Your Personality Is

Idealist (NF)You are a passionate, caring, and unique person. You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals. You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily. Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings. You seek out other empathetic people to befriend. Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships. In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily. At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career.

Best New Year Wish

Not unlike my Best Christmas Wish (below), I got a call from my baby brother, currently stationed in Iraq. In our own loving style the conversation started like such... "Happy New Year Fugger!" "Happy New Year to you too Fugger!" Hey, he and I get the joke and that's what counts! Miss you "Vlar" be safe!

You Say You Want A Resolution...

A resolution this is NOT. I'm fairly adverse to the concept of New Years Resolutions. It's my stance that if you have to make a resolution to accomplish a goal, it's probably something you should have been doing long before the new year crept up on you--So stop making excuses, get off your tookus and get it done. Another of my reasoning…The simple act of proclamation is generally an automatic set up for failure (unless of course you plan on attending the meetings…"Hello, my name is Kimmie and I'm a blogaholic".) No, this is a simple observation brought on by another year's passage and growing yet another year older. Yeah, yeah, Happy freakin' Birthday to me.

Let me start here, with a premise that I am not one to live my life by the stars, palm reading and/or horoscopes, but I figured I might as well toss it into the mix, no? So, my horoscope indicates that "Personal priorities are important -- you've always known that. But the trick is sorting out what you want from what you need. Fortunately for you, right now you've got the instinct and insight to do just that. Figure out what's essential for you when it comes to relationships, and be flexible on the rest. Not only will that broaden your options, but paradoxically, it will ensure that your standards remain high."

What's really kind of funny here is that I've been going through this "thing"… Who are my true friends? Who can I depend on? I've had a really strange year filled with some not-particularly-wonderful-happenings. As a result, I've come to be reminded that life is too short to waste energy on false friends (not only that but heartbreak in all its forms is a S.O.B). I know this sounds like that sweet-tempered part of me, the gal that gets along with anyone and will have a conversation with a shrub if it's willing to listen, has been killed off. That’s not true. I still entertain the idea of new friends and fostering relationships; I'm just going to be more discerning. It's about quality not quantity. And enriching one another's lives. Ahhh the wonder of reciprocity!

Best Christmas Gift EVER

I just received one of the best Christmas presents EVER. A phone call from my brother in Iraq! How much do I love that the conversation started with him saying "Merry Christmas Fugger!" (In Kevin Style) -- That rocks! Almost felt like he was right here! God I miss him like you can't imagine!

Self Affirmations

She has a friendly face. Her smile brightens up a room.
Always willing to lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on.
Supportive even if she doesn’t always agree with you.
Faithful to a fault and ready to take a bullet for those she truly cares about.
She's generous and genuine. She doesn’t know how to tell a lie.
She cries when she's really happy, sad or angry, but is far from being a whiner or a crybaby. She's much tougher than she's given credit for.
Adversity only makes her stronger.
While she doesn't trust easily, if you're lucky enough to get in, you'll find her heart resting tentative on her sleeve. Break it and you'll have to work hard to get back in.
She believes in second chances but will never be your doormat.
Her biggest heartbreaks are deceit, betrayal and game playing.
You don't have to guess what's on her mind. Ask and she'll tell you.
She never makes promises she can't keep.
She lives her life for herself and those close to her, not for what the world might think.
She laughs easily (especially at dumb jokes) and her laughter is contagious.
She's the kind of person that enriches your life.
She is me.

How to make a Kimmie

Ingredients: 5 parts intelligence 1 part crazyiness 3 parts leadership

Method: Add to a cocktail shaker and mix vigorously. Top it off with a sprinkle of lovability and enjoy!

Username:

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

And the hits just keep on coming...

I'm not sure what it is about this time of year. I have quite a few friends that have lost loved ones around Thanksgiving. People seem to go MIA. It's cold and crappy and we're all moody. (Or is that just me and everyone I am close to). And to make things worse, my little brother, who is so much younger than me I look at him almost as a son -- the boy who calls me at least three times a week -- one of my best friends... He just left for Iraq... More worms for me please!

Love Actually

I just got done watching the film "Love Actually" again. It was on when I stopped for a lunch break. I dunno what it is about this movie that get's me... It's just such a great flick. And that little boy Sam looking up at Liam saying "Lets go get the shit kicked out of us by love!" It's just good stuff man!

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm having the fam. here for Thanksgiving... Pray I don't burn the house down (actually I'm not a bad cook, I just have a habit of setting things on fire). Anyway here is my Thanksgiving Greeting. Not sure what it is I find so amusing about this but it makes me giggle hard!

