bethany's latest

ACK! 37 and Bub loses his first tooth...

2012-02-09T19:51:00.002-06:00

So taking it from the top, we have some lovely pictures Mark took from across the table at Rizzo's during my birthday dinner, the new door handle that Mark bought and installed (he is awesome), Bub and I hamming it up, and finally something awesome on Suvi... NIGHT PANEL!

Basically, you push a button and at night, the whole dashboard display goes dark except the speedometer (unless you go over 90 mph, which flips everything back on or if your low fuel light comes on, which stays lit until you refuel). Did I mention I have a push button weather band too? See! I still love her!

Okay, enough of the winter blahs! Time for car pictures!

2012-02-07T21:17:00.001-06:00

And now for some koalas

2012-02-01T20:08:00.001-06:00

When a picture is worth a thousand words

2012-02-01T19:44:00.002-06:00

I don't know if it is that time of year. I don't know if it is that time of the month (seriously, I cannot keep track of that stupidness). But I do know that this has been a year of resigning myself to certain facts.

For instance, I've resigned myself to the fact that life will never be as I never imagined it. When you suffer from depression, you don't really have hopes and dreams. In 7th grade I did. I wanted to live in Washington DC, work for USA Today, live in Georgetown and drive a BMW.

Obviously, that never happened. And really, I am glad it never did. Because geez, would I have ever ended up in St Louis, married to the best man ever, with a son I love more than life itself? Nope.

After being through financial turmoil, mainly of my own doing, some stuff just does not matter. I don't need clothes from a certain store. I don't need to have all the latest this, that and the other. Maybe a good camera and a decent haircut. And a unique car. But really, that is it. Sure, I love a perfectly cooked dinner or an old wine, or even a good wine. But I love fries from McDonald's with a medium chocolate shake too.

I've forced myself to not repeat some of the thinking that REBT therapy calls "stinkin thinkin." It's the stuff that screws you up and inevitably leads to depression, all emotionally-based thoughts. They just snowball and destroy you in an avalanche of negativity. Like worrying about why people (like parents and friends) don't care about me the way I care about them. Before, this used to destroy me. I beat myself up over it constantly.

Now, after a lot of conditioning, I know that sheesh, I am not the center of the universe. People don't care about every little thing I think or say or feel. They have their own stuff going on. It's not a reflection on me, it's just the way things are. No biggie.

Nothing will ever turn out the way I have it planned in my head, and that is okay. Sometimes reality is better. Sometimes it is worse. No biggie.

I've learned that sometimes people don't appreciate me, or get me. And it's not my fault. I'm not a weirdo. I don't need to live up to their expectations. I'm okay the way I am, which is perfectly imperfect. For crap's sake, God loves me and accepts me, why the fuck can't you? It's not always me. It's me a lot of the time, but not always. That took a long time to figure out. No biggie.

It seems like over the past year, I have realized things. I've realized I care too much about whatever job I am doing, and beat myself up if I'm not doing it perfectly. Like, pretty bad. Even if it is Target. After my health suffered, I realized it was not worth it. Most people would have realized it in a few weeks. It took me almost three years.

This is where Mark is so awesome. He realizes things a lot quicker than I do. He thinks a lot more clearly than I do. A month into my current job, he told me I should quit. The place was a loony bin. I told him that I didn't think so. I thought the problem was me. I care too much, and it kills me when I don't perform up to my own expectations I said that I needed to stay in the situation to prove to myself I could overcome it.

Today, I realized I couldn't. I was dismissed summarily and it shocked me. It hurt. It broke me. But then I started thinking a little more clearly. I took a step back and looked at things. For the first time, instead of just leaving in a huff, I calmed down and stayed. Of course, after it was time to leave I sobbed uncontrollably and asked Mark what to do. He told me to just come on home. That sounded perfect.

During the drive home, I thought. And I decided. I'm not looking at the situation as one that has to be defeated. I'll go in tomorrow, see if things are better. If they aren't, well, depending on how bad or good it goes, I'll go back again Friday, or I won't. And you know what? Either way is okay.

I'm never going to be everything that is expected of me. If it is what my father expected, or my mother expected, or what I expected. I mean, for crap's sake. I'm 37 on Friday. What I am is what I am. And what I am is okay. I'm not the best, I'm not the worst. I'm mediocre, and that is awesome.

PS: Don't worry, I am not a communist.

Judge Not... something something something something

2012-01-23T20:16:00.001-06:00

First off, let me just say that wow... if you want to see some horrible clip art and the like, do a Google search for "Pearly Gates." On with the show...

Every year or so, I go on a rant about judgement. OMG! Our lives are filled with this crap. Filled. With. It. And you know, I am super-duper judgemental in a surface-y way. Like if you wear pants, and tuck in your shirt, and I can see belt loops, but no belt, I immediately conclude you must be some kind of freaking moron.

If you're quiet, I don't trust you. Must be hiding something. If you make grammatical errors, my respect level drops, even though I am sure I mess up punctuation all the time. Maybe I should say "spelling errors" instead. Because wow, if you cannot spell basic words correctly, I am pretty sure you are what they call "too smart by half." I judge the way people dress too. WEAR CLOTHES THAT FIT, that is all I ask. Is it too much? In the summer, YES.

In line at Six Flags, I would just judge judge judge. Why is that lady so miserable? OMG! Did that woman just give up? Did she just give up her femininity when she threw on those crocs, swimsuit and fanny pack? Or high school kids interacting with their chums. Once, in a long line for The Boss, these kids were full-on making out in line. It was just ridiculous. I kept wanting to say something, but no too much. The best was when the line moved a good 20 yards ahead, and they were sill making out. I totally tapped them on the shoulder and was all "uh, the line moved." Subtle, not really. I think they were a bit humiliated, but I found it funny.

If you spit, just ick. No tolerance for that at all. At. All. If you are a man and order a frozen strawberry daiquiri in the middle of winter, watch out. I will make sure you see me laughing at you.

For the most part, I find it harmless. A lot of times, I wonder if people know they are so dorky, and that is when Mark tells me, "Well, you don't." Touche, Mr. Mark. Touche. I'm aware I judge superficial things, but figure it is okay since deep down, I really am a caring person.

But watch out if that caring is taken advantage of. I am not the turn-the-other-cheeker I should be, by any stretch of the imagination. I give a few chances, and basically say I've got your back until you go behind mine. Before, I would worry so much. So, so much. I still remember people telling me I would not be depressed if I loved Jesus more. Real nice to say to a hurting 15-year-old. People saying horrible things behind my back that I thought were friends. People I trusted breaking that trust in horrible ways. For the most part, I'm over it. If I sit and think about it too much, it hurts, but not like it once did. I don't let the hurt consume me any more.

