Ultranormal

  • OK, Who Else Twitters Around Here?

    Twitter was my only real “connection” to the online world while I was in Mississippi (no EVDO, no wi-fi, don’t like sharing other peoples’ computers unless I have to, etc), and I keep slowly finding other pals who’re on it. I like the immediacy of updates and how easy it is to turn them off when I don’t need the interruptions. I like the simplicity of the interface, and it’s just a fun way to keep up with what everyone’s doing and write really short stupid things while in between things (waiting rooms, stop lights, elevators, etc).\
    So… do you Twitter? I do. What I’m really asking, if I’m not bein’ too forward, is will you be my twitter friend?

  • Grrrr

    OMG, Brian is so cranky and refuses to eat anything, yet won’t stop asking to eat!\
    ETA- Waahhh, when is Kevin coming home? (Now it is my turn to be cranky, apparently.

  • The Big 2k

    This is the 2000th post on this blog. I wish I could write this to coincide with some big redesign, a switch to a cool new blogging platform or have some cool techno-geeky thing to show off. But, I don’t. I just have this measly little entry. This entry is mostly here so I get over the fact that there are two thousand entries, most of them by me, but a bunch by Jen now too.\
    The first entry was way back in July of 2000 and it says nothing at all important, just like the vast majority of other posts here where I rambled about nothing and posted anyway.\
    Two thousand posts in, what have I learned and what has it done for me? Here you go:

    1. Blogging changes everything. If you get into the habit of doing it, it opens up a new world of people, experiences and possibilities. Maybe it’s because I started blogging before there were millions of people doing it, but I’ve made connections with so many different people through my blog and reading others. Blogging is a great way to get a glimpse into other peoples’ worlds, to walk a little bit in their shoes and get a perspective you wouldn’t have otherwise had into someone else’s experience.
    2. Blogging has changed how I communicate with everyone. My family reads my blog. A lot of people at work read my blog. A lot of my friends read my blog. When there’s a topic I’m not comfortable talking about in person (like religion, politics, etc). Writing about it here makes it easier to talk about it in person, and has led to some very interesting conversations I wouldn’t have otherwise had. Giving myself an “opening” here creates an opportunity for discussion in the “real” world.
    3. Blogging has made work better. I used to religiously not talk about work here, because I didn’t want to get dooced (I read her blog before she became a verb and loved it – still love it). I still have a hard time talking about work (habits die hard), but it’s made my work easier. I used this space to experiment with web standards, and that bled into work. Being one of the first bloggers at AOL (at least one of the first who would admit it), I got to help with the initial thinking behind AOL Journals and go on a couple trips to talk about it.
    4. Blogging is more fun with a partner. Jen jumping in and blogging here has been a lot of fun, especially the unspoken game of keeping up with her. Sharing the front page has removed some of the pressure of posting all the time, and I can’t tell you how many times people have caught me at work and told me how much they enjoy her posts.\
      It took five and a half years to get to two thousand. Hopefully, it won’t take another five and a half to get to ten.

  • Camera Update

    I asked for advice earlier about cameras and here’s what I decided:

    • I did a little research on different digital SLRs, features, prices, etc and then went to eBay and looked for those cameras on auction. I bid low on a Digital Rebel XT, and Nikon D50 and an Olympus Evolt E500 (hoping I would get one, but not more than one).
    • I figured if I got a digital SLR with a lens for less than \$500, I would get a new point and shoot camera that’s better than what I have now but not top of the line.
    • I’ll play with the SLR, get the hang of it and have fun, but I’ll have the point and shoot as a backup.\
      So far so good. I lost the D50 and the Digital Rebel XT and won the Evolt! So, as soon as they ship it, I’ll join the ranks of digital SLR owners and see where that takes me. I haven’t decided on the point and shoot yet, but I’m in no real hurry. The Powershot A640 that Porter mentioned is the current leader, but I’m going to see if I can find something smaller. I really like Tantek’s little Canon SD400 that I saw at the last CSS meeting. It’s ridiculously small and takes decent pictures in low light (just look at his photos, they’re almost all in low light). There are plenty of newer ones to look at, and other models to compare. That task starts after I play some Excite Truck!

  • Wii First Impressions

    I told you we got a Wii, and here are my initial thoughts:

    1. Everything about it is gorgeous. The box itself, the wiimote, the nunchuk, the menus, the sounds, everything. It’s one of the best designed consumer electronic thingies I’ve ever used.
    2. It’s usable. I didn’t have to look anything up to get it hooked up, play my first round of bowling or get connected to the internet. It all just worked. Better yet, it’s very easy to get started playing. Including Wii Sports was a great move, because it gives you an easy introduction into totally changing how you play video games.
    3. It’s a workout. Yeah, you can fairly easily do everything you need to while relaxing in a chair, but it’s not as much fun as really going at it (see the video in the original Wii post).
    4. It makes watching people play video games fun (finally!). We had a great time laughing at each other box, bowl and golf last night.
    5. The controller takes some getting used to. When I say it totally changes how you play video games, I’m not kidding. Everything is based on motion, and you have to figure out the best way to keep the controller pointed at the screen.
    6. Everyone can play. We still have to convince Jen of it, but Max, my 24 year-old brother, my over-50 dad, and I were all able to pick up Wii Sports and be relatively successful with it (Max is the king of nut-shots in boxing… I’m scared for all the little Wii boxers’ hopes of having children).\
      In short, it’s fun. It’s a lot of fun. If you get one, Rayman Raving Rabbids is a great first game. Lots of crazy minigames, easy to pick up, and funny. The first-person shooter bits could be a game all by themselves. If you can find a Wii, get it. I can’t wait to see what other crazy games come out for it.

