I just wanted to make a quick announcement here and let you know that I’m giving away a copy of the Danny Roane: First Time Director DVD over at my Reviews and More blog. This is a comedy starring Andy Dick, and features a bunch of cameos from Hollywood A-listers, so it’s at least worth a look. And if this isn’t the type of movie you like, you can just give it away as a stocking-stuffer or something.
Go take a look at the giveaway details, and get your entries in soon!
I had a bout of insomnia last night, so I was up from about 1:30am until it was time to wake my husband for work. There wasn’t much going on online, so I turned on the TV for awhile and ended up watching infomercials. I actually like those because I’ve discovered lots of cool little gadgets that help make my life easier.
Anyway, I saw an ad for an automatic jar opener that I really want! I hate having to wait for my husband to get home to open a jar of pasta sauce or whatever, so I would definitely put this gadget to good use.
I don’t want to order it from the commercial because it was a bit overpriced, so I’m going to look for one of those as seen on tv websites that sell the same products for much lower prices.
What do you think? It looks pretty handy, doesn’t it?
Do you get on a roll when you read, so that one book leads to the next, which leads to the next, and so on and so on?
I don’t so much mean something like reading a series from beginning to end, but, say, a string of books that all take place in Paris. Or that have anthropologists as the main character. Or were written in the same year. Something like that… Something that strings them together in your head, and yet, otherwise could be different genres, different authors…
I always read one book after another, but there’s rarely a true connection between them (unless I am reading a series). I like to keep a list of the next 10-15 books that I want to read, so once I finish my current one, I move on to the next. But they don’t necessarily have anything in common.
I suppose the closest I’ve come is when I read a work specifically because it was referenced in something else that I read. For example, when I read Camille by Dumas, I believe there were many mentions of Manon Lescaut, so I made that my next book. Usually the string stops with just one additional work, so I would hardly call that “rolling” along!
My brother was diagnosed with diabetes about nine months ago. We were all pretty shocked by the news, especially considering the fact that he’s just 35 years old. The silver lining here is that my brother’s case was detected early, and is still very manageable. Along with making significant changes to his diet and adding 30 minutes of exercise to his daily routine, he’s on some oral medication to regulate his blood glucose levels. He’s doing fine now, and has very few bad days.
I’m just very thankful that my brother doesn’t have Type 1 diabetes, which would require constant monitoring and attention, as well as the use of diabetic supplies such as blood test strips, syringes, and insulin. Without even talking about the health implications of Type 1 diabetes, I just think it would be extremely difficult — and expensive — to live like that. Those supplies need to be replaced very often, and even when you buy from a discount website like AllegroMedical.com, I’m sure the expenses really add up.
At least my brother’s diagnosis has served as something of a wakeup call for our family. We’re all trying to eat a little better and be a bit more active in the hopes of improving our overall health. I guess it’s never too late to start.
If you’re a sports fan, then you’ve probably heard by now that Sean Taylor, formerly a safety for the Washington Redskins, died yesterday from complications resulting from a gunshot wound he sustained in the early morning hours of November 26.
The story being reported in the news is that an armed gunman broke into Taylor’s Florida home, headed straight for the bedroom, and fired two shots at Taylor. One missed, but one caught him in the femoral artery, which caused him to lose massive amounts of blood at the scene. The gunman then fled immediately, while Taylor’s girlfriend dialed 911 from her cell phone.
This is a tragedy, of course, as Taylor was just 24 years old and leaves behind an 18-month-old daughter.
But at the same time, the story is just… weird. It sounds more like an old-fashioned hit than anything else. I mean, the gunman went straight for the bedroom, ignoring everything else in the house? That makes it sound like he was familiar with the layout or something. Also, the gunman fired only at Taylor, completely forgetting about his girlfriend and baby? Again, that makes it sound like it was a hitman with a specific agenda.
I’m sure more details will come out as the police continue their investigation, so it’s pretty useless to speculate here. Nevertheless, I’m willing to bet that this turns out to be more than just some random attack, which is what authorities are calling it now.
RIP, #21.
(Getty Images)
Earlier this year, my husband and I made a commitment to improve our home both inside and out. Towards that end, we hired professional landscapers to redo our backyard, brought a painting crew in to touch up the gutters and trim, and had a bit of work done in our kitchen. What I’d really like to focus on next is improving the living room by adding some quality blinds that are both beautiful and functional.