Boys are Stupid

For those of you that have had the pleasure of being in the vicinity of my person (either in the flesh, or virtually) you'll know that my latest mantra is "Boys are Stupid". Leave it to ya'll to prove my point: I rest my case.

Girly Girl My Butt!

I'm sitting on the sofa yesterday and I've got my laptop perched in front of me, all set to get some work done. I feel this tickle on my hand and I notice this little piss-ant (Technical term for those tiny little nuisance brown ants that go after sugar). I brush it off thinking... Where there is one... Yup, the suckers are feasting on my one true indulgence -- $30 per pound Godiva Milk Chocolate Raspberry Starfish, which I purchased with the intention of savoring one a day! The ants seem to agree as they've created a trail from the box, down the table leg, across the floor and under the baseboard. Needless to say I whipped up the box, which had been sitting on the coffee table for less than 48 hours, and I rushed to the sink where I began to blow the ants off each piece of chocolate, one by one, before transferring to a zip lock bag.

And the question is... Despite my dislike for insects, will I still eat the chocolate? Heck yeah!!!

I'm a Junkie

She walks through the airport lounge with a glass of wine in one hand and her laptop balanced in the other. Wireless signal strength 86%…No joy! Continually rescanning the area hoping for enough juice to simply check her mail, she quickly becomes frustrated.

61%…Crap!
46%…Damnit!
She circles back to where she began.
Check mail.
Connection lost.

"Why am I putting myself through this!?!?" She asks herself, knowing that the answer lies in her withdraws from the last three days of Internet access free living – Not by choice. She wonders how she could possibly feel so cut off from the world while having spent the last seventy-two hours running ragged through one of the most bustling cities in the world. It's official. I'm an Internet junkie. This is what happens when you force everyone in your life to become accustomed to communicating with you through email and/or IM and when you've built an online business. You become dependant and then find yourself in situations such as these...

Teetering on one foot, holding the computer high…
Oh hey I think I just got a 91%!

As the day continues...

Yeah, those zen-like moments can only last a short while before I begin contemplating the Religion of Vino!

The Religion of Coffee

The brisk morning air causes an involuntary shiver. I wrap my fingers around a tall coffee, enfolding it in my hands like a precious gift. Heat creeps through my palms and into sleepy digits while I pause, embracing the anticipation, before raising cup to mouth. Pressing eager lips to the rim, the soothing aroma awakens the sinuses as steam flutters across my skin. Gingerly sucking in the too-hot liquid, I am mindless of the slightly seared tongue. Instead, my focus remains centered on the lifeblood radiating down my throat, to my belly and stealing into my limbs with heady affection. The remainder will be consumed in an involuntary act, but for this moment, my entire being is enlightened, comforted…sustained. With this, I begin the day in a hopeful, Zen-like calm.

Walking Contradiction

Picture this if you will: A small town fair, dubbed as "Autumn Fest", complete with a Bavarian Oompah Ooompah band, local crafters, the smell of greasy funnel cakes, hot dogs, and fresh squeezed lemonade, with me...clad in shorts, multi colored floral combat boots, and a black shirt adorned with little skulls and cross bones spelling out my favorite complimentary close, "xoxo" and the words "Hugs and Kisses" underneath the design. Yeah, I blend...

Let's Play!

I'm puttering around the living room, music blaring on the stereo, when I look out the window and spot a rambunctious dog bouncing around my yard. Of course I go outside to play (inherent in my nature). Walking out the front door I notice the pup is accompanied by two equally playful, though less trusting hounds, as I crouch down to their level and begin to make a come-hither kissy noise that sends the more rowdy of the bunch lumbering towards me with the enthusiasm of a six-year old. Before I know it I'm trapped in a flurry of fur, wagging tails, wet noses and kissing tongues. I laughed, squealed and soaked in the love, giggling and clapping as they slathered me in attention, bits of dirt and a fair amount of slobber. We paused our game on occasion while I scolded the smaller, fluffy, dust mop -- not surprisingly the alpha of the bunch -- for snapping at her younger sibling's inability to control his larger, ungainly body, flopping across her in exuberant attempts to tackle me. They proceeded to romp through the yard, tearing through the thicket near the ravine, then around the house before repeating their affections on my person. This traffic pattern occurred three more times before mom whistled them home, and the three raced off, looking back at me as if to say, "Last one there's a rotten egg."

