November 30, 2007
I remember being on a vacation once with my children and my mother. We stopped at a small bed and breakfast for the night, and when we headed to our car in the morning, we found a flat tire. What to do, when you’re in the middle of nowhere, and the only male around is the 70 something year old innkeeper? You do what any daring girl would do - you get on your knees in the driveway, pull our the spare, and start in on the lug nuts…and that’s just what I did.
Let’s face it, there are certain things that every girl should know how to do for herself. The Daring Book For Girls is geared to a teen / pre-tween audience, so automotive maintenance isn’t covered, but science projects, friendship bracelets, and great women in history ARE covered. When the book arrived at my house, I promptly handed it off to my soon to be 12 year old so that she could read it and share her thoughts with me:
The book had a lot of fun stuff to do that you don’t need help with. I learned about making tents, camping, games, and playing sports. I liked that it was mainly for girls and things that I didn’t know a lot about. I found a lot of things I would like to try.
Of course, I looked through the book myself, and I was impressed. It’s like a handbook to being the coolest mom or big sister ever. You can learn how to properly wash a car (and it doesn’t involve paying someone else to do it) or how to sing campfire songs, or how to do karate moves. The book can even improve my standing with my son, since it has easy steps on how to create a paper airplane. Doing the activities together will give you something to share. If your daughter opts to work alone - let her - you might be amazed at what she comes up with!
I’m all for anything that gets my kids off the computer and away from the television, and this book seems like just the ticket. It’s a bit of a return to another era, when kids didn’t have online games and DVD players to distract them, and there’s nothing wrong with that! The Daring Book For Girls will inspire your girls to learn more, to do more, and to BE more.
8:00 pm
Filed under Buy Me!, Media Mom
1 Comment »
Just when you thought Mike Arrington couldn’t squeeze enough content out of PayPerPost - he surprises you! In today’s episode, Mike trolls the PayPerPost message boards and singles out especially “pathetic” (his words, not mine) users to put together a new blog entry about the Google pagerank shift.
In this amazing editorial (note: sarcasm), Mike links to specific discussions on the PayPerPost / Izea message boards where users talked about the recent pagerank updates that left many bloggers with a much lower pagerank than expected. Mike goes on to call the posts “pathetic”, and the users “freaked out”.
I completely agree with the freaked out portion - I imagine Mike would be in the same boat if Google ever came after him for the PR juice he gives to his sponsors. But pathetic? Since when it is it pathetic to wonder how you’re going to pay your bills? Is it pathetic to worry when an income source dries up? As much as I’d like to tell my fellow bloggers c’est la vie, don’t worry about it…I can’t. Too many people depending on their blogs for income DON’T have another source of income, or a full time job. Blogs have turned into a way for people to pay for a debt free Christmas, or an extra vacation, or braces for the child, or household extras. When did it become pathetic to wonder how you were going to make ends meet?
What IS pathetic is Mike. Trolling a message board for content proves it’s a slow news day, but posting it and calling people names proves you’re a heartless bastard. (I like how he ignored all of the POSITIVE comments on the thread by people saying they were going to work on content, keep blogging, and not be Google’s bitch!)
Mike has learned over the past few months that anytime PayPerPost is mentioned on his site, his pageviews go up and he gets tons of comments. He’s no fool - bashing the company has turned into big business for him, and going after the bloggers of PayPerPost by publishing their words on his site is just one more way to make a buck. What he fails to realize is that he’s ticking off his regular readers who made him what he is BEFORE he started using PayPerPost for content. The people who have been reading TechCrunch since the beginning are becoming increasing disenchanted with Mike. I know he’s crossed the line, and so do his regulars. The question is, is Mike smart enough to know when he’s crossed the line? Obviously not.
What a swell guy! What’s next - kicking kittens?
10:43 am
Filed under Bitchy-Poo, Geek Squad
18 Comments »
November 29, 2007
I sent my Big Love DVD back to Netflix this week, and was bummed out to see that’s the last of the big love for a few weeks. The next season isn’t out on DVD until mid December, so I need something to occupy those slow TV evenings until then. Julie was raving about Dexter on Showtime a few weeks ago and it seems like my kind of thing. I don’t get into blood and gore much, but give me a good psychotic killer any day! I love the Hannibal Lector movies & books and actually ended up sympathizing for him, especially after reading the most recent book. I’m sure I’m going to fall hard for Dexter.
He should be arriving in my mailbox today!
