Welcome Photrade Readers

I'm taking a cue from my cousin's wife and noticing the small bump in traffic this morning. So, those of you coming over from Photrade's Blog, welcome! I'm honored to have picture of the day.

(To our regular readers, photrade is another photosharing site with some interesting features. Our gallery is full of pictures we have actually printed and given as gifts. It is in beta right now and I have two invites left. If you are interested leave a comment.)

We are a small little family with our little corner of the blogosphere right here. Behind this main page is really messy, so browse at your own risk. We don't mind the mess because we are moving soon, staking claim elsewhere in blogland. It is still under construction, with an official move-in date sometime in February.

If you want to check out more of my photography, you can see some over on Always, Alli (my personal blog). We had an interesting conversation on post processing digital photography the other day. I participate in Self Portrait Sunday, Best Shot Monday, and might try my hand at Photo Hunt.

We also maintain the Daily Fuller Fix, a daily (sometimes) photoblog of our son.

Hope you stick around, we love having more friends!

Donkey Ollie

Charity comes from the heart and can take many forms. We give away our gently worn clothes and donate money to various places throughout the year. During the Christmas season I give Fuller some change to put in the red bucket. It is just a bit of fun for him, but the act is planting a seed for us to talk more about the less fortunate and giving in the future.

One form of giving is to donate boats or cars to CarAngel.com. They will sell the cars or boats and use the proceeds to produce and distribute Christian videos (for free) to children all over the world. To date they have given away 2.4 million videos.

The videos feature Donkey Ollie during Bible times. Check out the video below the cut:

Boy Scout thwarts Maldives assassination attempt

Boy Scouts (even foreign ones) rock!
"Be prepared" indeed.

Cariboo- Fuller's Mom's review

Fuller is enjoying all kinds of games these days. And he doesn't discriminate, he likes board games as much as the electronic ones. He might actually prefer the board games since it guarantees interaction with Mommy or Daddy.

We were thrilled Fuller received two board games this past Christmas. Zingo and Cariboo. We played Zingo for the first time tonight, so I will save a review of that game for later after we play a few more rounds. However, we have worn down the cards on Cariboo so I think it is safe for me to give a fair and balanced accounting of the game.

Overview
There are six bouncy balls you put in one of three holes at the top of the board. The balls roll around and settle in little divots under trap doors. (Make sure the trap doors are closed first!) On the top of the board are 15 trap doors labeled with different cards. The cards contain a varied number of shapes of various colors. In each shape is a picture and below the shapes is a word.

The child picks a card and selects a trap door based on the item on the card. If it reads "A" you look for a card with a word that starts with "A." If the card is yellow then you find a corresponding trap door with the color yellow. And what do you think happens if you pull a card and it reads "3?" Yup, you look for a corresponding trap door with 3 shapes. I'll let your imagination run wild with what you should do if the kid pulls a card with a triangle.

To open each door you use a purple key (or crochet hook if you temporarily lose the key) to see what is below the door. If there is a ball, you get to pick it up and place it in another hole on the side of the board. Once the sixth ball is placed in the hole a treasure box opens and the game is over.

Ease of use
When Fuller opened the gift on Christmas (thanks Tia! thanks Tio!) he immediately got the concept of opening the trap doors with the keys. He also loved dropping the bouncy balls in the various holes. And he thought the treasure in the treasure box was his to keep, so he popped that plastic purple jewel right off. Fortunately the makers of the game knew Fuller was like that and made it easy to put back in. Cranium did not supply the speech I gave Fuller to leave the jewel in the treasure box. I made it up myself.

We let him just discover the balls under the doors for a while, since we were still opening gifts. Later that afternoon we were able to pull out the cards and start with the matchy matchy. Fuller was able to amaze the various school teachers in the room with his school'n and was really sufficient at identifying the items on the cards and matching them with the trap doors.

Fuller's Mom's Thoughts
One of the objectives of Cariboo is to support the social mores of taking turns. As a parent I highly recommend kids learning to take turns as early as possible. As the parent of an only child, I waive my right to make my kid take turns when it comes to him playing this game with me. Instead when it is "my turn" I pick the card but make him find the corresponding trap door. I do this because I am honestly bored with the game. I find great delight in watching Fuller do it, encouraging him in exploring what he has learned, so I let him do it. Since the game doesn't heavily rely on competition, it can almost be a one person game. With supervision, of course.

Yesterday something happened. Fuller started to cheat. He would reach under open trap doors to get balls under closed trap doors. He wouldn't pick up cards but just try to open any door he felt like. And that's when I decided to mix it up.