I'm Pissed

I want nothing to do with the "New INXS". Is JD talented? Yes. Does he have rock star qualities? Yes. Is he right for INXS? No. Will they be doing a Rock Star INXS 2006? More than likely.

JD should be perusing a solo career. He has his own ideas and visions and I don't see him as a team player. I see a strong case of LSD (Lead Singer Disease) in his future (hints of which were more than visible during the course of the show). Marty on the other hand, when put side by side with Michael Hutchence, is the most fitting candidate to fill those shoes in my honest opinion. He has vision, he has drive, he has talent and he's only going to continue to grow as an artist. If that boy doesn't become a huge star I'll eat my hat.

And MiG...What can you say about MiG? That guy is so damn talented I can't even believe it! It's obvious that his "niceness" was a hurdle that the band couldn't get past. Which is a shame. MiG too will meet with great success.

I want all those hours of my life back that I wasted watching this atrocity. If not for the gifts of Marty (his song "Trees"), MiG, Suzy, and Jordis I think I'd find a way to sue the network for damages. That is all...

Dynamite

Okay I came across this today while needing a good laugh and it was the perfect prescription. If you're a fan of Napoleon Dynamite (or even if you're not) go check out these commercials for the Utah State Fair (http://www.utah-state-fair.com/ --see the menu on the left for Napoleon's Sweet Ads) And here is a taste: Pedro's Song

You Know Your A Geek When...

You find this both entertaining AND exciting: (http://www.asciipr0n.com/archive/0013/bonnie/craft/).

You know you're a geek when you actually dig out an old floppy and use it make your own Starship Enterprise replica.

Looking Back...

Would anyone have ever imagined, oh say, fifteen years ago, that you'd be able to turn on the television in the middle of the afternoon and see a Megadeath video? --In the same rotation with 38 Special no less? If you sit around thinking about this stuff hard enough it'll send you stupid though. So...back to work with me, sitting on the sofa with VH1 Classics in the background, my sickly mac laptop (screen being propped up by a lovely bamboo tea scented candle because the hinges are snapped off of the monitor -- anyone know where I can find a cheap 15" titanium case, I'd be forever indebted) and sipping on some homemade lemonade. There are many reasons I don't have a traditional job. This is just one fine example. Cube farms be damned!

No REALLY!

Am I EVER going to get rid of this cough? I mean honest to crap. We're talking just shy of two months here kids. I'm starting to think I have TB or something. I'm taking my meds. I've spent the better part of the last, what, two weeks, as a dope head. While the nice glow that covers my world is lovely, there are times when I do like to be coherent. Times when I need to be capable of a normal thought processes. This whole "tree pretty" mentality is great, but I've got work to do, things to accomplish, and have you TRIED dealing with scripts when you're giggling at tilde (~) marks because they look silly? For real!

Spoof This!

There's nothing quite like figuring out that someone is spoofing one of your email addresses to send spam. The only thing that tops it is to find out that they're a titty site out of Moscow and there probably isn't a damn thing I can do about it legally. What sucks for them is I'm a geek and was able to find all of their information in which to plan my retaliatory attack. Mess with MY email will you... MUAHAHAHA!!!

Me? Evasive?

Those of you who know me, know I'm a stickler about giving out my personal information. Hell, I've even had a friend dub me as "Miss Evasive". My last name cannot be found on any document on line. My address is top secret but to those I've come to trust. You do not get my email address unless I'm sure you're not a stalker. And I'm practiced at the art of question avoidance. You get the idea. Maybe I take it to extremes, but a gal's gotta be careful. And then I come across something like this...PLEASE be sure to click on the Social Security Card link.

http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/antonybrosnan/

Bud...Wi....Zerr

So I'm going to let my dog out last night, and as I open the garage door, in hops this cute-as-hell toad. I'm freaking out because... well come on... he needs to be outside, not in my kitchen!!! So I try to catch him. I'm on my hands and knees chasing after this sucker on my kitchen floor hoping it doesn't make a break for under the stove or the fridge. I finally grab him and he jumps out of my hands onto the counter top. I'm squeeling... "No no... get back here", as I grab it again. He's kicking at me for all he's worth and I'm talking to him like he understands--"I'm sorry little toadie, but you can't be in here!" I finally get him outside and set him on the ground and yes, of course, HE PEED on my HAND. Nice! And I submit to you: How can ANYONE call me a girlie girl?

Don't Deny Thine Self

I just bought myself a gift... For no reason other than I WANT! I WANT! I WANT! Credit card bill be damned!

