Monday, January 31, 2011
Crazy Family
OK so yesterday was a family get together on Mr Mans side. His aunts, uncles, grandmother and various cousins and the such. And of course little man and I went but Mr Man didn't. So I got the third degree from the family on when we are getting married (never) and when we are having another baby (who knows). That family is crazy, nice but crazy. I did get to play with little mans cousin who is this cute little 10 month old. Well that was my Sunday.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sigh...
Alright Ladies, this is really getting ridiculous. Mr. Munchkin is on the phone arguing with his mother again. They have had a really rough time in his family getting along since the end of October. This situation is totally stressing me out and making me crazy.
He's been on the phone 25 minutes so far this time (a marathon talk for him and his mom) and I heard him raising his voice. I have no clue what the conversation is about because he locks me out of the conversations. What should I do?
~Munchkin
He's been on the phone 25 minutes so far this time (a marathon talk for him and his mom) and I heard him raising his voice. I have no clue what the conversation is about because he locks me out of the conversations. What should I do?
~Munchkin
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Vacation!
Hey Ladies,
I remodeled the bathroom this week! I though you would like to see, but Blogger would not let me the the photos in order so here ya go. Mr. is off pouting cause I yelled at him for trying to kiss my neck as I was trying to figure it out. Sorry Mr. Q.
Done!
Apollo say's HI!
NOOKstudy--I wish I had had this when I was in school...
During the last month Barnes & Noble made available a new, free, downloadable service called NOOKstudy. I stumbled upon it earlier this week while downloading some free ebooks for my Nook. The name is slightly deceptive (in my opinion) because NOOKstudy is not a feature for the Nook device (at least not yet). It's a download for PC or Mac that provides access to your Barnes & Noble ebook library on the computer, and more specifically, it provides access to certain etextbook services. In the FAQ section, B&N claims that this is because the computer is the most universally owned student electronic, making the PC/Mac the natural vehicle for the first incarnation of the NOOKstudy service. I can imagine that DRM, etextbook formating for a smaller screen, and syncing might be issues if this service were to extend to ereader devices in the future, but I bet that B&N is already looking into it.
NOOKstudy differentiates itself from the regular downloadable Nook applications with several polished services, and most notably, textbook DRM. Through NOOKstudy, you can purchase etextbooks that can be downloaded to 2 computers associated with your account, or rent the textbooks for cheaper than the purchase price for the semester that you are taking the class. This probably works the same way that checking out an ebook from the library works--you get a digital download with an expiration date, and after that date, you can no longer access the book. A further difference between the NOOKstudy application and the regular Nook app is the ability to highlight text, insert digital notes, import your own documents (think class syllabus, notes taken during class in a Word .doc, or downloadable handouts created by the professor), and group documents using tags or by course. The system is fully search enabled, and offers features like being dictionary or online lookup services from within the application.
I really wish I would have had this during all my years in college. I have literal stacks of textbooks and notebooks in my basement that I have to search by memory to find what I'm looking for, and it would be so much easier to have it all inside my PC, where I could search my class notes like I search my email! As a student of library science, this level of control to digitally organize and search pleases me.
Also, the ability to rent certain textbooks digitally would have been nice, because some textbooks really weren't worth the purchase price to use for one semester. I have to wonder if some universities will fight this transition to digital tooth and nail because it's likely to put university bookstores out of business. For example, you don't get a resale value on a digital rental. I had professors in college who authored their own textbooks and then released new editions every few years so students would be required to buy the book new every semester (heavily devaluing the used resale value), thereby keeping their royalty checks up. If students can now rent that textbook for $50 instead of buying it for $200, some of these money hungry, empty-student-wallet-squeezing, arrogant professors might decide to not release the book in digital form to support their profits. As a student, if I saw this happening, I would elect to take the class from someone else--when I'm already paying 10-20K a year in tuition, I shouldn't have to buy an over-priced textbook filled with information I can find online that I will probably crack twice over the course of the semester (midterms and finals).
I do have one question/concern for Barnes & Noble regarding this service, and this has to do with renting vs. buying. If I rent a textbook, and take notes throughout, would I lose access to my notes once the rental expires? Also, what if I rent a book, and then like it so much that I decide to buy it--will the program automate the process of moving all of my notes and highlights from the rental file to the purchased one, or do I have to do that myself?