We switched to the advanced version of the game. This involved flipping over the cards on the trap doors and opening the advanced card packs. It was very easy to do. So easy a three year old could do it. Not that he did. (But later I saw he had tried to switch the trap door cards on his own.)

The advanced version of the game uses lowercase letters (something Fuller knows but stumbles on) and numbers higher than four (he didn't recognize ten written "10" but can count to 10 just fine). And it was challenging! Fuller got more into the game again and I started to pay more attention to all the turns Fuller was taking.

I hope to have a playdate soon where Fuller gets a worthy opponent and he can practice taking turns with more people (cause really, Mom and Dad can be push overs).

I highly recommend Cariboo for the younger kids who need to practice their letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. I think for our son we might have to put the timer to it since his attention span for opening doors and playing with the bouncy balls is much longer than mine.

I need 2 NCAA Champ. tickets.

I've been going to the annual NCAA Championship game the past few years. I shamelessly use the game to push my (and any sane person's) Anti-BCS agenda.

As always, I wait too long to get tickets from the "official" channels and have to rely on the kindness of others. I'm willing to pay for tickets (but I'm cheap, so... probably not a lot), but I'm certainly not too proud to accept charity.

Also, giving/ selling me tickets isn't just a one-way street. You'll benefit too. You'll have the satisfaction of knowing that when/ if I get on TV wearing something like this...

...or this...

... you made it possible.

Christmas Canon

Last night D and I were watching Tin Man. It was about 12:45 and suddenly I remembered I had a doctor's appointment this morning. Damon stayed home with Fuller while I went to wait for an hour at the doctor's office.

When I got home Damon was in the middle of dealing with Fuller and his "stomach monkeys." It necessitated a load of laundry and many trips to the potty, several of which were false alarms.

Damon left for work and left me to take over the care of our child, false alarms and all. It took a lot of work. ;-)

I amused Fuller with various activities, between potty breaks. We read (he loves his Jonah Arch book), played with a puzzle, and watched some Backyardigans and Max & Ruby. My favorite time though was showing him the Christmas Canon video. He immediately started trying to sing it (he at least got the Canon melody down), and since the lyrics are pretty simple, I think I might work on teaching him the song, or at least one of the parts.

And as much as I love Pachelbel's Canon I have to share this rant against it. I laugh every time I see it:

Wine of the month

Christmas gifts are fun to buy and give. And when I find or make the perfect gift for someone, it always makes me thrilled to give it.

I know several people who I think a wine of the month club membership would be perfect for. The wine club will send out two low production award winning California wines to members every month. There is also a news letter each month to discuss the wines and provide more information about the industry.

I like the idea of being part of a group who have access to something that isn't available to the general public. Because the wines are from low production companies, you won't find this wine all across the country.

Maybe someone might give me a subscription to something like this. I guess I could add it to my wishlist.

Connected

The amount of real estate my extended family covers is almost the whole globe. We are a traveling group, and I am pretty sure at some point people have visited every continent in the world.

Today the Queen of Spain wrote a very heartfelt and touching entry about how connected we are because of technology- specifically the internet.

I started blogging because I wanted my family to be able to keep up with our progress as new parents. And now, how awesome is it that Fuller can see his grandparents via webcam and Skype? I had an aunt tell me that she loves my blog because she gets to keep up with every one. Facebook is a very important part of my dad's side of the family. I feel like I have so much more interaction with family now because of the internet.

The Queen of Spain is right, it is a small world and it is smaller because of the awesomeness of the internet.

31 thankful things

Our day of Thanksgiving started with a reading of the Thanksgiving story (did you know about the Speedwell?) and then a "turkey hunt." The kids got to find turkeys staked in the yard with questions from the story on them. It was a tad unfortunate that a cold front moved in with a windy force, so finding the turkeys was a bit on the cold side.

It was a fun way to remember today's reason for celebration.

My friend Sindy has a fun tradition for Thanksgiving, listing a number of thankful things for how many years you are old. As I just turned 31, here I go:

1. My family
2. Damon
3. Fuller
4. Our house
5. My Family Dinners
6. Our church
7. our friends
8. our neighborhood
9. our city
10. my digital camera
11. creative outlets
12. travel
13. new friends
14. people who support us
15. memories
16. coffee
17. my laptop
18. blogs
19. staying at home
20. nature
21. an understanding of myself
22. energy
23. learning new things
24. my roomba
25. completing projects on my own
26. reliable transportation
27. body pillows
28. modern medicine
29. chocolate
30. Pushing Daisies
31. naptimes

What are you thankful for?

Do NOT see Stephen King's "The Mist".

... well, not if you're a parent anyway.