  • Max Loves the Wii

    Since we were out of town for Christmas, we had a New Years Eve Gift-Giving Extravaganza at my parents’ last night. Aaaand, my mom got us boys (Brian, Max and me) a Wii! We hooked it up in their basement to try it out, and Max is hooked. I took a little video of Max playing Wii Sports Boxing to show just how hooked the boy is (and I’m playing with Dreamhost’s new flash movie stuff):

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  • Brian Likes to Skip

    We were showing the boys how to skip at the zoo last week, and Brian really got into it. I took a little movie to show you just how into it he was:

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  • Happy New Year!

    I don’t want to make any resolutions this year; I just want to automatically be a better person and more disciplined.

  • The Mississippi Pictures

    Skyanne, Brian and Max onthe train

    The pictures from the trip are up and organized into sets. Here they all are:

    • Day One – This included sledding, and dinner at Leatha’s: the Temple of Pork.
    • Max Takes Pictures – I let Max use the camera and iPhoto to take pictures around the house. He loved tweaking all the settings on pictures, and trying out crazy stuff. He really got into macro mode, as you’ll see. There’s some really good stuff in there.
    • Dinner Out, and the Lights of Tylertown – Little tiny Tylertown, Mississippi puts on a great light show. Unfortunately, the batteries in the camera died before we could document the whole thing.
    • Christmas Eve and Day – Including the requisite tree shots.
    • Jen Takes the Boys for a Walk – Some really funny Max and Brian moments in this one.
    • The Hattiesburg Zoo – We went to the zoo! It was small, but the kids had fun and got to ride on a train.
    • Around the House and Out and About – Random stuff from the trip that doesn’t fit anywhere else. See little Brian pig out, ride a tractor and the Great Sundae Massacre of 2006.\
      Enjoy!

  • Christmas Wrap-Up

    The highlights and the lowlights (I will let you decide which is which):

    • The kids were SO GOOD in the car.
    • Having internet in the car so I could chat and goof off for the long drive.
    • The iPod FM thingie didn’t work as well as hoped.
    • Anne’s packed goodies for the kids, including stories on CDs, were awesome tantrum-savers.
    • Only eating fast food twice the whole time.
    • Leatha’s for ribs; my first ever trip to Stone Cold Creamery; some backwoods (literally, it was in the middle of some forest) restaurant for awesome, awesome steak and fried catfish; fried turkey for Christmas dinner, which was surprisingly not greasy at all. As Kevin said, “There is no reason to eat turkey any other way.”; Glazed Heavenly Ham which was better than the Honey Baked Hams I have had; Mom’s home cooking- yum!; Cherry Cordial Kisses, courtesy of my SIL, Jo. Apparently they are in a limited release since I couldn’t find any to bring home with me.
    • Seeing my aunt, Edna, my brother, George, his wife, Jo, and his kids, Skylar and Skyanne.
    • Watching my kids interact and bond with their cousins.
    • Max threw up multiple times the first night we were there. Thankfully, he is old enough to know to head for the bathroom. He didn’t quite make it to the toilet each time though, but the tile was so much easier to clean than the bed or the couch.
    • My dad walking in on my mom and me trying to hide the giant present we’d just gotten him.
    • The view from my parents’ house.
    • The Tylertown light show.
    • My mom and Kevin laughing at their many shared jokes and experiences.
    • Watching Brian love on my parents’ dog, Buddy.
    • Liking each other enough to make plans for another visit.
    • The first four places we stopped at after leaving Miss. didn’t carry People or US Weekly. Hello, I need my trashy magazines to supplement the needed twizzlers and peanut M&Ms!!!
    • Being smart enough to get Brian a new toy for the drive home. (Cuz his Christmas presents weren’t the kind to be played with while stuck in a car seat.)
    • The Country Inn & Suites we stayed at on the way home sucked ass. But, whatever, it is over and we won’t be staying at that one again. The one we stayed at on the way to Miss. was very nice though.
    • Looking at pictures on the computer via my parents’ large flat screen tv.
    • Brian and Max sharing a bed for the whole visit. They would giggle and tickle at first, usually, then settle down. Kevin saw them spooning at one point. At another, Max was barely on the bed, and Brian was sleeping perpendicular to the mattress and had stolen all of the covers.\
      Pictures are coming soon!