It's a Guinness ring bayyybeee! Made from an actual can!  YES!!!

Insight

I'm an angel...

With clip on wings.

I'm Inspired...

I just watched this fabulous documentary conducted by Roseanna Arquette called Searching for Debra Winger. The gist of the documentary, at the heart of it, is Roseanna's own personal search to understand being a woman who is "growing up" and/or "becoming mature" in the world of acting. What makes some actresses decide to hang up their hats, what type of fallacies are there, rivalries, expectations both of self and by the media/public, those things that are inflicted upon women--especially those behind the camera (must stay thin, look young, no bags, no wrinkles...), how to react to these expectations, sisterhood, heroes, accepting oneself, and simply put, a bunch of incredible women discussing the ups and downs of being creative women.

I Was Robbed!

So I took this 80s test (Thanks C!) - And while I scored pretty high, and even got some bonus questions... I think that the grading was a little strict on the following don't you? (They were fill in the blanks)

My Answer: "Make you wonder how the [other] half [die]."
Right Answer: "Make you wonder how the [better] half [die]"
Nevermind it is "Makes" not "Make" but i'm not bitter!

My Answer: "Don't [trun] [around]" (yeah typo!)
Right Answer: "Don't [turn] [around]"

My Answer: "And the full moon that hangs over these [dreams] in the [myst].
Right Answer "And the full moon that hangs over these [dreams] in the [mist].
COME ON! You say tomato...

My Answer: "When I see [your smile], I can face the world".
Right Answer: "When I see [you smile], I can face the world".
Okay, getting a little TECHNICAL aren't we?

My Answer: "And I know I'm right cuz I [heard] it in the night."
Right Answer: "And I know I'm right cuz I [hear] it in the night."
My answer is actually grammaticaly correct...

My Answer: "By order of the [prophets] we ban that boogie sound."
Right Answer: "By order of the [prophet] we ban that boogie sound."
Are you SERIOUS?

Heh heh.. I got 147 points though... That was fun! WE...ARE..THE 80s!

A True Compliment

My little brother (I say little because he's ten years younger than me) was here visiting over Fourth of July weekend. We were having an off-handed discussion about relationships and that type of hooey. After his vehement "I'm never getting married" I jokingly commented, "Oh face it, you just can't find a woman as WONDERFUL as your sister." He looked at me with all the seriousness of a train wreck and said, "You're not kidding. If I could find another woman in this world like you, I'd marry her in a second." WOW! I guess my brother thinks I'm pretty great! Who knew?!?!

Damn Yankee

Living in "The South" is wonderful. The weather of course being the main benefit. If you're not a fan of the snow, you can escape it all together if you move as far as Florida. If you like a little snow, you can try the climes of North Carolina or maybe Virginia. Having lived in all three locals, I can certainly tell you that the laid back atmosphere and the beautifully blooming flowers and trees (not to mention the beaches) are supreme.

Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. We've got bigger bugs. And just last month I saw a bull frog that could eat my dog as a snack. But one of the main drawbacks would have to be the, shall I say lazy, attitude? Now I'm as laid back as the next guy (or gal) and I'm all about taking it easy. But being a native of Cleveland (or the burbs thereof), I have what has been described to me by previous southern employers as "the Midwestern work ethic". Essentially what that means is we work hard, we work quickly and are genuinely pleased over a job well done. Southerners on the other hand, as a whole, move slower than Mississippi mud and, as I sit here waiting for my noon appointment to show up (at 1:45 p.m.) I'm reminded that they have no concept of "a schedule".

Meanwhile, Darryl and Darryl are behind me, attempting to fix my kitchen sink, which I recently discovered, was lacking in hot water. I'm more than mildly amused as I listen to them fumble their way through the repair as the foreman announces in a thick southern drawl, "Your killing me!" to his fellow employee, who responds by mimicking the sentiment.

Return of the Fly

Sometimes I feel like a flying insect too stupid to realize that the glass will stay glass no matter how hard I keep throwing myself into it, hoping I'll get through to the other side.

Girls Will Be Boys...