Tonight, Alli and I got to go to a free pre-showing of Stephen King's "The Mist", and let me tell you... that movie will work you over. Continue reading for movie recap spoiler and commentary.

Here's the movie in summary:

Bad storm comes at night to small Oregon town.
Hero and son drive to supermarket next day for supplies.
Weird mist rolls in.
ZERO visibility.
Blood-stained guy runs in.
People don't freak. (They don't know they're in a movie called "The Mist.")
Later, tentacles swipe a guy, but few believe it.
People don't freak.
Some shoppers decide to leave.
Bottom-half of one makes it back to store.
People freak.
Crazy Lady claims God hates everyone but her and mist is proof.
That evening, lots of bug monsters attack.
People freak.
Guy accidentally sets himself on fire.
Hero goes next door for medicine.
Spider-monsters rule next door.
People freak.
Crazy lady becomes Jim Jones.
Soldier recounts trans-dimensional military project.
People freak.
Soldier sacrificed.
Hero entourage tries to leave.
Hero's son almost sacrificed.
Crazy Lady dies.
Audience freaks (in a good way).

It would have been nice if the movie had just ended there; but it didn't. I won't say specifically what happened next, but suffice it to say that everyone falls into despair (and behaves accordingly). By the end of the movie, the viewer is also in despair. I'm sure glad I didn't pay to see this movie. In fact, I would pay to have the sorrow I felt permanently removed from my memory.

All-in-all, Stephen King's "The Mist" was a textbook manual of what NOT to do when monsters attack. (Word to the wise: don't freak!) Bruce Campbell's Army of Darkness is a much better handbook of how to handle yourself when the supernatural come a'callin. (Basically, get a gun, a chainsaw, and hold out 'till the cavalry arrives.) It's a shame hicksville Oregon didn't have an S-Mart.

Respect for Teachers

My BIL is a history teacher. Since changing jobs by switching schools, Nat seems to really have flourished as a teacher and genuinely loves what he does and enjoys his students. If I ever had to go back to work, my first choice would be to work at home and my second choice would be a teacher.

I have a lot of respect for teachers. They take a lot of crap, try to help our children learn and succeed in life, and spend many hours planning and grading. Which is why I thought of Nat when I saw this video this morning:

What happens when you celebrate Reformation Day

Happy Halloween!
Originally uploaded by neoandsgo.

Halloween costumes

Our church's Fall Costume Festival is this Saturday. I was working on Fuller's costume last evening and handed it over to Damon to work his magic. He assures me it will be ready for Saturday.

He is going as The Man in the Yellow Hat. Which I like to think is a step up from his Curious George costume from last year.

I am trying to decide if I should dress up for the party as well. I was a frog last year, but don't like to repeat myself. Looking at all the halloween costumes out there, it gets a bit overwhelming. I think I could handle being Raggedy Ann (I have the hair for it), since it isn't really short (no Wonder Woman for me!) and looks pretty warm. And I like being a cuddly cute character instead of a sexy and or scary one.

What costume do you think your little one (or you!) will wear this year?

BP Solar Decathlon

We look forward to the day when Fuller can participate in cool projects that not only up his cool factor but increases his education, lets him show off his knowledge, and gives back to the world. I know Damon dreams of making bio-diesel and would love a helper (that isn't me). Maybe someday Fuller can participate in the Solar Decathlon.

The competition occurs every other year and right now the BP Solar Decathlon is in its seventh day.

Twenty teams are currently at the National Mall in Washington, D.C where a solar village has been built. The village consists of solar houses brought by the teams so they can compete in ten different contests. (As of yesterday, Maryland was in the lead!)

Alternate energy is really something we have enjoyed learning about and really hope someday to be able to put more of it into our lives. BP, the decathlon sponsor, has some great information on alternative energy. I'm glad these students are participating in such an important activity to help make clean energy. Maybe someday Fuller can too.

Mutsy

Back when I was worried about our stroller not cutting it anymore, I started to look online to see if there was a sturdy stroller for the bigger of little kids. I mean, Fuller is almost three, but I have a hard time thinking he can keep up walking everywhere.

I stumbled on the Mutsy stroller and thought it looked really sturdy and like it could handle a 38- 40 pound kid.

I seriously thought I could purchase the Spider (a neat three wheeled stroller) for our trip to Florida. But since I would have to order it (no stores here in Chattanooga carry it, according to the site), it wouldn't have made it in time. I could have done a test drive for sure to see if it could handle Fuller, if there was a store here.

When we went to Florida, we decided Damon would carry Fuller when his little legs couldn't keep up. The stroller stayed home and all future stroller purchases will be made if we ever have another child.