One thing I might suggest to B&N to include in this service is academic file sharing, similar to the LendMe service they have on the Nook devices, where you can digitally loan a file to a friend for a limited amount of time. There's another free research aid that I have used a lot at work called Mendeley, which works kind of like iTunes for your PDFs. You can upload your PDFs and tag them, do full text search across your library, create research groups to share what you are reading and learning, and even upload them to the cloud to have online access to your PDFs anywhere. It's spiffy, and the base level membership is free (you pay more for more online storage, but I have never needed more than the basic level). It would be very neat if B&N would incorporate this type of group sharing and collaboration into their NOOKstudy, thereby making it a social learning tool--this type of service might be able to overtake online learning systems like Blackboard.
Looking forward to future improvements on this product, B&N. Keep up the good work!
Alula
NOOKstudy differentiates itself from the regular downloadable Nook applications with several polished services, and most notably, textbook DRM. Through NOOKstudy, you can purchase etextbooks that can be downloaded to 2 computers associated with your account, or rent the textbooks for cheaper than the purchase price for the semester that you are taking the class. This probably works the same way that checking out an ebook from the library works--you get a digital download with an expiration date, and after that date, you can no longer access the book. A further difference between the NOOKstudy application and the regular Nook app is the ability to highlight text, insert digital notes, import your own documents (think class syllabus, notes taken during class in a Word .doc, or downloadable handouts created by the professor), and group documents using tags or by course. The system is fully search enabled, and offers features like being dictionary or online lookup services from within the application.
I really wish I would have had this during all my years in college. I have literal stacks of textbooks and notebooks in my basement that I have to search by memory to find what I'm looking for, and it would be so much easier to have it all inside my PC, where I could search my class notes like I search my email! As a student of library science, this level of control to digitally organize and search pleases me.
Also, the ability to rent certain textbooks digitally would have been nice, because some textbooks really weren't worth the purchase price to use for one semester. I have to wonder if some universities will fight this transition to digital tooth and nail because it's likely to put university bookstores out of business. For example, you don't get a resale value on a digital rental. I had professors in college who authored their own textbooks and then released new editions every few years so students would be required to buy the book new every semester (heavily devaluing the used resale value), thereby keeping their royalty checks up. If students can now rent that textbook for $50 instead of buying it for $200, some of these money hungry, empty-student-wallet-squeezing, arrogant professors might decide to not release the book in digital form to support their profits. As a student, if I saw this happening, I would elect to take the class from someone else--when I'm already paying 10-20K a year in tuition, I shouldn't have to buy an over-priced textbook filled with information I can find online that I will probably crack twice over the course of the semester (midterms and finals).
I do have one question/concern for Barnes & Noble regarding this service, and this has to do with renting vs. buying. If I rent a textbook, and take notes throughout, would I lose access to my notes once the rental expires? Also, what if I rent a book, and then like it so much that I decide to buy it--will the program automate the process of moving all of my notes and highlights from the rental file to the purchased one, or do I have to do that myself?
One thing I might suggest to B&N to include in this service is academic file sharing, similar to the LendMe service they have on the Nook devices, where you can digitally loan a file to a friend for a limited amount of time. There's another free research aid that I have used a lot at work called Mendeley, which works kind of like iTunes for your PDFs. You can upload your PDFs and tag them, do full text search across your library, create research groups to share what you are reading and learning, and even upload them to the cloud to have online access to your PDFs anywhere. It's spiffy, and the base level membership is free (you pay more for more online storage, but I have never needed more than the basic level). It would be very neat if B&N would incorporate this type of group sharing and collaboration into their NOOKstudy, thereby making it a social learning tool--this type of service might be able to overtake online learning systems like Blackboard.
Looking forward to future improvements on this product, B&N. Keep up the good work!
Alula
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
DecalGirl: Before the Storm on Nook
Here are the promised pictures of my new DecalGirl decals on my Nook. The larger decals were not as easy to apply as the smaller ones I put on my phone, but still applied without a lot of drama. The design I picked was Before the Storm for the Nook; I picked this design because I keep my Nook in the Brontë Cover in Storm offered by Barnes and Noble, and I wanted something that would match the black cover.
