For weeks now, I have been threatening to drag out the Halloween decorations. (We finally got permission from management to put things in the window, a few days ago.) But, here I sit, the morning of the big day, with not a thing out.
Maybe I'll run to the store in a little bit and see what goodies I can find. Nothing wrong with adding new decorations every year. Right? Not to mention, we have zero candy for the little ghosts and goblins. We, actually, can't have it in the house.
With three candy junkies living here, there is no way we'd have anything left by Halloween evening if we bought it even a few days before the magical night. But, because we are connoisseurs, the kids who knock at our door are assured of getting 'the good stuff'. We never buy what we wouldn't eat.
So, Happy Halloween to all. Watch out for those little ballerinas and cowboys when you're out tonight.
Okay, right after world peace and an end to world hunger and global warming, I know what I want for Christmas!
I'm still shopping for a new laptop and really, really don't like sharing the desktop. But, there's always something else that crops up. Hopefully, next month will be better. In the meantime . . .
We saw the coolest computer set-up on one of the shopping channels. It comes with a 25-inch touch-screen monitor that doubles as a TV tuner! Once I heard that, the rest of the goodies kind of disappeared into the ether.
Controllable Halloween Decorations for Celiac Disease
It is with great joy that I share an email I received today:
This dear man spends hours every year on his amazing decorations, to entertain the WorldWideWeb and support this cause that means so much to him and his family. The display is truly interactive - you can, by clicking on different items, turn them off and on or even inflate or deflate some of the characters! It's a whole lotta fun!
Yes, it is that time of year, and back for 2009 are the Controllable Halloween Decorations for Celiac Disease:
Once again, three live webcams and X10 technology allows web surfers to not only view the action, but also *control* it. Heck, you can even inflate/deflate the giant Frankenstein, Pumpkins, Grim Reapers, Skull, SpongeBob SquarePants, Headless Horseman, Homer Simpson, and more - D'OH! ;-)
On a more serious note, this is the fifth year that I'm working with the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research
to raise awareness & funds -
http://www.celiaccenter.org/news_xmas.asp
My two sons have this condition, so it's personal for me.
The website continues to be completely free and totally fun, especially for kids. If folks are so inclined, you can make an optional donation directly to the Center for Celiac Research. Almost $40,000 has been raised with holiday lights - go figure! So surf on by, tell your friends, blog about it, spread the word, etc.
Please stop by and show your support - not to mention, play with the decorations and enjoy the show!
If you've ever coveted or even just shopped for plasma TVs, you have probably experienced the same sticker shock that Mark and I went through. Well, no more.
As is true of all technology, if you wait long enough, the prices do eventually come down. Of course, it takes some shopping time to find the best deals, but they are out there and they are worth hunting down. I know that I would never have imagined getting a 42-inch plasma HDTV for under $1,000.00.
Even better, the technology tends to improve over time. Apparently, there were resolution problems in the early plasmas that have been improved in newer models. Things like shadow images and odd skintones made playing games and simple movie-watching less than enjoyable. Makes me glad we didn't jump on the plasma TV bandwagon at the beginning.
Now, we can get a much better viewing experience for much less.
This is the time of year when places like southern Florida and Arizona become livable again. Temperatures and humidity come down some, while the sun continues to shine. It's time to think about Orlando vacations.
Package deals, especially for families, are really the way to go. Many resort offers include park tickets or at least give a tremendous discount. At most, kids under 18 stay free. One I found even has washers and dryers in the multi-bedroom villas.
If you really need to get away, why not get more for your money?
I am a child of the 70s - the early ones. Graduated from high school in January 1974, I am a child of the era of - among other things - Hair Bands and the early days of Aerosmith. I knew Def Leppard, before the drummer lost his arm.
Today, because we both love music, Mark was channel surfing the radio looking for fun stuff - and ran into a plethora of cover bands. I didn't know that it would become ewwwww!! and Ewwww!! and Ewwww!!
The music was good - really good, in some cases - good enough to fool us into thinking we'd found a station that was playing the music we'd grown up with. Then, just when I started whirling around the living room in pure joy ... The voices! Oh, Lord! Oh, Heaven! Oh, NO! Ewwww!