But, Mutsy is still at the top of my list when that day comes. Though at that point I would probably choose the 4Rider Lite so we can put the car seat on it and change it out for the fun steering wheel in the future.

Rain, rain, go...

When Damon and I were in Orlando we encountered some rain. It rained twice while we were at the Islands of Adventure. We ducked into a restaurant the first time and the second time we got in line for stunt show, The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad. It was a pleasant show, about twenty minutes in length, long enough for the rain to pass.

A few days later some major storm system moved across Florida and wrecked some Orlando real estate. I was really glad we weren't there when that happened, but I was saddened for the families who were displaced by the storm. I think at the time I saw the footage on the news they were trying to determine if it was an actual tornado that ripped through the neighborhood.

I wonder if we will get some rain here in Chattanooga this week?

VOIP for small business

We have been enjoying using Skype to chat with Austina and various others on voice over IP. My dad just got his apartment phone in Texas and it too is VOIP. Comcast has started offering VOIP in our area.

When I was working for the Help Desk at a local VLIC (Very Large Insurance Company -TM bobw), the powers that be were starting to experiment with some user groups who were using VOIP. Some work from home people used special VOIP set ups so when you called their office number it was actually routed to where ever their computer was online- as long as it was on the VLIC's network.

Now there is a decent offering for the VOIP small business phone option. Packet8 Virtual Office has several different service plans that will allow the business to choose exactly what they need.

If I needed VOIP for a small business, I would prefer the Unlimited Extension. It offers unlimited calling to U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom for only $49.99 a month. That sounds pretty decent to me.

Check them out, you might find something you need there (they have residential as well).

New baby, new computer

Right after baby Genevieve was born, my sister and BIL's laptop bit the dust. It was fried somehow and not fixable. And while we were there the discussion of what they should get to replace it became a bit of a heated debate- Mac versus PC.

We are a PC family and my sister Austina is a Mac person. Sarah-Ginny and Nat were discussing replacing their laptop with a desktop... which added another angle to the conversation.

While D and I were in Orlando, Nat took the time to go online and buy computer from Dell. This makes me excited because then Sarah-Ginny can post more pictures of Genevieve! (The ones I have of her are a few days old.)

September 11th reading

I didn't really want to go downtown in the first place. I had to speak on a breakfast panel, but I didn't feel very well and I didn't like my outfit so much, and I briefly considered bagging it and going back to bed — I mean, since when do I get up at six forty-five? Since never, that's when. But, as so often happens, my ego prevailed, and I caught a cab down to the financial district. We didn't see much traffic heading down the FDR Drive, which made a pleasant change, and I jumped out at 55 Broad Street at 8:15 and headed upstairs for some pre-panel coffee.

And so Sarah Bunting's morning on September 11, 2001 began.

I don't normally watch news channels ad naseum and now that Super Why and Curious George rule our morning TV, I am not watching footage of this year's September 11th memorial ceremonies.

But every September 11th I seek out Sarah's first person account of what happened that day. She gives a very honest account of her actions and thoughts. And when I reread it every year, I find myself more in tune with the gravity of the events on that day, more so than I ever have watching any news show.

Planning and doing

We have a busy week ahead of us. Friday we fly to Florida and I have some things I want to get done before we leave. Tasks include taking the recycling to Warner Park (since we will be gone the next curbside day), getting more dog food, loads of laundry, and making a laptop sleeve that actually fits my laptop.

I tend to be more productive when I know we are going out of town. I am not sure why that is, because it isn't like I can't go on vacation if all the socks aren't folded and put away. And I know the plane will still leave if the recycling is still piled on our patio until we get back.

But still, I guess I have to give myself little deadlines in order to make sure the laundry does get done (washed, dried, folded, and put away). And if I have a project (reorganizing the big shelves) then I guess this week is as good as any.

Regardless, I will be on a plane this Friday. And the weather in Florida will be great!

Pray for a sale

The last time my parents sold a house, it was when the Arizona real estate market wasn't so hot. They rented the house out, if I remember correctly, and it sold a few years later.

From what I understand the real estate market has been slumping a lot lately, which is why I am constantly praying that my parents house sells soon. Their neighborhood is similar to the one I live in, with out the historic restrictions we have. Very multicultural and economically diverse. If you know anyone wanting to buy a house in Dayton, Ohio, let me know!

My inlaws on America's Most Wanted

On September 8th we plan on watching a show that isn't usually a part of our family television line up. We plan on watching America's Most Wanted so we can see if Damon's parents are on the show!

To explain, the season premier of AMW will feature the NCIS star, Pauley Perrette. She is the daughter of Paul Perrette, who is a Lake Martin neighbor of Albert and Linda's.

