Photo Finish | E-Neighborhood Advisor

If you were a particularly good boy or girl, you may have received a new smartphone for the holidays. Many people select their smart device not on the basis of how it works as a phone, but on how it works as a camera. Use these tips and tricks from Hubspot and generate Instagram envy among your friends and family. 1. Use gridlines to balance your shot. One of the easiest and best ways to improve your mobile photos is to turn on the camera's gridlines. If you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines, your photo will be more balanced, level, and allow viewers to interact with it more naturally. To switch the grid on ... iPhone: Go to "Settings," choose "Photos & Camera," and switch "Grid" on. Samsung Galaxy: Launch the camera app, go to "Settings," scroll down and switch the "grid lines" option to "on." 2. Set your camera's focus. Today's phone cameras automatically focus on the foreground of your frame, but not every picture you take on your phone has an obvious subject. To adjust where you want your camera lens to focus, open your camera app and tap the screen where you want to sharpen the view. If you're taking a photo of something in motion, for example, it can be difficult for your camera to follow this subject and refocus as needed. Tap the screen to correct your phone camera's focus just before snapping the picture to ensure the moving subject has as much focus as possible. A square or circular icon should then appear on your camera screen, shifting the focus of your shot to all of the content inside that icon. 3. Avoid zooming in. When you take a photo from a distance, it's tempting to zoom in on something specific you're trying to capture. But it's actually better not to zoom in -- doing so can make the photo appear grainy, blurry, or pixelated. Instead, try to get closer to your subject -- unless it's a wild animal, in which case we would advise keeping your distance -- or take the photo from a default distance and crop it later on. That way, you won't compromise quality, and it's easier to play around or optimize a larger image. 4. Use natural light. It's hard to find a great smartphone photo that was taken with a flash. Most of the time, they make a photo look overexposed, negatively altering colors and making human subjects look washed out. Take advantage of the sources of natural light you can find, even after dark. This gives you a chance to play with shadows or create a silhouette with other ambient sources of light, like traffic and surrounding buildings. Remember, once you've taken your photo, you can use filters and apps to make the subject even more vivid, or to crop it to frame the subject correctly. The brightness, contrast, and saturation of the photo can also be adjusted accordingly -- all from your phone. Your Flooring Consultant, Matt Capell Email: sales@capellinteriors.com Phone (208) 288-0151 Fax (208) 917-6160

Celebrate a second New Year in January! | E-Neighborhood Advisor

This year, Saturday, January 25 marks the Chinese New Year. Celebrated by more than 20 percent of the world’s population, Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people all over the world. The holiday launches the spring festival, a time for saying good bye to cold weather and for welcoming the promise and rebirth of spring. There are celebrations with special foods and traditional decorations, and children are given “red pockets” for luck -- small, red envelopes filled with money. Every Chinese New Year, a new zodiac animal is celebrated. Zodiac signs play an integral part in Chinese culture, and can be used to determine if you will be successful, find love, have a baby and so much more. 2020 begins the year of the rat. If you were born in 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 or 2020, you are a rat. Rats are clever, quick thinkers; successful, but content with living a quiet and peaceful life. In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children. Not a rat? You can determine your Chinese zodiac and see its characteristics here: https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/ More fireworks are set off on Chinese New Year than on any other day of the year, including the Fourth of July. According to Chinese legend, a monster named Nian would terrorize villages every New Year’s Eve. Most people would hide, but one brave boy drove him away using firecrackers. The next day, people celebrated their survival by setting off even more firecrackers. And that practice became a crucial part of the Spring Festival. Check out https://chinesenewyear.net/ for more traditions, taboos and information. Happy New Year! Your Flooring Consultant, Matt Capell Email: sales@capellinteriors.com Phone (208) 288-0151 Fax (208) 917-6160

Welcome to January 2020 | Capell Flooring and Interiors

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! It feels like just yesterday we were bringing in 2019 – now we have officially hit 2020!!!
It feels unreal. So this month we will be kicking things off with all our plans and goals so we can make 2020 the
absolute best year ever. Imagine yourself closing the door on 2019 and let’s look at areas that we can improve
in 2020.  One area we should start with first is the home. Let’s be honest, your home is where all the ideas,
memories and comfort flow from. It’s a place of refuge from a long day at work or even a place where you
celebrate with family and friends. As Marie Kondo would say, start looking at the areas that don’t spark joy
for you.  It can be small improvements to begin with like new curtains; then you can work your way to more
noticeable improvements like the new flooring or new furniture. Even if its baby steps of progress like looking
for quotes it’s still a step forward. After planning improvements in your home, you can look at other goals you’d
like to achieve in 2020.  Maybe set some goals that you were scared to attempt in 2019. You’ve got this!