It feels good to let that go. I remember when I was younger, I would wish so badly that I could change myself, change aspects of my personality. I just wanted to stay under the radar, to blend in. I always joke that it took me going off to boot camp, a place where you are identified mainly by number, that I would never, could never be just a number. I stuck out like a sore thumb, in (mostly) good ways.

As an adult, I've had to go against the grain and let go of relationships. Sometimes they just are not good. Not everyone is going to like me. Not everyone is going to be proud of me. Not everyone wants to love me back as much I love them. Before, this was a tremendous source of pain, now... not so much. It's okay not to be liked, or normal, or whatever. If people don't get it, it's on them, not me. Sometimes, we forget that. After all, the people that I truly care about and deeply love, I know they love me.

Enough with all the self-affirmation crap. This is really a bunch of things rolled into one, and for that I apologize, but after the holidays and all that craziness, I just wanted to let you know that I like you for you. I don't care what phone you have, what car you drive, what school you went to, how well your kids are doing, how well they are not doing, how much you make or don't make, I just dig you. Or I don't. And I hope you dig me too.

picture: http://thatdianne.files.wordpress.com

Ketchup! Happy 2012!

2012-01-22T18:40:00.003-06:00

2012 marked our second annual New Year's Eve bash with our old neighbors from across the street, and although this picture is missing a few of the revelers, good times were had by all. This year, we decided to make it a huge PJ party, so everyone was decked out in their comfiest nighties for a fun evening.

Mark killed it on the food front. I mean, he KILLED IT. BBQd lil smokies, nacho dip, bagel bites, chips, more dips, it was perfect. Even better, Amanda brought yummy sammiches and some buffalo chicken dip, so things were basically perfect.

Pieper was sweet enough to bring her new game for Wii, SingIt or something, and once we turned the theater speakers on, many classic renditions were created. Bub sang "Dynomite" by Taio Cruz, his favorite song, Mark sang beautifully, and I butchered "OMG" by Usher. It was a lot better hearing the kids, believe me.

Once the countdown started, we gave the kids who were still awake (see, PJ party was an EXCELLENT IDEA!) sparkling grape juice in nice glasses and noisemakers. Cheers and noise ensued, the neighbors had an impromptu fireworks show and plans for a wonderful 2012 were made. Here's to health, happiness and friends!

Ketchup! Christmas 2011!

2012-01-22T18:29:00.001-06:00

Okay, you guys ready? Here we go! Please to enjoy the 2011 Christmas Tree...

And now some pictures from the holidays...

And of course, the famous "meteor"

Ketchup! The Drive to Work!

2012-01-21T21:11:00.002-06:00

So I'm working at a small tech-y type e-commerce company up yonder in Louisiana, Missouri. It's 45 minutes north of Troy on the Mississippi. As the days get longer, and the weather gets better I am hoping to take more pictures, but here are a few for now.

The cool thing about the drive is that there are all sorts of silly ways I can take. My favorite way is to hop on Highway 61, then take a right on Highway NN and follow it until it spits out at Highway 54. (Look on a map.) NN is like my own personal Nurburgring. There is little to no traffic and lots of hills and curves. Fun driving and the best 15 minutes of my commute. I see all sorts of dogs, cats and deer, mostly alive. Here are some photos from just the other day...

I get kicked out right at the Stark Brothers Nurseries, a company that's been around since the 1890s and of which my company is actually an offshoot. Cannot wait until spring and planting time!

This is the type of day I cannot stand, though... blech.

Ketchup! Halloween!

2012-01-21T20:58:00.002-06:00

Starting a new feature here called "Ketchup!" It's me trying to figure out if I took pictures with my phone or with my camera and then finally getting them uploaded to flickr and then blam! Appearing here. I just finished September to January, so get ready! Anyhoo, here is Halloween! Bub had great fun with his buddies, and we did a fun 5k TRICK OR TREAT FUN RUN. That was interesting. Good times. Bub was a Zombie Ninja.

I hate the kitchen

2011-12-11T18:08:00.001-06:00

But I don't think anyone appreciates how much it hates me back. I have not ventured back into the kitchen since the week of my double disaster about a month ago... first, I could not complete the french toast Mark had prepped for me (I soaked it way too long in the egg, it was a mess) and then I tried to make grilled cheese for Bub. Too much butter was the culprit, apparently, but whatever. I hate the kitchen.

So tomorrow is BRING A COOKIE AND A RECIPE TO WORK day. So I figured I would do boiled cookies. You take sugar, condensed milk and margarine, throw it in a pot, bring it to a boil and then put in cocoa, peanut butter, a smidge of vanilla and quick oats and drop it on wax paper. One time a few years ago, I made it and forgot to put in sugar. I realized this after I handed one to Bub and he immediately threw it up all over the floor. This time I paid very close attention, except I used butter instead of margarine. Disaster. The mix was way to dry, I can taste the grains of sugar, I don't know what the hell difference it makes, using butter instead of margarine, but whatever, apparently it is huge.

Well, I figured, what other recipes do I have that are easy? Oh, I know! I have one where all you do is take two Ritz crackers, spread peanut butter between them, and then dip them in chocolate-flavored almond bark that you melt in the microwave. Then let them cool. So simple. Or not. I put spray butter in the pan I used to melt the almond bark. And apparently spray butter makes almond bark act all weird and pasty. AWESOME. I told Mark I thought it had gone bad, because I had not figured out my mistake yet. He kindly went to Kroger, which was out, and then WalMart, which was a zoo. He brought it home, I melted the almond bark by itself and them BAM! It was perfect, or at least a lot better than the other option.

I attempted Rum Balls, but am so shook up over everything else that I do not want to finish them. Not today anyway. They need to ferment for a while anyway, and the website I looked at said it was better to refrigerate the dough before rolling the balls anyway, so that is what will be happening. For crap's sake.

photo: some other cooking disaster, found at http://hungryhinny.files.wordpress.com

snow

2011-12-06T19:14:00.001-06:00

So this morning I get in the car and notice it is cold. No biggie. Then I notice a few flurries. You know when you see just one every other minute or so? Okay. I can handle that. I crossed Cuivre River and noticed a bit of snow sticking to the edge of the bridge. Seriously, I got this!

