500 Warner Robins St. • Robins AFB, GA 31098Phone: (478) 225-9374 • Fax: (478) 225-9367 • www.robinsiifamilyhousing.com

January 2011

Your Friendly StaffDaniel Queen Community DirectorCharles Arnold Maintenance DirectorJennifer Andersen Leasing AgentRick Nall Asst. Maintenance DirectorCarl Burriss Maintenance TechAngela Newman Leasing Agent

Office HoursMonday through Friday 8 to 5Saturday and Sunday Closed

NewsletterAs many of you have noticed, we

have a new newsletter. We are hopingthat this will be an improvement andprove informative and useful to all. If youhave thoughts and/or comments, let usknow. Thanks.

Welcome 2011Best wishes in the year ahead.

Monthly CelebrationsHitch up your wagons for Rising

Star Month. January is also FinancialWellness Month, Get OrganizedMonth, International Creativity Month,National Clean Up Your ComputerMonth and National Mentoring Month.

Town Hall MeetingsWe will be holding a Town Hall

meeting this month. The exact date,time and place are to be determined,and we will notify all when these aresettled. The topics will be: mock utilitybilling, resident activities, landscaping,maintenance and your thoughts. Wewould like to have a big attendance.We thank all of you for your patienceand cooperation in working towardmaking Robins AFB the best placeto live.

Positive Thought“The secret of happiness is not in

doing what one likes, but in liking whatone does.” —J.M. Barrie

Helpful HintsWe would like to remind everyone

to leave your heat (in winter) and yourair conditioner (in summer) on whenyou are away on a trip. You shouldturn the heat down and the A/Ctemperature up to conserve energy;however, do not turn the system off. Inthe winter, we need to ensure that thewater pipes maintain a flow and do notfreeze and break. In the summer, weneed to keep homes cool to avoidmildew and other bad things.

DeploymentsWhile spouses are deployed, we

will mow fenced-in yards and performminor household repairs that we maynot usually do. Stop by the office andlet us know about the deployment.

WebsiteOur website is up and running.

Please visit robinsiifamilyhousing.com.Be sure and check in occasionally tofind out what new and exciting ishappening here at Robins AFB.

Book BlitzHead to the library—January is

Book Blitz Month.

FeedbackWe welcome your feedback and

want to know how we are doing. If youwould, take the time to email us or calland tell us how we are doing. This canbe positive or negative. We welcomethe comments, and we are striving toconstantly improve.

Trivia Whiz:Polar Personalities

Love or hate winter, the seasonmakes its presence known. Thesecool characters personify the frigid,frosty time of year.

• Old Man Winter. The face ofwinter, this wild-haired fellowpuffs his cheeks and blows outicy breath, causing temperaturesto plummet.

• Jack Frost. Credit or blame JackFrost’s frozen fingers for the icyglaze that patterns windows inwinter. The nose-nipper ofholiday song is a “happy littlesprite” in nursery rhyme, but healso has a dark side. He’s awicked snowman in the 1997horror film “Jack Frost” and anevil schemer in 2006’s “TheSanta Clause 3.”

• The Snow Maiden. In oneRussian fable, a childless couplecreates a girl of snow whomagically comes to life. But whenshe falls in love with a farm boy,the warmth of her heart causesher to melt and perish. In anothertale, she’s the beautiful daughterof Spring and Frost who isdestroyed by a ray of sun on herwedding day.

• The Abominable Snowman. Alsocalled Yeti, this mythical beasthas been described as a large,apelike creature that treksupright through the Himalayas,leaving humanlike footprints inthe snow. Scientific consensussays the tracks were left byanimals, but that hasn’tdestroyed Yeti’s mighty legend.His pop culture persona rangesfrom creepy to cuddly.

Savor the Season“In seed time learn, in harvest

teach, in winter enjoy.”—William Blake

Tips on TippingGood service deserves to be

rewarded, but when and how much totip can be confusing. Here are a fewguidelines:

Waitstaff at sit-down restaurantstypically get a 15 to 20 percent tip onthe pretax amount of the check. Forwait service at a buffet, give10 percent. If you’ve ordered delivery,tip that person 5 to 10 percent.

Taxi drivers get a 15 percent tipand a few extra bucks if they helpedwith any bags.

Skycaps should receive $2 for thefirst bag and $1 more for eachadditional bag.

Tip hotel housekeepers $2 to $5 aday, or more if you’re messy. It’sproper to tip the room service deliveryperson 10 to 15 percent.

Manicurists, waxers andmasseuses expect a 15 to 20 percenttip, while shampoo techs should get

$1 to $2.It’s customary to tip furniture

delivery people $5 per item, but keepin mind how much lifting andmaneuvering were required. Also, givean extra tip if they must assembleyour delivery.

Don’t avoid giving a tip becauseyou don’t know if it’s the properetiquette. It’s better to err on thegenerous side and offer a tip in the 10to 15 percent range. If the persondoesn’t normally get tips, this willregister in his face and you’ll know notto tip next time. If your tip is belowaverage, you’ll usually be able to tellthat as well. Just use your bestjudgment.