Your friend, 

Matt Capell

Welcome to December 2019 | Capell Flooring and Interiors

Dear friends,

The end of the year is often a time of reflection and of planning for the coming year. At

Capell Flooring, we want our customers to have a great experience with everything we do, whether

that’s putting together the Neighborhood Advisor or helping you choose the right flooring

option. And we love hearing from you, too! If you have a suggestion for how we can better

serve you – or a story about a great experience you’ve had working with us – we’d love to

hear it. Referrals and word of mouth are the most important ways for any independent

business to grow, and we want to ensure that every time you recommend us, you’re confident

that we’re going to provide a world-class experience.

From all of us at Capell Flooring, we want to wish you a wonderful holiday season and a happy New

Year!

Your friend,

Matt Capell

How To Choose The Proper Running Shoe | E-Neighborhood Advisor

Ready to run off that huge Thanksgiving dinner

you just ate? Let’s talk shoes…

Choosing the right running shoe can make all

the difference in whether you stay healthy or

become injured running and also determine if

you will be comfortable or be in pain while

running.

Bargain shopping is the number one big-time

mistake made by most novice runners. Trust

me, you are not going to find a proper running

shoe at Walmart!

Thinking cheap will end up making you quit

running due to the sheer misery of having bad

shoes. Some of those who are more tenacious

may wait until they blow out their knee or have

major shin splints before they throw in the

towel.

With all the choices and high-tech shoes

available today, choosing the right pair of

running shoes for you can be an arduous task

at best. But here are some guidelines to help

you.

First you need to understand pronation, which

is rolling of the foot from heel to toe through the

foot strike. A proper or neutral pronation is

hitting the back side of the heel and up to ball

of your foot evenly across the front. This is how

your foot reduces the stress of impact.

If most of the shoe wear is:

 On the medial (inside) side then you

Overpronate


 On the lateral (outside) side then you

Underpronate


 Uniform across the forefoot then you

have a Neutral Stride

Using this knowledge will give you a good start

in selecting the appropriate running shoe for

your foot.

Here is an article with a good list of differentshoe types to choose from based on yourrunning style and pronation.

Here’s a great article about how running shoes arebuilt.

P.S. Here's a joke for you!

I talk to my shoes.

The box says converse.

Your Flooring Consultant,

Matt Capell

Email: sales@capellinteriors.com

Phone (208) 288-0151

Fax (208) 917-6160

What’s Thanksgiving Without Pumpkin Pie? | E-Neighborhood Advisor

Pumpkin pie is standard fare at most

Thanksgiving feasts. Many of us look forward

to eating it for dessert once a year. However, if

you are tired limiting your pumpkin intake to

that thick, sweet piece of pie at the end of this

already-filling meal, consider these interesting

alternatives.

You can find pumpkin mixed into soups,

salads, main dishes, desserts (other than pies)

and even drinks. Here are a few different ideas

to get your culinary juices flowing: pumpkin

soup, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin-chicken chili,

pumpkin risotto, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin

muffins, scones, cookies, bars and breads,

pumpkin butter, pumpkin-pecan cheesecake,

pumpkin beer, pumpkin fudge, and pumpkin

crème brûlée.

Recipes for these and many other pumpkin

dishes are plentiful online, here are a couple

recipe lists you can choose from:

44 ways to eat pumpkin all dangday

60 best pumpkin recipes for delicious falldinners

And, if you want to start a new pumpkin

tradition, roasted pumpkin seeds are easy-

to–make and not as time-consuming as baking

a pumpkin pie. It is a fun multi-generational

activity which can be enjoyed by children all

the way up to senior citizens as your

Thanksgiving Day unfolds.