Then I started driving north on Highway 61 to work. Like almost an hour north. It was getting worse and worse. Now, usually I turn off early and do my favorite 10 or so windy miles on Highway NN, but today I wanted to take no chances, so I exited at Bowling Green. Never mind that it was the WRONG EXIT. I was one exit short. I had no idea how far I was from the highway I needed to be on. So instead of 10 treacherous miles, I did seven or so terrifying miles on GRAVEL ROADS. THAT WERE STEEP. AND HILLY. AND ENDED IN VARIOUS RAVINES. AND WERE 100% snow and ice covered. Sometimes I am so dumb.

But perhaps it was a good thing I missed my exit as there was apparently a terrible wreck there, about the time I should have been there. That is what led to this picture, taken on Highway 54 as I was pulled over and a Pike County Sheriff's deputy zoomed by going in the opposite direction.

I will say this: those Swedes know how to build a car that handles in the snow. Suvi Saab did a great job and I love her WINTER function. She makes me feel very safe and those seat warmers are HOT in a minute or two! Hope you all are staying safe in the snow.

christmas: part two

2011-12-04T20:10:00.001-06:00

The Boyds Bears are taking over, as I mentioned on facebook. Two of three trees are up. This year, I did a tri-tree, which I will explain in a later post (you just have to stay tuned). Things started going better once I started digging around. I found a lot of what I was looking for without completely destroying the living room, as I usually do.

Here you see our stockings, hung from the floating shelf with care. I'm snapping pictures with my camera phone and not getting quite the quality I want, so when things are done, I'll bust out the real camera, take a few pictures and put them up for you to gaze at in amazement.

Still left are the Nativity, the Salt Lamp, the Advent Wreath and the Memory Tree. We're getting close. Oh! And Christmas cards are going out this week. Hooray!

christmas: part one

2011-12-03T17:40:00.001-06:00

This time of year, we all start to see posts from friends of gorgeous homes decked out for the Holidays. Well, this year, we are going behind the scenes. Usually, I am pretty dang organized. But last year, working at Target sucked every last bit of joy and energy out of me. I only put up one tree. Mark barely put up lights. It was just one big BAH! HUMBUG!

This year is going wonderfully, unless you count the decorations. Every single one. You see, a few years ago, we bought some blue and cool white c9 LED lights for outside. Since then, we have never found them again, and don't come at me with the whole c9 replacement bulbs that can be put on stringers. They simply no longer exist. That's a bummer when you want some more. Anyhoo, Mark put up a gorgeous display outside and we ended up okay.

Our prelit tree, about four years old and a slim cashmere model, so handy dandy for our old rental home and even more so here in the villa was getting awful dusty, so we set it outside. Then we brought it inside. Then we plugged it in. Nothing.

We tried different sections. Still nothing. So you know what we did? We took off the lights. It took Mark and I a combined three hours to get them all off the tree, and it was not simple. In a cup of eggnog half-full type view, we did replace them with warm white LEDs and it looks great.

Next, I went downstairs to get the small fiber optic tree that belonged to Mark's mother and that we have always decorated as the "Memory Tree" with special ornaments we have gathered over the years. It no longer works, even if you change the bulb. Not sure what we are going to do about that yet.

Well, if that one did not work, why not pull the $9.99 el cheapo 6ft tree out of the basement? That tree is traditionally "John's Tree" and is filled with ornaments that are his and his alone. I noticed part of the base had come apart, so I picked up the wayward piece and headed upstairs.

I slid the piece of the base back in and noticed it was a bit cracked. That kinda stunk. Then I set the tree upright and set about finding the end of the light string to plug it in. CRASH! The base cracked further and the tree fell over. Worse, the strings of lights on that tree? Dead. We will be filling up the Christmas Light Recycling Bin at WalMart OURSELVES this year. I have at least six strings that no amount of bulb-pushing or fuse-replacing will bring back. BUMMER!

So the picture up there is where we stand right now. IN A FREAKING MESS. Bub's Tree will be reduced from six feet to two, and the Memory Tree will be resurrected. Just give me a day or two, kay?

cute! christmas is a month away edition

2011-11-30T20:26:00.001-06:00

first grade... so far.

2011-11-30T20:13:00.001-06:00

First grade seems to be treating Bub well for the most part. He received straight A's on his first report card, which shocked and delighted us. His reading skills are growing every day and hearing him recite the poem about selling seashells by the seashore is adorable.

Not so awesome? Speed testing in math. That means 13 problems that must be completed and correct in 60 seconds. All of them. If they are not all correct, you have to redo the test the next week and are not allowed to progress. That's some pressure on a six year old, but he seems to be handling it well.

We just received his second report card, and while he slipped to a B+ in reading (which is odd, but I think has more to do with being stubborn than anything else) and music, he maintained all his other A's.

We're finding that Bub is pretty strong-willed, and yes... that is a euphemism for something else. He's strong willed and definitely cut from the same cloth I am, but lucky for us, he's got a lot of Mark in him too. Being a parent and trying to make life easier for your kid is a tough road sometimes, but I know if we keep at it, it will pay off in 20 years. Maybe. Right?

what's making the cut...

2011-11-07T19:46:00.001-06:00

Well, the fall schedule seems to be set in our household. Here's a list of shows making the cut:

THE AMAZING RACE
Mark started me on this show when we got together, and the best part for us is watching how others handle stress and debating what we would do. Lots of fun, and a cut above most other reality shows.

PAN AM
ABC's silly answer to MAD MEN. This show is worth watching for the dresses alone. The story seems to be pretty good, but ABC has a habit of cancelling shows we like (KNIGHTS OF PROSPERITY/DIRTY SEXY MONEY). So who knows...

MODERN FAMILY
The best comedy on TV right now, other than PARKS AND RECREATION. Love it.

THE MIDDLE
This show dresses their set and actors with Target stuff, and usually I am not a fan of shows like this one, but THE MIDDLE is pretty dang real.

GLEE
But just barely. They are really pushing in a direction I do not care for.

2 BROKE GIRLS
A little forced, but once it finds its groove... it has a ton of potential (and more than WHITNEY, which tries WAY TOO HARD).

AMERICAN HORROR STORY
Just beyond anything I can describe, and the first few episodes are scary beyond belief. Now that I have an idea of what is going on, I may not be so scared. Never had to cover my eyes for a tv show before. You have to watch it, I cannot begin to explain it.

THE WALKING DEAD
One of the best shows on TV. It's on our BEST EVER LIST, and has filled the void LOST left behind. Best drama and some of the best characters, but super-gory... as it should be.

THE OFFICE
I may be in the minority, but I like what they are doing since Michael left. James Spader is hilarious in the most understated way possible.