10:13 am
Filed under Entertainment
5 Comments »
For once, I’m getting my holiday preparation done early. The tree is up and decorated, the majority of the presents have been purchased, and my holiday cards are at Wal-Mart, waiting for me to pick them up. I’m actually kicking myself that I already ordered cards, because my friend Laura designed some fantastic custom card templates that I really do prefer. Never fear, it’s not too late for YOU to get them! Wouldn’t you rather have a custom photo card, instead of the same generic crap everyone is sending out, like me?
Just pop over to Laura’s site to see her custom holiday cards - when you pick a template & purchase it, you can then send her your very own photos to put on the cards. She’ll email you back the completed high-res file so that you can upload it to your local photo processing website and get your prints. What I really love about her designs is that a few of them allow for multiple pictures! It’s hard to find one picture of the whole family that’s a great shot of everyone, so being able to add extra shots is a bonus, especially if you’ve got more than one or two kids. Everyone gets a little face time 
8:57 am
Filed under Buy Me!
2 Comments »
November 28, 2007
Will Turner: This is either madness, or brilliance.
Jack Sparrow: It’s funny how often those traits coincide.
I love, love, love, Johnny Depp. I want to take him out behind the middle school and get him pregnant. I’ve loved him since way back in his 21 Jump Street days, and I’ve seen almost all of his movies, from Edward Scissorhands to Blow. No matter who he plays in a movie, he never feels to drag me right in and forget that he’s the same guy I’ve seen in 20 other films.
When I heard Johnny Depp was going to be starring in a new Tim Burton film, I was so excited. To continue what these two started in Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride, and Sleepy Hollow…tres exciting. My two favorite Johnny Depp films are actually quite different from each other. The first is one of his more recent movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. I’m a huge Disney nut, and I’ve been on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride too many times to count, so seeing it brought to life on the big screen was magical. Watching Johnny as Captain Jack Sparrow was amazing. The character was nothing like anything he’d ever done before, with his drunken antics and the way he said “love” to the female characters in that sexy British accent. ::fans self::
My other favorite Johnny Depp film is an old one that most people probably haven’t seen, or don’t recall. It’s called Benny & Joon, and it came out in 1993, the year I turned 17. It was a lighthearted romantic comedy and it just stuck with me. I always liked quirky movies and this was definitely quirky. Johnny played Sam, a boy who is drawn to a mentally ill woman played named Joon. I love the line where Joon says she doesn’t like raisins because they’re just “humiliated grapes”. HA! I don’t like raisins either, though not for the same reason.
And the fact that the new film would be none other than Sweeney Todd? I just saw the trailer, and you can visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site and see it for yourself. It’s dark, scary, and completely creepy. I can’t wait until December 21st!
I first learned about The Demon Barber of Fleet Street when I was in middle school, and my choir instructor was starring in a local production. It’s definitely a lot darker than some of his other movies, but it’s going to be fantastic to see Johnny in a role like that. He’s definitely not afraid to mess with his sex appeal either - he looks positively evil in the pictures and previews I’ve seen. With that pale skin, the dark circles around his eyes, and the scary hair, I will NOT be panting for the Sweeney Todd version of Johnny. Give me Captain Jack any day! (However, I am quite content to close my eyes and listen to Johnny’s singing in Sweeney Todd - he sounds great!)
I’m counting down the days til I get sneak off without the kids and see Sweeney Todd! (In the meantime, I’ll just visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace!)
10:23 pm
Filed under Entertainment
4 Comments »
I can only imagine the search engine traffic I’m going to get by linking to free porn for women. Yes, women like pornography too, we’re just a lot more selective than men are. It takes more than a naked man to get us hot and bothered, but when you find the right combination of images, and words, like the link above has - watch out!
9:53 pm
Filed under Ha, Ha!
4 Comments »
November 27, 2007
Speaking of a mom who breastfed three children, I appreciate maternity clothes and clothes for nursing moms that don’t make one look like one is wearing a potato sack. After spending 9 months in leggings and maternity tops, once I finally dropped my baby weight, I wanted to wear my old clothes SO badly. I quickly discovered that most of my old clothes didn’t really fit in with my new nursing mom lifestyle. Just try breastfeeding in public while wearing a regular t-shirt - you’ll end up giving half the mall a free show. So called clothes for nursing moms proved to have cumbersome buttons or flaps that weren’t easy to open with one hand.