Here are step-by-step directions:

 Rinse the seeds in cold water and

remove the pulp and fibers, then drain

and blot dry.

 Coat pumpkin seeds with melted butter

or vegetable oil and sprinkle lightly with

salt or your favorite seasoning.

 Spread them on a baking sheet and

roast at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-

30 minutes or until golden brown.

One four pound pumpkin will yield

approximately two cups of seeds.

If you roast some of the seeds and plant

others, next year you will have your very own

pumpkin patch. Then you can select from

pumpkins you have grown for use in recipes,

thereby starting another tradition for you and

your family!

P.S. Here's a joke for you!

What did the pumpkin say after Thanksgiving?

Good-pie everyone!

Your Flooring Consultant,

Matt Capell

Email: sales@capellinteriors.com

Phone (208) 288-0151

Fax (208) 917-6160

5 Reasons You Should Learn a Foreign Language | E-Neighborhood Advisor

With globalization at its height, knowing one or

two secondary languages has become more

than a simple feat of high class and intelligence

but also a strict requirement in many

occasions. Whether it’s for professional, social

or personal reasons, learning at least one

foreign language is a must for anyone that

wants to keep his or her head up high in

today’s society.

Let’s take a focused look on 5 of the main

reasons that should turn you towards learning

a foreign language.

1. Professional Requirement

This is often the main reason one would learn

a foreign language. Many professions require

the knowledge of at least one or two foreign

languages, depending on the field of the job.

Although English is the main international

language (and one that is present the most

often in job descriptions), knowing a secondary

might also prove vital. Most jobs may ask that

you know another international language such

as French, Spanish or German or a business-

specific language such as Chinese, Japanese,

Russian and so forth.

2. Social Bonus 

Yes, knowing one or more foreign languages is

definitely a social bonus. Knowing a foreign

language can be literally a social blessing is

when meeting a person from another culture or

country whose language you can speak.

They’ll be extremely impressed by and grateful

for your ability to talk with them through their

own native tongue. If the other person happens

to be part of a business meeting, this

impression can turn to a successful business

partnership, bringing you both professional and

social satisfactions.

3. Family Communication

Those in relationships formed between people

of diverse nationalities often understand each

other through a commonly known international

language such as English. However, they’ll

soon want to start learning the other persons

mother tongue, not only for a better

communication, but also out of respect for their

partner.

4. Personal Satisfaction

Learning a foreign language is one of the

highest personal intellectual goals that one

could have. Think about a difficult puzzle, or

math problem that takes months if not years of

constant studying in order to be solved. The

process of solving it may be a hard, arduous

one but the joy at the end is well worth it. The

same is true with learning a foreign language:

the learning process is not easy and you’ll

have many small issues and problems to tackle

along the way. If you keep the problem in sight,

however, and if you don’t lose interest in it, the

chances of solving it are extremely high and

the intellectual fulfillment that you get at the

end is highly satisfying.

5. Keeping Your Mind Healthy

It’s been scientifically proven that the process

of learning a new language stimulates your

brain in such a way that it will make learning

other subjects, including math, physics,

chemistry and so forth easier. Learning a new

language requires the memorizing and

understanding of several thousand new words

and concepts, which offers your brain a good

training for future occasions where memorizing

is a must. After studying a foreign language

you’ll have better results with studying for

exams, with information assimilation and

generally, with keeping your mind healthy and

active even at older ages.

What language are you interested in tackling?

P.S. Here's a joke for you!

What’s the least spoken language in the world?

Sign language. 

Your Flooring Consultant,

Matt Capell

Email: sales@capellinteriors.com

Phone (208) 288-0151

Fax (208) 917-6160

You Might Be A Chocoholic If … | E-Neighborhood Advisor

chocoholic (Noun) (def): a person

who has or claims to have an addiction

to chocolate.

 If you have more than 2 secret

stashes of chocolate candy, you

might be a chocoholic. (Be

honest.)

 If your top 3 favorite candies all

have chocolate in them, you

might be a chocoholic.

 If you have more than 4 books at

home on chocolate, you might be

a chocoholic.

 If your favorite dessert is

chocolate cake with chocolate

frosting and chocolate ice-cream

on the side, then you might be a

chocoholic.

 If you name chocolate as one of

the seven wonders of the world,

you might be a chocoholic.