I have always been somewhat of a tomboy. My older brother was my best friend growing up and keeping me clean was something my mom gave up on in the early years. So the following story should come as no surprise:

I went to check on the status of my home (i.e. make sure the builders are not screwing shit up) and to drop off a ceiling fan on my way out of town, heading up to my grandmother's funeral (yeah it's been a rough week). For the first time since groundbreaking, the doors were locked. I figured I'd try the back door and also a window. It was pouring down rain and the yard was a big muck hole, but I felt safe enough in my Lands End hiking boots. What I didn't expect was to take a step towards the window and find myself sunk to my knees in a concoction of quicksand mud that seemed to want to hold me captive. Thankfully I was close enough to the deck to grab hold and hoist myself out. Unfortunately the water had not been turned on yet so I coudln't try to rinse myself off, so I decided to find some puddles to jump around in (which were equally muddy) Good thing I had a suitcase full of clothes so that I could change into new pants and shoes (hey those boots kept my feet clean and dry so I didn't have to change socks!) - A 10 hours drive covered in wet sandy mud would've sucked tremendously.

The Year of My Birth

I was going through some old paperwork this morning and I came across this card I got for my Birthday last year (December for those of you wanting to send me prezzies). Based on my personality and values, I think some of this is pretty funny, odd and also interesting:

In the news: Neil Armstrong walks on the moon; Bernadette Devlin (21 year old female w00t w00t!) is elected to British Parliament; Smothers Brothers show is canceled, labeled "too controversial" (pah-lease!); The Saturday Evening Post folds; Woodstock Festival is held (drugs, music, partying and mud...); Pantsuits become acceptable for everyday wear by women (This, I admittedly found surprising!); Senator Kennedy's car plunges off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island killing passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. Large anit-war demonstrations take place.

New to the market: Penthouse founded by Robert Cuccione (Isn't this the first skank porn?); Boeing 747 makes its first flight. The concord makes its maiden voyage (I love airplanes); Yale, Bowdoin and Colgate colleges (pooh-pooh) admit women (w00t w00t!); Arthur Michell establishes the Dance Theater of Harlem.

Value of a Dollar: $189.95 would buy you a stereo (For real!); Eggs were 61 cents a dozen (I grew up eating eggs and soldiers - if you don't know what that is you missed out!); Kodak Instamatic Cameras were $35.00 (I remember those!); and you could buy a car for (US average) $2,280 (holy crap... now TVs go for as much as cars did then!).

Awards: Midnight Cowboy gets Best Picture; Best Actor: John Wayne for True Grit; Best Actress: Maggie Smith for The Prime of Miss Jeane Brodie and 5th Dimension gets the Grammy for Aquarius (That song is synonymous with hippie!).

Music: Rolling Stones release Gimme Shelter. Other Popular musical groups were Led Zeppelin and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Born to be Wild and Come Together are musical hits. Portnoy's Complaint, The Godfather, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Andromeda Strain and Slaughterhouse-Five are published (Andromeda Strain was crazy stuff!); Easy Rider; Hello Dolly; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Hitchcock's Topaz are showing at the cinema. Broadway's Oh Calcutta! shocks audiences with its frontal nudity (w00t w00t!); Coco, Starring Kathrine Hepburn is on Broadway. Star Trek is off the air after a 3-year run (I admit it, I'm a bit of a trekkie. Though TNG and Patrick Stewart rock my world!); Rembrandt's Self-Portrait sells for $2,256,000 at Christie's In London (This makes me wanna start painting again!).

THE END

I'm a Bad Girl...

So I went to see the movie Crash last night. Very intense movie. For those of you that have seen this sucker you know its one of those thing that both surprises and inflames. One of the ladies I was sitting next to during the show is really freaked out by racism (and rightly so) so between the two of us there were quite a few... "Oh my GAWDs", gasps and other such, along with a few quick side comments. This of course resulted in me getting chastised by some stuffy man sitting a few rows back who actually got up out of his seat, walked up to us and said rather sternly "Ladies, do you think you can save the conversation for after the show?" I put on the right amount of contrition and apologized and was quiet for the rest of the show.

Please realize I'm not one to talk through a movie and we weren't being incessant about it, but I suppose I too would have been irritated by my behavior. But, as I said, this movie tends to inflame.

This is what I get for attending a show at a swanky theater that serves wine and cushions your ass with leather seats. Umm hmmm...

Am I THIS big of a geek?

The actors who play Padme Amadala, Darth Sedius and Obi Wan are going to be at a local store this month for a meet and gree and I'm contemplating going... Holy crap... I AM a geek!

RETURN OF THE SCREEN SAVERS

This freaking rocks! 

HABITcky writes "Leo Laporte, Patrick Norton, Kevin Rose, and Robert Heron have gotten together and recorded their first podcast of The Return Of The Screen Savers (ROTSS) It's a 56kbps MP3Pro file weighing in at around 14MB. Join them for 34 minutes of Skyping fun as they discuss driving in the dust, cell phones, Kevin's new webcast, Systm, and the demise of TechTV. They plan to make this a weekly broadcast."