So what’s a mom to do? Sacrifice style for comfort and ease of use? It’s not even necessary in this day and age, because specialty stores like NursingPJs.com are realizing that we want MORE than just function - we want to look good! Their site features adorable clothes for nursing moms, from PJ’s (if you’re going to stay in your jammies all day, you might as well look good!) and clothes you can wear out on the town, like these cute nursing dresses. That’s a long way from frumpy and dumpy! The clothes are designed so well that no one will ever realize they’re designed to allow you to easily nurse your baby…I love it!
If you’re a dad-to-be or a new dad, or attending a baby shower, this would make a great gift for a new mom. They’re offering free shipping for the holidays, too!
5:24 pm
Filed under Buy Me!, Family Ties
1 Comment »
Heartless hater of the holidays? Or practical, to a fault? You decide, after you read what I wrote about $21,000 worth of Christmas trees being sent to Iraq.
5:13 pm
Filed under Bitchy-Poo
3 Comments »
When I was little, I received several personalized books for Christmas and various birthdays. I love the books, and I’ve bought them for my own children. When you’re that age, nothing is better than getting a book all about you and the people you know. I still take mine out from time to time and look over them, remembering the friends and pets and family who will live forever on those pages. If you’re a sentimental sap like I am, be sure to check out IdentityDirect.com for all sorts of personalized books and gifts.
And, just in time for Christmas…how about a FREE Letter from Santa for your kids, grandkids, nieces or nephew? Just visit the IdentityDirect.com website, and you’ll be able to create a personalized letter from Santa to your child, which will be delivered via email. You can then print out the letter, and snail mail it to your child, or leave it out on Christmas morning.
3:26 pm
Filed under Buy Me!
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This morning, I was reminiscing about the good times in Las Vegas earlier this month, and decided today would be a good day to wrap up my tales. If you’re just joining us, you can read about day 1 and day 2 here:
Postiecon & Las Vegas: Day 1
PostieCon & Las Vegas: Day 2
Day 3 is otherwise known as Friday. Jim and I slept in a bit (since we had been up late at the bar the night before) and took the monorail to Bally’s so that we could go into the Shops at Miracle Mile. Not very impressed, we barely looked around and then decided to head back. We detoured into Paris, and I fell in love with the place. If and when we go back to Vegas, I want to stay at Paris!
The most exciting part of our day was our trip to the Las Vegas Hilton to see the Game Show Spectacular. I saw a sign advertising the show when we arrived at the airport, and if I was going to see any show in Las Vegas, it had to be this one. 
First of all, I’m a huge TV addict, and I love game shows. (Competitive, much?) Plus, there are three hosts for the show that rotate schedules- Chuck Woolery, Bob Eubanks, and Jamie Farr. Sign me up!
We caught the monorail to the Hilton and bought our tickets with minutes to spare. I was delighted to learn that the host for our show was Jamie Farr, who played Corporal Klinger on M*A*S*H, one of my favorite shows! Jamie looks fabulous for his age - a little heavier than his days on M*A*S*H, but still looking good. The concept of the show is simple - audience members are called up via ticket numbers to play games for real money. I was the very LAST contestant called for the very LAST game of the show, but I was thrilled. I could hardly contain my excitement, standing just feet away from Jamie Farr. Does that make me a huge dork?
I did end up winning a $50 gift certificate for the store at the Hilton, so once the show was over, we went to spend that, and then over to the convention center to check in there. Nothing was going on there, so we split. We met up with Alli and Jenn (pictures start here on Flickr) and checked out the Forum Shops and did some gambling on the 2 cent slots at Caesar’s Palace. Courtney met up with us for dinner at Chipotle (conveniently located next to our hotel) and we headed to the Bellagio to meet some of the Izea crew and the other bloggers for an Oceans 11 style picture in front of the fountain. Of course, we played MORE slots at the Bellagio (I won big!) and Ted and Jim hung out at the roulette table, and I watched Pete play video poker.
I tried to convince everyone to go see one of the famous all nude Vegas shows, but only the guys seemed interested. So we ended up at Paris again, gambling. I quickly grew frustrated with their high table limits, so I convinced a few peeps to head back to Imperial Palace with me for cheap gambling. It was there that Pete and I discovered electronic roulette and we liked it VERY MUCH. Winning is fun!
I called it a night and cashed out of roulette, $35 richer, and went upstairs to bed. PostieCon was the next day, and I needed to be on my A game.
12:57 pm
Filed under Going Places
3 Comments »