PERSON OF INTEREST
A CBS procedural that I actually like! Great concept, involvement of JJ Abrams of LOST, and Jim Caviziel or however you spell it. He is yummy.

SURVIVOR
We quit watching a while ago, but the past two seasons, with Redemption Island in the mix, are awesome. And Cochran, gotta love that kid. A very interesting show that has really learned how to cast perfectly.

PARKS AND RECREATION
We've been watching since episode one, and it gets better every year. Plus, there's Adam Scott, also yummy.

FAMILY GUY
I know, haters, I know... but it is laugh out loud funny.

TOP GEAR
On BBC America. Not to be missed.

CUTE! Christmas is Two Months Away Edition

2011-10-25T13:21:00.000-05:00

Pffft

2011-10-25T13:10:00.002-05:00

Let me tell you a few things I will never, ever in a billion years be able to do...

cook dinner every night, iron all Mark's shirts, vacuum every day, dust every day, homeschool my kid, sew, bake without intense concentration, whip something up, braid hair, pass college algebra, bake a cake, draw something that looks like a third-grader could have done it (I am stuck at a second-grade level), get a binder with coupons, actually get excited about having to overpay for crap at a friend's blahblahblah party, keep my mouth shut, put up with people I cannot stand, watch my friends get hurt and do nothing, see a friend in need and not help, pass up a Reese's peanut butter cup, have sex every other night (a friend swears THAT is how you keep a husband happy), like asparagus, like sushi, think like a grown-up, have another kid, always drive at or below the speed limit, touch a snake, or ride a chair lift. Those of you that can, I salute you. I am just NOT that person.

photo: http://ellenbloom.blogspot.com/2009/08/suzy-homemaker.html

are we there yet?

2011-10-13T14:32:00.001-05:00

So Bub has this awful habit of not only worrying about things that will occur in the future. Holidays, trips, weekend plans. He's quite good at it. It was very annoying when he had absolutely no concept of time. It is slightly less annoying now that he understands time a bit better. He's more of a worrier now.

For instance, he is fretting about Sunday. He has been invited to a birthday party, but he remembered we had plans about going to Six Flags. Plus, we also have a standing invite to go to a neighbor's football game, and since Logan is his hero, he wants to go to that also.

So he spends his week waiting for what is going to happen next. If we were at Six Flags, while we were in line for the Screamin' Eagle, he would be worried about what we were going to ride next. Would we do something fun like Sky Screamer, or will Mom and Dad make me try Superman again? I'll split the difference between the two and suggest the Boss. A nice, safe choice. As long as it does not rain. I've ridden it when it rains, even a light sprinkle stings at 60+ mph.

Now mind you, I have no idea where he gets it from. My father certainly never told me to enjoy the moment and just be patient or don't worry. Kidding. He told me that a lot. Maybe I think too much. Maybe that is the problem. In fact, it most likely is.

Maybe I am having my midlife crisis early, because I would not SIT AROUND AND WAIT FOR IT. See, lately I think about who I am. Not the "who," but the WHO. Obviously, I'm not perfect, but I would think that by 36 I would maybe have things a bit more together than I do.

But then I use that awesome REBT and think that I am actually doing pretty okay. But then I wonder if I should settle for "pretty okay." Pfft. That's what you get for thinking too much.

new feature!

2011-10-05T14:02:00.002-05:00

Oh yes! You will love this one! For some reason, as I age, I notice I like girly, cute stuff EVEN MORE THAN EVER BEFORE! This leads to a quandry I call the Elmo Vortex. Sure, Elmo is cute. Sure, retro shirts are popular and adorable, but does anyone over 30 really need to be walking around in an Elmo shirt? It looks ridiculous.

Of course, certain exceptions exist, such as my Frosty the Snowman shirt that proclaims "I WAS BORN COOL." But these are few and far between. In fact, there are a few egregious clothing items included in the Elmo Vortex which include, but are not limited to any article and/or accessory that has Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh, Tweety Bird, Tinkerbell and Betty Boop on it and is used/worn by adults. I mean, really.

So with all that being said, I am starting a new feature called CUTE! It will feature things I think are supercute and that should be shared with the world. Maybe even used as a guide for future gift purchases. Things like:

I mean, what! That is a totally adorable stuffed koala from Gund, and THEY EVEN PUT EUCALYPTUS BEHIND HIM! Awesome!

Or even this awesome mp3 speaker... look!

Anyway, that's the new feature.

cat got married!

2011-10-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

My sissy Cat and Tom got married in a quiet garden ceremony Friday. She was an absolutely beautiful bride and I wish them all the happiness in the world. They both deserve it. Please to enjoy some pictures I took at the reception. I promise to take more pictures of people from now on at family events.

what a difference a car makes

2011-09-28T10:31:00.003-05:00

You know, I have many things for which I should thank my husband, Mark. Other than putting up with me for almost ten years, he's introduced me to much awesomeness. Like doing the tourist-trappy stuff, roadside BBQ, reality television, and of course... not treating a car simply as a mode of transportation.

No doubt you all remember my post about Suvi Saab and the fits she was giving me. If not, go back a few posts and read it now so that you can be well-informed the next time we speak. I had a car I loved, but wanted to kill. I have since decided to accept Suvi for her flaws, which are much fewer since Mark installed a refurbished Saab Information Display with every single pixel glowing amber when it should.

The only thing that could replace her would be an 80s model Saab convertible or a BMW E35M class convertible. I think I got all that right. Or maybe even an old school Buick Reatta convertible. I can tell you what will NEVER replace her: anything beige and/or boring.

I'm done settling when it comes to cars. If I'm driving, I am going to be enjoying it. After all, I have the record to prove that I have a medical condition in my foot with unusually high concentrations of lead. Of course, I never drive above 80 if the kiddo is in the car, but when I am enjoying the lingering days of summer, top down, sunshine falling on my face and wind blowing through my hair, I sure feel bad for the person in the Chevy Aveo.

Driving is fun. Taking care of Suvi is fun. Because I love her. Cruising around in Winston, our 1996 Jaguar XJ6 is adorable too. It just feels so different. They both hug the road, settle in at a speed and make touring that much more enjoyable.

Now if I can just get Mark to agree to letting me take a hardcore defensive driving course, everything will be perfect.

photo: http://images2.layoutsparks.com

excuse me miss...

2011-09-23T13:58:00.001-05:00

So every day my neighbor and I are out walking on Thornhill Cemetery Road. It is blacktop and gravel and ends in Cuivre River State Park.