Pauley donated large sums of money to add to the reward for catching the killer of a young girl from Prattville, Alabama. Prattville is one of the many places Pauley lived growing up.

As part of the show, AMW wanted to do a highlight on Pauley and filmed some footage at her dad's home. Paul threw a large party, invited many lake neighbors, the local fire department, a mayor, etc, and they had a ball. Albert and Linda enjoyed themselves but forgot to take pictures. But with all the cameras around, in the 8 seconds of footage they show, maybe Albert and/ or Linda will be part of the show too!

App. State now favored to win Big Ten

Man... I sure am glad I'm not a Michigan fan.

Michgan has just become an answer to a Trivial Pursuit question.

Paint your life

I finally got caught up on the Daily Fuller Fix pictures. I was eleven days behind!

One thing that put me behind was the fact that I hadn't taken any pictures. And then the cord was lost briefly. Today a mad sweep of some clutter allowed me to find the cord and get caught up. I even have other pictures in line for the next few days. For once, I am actually ahead of that game!

We are also pretty good about getting some picture printed every month. I usually then send them oWhile we eut to relatives like my mom or Linda, but we do have some pictures in frames around the house.

Fuller likes to handle them and tell me who is in the picture. He was giggling over a picture from his baptism, pointing to Vieja, Grandpa Fred, Linda, Albert, Mommy, and Daddy. But he had problems telling me who the baby was. I told him it was Fuller, and he looked at me like, "No, that is a baby."

While we enjoy having our photographs around us, it would be fun to have a portrait painting done as well. But, the idea of sitting for a portrait seems outdated, boring, and expensive.

Which is why the idea of a place like Paint Your Life is intriguing. You upload your photo and then they send it to an actual person, an artist, who then creates a painting (oil or watercolor) or a drawing (pencil or charcoal or pastel) from the photograph.

OK, take a look at this...

Wasn't that sweet? Doesn't it make you want to get one done for your parents or grandparents?

The site is very easy to use and the prices seem reasonable for something that is of such quality and will last for generations. Check Paint Your Life out, you might just find yourself search through your photos for the perfect painting.

Preparations

With tomorrow being Monday, I feel like I am starting the week off on a good foot. I finished laundry today (including folding and putting it away) and the kitchen is clean. I don't know why, but if I don't have those things done, I feel behind before I even get started.

Tomorrow I have some papers to sort and file, the stove to clean, and cleaning the cabinet hardware that is really sticky. I noticed today some sticky drawer pulls, which are probably due to the syrup that Fuller likes with his waffles.

I also have to organize a shelf in the kitchen. It has turned into a junk shelf and I can't find anything... so hopefully I can get a handle on that tomorrow as well.

And let's see if I can keep the kitchen clean too. That will be a feat in itself.

Distractions

This morning I booted the laptop to find that Thunderbird had decided to work its disappearing mail trick on me...

I am still trying to work it and get my mail back (I know it is there!) but I feel I need to distract myself a little while in order to have a fresh mind when I go back to it.

Today my dad should get the present we ordered for him as his promotion gift. It is something that he fell in love with in Afghanistan and involves a character that he kind of identified with... well, he wrote some interesting words about it while he was there. He said...

Oh wait, that is in the email that is currently gone. Drat.

Ok. Switching tactics.

I have been talking a lot about movies lately (we watched Saw II last night... and now I want to run out and get Saw III). But lest you think all we do is watch movies, I want you to know that we do read books. Lately Fuller has been sitting still long enough to listen to stories from The Book of Virtues.

The last book I read I had to return before finishing it because it was making me mad. It is called The Happy Room and it is a fictional account of the author's life in boarding school. The reason it was making me mad is it is the same school that was being mirrored in fiction is the same school that my BFF went and her experience was vastly different than what the author was making it out to be. (For the record, I didn't know that is what it was about when I checked it out of the library.)

Which reminds me I might want to start cataloging our books to Library Thing. Austina sent me the link earlier this week. You can see her profile...

Oh wait, that is also in the email that is currently gone.

Ok, let's find something else to talk about.

I can't think of anything. I guess I need to go fix this email problem or let it go already.

Eye Of The Dolphin

Here is another one to add to the Blockbuster queue, once it is on DVD of course. Opening August 24th in select theaters: Eye of the Dolphin, it looks like a really neat family movie.

Ok, I am a sucker for dolphins. I loved the TV show Dolphin Cove (remember that one, set in Australia and one of the girls could talk to the dolphin) and just think they are really neat to interact with. So, that is a plus for me.

The family aspect of it (father-daughter relationships) is intriguing to me as well, which puts it high at the top of my list. Eye of the Dolphin was a feature film winner at the International Family Film Festival, so I look forward to it coming out soon.

