled by your love for us as fragile humans. Lord, we don't understand why our loved one suffers from schizophrenia; it's so hard to understand. But we come to you asking for your healing hand upon our loved one. Please heal her brain. If there are latent viruses please demolish them. If there are mutated genes, please fix them. Please heal every cell in her body.

If it's not in your will to heal her completely at this time, please help her to take her medicine as prescribed, today and every day for the rest of her time here on earth. We know that it is very hard, especially for people afflicted with schizophrenia, to stay on their medicine for life, but as this disease is incurable except through a miracle from Your hand, it is so very necessary. Help her to see how much better and safer her life and the lives of those that live and interact with her are when she is on her medicine. Help her want to take it and feel good about taking it.

Help her to be free of the disease created voices in her head. If that's not possible, help her to distinguish real voices from imaginary schizophrenia produced voices. Help her to be grounded in reality and to more easily tell the difference between what is going on in real life and any hallucinations or delusions put into her brain by the illness. Please help her to organize her thoughts, pay attention to real life, and remember that we love her deeply and want only the best for her. Please help her to communicate rationally and calmly. Please help her to manage her day in a productive way.

Please let her to feel your loving arms around her right now. Please give her peace and contentment. If she does not already know you as her personal Savior, please help her to establish that relationship today. Let her feel your healing presence. Please encourage her heart and mind. Please give strength and wisdom to her care partners and those who live with her. May they feel strengthened and encouraged today. May your loving presence be upon them today as well. We lift up our loved one to you in prayer, Lord. We ask all this according to Your holy will, in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer for Someone with Paranoid Schizophrenia

In addition to the above prayer, you might pray something like this:

Please help her to see that we love her. Please erase the paranoid thoughts and replace them with loving thoughts. Please clear her mind and help her to realize that no one is plotting against her, no one wants to hurt her and that she is safe. Please help her to be calm and help her to control her mannerisms and keep her voice volume reasonable and restrain herself from hitting, pushing, punching, or otherwise lashing out physically.

Please give her peace. Please fill her mind and spirit with Your love so that instead of feeling persecuted, suspicious and tense, she feels calm, peaceful and relaxed. We know all things are possible for you, Lord. Please heal our loved one. Amen.

Sources:

Medline Plus, Schizophrenia, http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&query=schizophrenia&x=0&y=0

Medline Plus, Schizphrenia, paranoid type,http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000936.htm

National Institute of Mental Health, Schizophrenia,http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia-easy-to-read/schizophrenia-easy-to-read.shtml

originally published 5/17/2010

http://voices.yahoo.com/prayers-people-schizophrenia-6040160.html?cat=70

Eight Acne Myths

Discussion of common myths about acne with revelations about more effective ways of dealing with acne prone skin. Learn whether chocolate, greasy foods, kissing, tanning, stress and more cause acne.

Originally published 5/14/2010

http://voices.yahoo.com/eight-acne-myths-6012622.html?cat=69

How to Have Healthy Highlighted Hair

Tips on healing the damage caused by the highlighting process. These tips will also help dry, color treated and over processed hair.

Highlighting is a fairly harsh process, stripping the pigment from the hair shafts and then often the hair endures a second chemical toning process to redeposit a new shade (for example, to make it gold or coppery instead of platinum).

Restore Moisture and add Protein

The first time you wash your hair after your highlighting services (whether in the salon or at home), apply a deep conditioning mask with protein to help restore moisture and strength to your hair. Leave it in a couple minutes longer than recommended. Then I recommend using a similar mask weekly. If you can cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it in a little longer, that's even better. If your budget doesn't allow for a separate mask and conditioner then you can leave your regular conditioner in extra long (for example, leave it on for 10 minutes instead of the 3 recommended on the bottle). Be sure to use products rated for color treated hair. It's not as important that your products be all from the same brand, just that they are all appropriate for color treated hair, especially your shampoo. Products formulated especially for color treated hair are available in both drug store and salon brands so there is something available for every budget.

Always condition your hair whenever you wash it and, if your hair is very dry or damaged, in addition to the rinse out conditioner you use in the shower, use a leave in conditioner.

Limit Damage

It is very important to limit additional damage to your hair. One way to do this is to undergo as few chemical processes as rarely as possible to achieve the look you love. If you have long hair and your highlights are only a few shades lighter than your natural color you can probably get away with doing highlights only once or twice a year. The more frequently the process is done, the more damage is often sustained.