I insist on waving at each car that passes, mainly because I do not want to be hit, but also to be friendly. But on Sunday, a Chrysler slowed to a crawl and did not get over. We were a bit freaked out until we saw the passengers. Two nice old people.

The kind lady, Shirley, asked if we knew of a Duey Cemetery in the park. I said that the only cemetery I was aware of was the one just down the road, Thornhill Cemetery. We directed her to turn left and look for the headstone.

Shirley was obviously not going to be trudging around the small cemetery to look for the grave she had inquired about, so my neighbor and I hiked up the hill to the cemetery. After checking all the headstones with her husband, we came up empty. I have done family tree research and there is nothing more frustrating than going to a cemetery and finding headstones weathered by time (thanks for nothing, limestone) or missing completely.

Her husband had an email and I asked to see it. Shirley is the local contact for Daughters of the American Revolution, and someone in Texas was looking for Duey Cemetery and the headstone of David and/or Mary Duey.

So I busted out the smart phone and saw that there was a Duey Cemetery listed, but it was located in the state park, which, it turns out, is comprised of more than 48 old homesteads.

I asked for their email address and let them know that I would be in touch. I went to the ranger station, and the woman at the desk told me about all sorts of cemeteries in the park, but had no idea of the location.

After getting home and digging all over the internet, I was able to find an old atlas of Lincoln County, where the park is located. Then I found a website where I could overlay the old atlas on top of Google Maps. I had only a very general search area of about 1000 square yards, But I figured it was better than nothing.

The cemetery was listed in a book at the Elsberry library. The book is called GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, and although the library was closed Monday when I went, I returned Tuesday with my neighbor and was allowed to look at it in the Genealogy Room.

Next, the index page. Was Duey Cemetery really in there?

Eureka! Getting closer!

Well, great. I already had the atlas location, but now I had confirmation that David and Mary were indeed there and what the headstones said. So I headed back to the ranger station and came across a new ranger, who I showed my crude map to. The maps of the park did not seem to add up with mine until he brought over the Equestrian Trail map, which overlaid mine almost perfectly. The temptation was too much. I had almost three hours before I had to get home to meet John's bus, so I decided to head down the trail with my phone as a GPS unit to figure out when I was getting within range of my search area (which now seemed HUGE) and the trail map so I could keep my bearings.

After two miles, I was getting near my search area, and I had seen no one. I also felt I was not close enough to Big Sugar Creek, which the cemetery appeared to be very near. The area is heavily wooded (duh, it's a state park) and I was starting to get a bit frustrated as the trail seemed to be looping me around. I was about to head further south and west when I saw a horse, and then another one.

Now I felt stupid for being in the woods alone, with two horses with two guys on top of them. I mustered my bravest voice and called out, "Excuse me! Do you guys ride much back here?" Figuring if I drew attention to myself, it was a show of strength or something. The guys, an older gentleman and a younger one, rode over and said that they had been riding around the area for 12 years. The older guy, named Jim, broke trail horses for a living. I asked about the headstones, and the younger kid said that they were just looking for them. I was taken aback.

Not only were the headstones still standing, this kid knew where they were. To my dismay, he began to head north and east on his horse. Let me tell you something I learned that day: a horse can cover a lot of ground a lot quicker than me. So I followed, glad I wore pants, trampling brush underfoot. He went about 300 yards back and over and then called out.

You can see Mary Duey's headstone in the center and to the right in the shadows is David Duey's headstone. Here is Mary's (a bit easier to read in person, although not much):

And here is David Duey's headstone:

So now some lady in Texas that was trying to get into the Daughters of the American Revolution, but had hit a dead end, can continue on her search. All the information and pictures have been forwarded. I think I've done my good deed for the week. Oh, here's a map I made too...

Duey Cemetery

troy baptist church car show

2011-09-23T12:31:00.002-05:00

Yes. We went to another car show. Yes, I took a lot of pictures. Please to enjoy...

Wow. Epic Fail, Netflix. Epic. Fail.

2011-09-19T21:51:00.002-05:00

Oh Netflix. You so stupid. So so stupid. Bad enough that they screwed some of their best customers, dummies like us that mostly streamed movies and would have a movie mailed to our house ONCE A MONTH. See, we didn't watch movies quickly, or send them back quickly, so less postage means less cost to Netflix. Get it? Sure, some people probably watch a lot of movies and mail a lot of movies back and forth and eat into the bottom line, but I suspect the vast majority were like us, and the stock market seems to agree.

So here is what they did: instead of leaving well enough alone, they decided to squeeze blood from a stone and raise the price of streaming movies (usually not new releases, the same stuff you can see on Starz or HBO and a ton of tv shows, but mostly mediocre fare) plus ONE DVD out at a time from $8 to $16 or something ridiculous. The media picked up on this and people were outraged. The problem was not really the price change, but the size of it... at least for me.

Netflix also did the price change during a weird time in the billing cycle. I called to cancel over the principal of the thing. Instead of a nice customer service person, I got a guy that was outright rude. I think he had to deal with a LOT of cancellations. It took another call back to make sure I was cancelled, and THAT guy was just as rude. Netflix sent me an email about why I was leaving and I made sure to tell them. Sometime last month, Netflix sent another email about coming back (yeah, right... marked as read, even though it was not).

And just today I was reading an article online how Netflix shares are dropping like a rock because on their 3rd Quarter earnings call, they had to admit that they had lost more customers than they thought they would and new subscriptions were slower compared to last year. Now Netflix is attempting to relaunch themselves as Qwikster for physical DVDs and remain Netflix for streaming movies. Way to not only twist the knife in your brand, but twist it and try to pull it out, Netflix.

This evening, I received the following email. If you are the CEO of a publicly traded company sending out emails like this, a few MONTHS after all the bad press your company got for the change in the first place, you're not going to be one much longer. Sheesh.