Society and Fear

I was driving down this windy country road yesterday after having looked at the progress of my new home. It was starting to get a little late and storm clouds were moving in, so there was an eerie feeling in the air. I'm buzzing along at a high speed when I notice this man on the side of the road. I slow a bit, wondering what his deal is, when I notice him flailing his arms as I almost zoom past. I slammed on the brakes, realizing he was trying to flag me down.

A lot of things run through your mind in these types of situations. The first of course... do I stop? Obviously I did. The second thing I did was press the door lock as the man approached, then I kindly lowered the passenger window. I remember feeling crappy that I had to lock the doors. I'm a trusting person by nature but let's face it. I'm not stupid!

I could tell by looking at him that something wasn't quite right. He seemed very upset and he uttered the words "I'm deaf" as he presented me with a handwritten note.

This is the part where I realize I can never tell this story to my mom or she'll never sleep at night expecting that at any moment my trusting nature was going to result in a phone call that I've wound up dead in the proverbial ditch.

The note tells me that he's deaf and his father is in the hospital and he doesn't have enough money for gas to get up to the hospital. It kindly asks if he could borrow $15.00 and that he would pay me back tomorrow. And you know what? For some reason, I believed him. I motioned for him to hold on a moment as I reached for my purse (which of course was an invitation for any criminal to grab it and run - he kept his distance). I felt like crap that all I had in my wallet was a dollar bill but I hand it to him as I said "this is all I have", shaking my head from side to side and hoping he understood. He shook his head in acknowledgment and I drove off.

I'm left with a few feelings. 1) Our society is so un-tusting! 2) Why didn't he just ask me for a ride? 3) What would I have done if he did? and 4) Why do I feel like shit that all I had was a dollar?

On a lighter note...

I'm walking through the parking lot of Best Buy the other day, minding my own business. As I'm heading towards my car this other car stopped to let me walk passed and this dude leans out his window and gives me a "Hey GIRL!"...

What is that? I mean...I appreciate the implied compliment and all, but what do you suppose his response would have been if I replied with "Hey BOY!" - Mind you there was a nice... appreciative "wooo-oooohhhh" as I continued to walk on pretending as if I didn't hear--Because sometimes, honestly, it's best just to move on.

BAD idea... REALLY BAD...

Don't EVER decide to change your domain name, webhost, email host, and
the entire look of your website all at the same time. And toss in a
curve ball of having the deadline bumped up for various reasons
(including but not limited to the looming expiration date of the email
account and early server switch, to name a few) and you've got a recipe
for complete and utter HELL.

THIS is SO Cool!

Pilfered from slashdot: Bunny writes "The City of Dayton, Ohio announced a plan to make all of downtown a WiFi hotspot - and as of last week, the network is live. This makes Dayton the first Ohio city to offer free WiFi access. Approximately one square mile of downtown is now live, including Fifth Third Field, the Oregon District, Webster Station and RiverScape. The WiFi project is a public/private partnership not funded by taxpayers, and comes at no charge to the end user." (According to the linked story at WHIO-TV, the city is actually paying about $5,000 per year, with advertisers picking up the rest of the tab.)

The Benefits of Walking

So I was on my daily walk - it's an exercise thing - and I was most of the way home, attempting to beat the rain clouds, when I passed by a man mowing his lawn. I didn't really pay a lot of attention to him, earbuds with ipod blaring a radio show into my ears and all. I happened to notice him as he looked at me, stopped what he was doing and just started, mower still running in his hands. He then let go of the handle (which turned the mower off) and signaled that I should pull out the earbud, which I did. "Hi!" he says. "I thought it was going to be nice today!" "Yeah..." I replied. "Dunno what happened. I was going to mow my lawn today too..." I fibbed slightly (I NEED to mow my lawn and I had considered it breifly but never fully committed). "Oh! You need some help with that?" He asks. How sweet, I thought, and smiled brightly "No thanks, I'm going to wait for a dry sunny day." I reached for the earbud and started to walk away and he began to mow again. As I made my way around the cul-du-sac he signals to me again, at which I repeat the process of removing my ear bud and pausing my show. "My name is EJ by the way, what's yours?" "I'm Kim. Nice to meet you EJ." I said. "Let me know if you need any help with that lawn. I'm right here." I chuckled and replied "Thank you!" and continued on my walk.

It's 76 and Sunny...