I should also note that as I have read my Nook in garish light before and been slightly bother by the glare coming off of the shiny white plastic, I elected to pay the extra $5 to get the Matte/Satin finish on this cover. I have the regular shiny finish on the skin I used on my phone, and I have to say, I think I picked right in each case. The shiny finish skin on the phone is reminiscent of shiny plastic (like the shiny white plastic on the Nook) and the matte/satin finish is very much like a matte finish plastic (like the matte finish used around the page turn buttons on the Nook).
I was initially worried about a functional aspect of this skin, because of the Nook home button. For anyone who doesn't have a Nook, this is a "soft" button on the Nook that does not click because it is touch activated. The skin now covers this button, but the home button still works through the skin. Some other reviews I read online complained a little that the cutout window for the touch screen was a little small; I will concur with this opinion--the touchscreen is still fully accessible, but the skin could have been a little more generous in this area.
Nook before--notice the grey on black touch "n" button just above the touch screen. This button will be covered by the DecalGirl skin, but will still be fully functional after the skin is applied. Also, while the skin does have the arrow page turn icons included in the design, the pips that tactilely indicate the page turn keys can also be felt through the skin. I do have screen protectors for both the touch screen and the display screen, and these need to be put on before applying the skin. Note that while applying the skin, I did have some trouble repositioning the skin because it stuck to the touch screen protector and would peel it up when trying to move the skin around for placement--be ready to iron out any bubbles that might get under there in this process, and do it at a time of day when you are the least likely to experience high frustration. I recommend Zen music and chai tea.
Front of Nook with the applied skin and the matching background. The background seems to not have formated as well as the one for the LG Vortex--on the Nook, there is a white information bar at the top with title, time, etc., and the image seems to get shrunk a little to allow for this bar. If you look closely in the picture, you can see how the Nook has added black margins along the sides of the image to account for the image resizing for the bar at the top. This has caused a minor misalignment with the edges of the skin, but not enough to bother me, as I'm only using this as the Nook home screen (I have a series of images from my own creation and downloaded from online that I like to use as screen savers).
The back of the Nook with the skin. Note that the skin is elastic enough to be pressed in and cling to the "n" brand icon on the back of the device, which is a nicely stylized touch. As with the skin I applied to my phone, the skin can easily be pressed and worked around the rounded edges of the device to prevent and get rid of sticker edge bunching.
The Nook, with skin, inside my Nook cover. The browny-orange-black stencils go much better with the tan inside of the cover than the white of the device, and the black goes well with the outside black of the cover. Also, the skin serves as a surface protector for my Nook, while the Brontë cover is firm and sturdy enough to offer decent device protection from light drops and bumps.
Alula
I should also note that as I have read my Nook in garish light before and been slightly bother by the glare coming off of the shiny white plastic, I elected to pay the extra $5 to get the Matte/Satin finish on this cover. I have the regular shiny finish on the skin I used on my phone, and I have to say, I think I picked right in each case. The shiny finish skin on the phone is reminiscent of shiny plastic (like the shiny white plastic on the Nook) and the matte/satin finish is very much like a matte finish plastic (like the matte finish used around the page turn buttons on the Nook).
I was initially worried about a functional aspect of this skin, because of the Nook home button. For anyone who doesn't have a Nook, this is a "soft" button on the Nook that does not click because it is touch activated. The skin now covers this button, but the home button still works through the skin. Some other reviews I read online complained a little that the cutout window for the touch screen was a little small; I will concur with this opinion--the touchscreen is still fully accessible, but the skin could have been a little more generous in this area.
Alula
Monday, January 17, 2011
DecalGirl: Winter Sparkle on the LG Vortex
A couple of days ago I received the decals that I ordered from DecalGirl. Some people reported unusually fast shipping online; mine took about 10 days to arrive, and both of the decals I ordered arrived in the same shipment (one for the Nook and one for the LG Vortex). The skins each arrived on a simple one piece sticker sheet and were well packaged with a "Do Not Bend or Fold" warning on the outside of the shipment envelope.