An Explanation and Some Reflections
1 message

Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO of Netflix <info@netflix.com>

Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 8:35 PM

To: me

Dear Bethany,
I messed up. I owe you an explanation.
It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming and the price changes. That was certainly not our intent, and I offer my sincere apology. Let me explain what we are doing.
For the past five years, my greatest fear at Netflix has been that we wouldn't make the leap from success in DVDs to success in streaming. Most companies that are great at something – like AOL dialup or Borders bookstores – do not become great at new things people want (streaming for us). So we moved quickly into streaming, but I should have personally given you a full explanation of why we are splitting the services and thereby increasing prices. It wouldn’t have changed the price increase, but it would have been the right thing to do.
So here is what we are doing and why.
Many members love our DVD service, as I do, because nearly every movie ever made is published on DVD. DVD is a great option for those who want the huge and comprehensive selection of movies.
I also love our streaming service because it is integrated into my TV, and I can watch anytime I want. The benefits of our streaming service are really quite different from the benefits of DVD by mail. We need to focus on rapid improvement as streaming technology and the market evolves, without maintaining compatibility with our DVD by mail service.
So we realized that streaming and DVD by mail are really becoming two different businesses, with very different cost structures, that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently.
It’s hard to write this after over 10 years of mailing DVDs with pride, but we think it is necessary: In a few weeks, we will rename our DVD by mail service to “Qwikster”. We chose the name Qwikster because it refers to quick delivery. We will keep the name “Netflix” for streaming.
Qwikster will be the same website and DVD service that everyone is used to. It is just a new name, and DVD members will go to qwikster.com to access their DVD queues and choose movies. One improvement we will make at launch is to add a video games upgrade option, similar to our upgrade option for Blu-ray, for those who want to rent Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 games. Members have been asking for video games for many years, but now that DVD by mail has its own team, we are finally getting it done. Other improvements will follow. A negative of the renaming and separation is that the Qwikster.com and Netflix.com websites will not be integrated.
There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!). If you subscribe to both services you will have two entries on your credit card statement, one for Qwikster and one for Netflix. The total will be the same as your current charges. We will let you know in a few weeks when the Qwikster.com website is up and ready.
For me the Netflix red envelope has always been a source of joy. The new envelope is still that lovely red, but now it will have a Qwikster logo. I know that logo will grow on me over time, but still, it is hard. I imagine it will be similar for many of you.I want to apologize again to those members, both current and former, who felt we treated them thoughtlessly.
Both the Qwikster and Netflix teams will work hard to regain your trust. We know it will not be overnight. Actions speak louder than words. But words help people to understand actions.
Respectfully yours,
-Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO, Netflix.
I have a slightly longer explanation along with a video posted on our blog, where you can also post comments.

photo: failblog.org

coincidence? I think not!

2011-08-30T20:11:00.000-05:00

so Mark and I are reality tv junkies. We have slightly discriminating taste, we don't watch the Kardashians. But we have been watching a show lately called BAR RESCUE. It follows this guy, John Taffer, who has more than 30 years of experience as a consultant to bars. He goes into a place that is losing money and uses some local experts to help the bar understand their area, what kind of customers they should aim for, and how the science involved in getting people to stay and drink and eat.

This past Sunday, the featured bar was a place called THE CHICKEN BONE. It was a disaster. First off, who wants to eat at a place that conjures up an icky bone? Not me. It was a family bar. Of course, there is no such thing as a family bar. Anyway, they made it over and did some cool stuff and after the FIRST MONTH saved them $60,000. It was in Massachusetts somewhere.

Fast forward to this evening (Tuesday) and I mention something about how terrible the state of illegal immigration in America is. Mark asks me if I had read any articles on the whole Obama's illegal uncle DUI thing, and I tell him no. So I go over to the Boston Herald website and lo and behold...

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1362374

the bar that Obama's uncle had just left? The Bone (aka the Chicken Bone Saloon).

Weird.

yeeeeah!

2011-08-29T23:14:00.000-05:00

so as an adult with the musical tastes of a 12 year old, and unashamedly so, I am, in a service to YOU the community...

TAPE DELAYED BY MORE THAN 24 HOURS BLOGGING THE 2011 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS!

How sa-weet is that? Live blogging is so two-thousand and late. I tried to tape the preshow first, but I guess the awards ran long, so I ended up seeing some of the awards. In order to keep things from getting confusing, I will start with the pre-show. AND WE ARE OFF...

Selena Gomez is a cohost and she is adorable, but I do not understand her dress. I also like Demi Lovato. Suck it, Miley Cyrus!

OMG... COBRA STARSHIP! Love them. And you know what? I love people that look like they are having a blast when they perform, and these guys did. If you have not listened to YOU MAKE ME FEEL with the speakers blasting in your car, you should do so, NOW.

954 SETH ROGEN: how can you not love that guy? Sway tries to throw it to Selena Gomez and asks her who he is standing with. Seth Rogen totally goes, "She's standing with Jessie Jayne." Classic.

955 Okay, now I have the beginning of the show with Lady Gaga. Or Ralph Macchio. Awkward shot of Bruno Mars wearing the same hair. Justin Bieber appears to have smoke coming out of his ears as he tries to figure out the situation. Ooh! Brian May! Rock it.

1007 The show has started and I have to say that the stage design is crazy cool.

1009 The unhost... telling Lil Wayne to stop skateboarding because he's black. LOL

1010 Jonah Hill lost weight but his ears grew. Weird. Love Nikki Minaj. She seems like she would be a cool friend.

BEST POP VIDEO BRITNEY! All is right with the world. So good to see her looking good and doing well. Please get back with Justin Timberlake immediately.

1014 Rick Ross and "happy trees." Very cute.

Jay Z and Kanye hmm, not sure I have heard this before. Kinda digging it. Kinda. Justin Bieber still looks very confused.

1018 oh look! Miley Cyrus and Shaun White... two of the most horrible-looking people to ever walk the face of this earth. And I am not exaggerating. Ick.

BEST ROCK VIDEO Foo Fighters! Cool! I like the FALLING DOWN riff on that song. I like Dave Grohl. He could be my friend too. Maybe I should start a list of people that should be my friend, just fun to have at a party.

BEASTIE BOYS OF THE FUTURE IS AWESOME! What the what! A dance off!

BEST HIP HOP VIDEO NIKKI MINAJ! She's so sweet. Boom boom boom... best acceptance speech evah.

1028 Chord Overstreet looks like a fish. Poor thing.

BEST COLLABORATION KATY AND KANYE! Truly a crazy video and man, that version is the best. And pinch me, I think Kanye was actually humble! Good on you, Kanye!

Pitbull et al... how can you not bounce to this song? FUNNNNNNN! I love the kazoo noise! And good on Pitbull for being 50 or whatever and a pop sensation. Love his Miami yacht club swagger.

Purple Katy Perry intro for Adele and Adele... OMG. Awesomeness. No other words. That piano playing in the hall, only it and Adele's voice filling the silence... wow.

BEST MALE VIDEO BIEBER?

Chris Brown may be a jerk, but HE. CAN. DANCE.

Lady Gaga is back. The Britney tribute was awesome.

I'm over Beyonce, but the end was cute. Belly rub and a proud dad. That was nice.