Portion DistortionAll-you-can-eat buffets, supersized

value meals and restaurant platters ofenormous proportions have seriouslydistorted Americans’ view of ahealthy-sized meal. Large portions notonly lead to overeating, weightproblems and other health concerns,but tons of food waste as well. Peoplemight be surprised to learn theappropriate portions of particularfoods. Before you pile your nextplateful, learn the correct-sized mealsto consume.

Beware at breakfast. Pancakesand waffles should be the size of aCD. Have only one, made of wholegrains, and one egg plus fruit for ahealthier breakfast. Muffins should bethe size of a tennis ball.

Perilous pizza pies. Ordering theextra-large pizza means the slicestend to be larger, and there are morepieces to go around. Limit yourself to

one large piece or two smaller piecesand have a salad.

Meet mini meat. A steak should bethe size of a deck of cards. Chickenbreasts should be the size of yourpalm, not your hand.

Costly free refills. Soft drinks arefull of calories and sugar. If you’regoing to drink soda, limit yourself to a12-ounce serving, then skip thefree refill.

Make an effort this year to controlyour portion sizes. Once your portionsshrink, your waistline might follow.

Saving Your Digital LifeRemember the days when photos

were in albums, music was on CDsand books were on the shelf? Now allthose things are often stored on ourpersonal computers, making itessential that those files be backedup. The simplest way to back up filesis to copy them to a CD or DVD.Simply insert a blank CD or DVD intoyour computer and then transfercopies of your important files to thedisc. This is as simple as clickingand dragging the file from one folderto another. Experts recommendbacking up your important files atleast once a month.

If you need to manage a greatnumber of files—such as a musiclibrary or lots of home videos—consider getting an external harddrive. It’s best to buy one with asmuch memory as possible. To backup your files, just plug the hard driveinto the computer and copy your filesonto the device. Copying the files cantake anywhere from minutes to a fewhours, so it’s best to do this at a timewhen the computer isn’t needed.

A “cloud” system is the leastmechanical way to back up your files,but it takes a leap of faith. Aprofessional service backs up yourcomputer’s files and copies them intoan online environment, all through aweb-based browser. If your computercrashes, the service can automaticallyprovide all your saved files. There areseveral reputable services, includingCarbonite, Dropbox and Box. Withthese services, you can manuallyupload files or set your account forautomatic updating.

Blonde BrowniesIngredients:• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder• 1/2 teaspoon salt• 1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or

margarine, softened• 3 large eggs• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract• 2 cups (12-ounce package)

Nestlé Toll House semi-sweetchocolate morsels

Directions:Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease

15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Combineflour, baking powder and salt in smallbowl. Beat sugar and butter in largemixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggsand vanilla extract, then graduallybeat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.Spread into prepared pan. Bake for20 to 25 minutes or until top is goldenbrown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cutinto bars.

For more recipes, visitVeryBestBaking.com.

Finger FoodBrownies are thought to have been

invented in 1893, in the kitchen ofChicago’s Palmer House Hotel, as amore portable, lunchbox-friendlyversion of cake.

Wit & Wisdom

“With self-disciplinemost anything is possible.”

—Theodore Roosevelt

“Seek freedom and become captiveof your desires. Seek discipline and

find your liberty.”—Frank Herbert

“It’s all right letting yourself go, as longas you can get yourself back.”

—Mick Jagger

“Some people regard discipline as achore. For me, it is a kind of order that

sets me free to fly.”—Julie Andrews

“I don’t wait for moods. Youaccomplish nothing if you do that.

Your mind must know it has got to getdown to work.”—Pearl S. Buck

“I generally avoid temptationunless I can’t resist it.”

—Mae West

“Each day, and the living of it, has tobe a conscious creation in which

discipline and order are relieved withsome play and pure foolishness.”

—May Sarton

“Respect your efforts; respectyourself. Self-respect leads to

self-discipline. When you haveboth firmly under your belt,

that’s real power.”—Clint Eastwood

“Success isn’t measured by money orpower or social rank. Success ismeasured by your discipline and

inner peace.”—Mike Ditka

January

1789: The first U.S. presidential

election occurs.

1848: James W. Marshall discovers

gold at a sawmill in Coloma, Calif.

1863: President Abraham Lincoln

signs the Emancipation Proclamation.

1880: Inventor Thomas Edison

receives a patent for his electric

incandescent lamp.

1888: A drinking straw of

paraffin-covered paper is patented.

1906: Mmm, mmm good!

Campbell’s soup is

trademark-registered.

1935: Popular American rock and

roll singer Elvis Presley is born in

Tupelo, Miss.

1952: NBC television’s “The Today

Show” premieres nationwide to

morning viewing audiences.

1956: John F. Kennedy publishes

“Profiles in Courage.”

1967: The first professional

football world championship game,

later known as the Super Bowl, is

played in Los Angeles.

1973: Major League Baseball’s

American League adopts the

designated-hitter rule.

1984: Apple’s Macintosh computer

debuts to the public at a selling price

of $2,495.

2002: The Euro currency is

introduced in 12 EU countries.

January 2011Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2 3

Festival of SleepDay

4 5 6

Trash Day

7 8

9 10NATIONAL

CUT YOUR ENERGY COSTS DAY

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Step in a Puddle andSplash Your FriendsDay

12 13

Trash Day

14 15

16 17

Martin LutherKing Jr. Day

18 19 20Trash Day

PenguinAppreciation Day

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23/30 24/31 25 26 27

and

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