Why do we put salt on the roads when it snow?

Salt makes the snow melt right?  But why. Come on, now, you must have wondered this questions before.  Those big trucks come down the load and plowed as much snow and from the rear they are leaving salt mixture and magically you can drive on the road again.  But people always say, try to stay away from brigdges and over passes because those dangerous.  Why are bridges so dangerous?
It's actually pretty simple.The salt forms a brine on the roadway that melts the snow and ice. What is this brine a combination of moisture and salt.  As cars drive through this brine it breaks the bond allowing slush to form and then those giant plow trucks can do their job later and plow the slush out of way.  The bad new, the colder it is outside, the longer it takes for this process to take into effect. 

"Temperatures, time of application, weather conditions and the type of road surface, are among the many variables that can affect the success of deicing. For instance, at 30° F salt is five times more effective than at 20° F." Morton Salt assisted me in learning this simple trick.

The next topic, why are bridges more dangerous.  Road surfaces make a differience on the success of deicing.  Each surfaces absorbs heat differently.  Asphalt for example aborbs lots of heat.  That is with driveways that are pure asphalt, are easiser to clear out. However bridges are mostly built by steel and concrete not asphalt. There are two ways for heat to escape from above and below, while in road heats can only escape from above. Bridges do not absorb heat as fast making them less effective and having a less success for deicing.

I hope you learned a lot. So now that this new wave of snow came into my area.  I now know to avoid bridges and why I love salt on the roads, because I would rather drive on slush any day. Thank you for all those individuals who plow the streets of America!   

• Great site to learn more about why use salt on raods, check out: http://www.usroads.com/journals/p/rmj/9712/rm971202.htm
  

What is a cubicle?

People have been asking me lately, "How's work?"  I try to explain to them what I have been up to, but it always seems to go back to my cubicle.  It's hard to explain my job since I learn and do something new everyday.  The insurance world is always changing. 

So what is a cubicle, you might ask?  Well, for me, it's where I spend most of my days, (for some rare reason, I feel like bursting out in Fresh Prince of Bell-Air lyrics).  But in all seriousness, a cubicle is where I spend around 7 to 9 hours a day, working.  It's a home away from home.  It's decorated enough that when people walk by, they know a little something about me.

According to our good old friend, wikipedia,
"A cubicle, cubicle desk or office cubicle is a partially enclosed workspace, separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually 5–6 feet (1.5–1.8 m) tall.

A cubicle's purpose is to isolate office workers from the sights and noises of an open workspace, the theory being that this allows workers more privacy and helps them to concentrate without distractions. Horizontal work surfaces are usually suspended from the partitions of cubicles, as is shelving, overhead storage, and other amenities.

Cubicles are often seen as being symbolic of the human condition of working in a modern office setting due to their uniformity and blandness.

The term cubicle comes from the Latin cubiculum, for bed chamber. It was used in English as early as the 15th century. It eventually came to be used for small chambers of all sorts, and for small rooms or study spaces with partitions which do not reach to the ceiling

An office filled with cubicles is sometimes called a cube farm. Although humorous, the phrase usually has negative connotations. Cube farms are often found in high-tech companies, but they also appear in the insurance industry and other service-related fields. Many cube farms were built during the dotcom boom."
 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubicle)

So I have always wanted to live in a farm, and now I can say, I do, I live in a cube farm.  Who would have thought that a suburban girl like me, would live in a farm.  We all have our own special gifts and personalities, but all trained to do the same thing, bring GREAT customer service to our clients. 

So for all those fellow cube members. Take pride in your home away from home and decorate your cubicle. Don't let the stereotype win, cubicles are not bland or uniform.  Give your cubicle some character and make it a home.

How to set goals?

I always thought it was funny, that we spend all this time and energy talking about new year's eve that each day is it's a brand new day.  I do guess we can start referring to 2010 instead of 2009, but seriously what is the big deal?  People ask, "What are you going to give up or what will you do this year?" Then people's response is, "Oh, for the new year I will start or give up, so and so." 

Don't get me wrong it's good to set goals, but does anyone really know how to start goals and how do we even keep goals.

This post will be about goal setting.  I am the first to admit, I need goals.  I need goals as much as the next person, but I know I need them.  I love having a list of goals and the sense of personal accomplishment that I completed a goal.  So what is a goal? How do you go about achieving one?

In my previous employment, I was taught, when we set goals, we must set SMART goals.

• S - Specific
• M - Measurable
• A - Attainable
• R - Realistic
• T - Timely

When I set goals, I always ask myself,

• "How will this effect my personal, spiritual, physical, or professional life?"   In where I am in a my life right now, those are the four areas I want to be held accountable in, so I try to list one to two for each category.  
• "What do you ultimately what to accomplish in your life? How will these goals help you achieve this?

For instance, I want to renew my prayer life and start praying more often to Jesus, so I want to pray the rosary three times a week and will be consistent by beginning of March 2010. 

• S - Specific -- praying the rosary
  
• M - Measurable -- three times a week
  
• A - Attainable -- Do you have 20 minutes three days a week to pray the rosary? Yes or No?
  
• R - Realistic -- Can you actually achieve this goal? Yes or No?
  
• T - Timely -- give yourself a due date so you know if you are living up to this goal.
  

So now you are thinking okay, I can set some SMART goals for myself. The next step is accountablility somehow. Make a chart or find a good friend to assist you. There is no sense of setting goals unless you plan to achieve them.  The only way to achieve goals is to start goals. 

So what is preventing you to make this year count. Think about setting and starting some SMART goals in your life and achieve them. I am telling you there is nothing more exciting then knowing you are on the right path for success. Let's be honest, no one knows you better than yourself, so you will know if you are cheating.

Some helpful links:

• http://www.goal-setting-guide.com/smart-goals.html
• http://www.goalhappy.com/
• http://goal-setting-guide.com/7-goal-setting-tips.html
• http://www.mygoals.com/content/goal-setting-article-002.html