I was a little dubious about the application of these stickers to my expensive electronics, but after reading some reviews online I learned that they can be removed without leaving a residue on the device. That said, I was worried about ruining my fancy stickers by mis-applying and then needing to peel them back up; figuring I might need to reorder, I started with the cheaper of the two I ordered, and applied the Winter Sparkle for LG Vortex skin first.
N.B., apply any screen protectors you want on your phone BEFORE applying the skin, as the skin will lay over the screen protector. Also, try to be sure you're happy with the application of the screen protector--if you're the kind of person that those bubbles will annoy, get rid of them now, because they will be all the more difficult to get rid of when you're trying to squeeze them out from under the layer of screen protector and the added layer of skin.
The stickers peeled off the sheet easily, and I was a little surprised that the back side of the "sticker" decal didn't feel much like a sticker at all--it was tacky and adhesive, but not hyper sticky. When placed on the device, the peeled decal would kind of sit on top until pressed down, and then it would stick. This "doesn't stick until pressed" property made the positioning of the decal very easy to do, because I could move it around until I was happy with the positioning. One would think that this quasi-stick property would mean the decal wouldn't adhere well after the fact, but I can say with confidence that the decal is now on and is staying put until I try to peel it off again. Another property of the decal that surprised me was the elasticity of it--with a normal sticker, a sort of "bunching" of the material can occur at rounded edges on the device. These decals can kind of be worked and stretched so that bunching around the edges does not occur, and the decal fits the device very closely. Also, upon investigation, the sticker also has some channels drawn into the adhesive underside--these allow trapped air to be pushed out after application to reduce bubbles under the design.
The price was very reasonable, and the functional and aesthetic design of the product is magnificent. I am very pleased, and will likely buy from this company again.
The front of the phone--notice how tightly the button holes fit to the buttons on the device.
The back of the phone--notice those well-contoured edges!
Front of the phone with the downloadable background--notice my cat watching you intently! I was a little afraid that the background image might be a smidge off from the decal, and the mismatched edges would annoy my obsessive compulsive tendencies too much. However, the download fit to the edges off the sticker decal amazingly well, and the colors match darn well perfect despite the company caveat that the LCD screen colors might vary depending on the device. The overall presentation is very slick!
I'll send more pictures when I get my Nook decal installed.
Alula
I was a little dubious about the application of these stickers to my expensive electronics, but after reading some reviews online I learned that they can be removed without leaving a residue on the device. That said, I was worried about ruining my fancy stickers by mis-applying and then needing to peel them back up; figuring I might need to reorder, I started with the cheaper of the two I ordered, and applied the Winter Sparkle for LG Vortex skin first.
N.B., apply any screen protectors you want on your phone BEFORE applying the skin, as the skin will lay over the screen protector. Also, try to be sure you're happy with the application of the screen protector--if you're the kind of person that those bubbles will annoy, get rid of them now, because they will be all the more difficult to get rid of when you're trying to squeeze them out from under the layer of screen protector and the added layer of skin.
The stickers peeled off the sheet easily, and I was a little surprised that the back side of the "sticker" decal didn't feel much like a sticker at all--it was tacky and adhesive, but not hyper sticky. When placed on the device, the peeled decal would kind of sit on top until pressed down, and then it would stick. This "doesn't stick until pressed" property made the positioning of the decal very easy to do, because I could move it around until I was happy with the positioning. One would think that this quasi-stick property would mean the decal wouldn't adhere well after the fact, but I can say with confidence that the decal is now on and is staying put until I try to peel it off again. Another property of the decal that surprised me was the elasticity of it--with a normal sticker, a sort of "bunching" of the material can occur at rounded edges on the device. These decals can kind of be worked and stretched so that bunching around the edges does not occur, and the decal fits the device very closely. Also, upon investigation, the sticker also has some channels drawn into the adhesive underside--these allow trapped air to be pushed out after application to reduce bubbles under the design.
The price was very reasonable, and the functional and aesthetic design of the product is magnificent. I am very pleased, and will likely buy from this company again.
I'll send more pictures when I get my Nook decal installed.
Alula
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Registered?
Hey Munchkin, are you registered for baby gifts anywhere? And when is your baby shower? I want to get a head start on getting you stuff!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Breaking News!
5 inches of snow paralyzes major southern city! More at 11.