There’s no way I’m going to go to a mall at this time of year, so I’ve been checking out online stores instead. I visited a website called shadesshuttersblinds.com over the weekend, and spent a lot of time looking over their vast selection of window coverings.
At first, I was just planning on buying some plain old vertical blinds, but now I’m leaning towards getting something a bit more exotic. For example, I think Roman shades would look fantastic with the decorating scheme we’ve already got in place. Shadesshuttersblinds.com has Roman shades available in more than 200 styles and colors, so I’ll obviously be able to find something to match our room colors.
While I was on the site, I also noticed some very nice roller shades that would be perfect for the master bedroom. We just have curtains in there now, but they don’t keep the room dark enough in the daytime — which is a must for my early afternoon nap. I think the addition of roller shades would take care of that problem and allow me to finally rest in comfort.
Anyway, I’m happy to have found a website that offers great blinds at affordable prices! I’m going to show off my choices to my husband later on to see if he likes them. I can’t wait to see what my living room will look like once we have everything in place!
I don’t have very many favorite bands, and there aren’t many artists that I would actually pay money to see in concert, but Linkin Park is definitely one of them. I missed out on seeing these guys when the Projekt Revolution tour came through Tinley Park back in September, but if they do another U.S. tour to promote Minutes to Midnight, I will do everything I can to buy tickets!
“Numb” is one of my favorite Linkin Park songs, and even though I’ve heard it hundreds and hundreds of times, I never get sick of it. Here’s the video from YouTube…. man, I just love it when Chester belts out the chorus — so awesome!!!
I love it when I watch a movie or TV show and hear a mention of a place that I’m familiar with. Of course, I’m not talking about major cities like New York, L.A., or Chicago, since they get mentioned often enough. I’m talking about lesser-known places like Slippery’s Tavern in Wabasha, MN, which hosted a few scenes from the comedy Grumpy Old Men. I used to eat at Slippery’s every now and then when I was in college, so it was cool to hear the mention in the film.
I also recently watched Mindhunters, which was supposed to take place near the Outer Banks of North Carolina (even though the movie was actually filmed in the Netherlands). I’ve never been to the Outer Banks, but have been considering taking a family vacation there at some point, so it was still neat to get the reference there.
And I don’t know why, but I do tend to like movies a bit more when they have that touch of familiarity about them. Heck, I even like Home Alone because the main house is in Winnetka, which is not too far away from here. What can I say, I’m easy to please!
Once again, the Bears looked extremely sloppy on both sides of the ball in this afternoon’s game against the Denver Broncos. Sure, some of it can be attributed to the weather, but more often than not, all the team’s mistakes were just the result of poor play. Chicago had four turnovers on the day, three of them thanks to starting QB Rex Grossman (an INT and two fumbles lost).
Nevertheless, thanks to the amazing Devin Hester who returned a punt and a kickoff for TDs, the Bears were able to hang around until the 4th quarter, where they were behind by seven points and driving down the field with 2 minutes left. Then Grossman was suddenly able to string a couple of completions together, taking the team all the way down to 3 yard line. And on 4th and goal, Grossman somehow found Bernard Berrian in the corner of the end zone, where Berrian made an incredible grab for the TD. WOW!!
The game then went into OT, where the Bears won the coin toss for first crack at a score. Grossman connected with tight end Desmond Clark for a huge 39-yard gain, then several Adrian Peterson runs put the ball at the Denver 21. Robbie Gould’s field goal attempt split the uprights, and the Bears came out with a 37-34 victory!!
This was a nail-biter for sure, and I am just happy that the team was able to win. Their record is now 5-6, so their slim playoff hopes are still alive for another week. And to think — I almost turned the game off when the Broncos went up 34-20 because the Bears never come back from big deficits like that!!!!! Awesome game 
I was thinking of buying my husband some Xbox 360 games and DVDs for Christmas this year, but after taking a look through his closet, I noticed that his wardrobe could use an update as well. He rarely ever buys clothes for himself, and pretty much just leaves that kind of shopping to me. As long as I get stuff that looks cool, like casual clothes from motocross and/or snowboard-related companies, he’s fine with whatever I buy.
I noticed some awesome prices on winter gear volcom clothing, and will probably end up getting a couple of sweaters, long-sleeve shirts, and hoodies for this Christmas. Knowing my husband, these clothes will last several years, so I don’t mind buying him nice things. After all, he deserves it!