Halloween remake

After a few nights off from movies, we picked up some new ones at Blockbuster. Goodfellas was on Sunday night and last night we watched Hot Fuzz. (I liked them both!)

Sitting on the TV bench, ready for tonight, is Saw II.

Now, I wasn't too sure about Saw, but I watched it and it was mainly suspenseful. It helped that the lights were on and we could pause it whenever we needed too. I think I can make it through Saw II, if we have the same arrangement.

I'm just not that into scary movies, I have to get into the right mood for it. Since I know that it is there waiting for us to watch it, I will go ahead and see it... kind of like jumping off the high dive.

On August 31st, Rob Zombie (any White Zombie fans in the house?) will show the world his take on Halloween the movie.

I recognize his name from the music side of things, but seeing as I am not a raging horror fan, I didn't realize he also wrote and directed horror flicks. Since this is a remake, I expect with today's advancements in film and special effects, he might make Halloween the movie a tad more gory than then 1978 original. And since it is a remake, I will probably be convinced to see them both, just for the comparison (and with the lights on).

The trailer seems suspenseful enough... I think I look forward to putting this in our queue.

And the winner is...

So, if the category were, "TV show I'd have bet my house would not have been picked-up for a second season", then the winner (hands down) would have been the Sci Fi channel's Who Wants to be a Superhero?

For those who missed season 1 (and I envy you), contestants assumed the identities of the superheroes they'd created (complete with home-made costumes) and competed in challenges intended to showcase their "heroic" qualities. Each episode ended with comic book guru Stan Lee arbitrarily dismissing someone for acting "less heroic' than the rest of the bunch. (An interesting note here - most of the things Stan criticizes contestants for doing have been done by almost all of his most notable superheroes at some point.)

The show struggled to get past the huge flaw in the concept - the contestants were forced to act like they had super powers when THEY DIDN'T ACTUALLY HAVE ANY SUPER POWERS. Now, I know a lot of you might say, "Batman doesn't have powers, but he's still super". True. But how super would he be if despite not having powers, Batman insisted that he did have powers... specifically, that he could absorbs super powers from video games (the main super power of season one's winner)? In that case, Batman would be a laughing-stock, which is exactly how the WW2BSH contestants appear.

I feel sad for Sci Fi, because the concept could have been salvaged with a few modifications. Specifically, have the contestants work with artists to actually create comic books. A similar concept has really worked for Fox's On the Lot reality show. I'd much rather watch folks work with pencilers, inkers, letterers, etc. actually creating comic books than to watch a bunch of spandex-clad misfits doing things like riding roller coasters to see who has the most "courage."

What a waste.

A way to be prepared

When we were in Cincinnati at the Hall of Justice, the Red Cross was there doing some awareness in different areas- CPR, fire protection, and evacutation preparedness. Fuller got his picture taken with a turtle that was advocating the "Shelter in Place" aspect of evacuation- where you just stay put in your house until "they" say it is safe to leave. This usually happens when there is a chemical spill or problem at a local chem plant. And it was applicable here in Chattanooga until the Velsicol plant near our house shut down.

Then on Saturday we were at the Market Street Bridge and I got to chat with local Red Cross volunteers about their work here. One of the brochures I went home with was "Food & Water in an Emergency."

I guess I think that disaster preparedness is appropriate for people like my little sister or sister-in-law, who live in hurricane prone areas. But it could be useful for this area, due to winter storms or tornadoes.

Websites like Safecastle Royal Buyers Club offer safety kits, disaster kits, and all kinds of supplies to help get through a disaster. They offer deep discounts (at least 20% off) to members, who pay a yearly onetime fee of $19. If you are really serious about disaster preparedness, then a measly $19 for a year lifetime membership is a good idea.

Being prepared for anything can help you be safer and more comfortable during times of great stress. Please, at least take a look at your own family's plan for evacuation and readiness. It can make a big difference.

Car Angel

My mom recently bought a new car. She had some interesting stories to go with her car hunting (like having a bunch of guys yelling and fighting about her getting a specific car- and she didn't even know any of them), but she did it by herself, while my dad was in Afghanistan.

When she bought the car though, she didn't do what people normally do and trade in her old car. Instead, she donated her car to a church so that a certain missionary could drive it here in the states. Because of how she did it, it counts as a charitable donation and she will get a tax deduction of some sort. And the deduction is more than she would have received for the trade in.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Well, you don't have to go through a church like my mom (she wanted it to go to a specific person), but there are other agencies out there that will take your car donations and transfer them into money for specific charities.