Atlanta - The one snow plow the entire state of Georgia has cannot keep up with the demands of plowing away 5" of snow from the major highways. Freezing rain predicted for much of the day. Local woman shakes head and makes coco.
Atlanta - The one snow plow the entire state of Georgia has cannot keep up with the demands of plowing away 5" of snow from the major highways. Freezing rain predicted for much of the day. Local woman shakes head and makes coco.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Going on
First Munchin go to projectworkingmom.com this is the site that I got my scholarship for medical transcription and it really was easy to get the scholarship and once I get it done I will be able to work from home, just an idea.
Next I will not be able to come down to the city for the next couple months Mr Man has decided that the pass has to much snow on it and the temps aren't getting high enough for me to drive over so no visiting for the next few months till the average temperature gets over 40 degrees. This means that Little man and I will be alone for 5 days starting Wednesday. What fun oh what fun. I will figure out the business tax stuff hopefully. I have to call our business account bank and find out where our money went. Its there I think just in the savings account.
Well that's the short so unless I can get someone to come get me I can't come over no diving for me thinking of asking my step dad but drought that will happen since I can't pay for gas.
Next I will not be able to come down to the city for the next couple months Mr Man has decided that the pass has to much snow on it and the temps aren't getting high enough for me to drive over so no visiting for the next few months till the average temperature gets over 40 degrees. This means that Little man and I will be alone for 5 days starting Wednesday. What fun oh what fun. I will figure out the business tax stuff hopefully. I have to call our business account bank and find out where our money went. Its there I think just in the savings account.
Well that's the short so unless I can get someone to come get me I can't come over no diving for me thinking of asking my step dad but drought that will happen since I can't pay for gas.
Update Time
I am finally 27 weeks pregnant! In 10 more weeks I will have the cerclage removed and will begin my maternity leave. It's been a wonderful feeling knowing that I must only endure another 10 weeks of insanity. As long as everything goes well and I don't end up in pre-term labor I'll be on cloud nine.
I did spend a few days with Mr. Munchkin to make up the missed holidays which was much needed. Unfortunately, we spent my first night off in the hospital because I got food poisoning. I'd lost 3 pounds and they were worried that I may have upset the cerclage with all the vomiting. Luckily the stitches were great, and I turned out to only be severally dehydrated (an easy fix for an IV).
My family and I have had some rough times recently. My mother is having horrible side effects from her lupus. She's lost over 50lbs and her blood pressure and pulse are extremely low. She's also going through menopause, so between the two of us hormones are constantly flying and this tension has brought us to loud arguments a couple of times. My mother-in-law has finally talked to us again, and we spent January 1st with her. Though it was awkward, I think things are getting better on that front again too, though she still claims she is just going to take off for the holidays to go wherever she pleases.
Preparing for the baby has been really fun, and the invitations for the Baby Shower will be sent out soon.
This year I only have two resolutions:
1) Play my instruments at least 2 times a week for 30 minutes at a time.
2) Find a job that I can do at home, that will give me enough money to pay for my school loans.
I am finally going to make a Facebook page to keep in better touch with my family and friends. I'll let you all know via email what the name I use is.
Happy New Year to EVERYONE!
~Munchkin
I did spend a few days with Mr. Munchkin to make up the missed holidays which was much needed. Unfortunately, we spent my first night off in the hospital because I got food poisoning. I'd lost 3 pounds and they were worried that I may have upset the cerclage with all the vomiting. Luckily the stitches were great, and I turned out to only be severally dehydrated (an easy fix for an IV).
My family and I have had some rough times recently. My mother is having horrible side effects from her lupus. She's lost over 50lbs and her blood pressure and pulse are extremely low. She's also going through menopause, so between the two of us hormones are constantly flying and this tension has brought us to loud arguments a couple of times. My mother-in-law has finally talked to us again, and we spent January 1st with her. Though it was awkward, I think things are getting better on that front again too, though she still claims she is just going to take off for the holidays to go wherever she pleases.
Preparing for the baby has been really fun, and the invitations for the Baby Shower will be sent out soon.
This year I only have two resolutions:
1) Play my instruments at least 2 times a week for 30 minutes at a time.
2) Find a job that I can do at home, that will give me enough money to pay for my school loans.
I am finally going to make a Facebook page to keep in better touch with my family and friends. I'll let you all know via email what the name I use is.