 If you bookmark more than 2

websites on the health benefits of

chocolate, then you might be a

chocoholic.

 If your favorite movie is Charlie

and the Chocolate Factory, you

might be a chocoholic.

 If you own more than one

chocolate-related T-Shirt, you

might be a chocoholic. (If you

actually wear that chocolate T-

Shirt in public, just admit it. You

are a chocoholic.)

 If you name your first-born child

after your favorite chocolate

candy – then you are a definite,

full-fledged chocoholic.

If you are a chocoholic, there you may

want to try one of two possible cures:

CURE #1: Chocolate Overdose

In several cases a chocolate overdose

will effectively kill your chocolate bug

for a period of time. At some point, too

much chocolate in a given month will

cure your addiction – for at least a

week. Your personal chocolate

overdose limit will depend on your

level of addiction.

CURE #2: Chocolate Substitution 

Chocolate substitution is another

option, if the chocolate overdose

doesn’t work. It involves starving your

chocolate bug by offering it

wholesome candy substitutes. The

concept is that your body will gradually

forget its craving for chocolate.

If one of these cures doesn’t work,

well, at least you would enjoy the

attempt . . .

By the way, here are some great links

on the health benefits of chocolate. You

may want to bookmark them in case

someone tries to convince you that

chocolate is not good for you.

7 Health Benefits of Dard Chocolate

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate

What are the health benefits of dark

chocolate?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324747.php

Are there health benefits from

chocolate?

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/02/12/are-there-health-benefits-from-chocolate

Well, of course it makes sense that

chocolate really is healthy. Chocolate is

made from a bean – and so, wouldn’t

that be like eating a vegetable?

P.S. Did you know . . .

Chocolate comes from cocoa,

Cocoa comes from a tree,

Trees are plants,

Chocolate = salad.

Your Flooring Consultant,

Matt Capell

Email: sales@capellinteriors.com

Phone (208) 288-0151

Fax (208) 917-6160

Welcome to November 2019 | Capell Flooring and Interiors

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the November issue of the Neighborhood Advisor! First of all we would like to wish you
a Happy Thanks Giving from our family to yours. Thanksgiving planning for your loved ones can be a tall order from deciding on a turkey to setting the table and also keeping your guest entertained
after dinner. Whether you’re a party planning pro or you’re taking it one step at a time we hope you
have a great time making memories with those dearest to you.

Thanksgiving really has a way of making you stop and reflect on what you are grateful for so
regardless of whether Thanksgiving is a joyous or challenging time there is always something to be
grateful for. Here at Capell Flooring, we are grateful to every single one of you for the relationship we have built with you over the years and for letting us into your homes and trusting us to take care of your
flooring needs.

Once again we hope you have a delightful Thanksgiving!

Your friend,
Matt Capell

Why do people wear costumes on Halloween? | E-Neighborhood Advisor

It's almost time for the ghosts, goblins, and a multitude of other uniquely costumed individuals to flow from their homes into schools, businesses, and parties. The smaller ones may be knocking on your door in a few days. Costume ideas are limited only by the boundaries of the imagination and inspiration can be found everywhere! Yet, why do people dress up for Halloween? In the first ten years of B.C., October 31st was the last day of the Celtic calendar and the day of their Samhain festival ("summer's end"). That was an annual festival celebrating the end of the harvest season and winter's start on November 1st. It was also a time to honor the dead. The Celtics believed souls were freed to roam the earth at the end of their calendar year. To protect themselves from spirits with bad intentions, they wore masks and disguises during the Samhain festival. In fact, some believed if they looked dead the spirits would consider them one of the ghostly and leave them alone. Over time, as Romans took over the lands, the Roman holiday of Feralia - when they remembered and commemorated their dead - melded with the Celtic Samhain festival. Many customs and traditions of Halloween arrived in North America with immigrants in the 1800s and since then the holiday has evolved to include some new traditions like pumpkin carving. Today Halloween is more about having some spooky fun than honoring past lives. From young to old, people dress up in whimsical, scary, and iconic costumes and gather with friends to celebrate. Your Flooring Consultant, Matt Capell Email: sales@capellinteriors.com Phone (208) 288-0151 Fax (208) 917-6160