Kristin, Speak!

My husband and I recently installed two digital converter boxes for our old televisions.  We haven’t had cable television for years, and would rather not spend the money on it right now.  So, we went ahead and bought the boxes.  The boxes have been in our closet for over six months now, and we were curious to see what they’d do.  After reading the instructions and adjusting the antennas, we were pleasantly surprised.  A CLEAR PICTURE!  After watching static and fuzz for so many years, this was a real treat.  We also have many more channels as well,  so that was an added bonus.

Bottom Line:  If you make the switch, invest in some decent rabbit ears and be prepared for glitches here and there.  And just remember, no monthly bill…can’t complain!

After many discussions over the past few days, the “Prop 8″ topic really got me pondering something.  The thing is, I have many friends and acquaintances who are all different in a variety of ways.  Some gay, some straight.  Male and female.  Different ethnicity, age and race.  We all have our own stance on this topic and we have formed that stance from our differences.  I have heard many reasons behind the “yes” and the “no” on this prop, and completely comprehend the argument.  However, I personally find the “yes” to be discriminatory as well as hypocritical.  First of all, saying yes to this prop means we are denying a same sex couple the right to be legally married.  Prop 8 supporters believe it will preserve the term and meaning of the word “marriage”.  Okay, here’s the thing, marriage is a word.  Just like a marriage certificate is a piece of paper.  The union is the most important part of the whole equation.  And guess what?  If prop 8 passes, we will still have all of these marriage traditions.  United same sex couples can still be referred to as “married” by friends and family, whether anyone likes it or not.  There will still be unions which we will call “weddings”.  There will be vows, rings and in some cases or other states, legal documentation.  Plus, I think everyone has known of at least 3 couples in their lifetime who should have NEVER married to begin with.  Some of these awful couples have ruined the sanctity of and the term “marriage”.  And let us not forget the times in our history when older men married 12 and 13 year old girls.  That was legal.  And a 67 year old woman can wed a 19 year old man…that is legal.  We have inter-racial couples, couples where one partner is secretly gay, even transvestite couples…all who are allowed to legally marry.

Then there are all of these ads regarding schools teaching our children that same sex marriage is okay.  AND?  That won’t turn them gay!  I cannot believe that ignorance.  Yes, your child will eventually learn that we are free to marry whomever we choose.  Oh lord, I hope our children don’t turn gay or decide to marry a cow!  Haha, it is just about the dumbest argument I’ve heard on the topic.

But we are supposed to say Yes on 8?  No sir, not I.  I challenge someone to give me even a hint of a reasonable explanation to consider, otherwise it’s no on 8!

Okay, I have been dieting and exercising religiously for about 2&1/2 years now.  I don’t do the hardcore type of diet, just basic food balancing and healthier choices.  But once in a while I treat myself.

I’ve recently stumbled upon a phenomenal treat at Carl’s Jr. (a fast food chain).  It is the “Banana Cream Pie Shake”.  Wow, it is truly the best ice cream I’ve ever had from a drive thru.  More wonderful is the fact that it is banana cream pie flavored.  I’ve never seen this before.  The first night I bought it, I ate about a third of it, and stashed the rest in my freezer.  I enjoyed the rest of it for two more days.  So, not only was it super tasty, it also lasted me three days!  I get excited over the small things in life, and this is one of those moments.

I suggest you all get your hands on one and tell me what you think…I’d love to get some second opinions!

Sorry to my few readers. I have been aloof yet again. Funny thing is, I’ve had so much to write about too.

For starters, the camera incident. The husband and I bought a new digital camera from walmart. We had actually done the research on the Kodak m1033 and found it too be the most suitable and affordable for our needs. We went to get one and coudn’t wait to get it home. When my husband, Tom, went to open the box, he noticed it had already been opened. No big deal right? Well, upon opening the box, he noticed a significant amount of tampering. The instruction booklet was written in and there were sticky notes with writing as well. When he called Walmart and spoke to management, they said to return later that evening and they would straighten it out. So we did just that. We jumped through a few hoops just trying to get to the manager we spoke withon the phone earlier that day. Finally the manager showed up and inspected the product. It turns out the item we were sold was a returned item. We didn’t necessarily mind that aspect, however, if we were paying full price for a brand new item, it had better be brand new. At first, he offered to exchange it for a brand new one. He then realized that they were out of stock and would only be able to order one for us. We explained that we were leaving town the next day, therefor needed the camera that day. His next offer was to give a partial refund and allow us to keep that camera. We found it to be a fair deal as we walked out with the camera in one hand and $75 cash in the other. Oh happy day!

On a side note…the camera has NOT disappointed

I’m half asleep here so I’ll keep this short. Just updating on a few things. My sister is in a great band and they have finally posted up a few demos, so check it out and let me know what you think. Also, thank you to everyone for your support of Tom and I during our minor bump in the road. We are getting back up slowly, however, it has derailed us from our future plans. Oh well, that’s life. On the upside, the company I work for is doing great, so there is a bright spot.