Happy New Year to EVERYONE!
~Munchkin
Saturday, January 8, 2011
A Big Decision
I have just decided that I am going to self-publish my books. For the record, yes, I am 98% sure. I have never written a query letter to an agent or publisher. However, I have a feeling that self-publishing will be the main channel of publishing in the future. So, here goes nothing...
I need to get around to making final edits on the Waldgrave series. I am also trying to put together cover art (If anyone has ideas or suggestions for this, feel free--please don't get offended if I decide to go a different direction, though). I am kind of hoping to create my own cover art.
Here is my list of priorities:
1) Finish the homework assignments for the incomplete I had to take in NLP spring semester
2) Take the NLP final exam, thereby finishing the incomplete
3) Study for (and hopefully pass) my comps for my MA
4) Self Publish the Waldgrave Series
Oh, I forgot to mention--my interview for the library position I want is on Monday (and I REALLY want it--I don't know what I'll do if I don't get it...).
Alula
Free NookBooks from Kaplan!
Anyone who has a nook, and who has not become a fan on Facebook, you should do it--that's where I keep finding out about these great offers. Nook on Facebook.
Kaplan Publishing is running a special offer through Barnes & Noble to give away 130 of their titles for free until January 17. Read the original post from Barnes & Noble here.
I just looked through the books--there are a lot of test preps, some professionals guides, true stories, etc. DoHP, you might like some of the pharmacy stuff, and Q and Munchkin might appreciate some of the pregnancy and new baby stuff. Fuzzy--lots of business type books in there, too. Personally, I like all the writing guides.
Alula
Kaplan Publishing is running a special offer through Barnes & Noble to give away 130 of their titles for free until January 17. Read the original post from Barnes & Noble here.
I just looked through the books--there are a lot of test preps, some professionals guides, true stories, etc. DoHP, you might like some of the pharmacy stuff, and Q and Munchkin might appreciate some of the pregnancy and new baby stuff. Fuzzy--lots of business type books in there, too. Personally, I like all the writing guides.
Alula
Friday, January 7, 2011
Not a dead houseplant!
So, I have a couple shiny new resolutions for the year.
1. Blog more. I have things I need to tell you! I have stupid healer tricks to share! But I never seem to remember anything when I'm in front of the computer. I should devote at least one piece of scratch paper per day while at work to random thoughts and blog topics so that I remember to write about them.
2. Put my technology to better use. I have a fancy phone (Mr. Q would be jealous, I got a G2), a nice computer, and they still have a lot of default settings.
3. Really clean out my clothes. I still have band shirts from high school. Good Will will take all the clothes I don't wear and give them to people who will wear them, if only they get out of my dresser.
I think that's a good start (at least on resolution #1) for now.
So, on a list of things to tell y'all, my family, including me, might be moving to Utah sometime in the next year. This is a big might, but I just thought I'd let you know.
~DoHP
1. Blog more. I have things I need to tell you! I have stupid healer tricks to share! But I never seem to remember anything when I'm in front of the computer. I should devote at least one piece of scratch paper per day while at work to random thoughts and blog topics so that I remember to write about them.
2. Put my technology to better use. I have a fancy phone (Mr. Q would be jealous, I got a G2), a nice computer, and they still have a lot of default settings.
3. Really clean out my clothes. I still have band shirts from high school. Good Will will take all the clothes I don't wear and give them to people who will wear them, if only they get out of my dresser.
I think that's a good start (at least on resolution #1) for now.
So, on a list of things to tell y'all, my family, including me, might be moving to Utah sometime in the next year. This is a big might, but I just thought I'd let you know.
~DoHP
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Taking Care of Business
Fuzzy -- Feel free to bring by the tax stuff if you're feeling shaky about what's being asked, and Mr. B will take a look. Q, you may want to attend as well, just to know what's going on.
Also, I would like to report that we had almost 100 unique visitors to our site over the last year, with spikes of interest during February, March, August, September, and December. Corresponding the recent posts to the highest amounts of interest during those months, it appears that people were most interested in Q's article about Plantar Fasciitis, everyone's health and family woes in March, my post about the Wii Fit, Munchkin's pregnancy announcement, and the Montana & Baby drama in December.