One group is Car Angel. They take both cars and boats that people willing to donate, and 85 cents of every dollar goes to one of their programs. It looks simple enough- just go to their website and fill in the information on the left side of the page. It has a space for you to designate the charity you want the money from the car to go to, but that is where I would be picking up the phone to call them and ask, "Can I really specify any charity?"

They have worked with prison programs, literacy programs, and child relief programs... they even have a program with free children's DVDs featuring Ollie the Donkey who lives during Jesus' time, learning valuable leassons.

Car Angel arranges for pick up of the vehicle, they give you a donation receipt, and then the car is gone for them to sell.

It seems so easy and makes a lot of sense. If you have a car that is going to be worth something to someone, then why not donate it? Your car can do some good.

Too soon for holiday shopping?

It is only August 3rd, but today I started panicking about things coming up a few months from now... like in November when I am planning a trip to Vegas. And that snowballed into thinking about Thanksgiving and suddenly I was trying to figure out Christmas presents. There is this one gift that I want to make someone, do I have to start on it today?

I don't know why I do that to myself. It is August 3rd. There are 143 days left until Christmas. Of course, it is Georgia and Tennessee Tax Free Holiday this weekend, I guess I could shop a little early. But that would require entering the throngs of people crushing themselves to find good deals. I am not into crushing myself for deal this weekend.

I will probably stick to the online shopping again for the holidays, especially if I can find good promo codes as the days get closer. I like to stick to stores like Kbee for my nieces (I'll have three!) and nephew. And maybe, if I have my new camera by then, I can send people to Camera World to get me fun accessories.

143 days left... it seems so far away and yet so close at the same time.

Sweet Land

I just woke up from a nap. Sounds a little funny, since it is just after 9 am, but I was up at 4:30 coughing and sneezing and catching a running nose. I couldn't sleep so I watched Sweet Land.

I cried so hard at the end, it couldn't have been good for whatever ailed me.

Anyway, the main actress was Elizabeth Reaser and I couldn't place her until I looked her up. She was Jane Doe on Grey's Anatomy! She did an excellent job of her accent, her German, and her Norwegian. And the enthusiasm she had for making her marriage work, despite the community's opinion, was inspiring.

For a late night/ early morning movie, it was a good one that I recommend. (Then I went back to sleep.)

Superbad

Yesterday I took Fuller to see Happy Feet at the mall. He got a bit restless just as Mumble was shunned from the Empire Penguin colony. Fuller kept saying, "Bye Penguins! Bye!" And finally, when it was obvious I was not going to tell the penguins good-bye, he changed tactics and used his potty training against me. He told me he had to poop and since I was smelling something, I packed us up and got us to the bathroom quickly.

The boy was not dirty and did not have to poop.

But Fuller got his wish and we left early.

Since it was the last free movie of the summer, I think it will be a while before I see the inside of a theater again. We want to see The Simpsons soon, but we might not make it before it is out of theaters only to be seen on DVD.

Going to the theater has given me a chance to see what is coming up in theaters. Underdog, with Jason Lee. And Alvin and the Chipmunks, also with Jason Lee.

And a movie without Jason Lee that is coming out in August is Superbad.

The movie is from the same guys who did 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. The Superbad clips I have seen made me laugh, reminding me of my clueless days from high school. (Note: you have to be over 18 to see some of the clips).

Though I am a girl and can't relate to some of the angst, I admit to giggling. I recognized some of the guys I knew in my first high school in the Fogell and Evan characters (remind me to mention my prom date my sophomore year).

The movie comes out August 17, but you can see more Superbad scenes on Youtube or get more information from the official Superbad website (downloads, character info, etc).

Tiny Prints Holidays

We used to send out a holiday photo about every other year. We need to get a new one done this year, since we have yet to do one since Fuller was born.

I like the idea of sending something out, to reach out to those who you want to remain in contact with, and just let them know that you are thinking about them. Holiday photo cards are a great way to do that.

Tiny Prints Holidays is geared toward those who do send out greeting cards, photos, and announcements during the winter months. Whether for Christmas, Hanukkah, or the generic Happy Holiday, Tiny Prints has designs for all kinds of cards. They even have personalized gift tags and designs for party invitations. And I really like their personalized thank you cards for children.

I'm drawn to their designs because of the simplicity and colors. You can upload a picture (and do an online preview) or email it to them, and for no charge they will convert color pictures to sepia or black and white. The prices are comparable to other sites with the same service. What makes this site stand out is the variety available and freshness of the designs.

I'll be giving Tiny Prints Holidays a look when we finally get a complete family photo.