More to come later, for now I must sleep. ZZZzzz…

Parenting skills have sure changed over the years. We have the parent who follows every news article to the tee (i.e. no spanking, no sugar, no dirt, etc.), or the parent whose child can do no wrong. And let us not forget the deadbeats who think of their offspring merely as the “cash cow” of the family. Any place we go, we run across these parents each and every day. Although, there are no specific parenting guidelines, there is a thing called common sense. And even though I myself am not a parent, I still understand what good parenting is.

• It’s not letting your children touch everything at the store.
• It’s not giving them treats to shut them up.
• It’s not letting them run amok in the car while your driving…even if they do hate the child seat.
• It is teaching them manners and good etiquette.
• It is teaching them the golden rules and the differences that make up our society.
• It is allowing them to have creative freedom as well as structured activity.

I could go on and on, but I am not necessarily qualified to write a novel.

There is also a growing frustration and debate over child discipline, child education, and child health. I often find myself making excuses for situations I see every day. For example, when I encountered a mother and her significantly obese 5 year old daughter, my first thought was, “How could this mother let her daughter get to this unhealthy place?” However, after seeing the interaction between the two, I was quick to change the thought to, “Wow, this mom is so great with this little girl. So caring and supportive”.

My point here is that it has become all too common for children to be raised by bad, neglectful, or even misguided parenting these days. And sometimes, we need to be grateful for even the hidden or small good parenting skill that lies beneath.

*Note: When I am a parent one day, I will look at this blog and say to myself, “what the hell did I know?!”

I should have written sooner, I am turning into a horrible blogger! Since my last blog, I participated in the ACS Relay for Life. It was a blast! My team raised over $850 and received wonderful feedback. We had many of our students (from my place of business) join us in the festivities. They performed for “relay dollars” which we were later able to add to our donation. Our team captain handled the details very well, and things went rather smooth. I was so proud. And to add the cherry on top…my sister, mom, dad and step-mom attended too! No complaints, however, I would like to be even more involved next year.

Below: Kids posing on bales of hay after the relay

As many of you know, April is Autism Awareness month. There is much to learn about Autism, and many wonderful organizations to contribute to. Although many will try and sway you to contribute to some type of ‘cure’ fund, I personally focus more on those that help in funding resources, education, health care, etc. Not that I wouldn’t like to see a cure in the near future, I simply have different priorities in mind. Besides, there are so many shapes and forms of Autism and not all (not many actually) will break free of it. Although Jenny McCarthy may try to tell people otherwise. By the way, Jenny McCarthy has only spent something like 3 or 4 years learning and studying Autism…and her son is high functioning which is much easier to treat. I do applaud all of her hard work and her celebrity status does help in bringing more awareness to the issues. However, there are great advocates out there without the fame that are 100 percent more knowledgeable. So I encourage people to get their information from more qualified sources.

Okay, with all that said, here are is a great link for anyone who has a desire to learn a bit more about what Autism is and how we can help: Autism-society.org

Next on the agenda, is the American Cancer Society Relay For Life! This one is to be held in Yucaipa, California. My company and I will be there to walk for survivors and loved ones lost to cancer. We walk for awareness, we walk for donations, and mostly we walk for hope. So many lives are touched by cancer. I am personally walking for 4 special loved ones that I have lost to cancer, and for 1 survivor who is an amazing part of my life. It is to be held Saturday, April 26th, and it is a 24 hour event. I hope to see some family and friends there! Here is the link to the event page if anyone would like to help or participate: Relay for Life 2008 (If joining my team, just enter my company as the team name)

Okay, this one goes out to computer nerds everywhere. My laptop has been severely overheating lately. To the point where it would actually freeze up on me. I had experienced this about two years ago, and being that it was still under warranty, I was able to ship it out to Dell and let them take care of it. The service invoice claims that they had replaced or repaired the heat sink and thermal grease(sp?). Anyhow, it had been running like a champ until a few months ago. So, I was browsing around getting cost estimates (warranty expired ), when I found something interesting. It was a forum topic on cooling pads and accessories. I’ve heard of cooling pads, and just didn’t feel that it would make a significant difference. So then I read about a cooling fan that had rave reviews. This device is simply an aluminum platform with small fans and a usb ‘y’ cable. After viewing images and reading the description, I thought it seemed worth trying. I was able to purchase it on Newegg.com for 25 bucks…great deal! I got it within two days too.

So, I just hooked it up an hour ago and it is already impressing me. The fans are much quieter than those in my laptop. And it is keeping it WAY cooler! I now feel much more comfortable running heftier programs such as CS2, which I use very often. I plan on writing a great review on Newegg, but wanted to share my find with anyone in need. Hopefully this entry will bring hope to those in overheated situations such as mine.

For those interested in the item itself: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834999336

Welcome everyone!  I’m new to this, so please remain patient as I get familiar with it all.  I promise to be as diligent as possible in keeping things up to date.  Thoughts, rants, and other craziness will be on here in no time!

My thanks to Lauren and Costin…you guys rock!