...And there isn't a cloud in the sky... Beautiful blue as far as the eye can see. It's officially SPRING!

When I was a teenager, still living at home with the parental units, I remember this time of year vividly... you'd hear Bill's charger zooming up the street (where otherwise it would be parked safely away in his garage only going out when forced to do so). The neighbor kids would emerge to scream, yell and run around the yards. Friends would come visiting. -- I hear the car and run to the window... is he stopping here? Oh yay! He is! - I tear downstairs pausing at the door to run my fingers through my hair before calmly walking outside with a smile. "Hey! how you been?" Not long after Shelly would come up from down the street... Oh hey, here's Brady and Tim and Jim... Before you know it, the gang's all here.

What IS it about weather like this makes you wanna go outside and play!

Influencing Friends

While I stopped just short of B&E (Breaking and Entering) I did partake
in a little trespassing while inspecting a potential new home yesterday
(at least it appeared potential from the newspaper AD - not so much
after seeing the place in person). I wandered into the very spacious
back yard of what could certainly be a beautiful home, had it not been
so poorly taken care of by the previous owners (and the current new
owners - termites). I also found myself wandering around on a yard that
had some woods - and decided I needed to see where the lot ended (I bear
the thorn scraped hands to prove it). Since this time I have found
myself schooled on the proper care and maintenance of septic systems
(you'd think having grown up in Brunswick freaking Ohio I'd know about
these mechanical wonders but as my luck would have it -not so much).

Beyond the new education and certain habits of Miss Cristy that I've
recently taken up, I also found out that its really hard to find a home
that you'd like to increase in value when your hood could potentially be
inhabited by Jethro The Squater who resides in a literal -- and quite
rusty -- tractor trailer which he's upgraded, complete with kitchen and
living area. The jury is still out as to whether he's got running hot
and cold water, though I'm pretty sure the answer is an unequivocal
"No". Good NIGHT!! North Carolina is weird. There's one thing to be
said about Brunswick - at least its all broken down into neighborhoods
and you know where to expect the trailers and riff raff to pop up.

NO WAY

First Doctor Who is going to be coming out (I wonder what the tardis is going to look like!!!), then I read about Wallace and Gromit making it to the big screen, and now there is this:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon has signed the dotted line to do Wonder Woman the movie! How cool is that. Regardless of whether or not you dug BTVS, Joss Whedon is an AWESOME writer and he's probably one of the only ones I'd trust to do this properly.  Check out the deets at www.themovieinsider.com

Crackin' Good Toast Gromit

I'm SO excited about this - of course my strange British humor tends to prevail at times - but if you've never checked out Wallace & Gromit, you must do so!

For those of you that are already fans - Courtesy Slashdot: blamanj writes "Aardman Studios have release the first peek (Quicktime) at the new Wallace & Gromit film, Curse of the Wererabbit. Currently scheduled for an October release, the slightly-less-than dynamic duo will be putting their talents to work chasing a were-rabbit that threatens the town's vegetables. Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter supply lead vocals. Character creator Nick Park co-directs his story."

And the link: http://www.dreamworks.com/trailers/wg/specials/wg_makingof_qt_352.mov

It's Cristy's Fault!

Okay so Cristy posted this cool website on her blog -- It tells you what songs were
number one on any given day of the year. I searched my birthday and it
totally freaked me out...

The number one song on the American
Charts was "Rain Drops Keep Fallin' on my Head" by B.J. Thomas - What is
freaky about this is, that was my favorite song when I was a kid (that
and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon"). So what, did I hear this thing on the way
home from the hospital after being born and it stuck with me? Thats wild.
WILD MAN!

Beeping Televisions

Okay, maybe I don't understand how things work. Or maybe I do... Maybe I should hold this idea to myself and see if I can patent it or somehow come up with the machinery to do it myself and make millions... but alas I don't have the means or the time so I'm going to have to give this idea away for free...

I was watching George Lopez' stand up comedy act the other night and I was really irritated at the constant censorship beeps. So it got me to wondering...Why can't someone come up with a feature on televisions that will beep out curse words? Something that parents can enable and can even add or remove words as they see fit. I dunno, maybe they don't like the phrase "poopy head" -- they can add it to the blocked word list. This way, the rest of us can watch a show without the irritating and disruptive bleeps while those who have small children (who probably shouldn't have this show playing in the first place) can turn on the bad word blocker. Then we're all happy! I dunno, just a thought.

I'm Broke!