BEST NEW ARTIST Tyler. Hmm. Gonna have to hear this one. Bummed Foster the People did not win.

1108 I am digging Young the Giant.

Lil Wayne is a nut.

The end.

beep! beep!

2011-08-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

what's that? Oh yeah, it's me... tooting my own horn. Why? Because EVERY SINGLE DAY THIS WEEK, Monday through Friday, I walked at least two miles. Oh, big deal, you say. Well, it's a big deal for me because if it is not on an elliptical in a gym, or in a yoga class, or walking around an amusement park, I hate exercise. Unfortunately, it shows a bit. I lost almost 20 pounds over the last year, and I've kept it off, but I have a good 30 to go.

I'm just trying to be realistic about things. I cannot quit soda. I cannot quit chocolate. So I am working on keeping them in moderation, and so far, so good. Anyway, I nearly killed my neighbor, who pushed not one but two kids in a stroller. Did I mention that the mile back is pretty much all up hill? Yipes. I felt terrible.

Anyhoo, I'll gradually add on a mile over the next two weeks. Nothing insane, just realistic. Much better way to approach things than some insane diet.

Oh, and the picture is from my walk.

photos: twofer

2011-08-26T21:14:00.001-05:00

here ya go... first day of school, how the summer project turned out in the front yard (behind Bub) and of course, Winston, who Bub insisted be included in the photo.

photos: one last summer hurrah

2011-08-26T21:11:00.000-05:00

before school started, courtesy the neighbors and the St. Louis Zoo. Good times were had by all and not only did I pet a bunch of stingrays, I pet a shark! It was freaky! Bub, he just acted scared the whole time. But he enjoyed the animals and the other kids, so I the drive was worth it. Major shout outs to Melissa, who drove, and Mary Jo, who used her zoo passes to get us everywhere for free. Rock out, sisters!

Mary Jo commented that the zebras were on strike. Quite hilarious. Quite.

ooh! almost forgot!

2011-08-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

this picture from the car show, which I named "day and night." Get it?

pictures: car show

2011-08-26T21:00:00.001-05:00

went to a car show on Main Street in Troy and here are a few highlights. Please to enjoy...

the last one may be my favorite. Check out more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bethanyp07/

pictures: hot air balloons

2011-08-09T21:47:00.001-05:00

totally went to Iowa to pick up Bub, and we HAD to stay for the balloon classic in Indianola. Hot as all get out, but I took the camera and grabbed a few shots. Please to enjoy...

Those are my favorites, you can see more at my flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bethanyp07/

how saab is crushing my soul a little bit more every day

2011-08-05T00:46:00.001-05:00

Suvi Saab and I are not on the best of terms right now, and I'm not sure there is anything that can be done.

Readers will no doubt remember my post the day GM killed Saab. I really and truly shed a few tears. Going back further, Saab ads graced the walls of my junior high and high school bedrooms. A Saab had a line like nothing else. The curvy rear end. The "born from jets" nod with the wings in the grille. A few years ago, Pookie had me poking around ebay motors and I saw a black convertible. The seller called his Saab "Black Beauty" and she was gorgeous. I suppose Pookie tucked the information away, because last July, he showed me another Saab. It was Suvi.

Her windshield was cracked. The top barely functioned. One of her fog light lenses was broken. The "radio" display was on the fritz, but I was in love. My first convertible. The first car I actually wanted. Oh happy day!

After some due diligence, we learned that the top worked with hydraulic pumps instead of a motor. Sweet! Just add some fluid, and poof! It worked like a dream! The windshield? Fixed by the dealer. To the tune of $500, since the glass was $200, but the moulding that held it in was $200 and change. The radio? Well, that is where things began to get complicated.

The radio display was actually called an "SID." Saab Information Display. If your dash had a light that said INFO DISPLAY and you heard a chime, you should theoretically be able to look over at the SID and it would tell you what was going wrong. Or not.

You should also theoretically be able to take your car to Auto Zone and get a general idea of a trouble code. Or not. On the Saab, a different diagnostic tool is required. No OBD II for Suvi!

The air conditioner started leaking. No big deal, it's a convertible! Or not. For some reason, whenever my better half got in the car, things would break. He put the top down in the fall, put it up, and then I spent the winter and spring listening to the chime go off while the light stating INFO DISPLAY.

The better half did some research. He narrowed it down to a bad microswitch. He's no dummy, but the schematics he looked at made even me dizzy. Time to take it to a shop.

The shop explained that there were six cylinders that worked the tonneau top. Two of the cylinders had a microswitch inside. If the problem was there, the whole cylinder had to be replaced. Not just the switch. To the tune of $600 + labor. Fingers crossed that it was not one of those cylinders. Or not.

So the top is fixed! Summer can commence! Suvi is back in fighting form! She looks great after a we detailed her with some Black Wax. Or not. A week and a half after the bill, I was going into work, putting the top up when it stopped halfway and I heard my dreaded chime and INFO DISPLAY shone brightly in the predawn light. I tried not to panic as storms were of course forecast that day. I ended up trying to get the top down again, up again, and figuring out that it wasn't slamming shut at a certain point. I did it manually and then called the shop again.

Surely the other $600 cylinder/microswitch combo was not the problem. Or it was. There went the new SID, Suvi's tint job and definitely my little acoustic improvement. Of course, the top works lovely now, and it should since between parts and labor, we had now paid the original price of the car in repairs.

But then Pookie took the car to work and apparently drove it into an asteroid field. He noticed two small chips and fixed them himself. Or not. He washed it and a line split all the way up. I was heartbroken. It wasn't his fault, really. And he did redeem himself by making his own fog light replacement lens that actually looks pretty darn good. Since it is a cornering light, that would have been $250.

In the back seat, there are awesome little lights. One kinda fell out and I asked him to fix it. Pretty simple. Or not. I have never seen a more overcomplicated electrical system before. Knock on wood, Suvi runs great, and we take care of her, but it seems the engine is about the only good thing.

This is my first foreign car, let alone higher-end. And while Suvi had 98,000 miles, she appeared to be cared for. The leather was in great condition, no small feat on an 11 year old convertible. Maybe I can't handle the quirkiness in an inherently quirky car. Maybe I've delved into bad model years.

But things keep going from bad to worse. Last week, I was helping a friend pick up an item off Craig's List. After talking with the seller, it came out that he sells Volvos and Saabs. He confirmed my worst fear: Saabs just suck electrically.