Don't get me wrong, not all cover bands should be shot at dawn. For months, I followed a cover band from venue to venue. They were amazing! (Jim and Anna - I haven't forgotten you.) But they had this drummer who ...
while Prince was singing about odd colored rain and crying doves ...
He looked the part and - I was at the Purple Rain concert in Detroit - had a voice that was just as amazing!
Yet, today, people who have far less vocal talent are getting radio play.
It comes as no surprise that one can find webpages with just about everything imaginable. (Some days it comes as a shock, but that's a whole 'nother post.) And, being an Internet shopping junkie, I know that it's not difficult to find all kinds of sports equipment online. I didn't know, however, that there was a site that taught about the sport, while it helped you find what you need to play the sport.
I wasn't looking for equipment and still spent hours reading about sports I'll never play or played very badly in the past. Did you know only batsmen and wicketkeepers get to wear pads and gloves? Cricket fielders have to run all over the field, trying to catch those hard balls with bare hands. Strike that one off my just-gotta-learn-to-do-this list!
To look at me, you probably wouldn't imagine my hands wrapped around a bat, squinting against the bright sun, and waiting for that perfect pitch. When I was younger, I loved softball. In fact, my favorite Fourth of July involved uncles and cousins and an impromptu game in the schoolyard behind our house. It didn't matter that I was a skinny little girl, not much bigger than the bat, -- I got a hit (off, what I'm sure was a generous pitch) and carried the memory of that small victory for years.
Okay - we are moved in. It happened, despite my cynicism. Things got put away; beds got made; floors got cleaned. Life was good.
Then, in a moment of unanticipated delirium, I thought it would be a great idea to invite a couple of our friends for dinner and fun. I even stepped aside when Mark determined to choose the menu! What was I thinking?!
All I can say is: "Oh, my gosh ... Oh, my heavens ... Oh, my stars ... Oh, NO!"
I do not like heights and I certainly do not like heights in a clear box on the side of a skyscraper, 1,353 feet above the ground! Oh, no! Not me! Not gonna happen!
These pictures (click for larger view), taken by Jesus Ayala of ABC News, show 'The Ledge,' located off the Skydeck on the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower and consisting of four boxes that jut out about 4.3 feet. About the size of an elevator, each box can support 5 tons. If you look at the picture of the two women (a reporter and her friend), you get an idea of just how far down 1,353 feet really is.
The view is rumored to be fantastic, and there are images all over the Internet of this attraction that opened July 2nd. Kids, I would imagine, would just love it; as would any adult not terrified on anything taller than a 2-step ladder. (Heck, I get nervous standing on a chair to clean my ceiling fan! Which probably explains the condition of my ceiling fan, but that's a whole 'nother story.)
Seriously though - three layers of glass, supported by steel beams from the Skydeck? Five tons, shmive tons. It's up way too high! And frankly, standing in a transparent elevator-sized box on the side of very tall building is enough to send me back inside to the bar - and I quit drinking years ago!
If any of you manage to get there and actually get out on 'The Ledge,' would you please send me pictures?! I'd love to see (from the safety of my recliner) just what the view is like.
Years and years ago, (sorry, Howie) I saw Howie Mandel do a character named 'Bobby' and have remembered that 'little boy' ever since. He is, without a doubt, one of my favorite characters.
Today, I found a video of one of the routines and just had to share it. For anyone who has or knows little kids, this is such a great re-creation of kids telling stories. It wanders, it rambles, and it is totally realistic.
(Warning: The story finishes a little harshly. Remember, this was many years ago; sensibilities were slightly different. And, after all, little kids are little kids.)
There are few parties that are more fun for the givers and the guest than a baby shower. Nothing is as fun as oohing and aahing over cute little baby stuff. I just love booties and hats and sweaters and teeny, tiny outfits. Even itsy, bitsy diapers are adorable. (When you're not the one changing them.)
Putting together a baby shower, on the other hand, isn't always quite as much fun. There are so many things to remember and so many choices available. Take the baby shower favors, for example. Finding just the right treat for your guests can be daunting. And, if you aren't careful, expensive.