Okay so I solved the little "fire" problem I had. While I could have certainly tried splicing and electrical tape on the offending cable, the spot where the cord was frayed and where the fire took place was actually deep into the connector. Granted I did try! Only I didn't like the lovely zapping sound that was still emitting from beneath the electrical tape and really didn't feel like "testing" this on my Mac so I chucked it across the room and resigned myself to the fact that I not only needed to purchase a new one at 80.00 but get the sucker here as fast as possible (fed ex overnight at another 14.00)... This on the cusp of paying over 400.00 in vet bills for my dog and 170.00 in new contact lenses for myself. And we don't want to talk about how sad my tax return is this year. But I wanna know, who did I piss off and why are the computer gnomes freaked out at me that they're causing me so much grief. Is it in the moon, stars, air... Am I the only one experiencing all these weird computer/electronic related problems? Oh and let me finish with this - I hopped into bed last night and put in the second disc of the last season of Angel and my portable DVD player went black on me. I had to jiggle the cord to get it to come back on. Can we all see where this is going to wind up???

It's Getting Hot In Here

So I was working on my computer from the comfy recliner when I
noticed I was running low on battery power. So, like any normal person,
I came back in to my office to plug in my laptop and give it some
juice. At this point I noticed the cable was really warm and an odd
look came over my face as it began to spark! Doing the smart thing I
reached down to unplug it from the powerstrip as I witnessed it
literally catch fire... yes there were flames! MMMhmmmmm... it caught
fire!!! Once unplugged I blew the fire out and enjoyed the lovely
stench of electrical burning and then pondered how I was going to finish my work when I have a dead battery and no means
of recharging.

Guess I'm getting that 80.00 replacement cable a little sooner than I
thought.

Good gravy!!! Can you believe that???

DYNO-MITE

Okay if you haven't seen this film yet (Napoleon Dynamite) you've GOT to! And make sure you watch it realizing it's totally stupidly genius! And after you watch it once, watch it again. You'll enjoy it more the second time. Be sure to check out the film short on the features too. Why? Because it's good! GOSH!

I SWEAR I didn't plan this!

You're a Pint of Guinness!


What Type of Alcoholic Beverage Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

My New Code - I AM a dork!

if (thirsty = bad_beer) {
goto = guinness();
} else {
not.so.brilliant;
}
end

Advances

The other day I was out and about in my small town and walking into a shop when I had this guy walk up to me and start asking me all kinds of questions about my Mini Cooper. "Does it handle well?" he asks. "Like a charm." I reply. "Is it good on gas?" he questions further. "Yeah very good, but for the fact that it requires premium fuel." was my response. "How much it cost?" and I rattle off the figure. "It's a pretty color" he says with a smile, "matches your eyes." Yes... truly... (Note: It is important to point out that my car is dark green (not red or yellow)).

Computer Geek


What Kind of Geek Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I Want My TECH TV

Some of you faithful readers are also fellow nerds. That's what I love about you kids. You know that I have dreams about Steve Jobs, that I think no one tops Patrick Norton in a utilikilt, that I pay homage to Yoshi and his modding abilities and I would run away with Leo Laporte in a minute (if he were not otherwise entangled of course).

So when I found out that Mr. Leo has a podcast, I danced a little jig in my jammies. Hey, I've been working 24/7 on computers and sites these days that I hardly have time to get dressed and shower! So what was my point? Oh yeah - Leo Laporte and his podcast...I was so excited to find this thing!!! I feel back in touch with the old world of TechTV before it became--well, to coin a phrase from my five year old niece who picked up on my brother's foul language--a SUCK FEST! You can tune into Leo and his wonderful words of computer wisdom. Hear his fun jokes and listen in as he interviews Patrick, Yoshi and other equally interesting folks. It's just a whole lot a joy tickling 'round your geeky spots! So check it out. More info on Leo and his world can be found at www.Leoville.com and for all the gory deets about Siren Rebellion see: www.scorerocks.com/radio.html.

Who Is Cheap Trick

I won't mention his name, even though I feel that not having a working knowledge of the band Cheap Trick should cause one to suffer public humliation, I'll be nice. How is it possible that someone can sing the praises of Sting and Phil Collins but confess to having no idea who Cheap Trick is?? I start to belt out a few lines of "Dream Police" and "I Want You To Want Me" and he stares at me blankly. Is it his youth? No, it can't be, as we said, he's a fan of Sting and old Phil Collins/Genesis... Someone needs to explain this to me! Until that time I've strapped him to the chair and pressed play on the CD player and contemplated slipping in the new DVD... Sheese Louise!!!