Every day, I read Jalopnik. It's a great site to read, inherently interesting and totally accessible. Each morning at 9 AM, Jalopnik posts "The Morning Shift." It's a roundup of auto news broken down into gears, and I'm pretty sure the news goes from good (first gear) to bad (reverse). Guess where information about the new Saab that has risen from the ashes of the GM gutting ends up? Reverse. Funding problems. Supply management problems. Production problems.

Every day, online and in real life, I have my love for a car thrown back at me. My faith is mocked. I'm not sure if I am naive. Maybe I'm not staying true. Thoughts of an M series BMW convertible keep seeping into my thoughts, and I feel like a cheating spouse, plotting my escape but never acting on it until push comes to shove. Maybe it already has and I'm refusing to face facts, but ack.

photo: http://www.saabisti.fi/category/saab-96-1964/page/7/

summer project

2011-07-11T11:37:00.002-05:00

well, I definitely had success with the plants I started from seed, namely the morning glory and the zinnia. But, I totally did it in the wrong spot. I guess morning glory does not like moving, because that is the plant laying flat against the rock on the upper right. It's playing dead, even though I know I it's not.

Otherwise, everything seems to be growing at a nice clip. Exciting stuff.

on a completely different note...

2011-07-10T21:16:00.001-05:00

Mark was catching a new bit of THE INBETWEENERS (quite a funny show in its own right) and saw a preview for a new show called COME FLY WITH ME, also airing on BBC America. Quite hilarious. Like, LOL funny at a number of moments. Not always politically correct, but funny. Funny. Funny stuff. I mean it. Watch it, before NBC takes it and turns it into something not nearly as smart and searing.

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

2011-07-10T19:13:00.001-05:00

so there are a few authors I can go to and KNOW I am going to love the book. Ron Chernow, David McCullough, Walter Isaacson, and now, after two great books, Erik Larson. He also wrote DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY. That book focused on the World's Fair in Chicago and the stories of the architects that built a beautiful alabaster city that was visited by millions, including a bunch of young women that never returned, because of Dr. HH Holmes, pretty much America's first serial killer.

In DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, you grow to know and care for the people Larson writes about. You want to delve deeper and learn more. As a matter of fact, Larson's book directly led me to three other great books: MORNINGS ON HORSEBACK about Teddy Roosevelt, THE GREAT BRIDGE about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, A CLEARING IN THE DISTANCE about Frederick Law Olmstead and GREAT FORTUNE: THE EPIC OF ROCKEFELLER CENTER. With apologies to Tina Fey, you want to go to there.

I firmly believe that history without context does not teach. It is not relatable. It is facts and looming figures of importance, such as the founding fathers.

But when more of the story is told, it is always interesting. To know that Jefferson was a chronic overspender and therefore hated banks, that John Adams had a terrible temper. That Washington spoke barely above a whisper, that 1840s New York was a den of iniquity and had nearly nothing on the New York of the 1970s and 1980s. That markets and bubbles expand and pop, correct themselves and then make it back to where they should be... it gives you a curiosity and makes reading worthwhile.

So I am looking at ebooks on the phone and see Larson has a book about prewar Berlin. With all the research I've done on both Mark's family tree and my own, and the thoroughly German-ness of us both, I had always wondered just how exactly Hitler came to power and why America did not intervene sooner.

I have always favored the periods that include the beginning of America, and early and late 19th century-type stuff. Books about war did not appeal to me, but here was one to answer the question I had.

I finished it last night, and all I can say is, "wow." Once again, Larson involves you deeply with two intersecting stories. First, the story of the American Ambassador to Germany during Hitler's rise, a Mr. Dodd. He spent a few years of college in Germany and taught history at the University of Chicago. He was near the bottom of the list and idealistic about setting an example of American frugality and values during an economic crisis amidst a good ol' boy club in the diplomatic corps that favored men of independent means and Ivy League graduates.

He brought his wife, adult son and adult daughter with him. His daughter cut quite the swath in the social scene of Berlin and behaved in a manner most appalling to many. He held to his beliefs in the face of ridicule, and as Berlin and Germany began to transform, he realized the threat of Hitler and did his best to publicize the atrocities he was inflicting upon his own people, his own lifelong friends. It is a story that is tough to stomach, but important. It was amazing the way the Nazis told people what they wanted to hear, and the way horrors were perpetrated even in the midst of the every day hustle and bustle of Berlin. It all emboldened the Nazis until they were unable to be ignored.

You definitely come away with a much better understanding of how something like Hitler could happen, and even happen again. It leaves you disturbed, but with insight and more context than you could imagine. Read it.

learning curves

2011-07-08T13:04:00.004-05:00

so that guy in the middle there? Totally my new best friend. I took forever (until this Spring) to join the smartphone crowd. I always said, "Geez! Just let my phone have a dial tone! I don't need to do all this crap on it!"

Let me say it. and be prepared, because this RARELY happens: I WAS WRONG. I've got an HTC Evo with a ginormous screen and an even ginormouser case (pink and black, not ugly Otterbox for me) and the EVO is HEAVEN ON EARTH.

First off, the google navigation rocks. Don't need a GPS and it give alternate routes and it constantly updates to offer even more, even better stuff. I am duly impressed.

Of course, if you know me, you know I am always reading. I had a choice between Google Books and Amazon Kindle for smartphones. Google Books seemed much simpler, and I love it. I read a few free books, and since I have a huge screen, it is super easy. I prefer the night mode, which is white letters on a black background. The thing I love most? The 50+ page previews. I browse, and if something catches my fancy, bam! I have the chance to read without hippies slurping coffee next to me. Woohoo! I checked out previews of WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks, THE GREATER JOURNEY by David McCullough, THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES by Siddharta Mukherjee, WASHINGTON by Ron Chernow, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN and IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS by Erik Larson, which I went with as my first choice to purchase. Super-easy and I'll let you know how it is.

There are a few neat doo-dads and some stuff I have not yet delved into (Google SkyMap and Astrid, respectively), but I will keep you posted. My only disappointment is the camera. The Android one was okay, but I wanted more. I tried some camera apps around the 4th of July and wow, they require a lot of getting used to, but maybe I'm dumb. Practice, practice... right?

Anyhoo, that's what's happening. More breaking news as it happens...

photo:

Relaunch!

2011-06-10T19:22:00.003-05:00

Okay, people are demanding I bring back the blog, so here I am, bringing back the blog. What's it about? Whatever strikes my fancy. Maybe I'll have something to say. Maybe I'll have something to share. It's your job to stay tuned and find out what's next. Expect it to be updated... oh, I dunno, every five days or so. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

photo: http://www.newsinus.us/technology/space-shuttle-launch/