Thanks to "Party Pail," things couldn't be simpler. There are dozens and dozens of items for any style or budget. Start with a theme and go from there. Or pick your favorites and create a unique theme that reflects the taste and interests of the mother-to-be. I, personally, fell in love with the baby bottle candles and the silver cross bookmarks.
It seems like yesterday that I met Mark's two youngest sons for the first time. Now, 'our' oldest is turning 20.
Mark hadn't been out of the hospital from his transplant more than a few days when we got the call, asking if he could move in with us. There wasn't a seconds hesitation in answering 'Yes!' Having him here changed our lives, for the better. It wasn't always easy, especially when the youngest moved in a month later. When he decided to stay with friends for his final year of school, it nearly broke our hearts.
I look back over these five years and am so happy to have gotten to know this young man. He's moving up north again at the end of the month; Phoenix isn't his cup of tea, as they say. It's going to be very quiet when he's gone.
Well, it isn't even out yet and Star Trek is causing controversy and uproar among fans on websites all over the Internet. I've been reading article after article this morning, and it isn't pretty. One of the major complaints, and there are many smaller ones, is the diversion from accepted Star Trek lore or 'canon.'
It's fairly safe to say that before any character hits page, screen, or stage, they have a 'backstory' or history. Someone, somewhere gave them a past filled with experiences and memories that mold the character's actions and thoughts in the story. Nowhere is 'backstory' more prevalent, or important, than in the Star Trek universe. Fans and writers have committed these minutiae to memory for decades.
Volumes have been written, by series and movie insiders, about ships, characters, and episodes. (I know; I owned several.) No detail is too small for those addicted to trivia and the Star Trek universe, and determined to know everything about their favorite people, places, and storylines. This dedication is causing some intense posting on websites discussing the new film. Die-hard enthusiasts feel that they have been abandoned in an attempt to attract new Star Trek viewers.
I have to admit to sharing some of that feeling. There is, among those of us who were around during the original series' original run, an expectation. We believe that certain characters should do or say certain things; and not do others. Not to mention, any storyline that leads away from known outcomes, tends to raise fans' hackles.
We used to call it accuracy; attention to detail. If the Enterprise encountered the Romulans for the first time on a specific stardate, then no movie or subsequent episode should infer or represent different facts. The effort to stay true to what came before was
appreciated.
Admittedly, how much prior knowledge do we truly have about the timeframe in which this new movie takes place? There were
episodes in the various series that showed us some of the history of some of the characters. However, I don't recall a succinct explanation of how the original crew initially came together. Or specifics about their time together at StarFleet Academy.
So, perhaps, unlike William Shatner who told fans to 'get a life,' Leonard Nimoy can start a new thought-process:
"Canon is only important to certain people because they have to cling to their knowledge of the minutiae," Nimoy told Reuters. "Open your mind! Be a 'Star Trek' fan and open your
mind and say, 'Where does Star Trek want to take me now'." (A tad insulting, though.)
Perhaps the storyline will work; perhaps millions of fans will be disappointed. Only time - and (okay, point taken) an open mind - will tell.
I was saddened to read about the death, last night, of one of my favorite comedians: Dom DeLuise. We have laughed at, and with, him for our entire lives. From the old Dean Martin show to Burt Reynolds movies to Stargate SG-1, he has always been welcome in our homes and in our lives.
He leaves a legacy of joy, as well as a family of talented sons who costarred with him on "SeaQuestDSV" in the 90s and carry on his work today. Our sympathies to the family and friends of this amazing man.
RIP, Dom.
I just had to add, for those of you who may not have seen it - Dom did the greatest bit as 'Dominick the Great' on the Dean Martin Show. He was the world's most incompetent magician, whose tricks never went right. Yet, no matter how fouled up, he always held his hand up to the audience and said "Hold the applaus-uh! Sav-uh for the end-uh!" in the worst Italian accent - ever. It was just priceless!
Without overstating the obvious - we need a vacation.
I started in Orlando. The deals were great. Just couldn't afford airfare, across the country, for all of us. Rather sad, since I've never been to Disney World.
Looking closer to home, I investigated the area near Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. (Those childhood memories are strong.) After careful consideration, I decided to check out somewhere I've always wanted to visit - without teacups, dwarves, and boysenberry jam - Las Vegas!