Another way to reduce damage is to use heat styling appliances less frequently. Air dry your hair whenever possible. When you do use the flat or curling iron, try to limit the contact of the iron to your hair to just what you need to achieve your style without overdoing it.

Adding a UV protection spray to your styling routine will help limit damage from the sun (which is the primary cause of skin aging, so it stands to reason that you would want to protect your hair from these harsh rays too).

Treat your hair as gently as possible. Use a high quality brush, ouch less elastics and smooth accessories that are less likely to snag your hair. If you can sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase that will help reduce friction when you toss and turn in your sleep. Wear a scarf or pop your hair under a hat on very windy days.

Employ Healthy Habits

The things you do to have general good health should be good for the health of your hair too (although this tip is more likely to help with the health of your hair that is currently growing than what is already highlighted; think of it as preparing a healthy foundation for future highlighting processes). Drink plenty of water, eat a balanced diet with lots of fresh vegetables and fruit (and if you don't have a good diet at least take a balanced daily multivitamin that includes folic acid). Exercise regularly (as always, get approval from your doctor before starting any new exercise routine). Get plenty of sleep. You get the idea.

My stylists comment that I have some of the healthiest hair they've ever seen so these tips do work for me. I hope you find that they work for you too!

Originally published 5/14/2010

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-healthy-highlighted-hair-5999596.html?cat=69

Baseball and Romance Poem

A poem about baseball, romance, and shared memories.

Originally published 5/12/10. Including link only just in case, although I'm 99.9% sure it was published as display only and I maintain my rights of ownership.

http://voices.yahoo.com/baseball-romance-6014902.html?cat=14

Pacifica Solid Perfume Product Review

Review of Pacifica's Solid Perfume by a beauty and natural product lover. Includes novel uses for the solid perfume, overall experience with it and a list of the ingredients and special qualities of it.

This Handy Little Tin of Fragrant Wax Can Also Be Used as a Cuticle or Elbow Balm!

The pretty vintage inspired tin caught my bye but the pleasing fragrances and moisturizing texture of Pacifica's Solid Perfume sold me. I've seen Pacifica's candles and admired their pleasant natural scents before, but as the "mom" of a clumsy geriatric cat who once caught her tail on fire, I don't burn candles in my home anymore (thankfully I noticed immediately and she only suffered a couple of singed hairs). Given that I wanted to try the Pacifica line but can't burn candles, I thought that this $9 little extravagance would be a nice introduction. It was a bonus to note that the product is 100% vegan, paraben, gluten and artificial color free, and not tested on animals (I'll list the ingredients at the end of the review).

After smelling the various testers I settled on the "Lotus Garden" fragrance. It's different from my other (many!) perfumes and reminds me of a moonlight walk through a fragrant garden. Using it as a solid perfume, I applied it to my pulse points and was rewarded with pleasant glimpses of the fragrance throughout the day.

A few days later I decided it to try it as a cuticle balm and that has turned into my main use for it. A little really does go a long way; I use about the size of a quarter of a pea to do the cuticles of both of my hands. When I realized how nicely that was working I decided to try it on my elbows. I have very stubborn elbows that are often red and dry. When I remember to dab some of this product on regularly, my elbows return to a nice skin color and all the dryness disappears.

Of course, once I'd fallen in love with the product I had to try some more of their fragrances. I've now acquired the French Lilac, Bali Lime Papaya, Malibu Lemon Blossom, and Waikiki Pikake versions of this product. The Pacifica solid perfume product line has 21 different fragrances that their website separates into the following categories: "floral, fruit, herbal & spice, and wood fragrances and perfumes".

If you're looking for a bargain, the South Pacific Solid Perfume Trio sells for $18 (it's like buying two and getting one free, which is great if you like all three fragrances).

Bottom line: I would definitely recommend this as a solid perfume, cuticle balm or elbow salve.

Here are the ingredients: Organic coconut wax, organic soy wax, non- GMO hydrogenated soy wax, Pacifica's own fragrance blend with natural and essential oils.

Source: http://www.pacificaperfume.com/natural-solid-perfumes

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.

Originally published 5/11/10

http://voices.yahoo.com/pacifica-solid-perfume-product-review-6006894.html?cat=69