(And no, he doesn’t read my blog, so I’m not worried about him finding out what his Christmas presents will be!)
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I’m having another giveaway over on my Reviews and More blog. This time, you can win a pair of shoes from Run Athletics! This promo is a tie-in for the MTV reality series Run’s House that airs on Thursday nights, so if you’re a fan of that show or if you just want a free pair of shoes that you can use for yourself or give as a Christmas gift, then this is a contest you’ll want to enter!!
Check out the original post for details, and get your entries in soon because the deadline is approaching fast….
Thanksgiving Day just wouldn’t be the same for my family without a healthy dose of NFL football thrown into the mix. Today was no different, as we caught a majority of the action from all three games that aired. None of the outcomes was a surprise, as Green Bay, Dallas, and Indy all pulled off victories.
It was fun watching three of the league’s top gunslingers at work today. Brett Favre led the way with an incredible 381 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Peyton Manning threw for 272 yards and 3 scores, and Tony Romo had 195 yards and 2 TDs. Favre is having an amazing year, and would probably be able to add to the three MVP trophies he already has if it wasn’t for the even more amazing year that Tom Brady is putting together.
Also worth noting is the fact that the 10-1 Packers meet the 10-1 Cowboys next week (another Thursday game) in an NFC showdown. That should be a good one, and I’ll definitely be tuning in!
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the whole year, so I’m very excited about today! We’re going to head to my mom’s house at about 2:30pm for appetizers and football, and will sit down to dinner at about 4pm. After that, it’s our family tradition to write out our Christmas lists and pick names for our Secret Santa gift exchange. I can’t wait!!
As for my own household, we have plenty of things to be thankful for this year, including:
These are more or less the same things that I was thankful for last year, which just goes to show that we lead a pretty simple, stable life.
Anyway, I hope you have a truly fantastic day, however you celebrate and whomever you celebrate with!
My husband Jerry is one of the hardest working people that I know. He consistently puts in 10-12 hours per day, five days a week, and hasn’t taken a sick day in years. Because of his efforts, my family is financially secure, and I can stay home every day to take care of our son.
I truly appreciate everything Jerry does for us, so when the weekend comes around, I have no problem letting him take a day for himself to go ride motocross with his buddies. This is his way of unwinding and forgetting about the pressures of work, and he’s been doing this for more than 15 years now.
Of course, motocross is tough on Jerry’s muscles and joints, and the adverse effects of bouncing around on a rough, bumpy track every weekend are becoming increasingly noticeable as he gets older. As a result, Jerry is in real pain come Monday morning, which makes it even harder for him to get through the day at work. He’s not ready to give up motocross, so the next step is to find a pain reliever that can help with his sore muscles.
I’ve been hearing a lot about a product called Freeze It Gel, so I decided to look up more information on it. I went to the Freeze It homepage, and spent some time reading about the types of ailments the gel can help with. I was pleased to see that, along with arthritis and joint pain, Freeze It is effective in relieving sore muscles, and back, neck, and shoulder pain.
They even had a TV commercial available, so I watched it and like what I heard about the product. Here it is so you can see it for yourself:
That’s precisely what Jerry would need after a hard day of riding, so this is probably a product he should try. I’ve heard that the makers of Freeze It are even sponsoring a contest in which three lucky winners will be given a year’s supply of the pain relief gel. I’m sure my husband would put the gel to good use after each of his motocross sessions!
If you’re currently looking for a versatile pain relief product that can work on a variety of ailments, then I suggest visiting the Freeze It website to learn more about this gel. I think it sounds great, and can’t wait for my husband to try it!
I’ve mentioned a couple times before that I studied Latin for about six years total in high school and college. Along with learning the language, I picked up a lot of ancient Roman history as well, and learned a bunch of myths and tales regarding the Eternal City. One of those myths, naturally, was about the founding of the city by Romulus, a son of Mars.
Anyway, I’m not going to go into that myth now, but one of the basic ideas in it is that Romulus and his twin brother Remus were abandoned in baskets on the Tiber river. They were subsequently taken in and nursed by a she-wolf in a grotto under the Palatine hill in Rome.
The mythological grotto was known as the Lupercale, and now archaeologists believe they have found it! You can read the full story on National Geographic right here if you’re interested. This is definitely pretty exciting stuff, so I’ll be following the story pretty closely from here on out!!
Italian Culture Ministry publicity photo. Click thumbnail to enlarge.