I have been through Las Vegas, but never to Las Vegas. And, while I don't gamble, I would love to see each and every casino on the strip. My mom used to go every couple of years, just for the shows, and loved it.
I have never, despite the fact that I live in Arizona, been a Cardinals fan. Didn't like the team in St. Louis; didn't like them here. But I was happy to root for the underdogs in the Super Bowl.
We even watched the NFC Championship game. The Cards looked pretty good; as though they knew what they were doing. Then, they went up against the Steelers.
I was pretty sure that I wouldn't have a voice today - from screaming at the television. Everything I saw in the Championship game, I didn't see in the Super Bowl. So sad.
I love to play computer games - online and offline. We belong to a game club and get one game each month, at about 1/3 of the regular price, for download. Of course, there are a bunch of great sites that let you download demos or play online, so I'm never short of games to play.
Since we've added pages on Facebook, I've found a great set of games - Save the Planet! For zero out-of-pocket, I can play great games and have a positive impact on the world.
There are arcade, card, word, and strategy games, as well as the daily bonus games. Every day, one randomly selected game from each category becomes a bonus game and points are doubled for 24 hours. Why does this matter?
Points matter - beyond bragging rights - because the more one wins, the more one can donate to favorite causes. Or donate to them all. There are so many ways to win points and so many ways to help, I never want to stop playing.
Feed the Hungry with the World Food Programme. Help offset Carbon Dioxide through CarbonFund.org. Supply clean drinking water where it's needed most by helping Action Against Hunger.
Giving and helping has never been more fun! And those are just a few of the options on Facebook!
I am a sucker for a funny story. What can I say? I love to laugh. Not a little laugh, either. I need, on a regular basis, one of those tears-rolling-down-your-cheeks, gonna-wet-my-pants belly laughs.
Today, I found Peter McKay and I haven't stopped laughing since. Okay . . . maybe while I was trying to catch my breath about 20 minutes ago. But that's it!
It's the little, commonplace occurrences in our lives that are the most aggravating. Waiting - anywhere - in line; the moron - in front of us - who waits until the light's turning red to make that left turn; telephone customer service reps - for the most part - who don't think and don't care. You get the idea.
However, if you turn your head to the side a little - gain a different vantage point - there's humor to be found in almost anything. (Well, anything where you have no major bleeding or loss of body parts.) I'm not above a little slapstick, either; like watching the cat try to turn and run on the newly waxed floors. Never fails to make me giggle.
Now, this is fun. I've been in and out of the Las Vegas Greyhound station many times, traveling to see my kids. It's not the greatest neighborhood in Vegas, to say the least. Honestly, I have always wondered where the bus station is located in comparison to the Strip and all of the famous casinos.
Today, I found a great map of the Las Vegas strip and finally got my answer - many, many miles north of the 'fun stuff' on the boulevard. Not surprising, given what I saw in and around the station.
What did surprise me was the number of casinos - almost on top of each other - in the few short miles that make up the Strip. Some day, I'm going to head south and get a good look at all of the casinos. Like my mother, I'm not interested in gambling. But I can't resist the glitz and lights.
Can you imagine how many hundreds of thousands of communities would be able to survive for years on the electricity expended on any given day in Las Vegas?
As is true of all technology, if you wait long enough, the prices do eventually come down. Of course, it takes some shopping time to find the best deals, but they are out there and they are worth hunting down. I know that I would never have imagined getting a 42-inch plasma HDTV for under $1,000.00.
Even better, the technology tends to improve over time. Apparently, there were resolution problems in the early plasmas that have been improved in newer models. Things like shadow images and odd skintones made playing games and simple movie-watching less than enjoyable. Makes me glad we didn't jump on the plasma TV bandwagon at the beginning.
Putting together a baby shower, on the other hand, isn't always quite as much fun. There are so many things to remember and so many choices available. Take the 
Thanks to "Party Pail," things couldn't be simpler. There are dozens and dozens of items for any style or budget. Start with a theme and go from there. Or pick your favorites and create a unique theme that reflects the taste and interests of the mother-to-be. I, personally, fell in love with the baby bottle candles and the silver cross bookmarks.