In short, it appears people are most interested in specific health related information and experiences, how we handle family discord, and product information and reviews.
Alula
Also, I would like to report that we had almost 100 unique visitors to our site over the last year, with spikes of interest during February, March, August, September, and December. Corresponding the recent posts to the highest amounts of interest during those months, it appears that people were most interested in Q's article about Plantar Fasciitis, everyone's health and family woes in March, my post about the Wii Fit, Munchkin's pregnancy announcement, and the Montana & Baby drama in December.
In short, it appears people are most interested in specific health related information and experiences, how we handle family discord, and product information and reviews.
Alula
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Kinect for xbox 360
So for Christmas I received a Kinect for an Xbox 360 and I love it the games are fun that came with it kinda boring to do it alone but I got an exercises one that has a fun kick boxing program. I hope to get another one soon but the games are to new to be found at the used game places hopefully soon they will start showing up. Little man and I will be coming into town next week sometime I have to get some stuff from my moms house. Just letting people know in advance. Hope everyone had a great new year! I've decided that it is too depressing to make resolutions so none for me this year! Last thing anyone have an idea why my Kodak printer won't talk to my laptop wirelessly? the Kodak people are not that helpful but I'm trying them again tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Accomplishing too much
Since getting out of school, I have done the following:
-bought a few new games for my PSP, which I am new playing. One of them is called Class of Heroes; it's kind of Harry Potter meets classic D&D. A group of students attends a school for adventurers and goes on dungeon raids where turn-taking fights ensue. I bought it used and on sale through GameStop along with two other games for 1/4 the cost of a new pair of shoes!
-I am now rewriting Redemption in the 3rd person and with a more generous narrative. Anyone who wants in on this editing project, contact me.
-I am attempting to beat all of the campaigns in Zoo Tycoon 2. I am halfway there.
-My MIL the Librarian got me a wok for Xmas, which I now cook with daily, and all the chicken breast and veggie stir fry is part of my campaign to lose weight. (Anyone who would like to adjust their resolutions for this year, please email me--I did well this year except for my weight, which is now higher than ever since the fast food binge I went on while Mr. Borealis was sick the first half of the year.)
-I finally talked myself into treating myself to some new skins from Decal Girl. I have never had a skin from this company before, but the reviews are very good. I'm getting one for my Barnes & Noble Nook and another for my new phone.
-Speaking of new phone--I wanted to get an LG Ally, but it turns out this phone has been discontinued (LG, I feel this is a bad move, as the slide out keyboard is a very functional feature that does not usurp screen space to use). Instead, I am getting the LG Vortex. I should have it in hand by the end of this week--review to follow.
-My husband got me Hermione Granger's Time Turner for Christmas. I was very impressed by this present, because I never directly told him I wanted it, but I really love it.
-I've made it through a few more rounds towards the library position I am applying for, which I still dearly hope I get.
-We went to Oklahoma between Xmas and New Years. We drove with my family. At the last minute, my brother decided to come, bringing two of his kids along (7 & almost 5). My husband and I got to drive in the car with my dad and the 7-year-old; she traveled very well. However, my mom and my sister shop WAY too much, and we had too much luggage (for TWO cars, mind you) on the way home, resulting in airline-like seating conditions. Once again, Mr. B and I have vowed that we will never again drive with family out to Oklahoma--we will take our own car. The gas money is worth it to have the leg room, stop when we want, listen to what we want, and not have to mind our language.
-I have fully organized my basement using the shelves Mr. B got for me for our anniversary. The room is now functional.
-I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins on the way back from Oklahoma. Actually, I started reading it in a Barnes & Noble in Tulsa using the "read for free" feature on the Nook while using my Nook coupon for a free raspberry smoothie. The smoothie was awesome, and the first chapter of The Hunger Games was so good that I felt $5 was worth it to get the whole book. The storyline follows Katniss, a teenage girl who finds herself entered into the morbid Hunger Games that are orchestrated by the Capitol--twenty-four children are picked ever year to fight to the death in these games for the Capitol's amusement, and the winner takes home food and glory to their District. (I can lend this book from my Nook, so let me know if you're interested. Also, check out the free e-reader screensavers Barnes & Noble are offering here.)
Alula
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