I need a help desk

This is getting really old. I keep losing my internet connection on my laptop. It will drop for a few minutes and then miraculously show back up again. If I move my laptop over slightly to the right, it drops again. And it happens most often when I am in the dining room, which is where the router actually is. I make sure that there is a clear path from the table to the router, but it still drops a lot.

How can I find out if it is my laptop or if it is the router? I would feel better if it was the router, since that is easier to replace than my laptop would be. It isn't one of the better known routers (it isn't a Linksys router), and we have been using it for about three years now. So maybe that is the problem. I just don't know...

Freeze the pain

As the years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds go by I notice that my body is tormenting me by acting old. One of the worst things is that when I stand up I am really, really stiff and walk like a 90 year old man until I loosen up.

Recently I have been dealing with a cramped hand, due to the use of the trackpad on my laptop. I was lazy and didn't get the mini-mouse out of my backpack until yesterday when the pain got really bad.

Today the pain has been going from my fingers up to my elbow. So I decided to break out one of my samples of Freeze It to see if it would ease my suffering.

The last time I tried a topical pain relief, it was capsaicin cream. I used it on my knee after a really bad day of wearing heels. No one bothered to tell me that it was made of 99% pepper. And it felt like it was made of 99% pepper. I was in pain on top of pain and when I decided to take a bath to try and relieve the pain, it was even worse.

But since Freeze It includes the word "freeze," I figured it would be the opposite of hot. And I was right!

The gel was green, which helped me see where I was putting it, and immediately cool to the skin. I could feel it penetrating down to the pain right away. In fact, almost two hours later I can still feel it.

I usually take an ibuprofen or tylenol when I am in pain, but it takes a while for it to start to work. This gel immediately works.

I have to add a small word of warning: when you apply it to your hands (like I did), do not touch your eyes, no matter how itchy they are from allergies. There is a warning on the package to keep Freeze It from your eyes and you should really, really heed that warning.

Overall, the product really worked and when I get to the drugstore I plan on getting a roll-on or tube to keep on hand.

Ready for a new camera

Before we left for the wedding I made a impulse purchase and bought two lenses for my Canon IS S3- a wide angle and a telephoto. I got some interesting effects, but it made me start thinking.

When I made the decision to buy the Canon S3 I thought I was getting as close to a DSLR as I could without crossing the line. I guess using the new lenses solidified for me that maybe I need to be working toward crossing the line to something on the low end of the DSLR like something in the Nikon D40x family or the Canon EOS series. I am not that knowledgeable about the lenses and everything, but I think I am not really learning much with the Canon S3 that I currently have.

If I want to move forward in digital photography, I need to take bigger steps. And that means it is time to start saving again...

Gimme swag

Damon is constantly thinking about his Auburn Elvis venture and what he can do to make the experience more enjoyable for those who see him at the different games. He gets stopped a lot to have his picture taken and we always thought it would be fun to have folks email us their pictures. So last SEC tournament we gave folks business cards with the website and a logo for folks to learn more about Auburn Elvis and where to email the pictures.

Well, we haven't received one email from one of those "fans" and now Damon has been rethinking his strategy. I told him he needs to get swag to hand out, along with the business cards.

A website like Gimmees.com is a great place to get swag printed up with whatever logo or slogan that he wants to come up with. It covers all kinds of products from company promotional items to cheering and team spirit. They have hand held casino games to foam fingers, mugs to calendars, all imprinted with whatever you desire.

The prices are really reasonable, which makes them a great place to order from. And I like that they have products that are environmentally friendly, which is something that Damon and I try to practice in our everyday lives.

Auburn Elvis lives, we just need to figure out what his swag would be.

Sandy

Yesterday our Moms' Group got together at Michelle's house to make cards and envelopes. This is something special that Michelle does to personalize her gifts and notes. It was a basic craft, but perfect for busy moms who wanted to chat while doing something other than chase kids around. (The kids were out back with babysitters while we were inside cutting it up- no pun intended.)

One of the moms was making a beach card for her husband, because she is getting very excited about their upcoming trip to the beach. Which is why I have to show her how to make her own Sandcastles online and send them as ecards to all her family and friends. I accused her of trying to make me jealous when she sent me an email stating that they were going to the beach. (I have done similar things when I get close to going to the lake.) Well, now I can send her my sandcastle that she can gaze at when she gets excited about going to the beach on Saturday.

It is easy to do and sponsored by Beaches (I see their sponsorship before and after Sesame Street almost every day). It is easy to make one and there are lots of creative options on shapes, colors, sizes, and even accessories like seashells and beach balls.

Damon prefers the lake to the beach, but someday we will go as a family, like my friend Dana. And then I can build a real sandcastle. But for now, this will do.