Carol's random babble

I haven't really gotten the hang of it yet, but I'm going to learn. I started a page for In Old Fort Dodge , my history blog from the early days of Fort Dodge, Iowa. I'll do one for this blog, and I'm also working some social networking for an author friend of mine, so I'll get her on there, as well. I don't think Google + will be a Facebook killer, but it doesn't hurt to get coverage in more than one place. I can be found here , if anyone is interested.

One copy of My Memories digital scrapbooking software. It's easy to use, and nice that you can make as many layouts as you want without running out of supplies. One person will receive a code to download their own copy of My Memories Suite v3. One entry is mandatory, the others get you extra entries. This giveaway ends 12:01 a.m. EST on Dec. 31, which is 11:01 p.m. on Dec. 30. Please let the Rafflecopter widget load.

From "Alice in Wonderland": Speak roughly to your little boy, And beat him when he sneezes: He only does it to annoy, Because he knows it teases. In this case, it's Kent. Apparently he was in a bit of a fender-bender Tuesday night and his car is non-functional. Which is annoying to me because Cayla may miss the bus and I don't want to have to drive her to school. It's as if he does these things on purpose to inconvenience me. Okay, not really. But seriously, I have told him over the years about driving carefully and here we are. (Later) Luckily for me, I was able to get Cayla to the bus stop on time, so I don't have that extra trip into town.

To show a bit of what My Memories Suite can do, I thought I would offer a video from the My Memories YouTube channel. The video is about 2 minutes long and it's obviously a commercial/infomercial, but if you watch it you will see that there is more to My Memories than traditional scrapbooking. I like the idea of creating something once and sharing it many times. If you want to make each version a little different, you can do that, too. In this post I showed how one layout can be switched around with different elements or backgrounds to look different. You can make slightly different versions of the same scrapbook if you want each book you are sharing to be different (for example if you don't want all the grandparents to get the same exact thing). This also helps you decide how a page is best laid out. And since I have a tendency to add too many embellishments, I can look at the finished product and then take away some - which is difficult to do with actual stickers. ...

So I'm doing a giveaway of My Memories Suite v3 digital scrapbooking software , and I'd like to show a few things you can do with the software. So I will try to do a different layout every day during the giveaway, which started today and ends at 12:01 a.m. EST on December 8, 2011. These two layouts are to show how you can change up a few things to make them better (I hope they are better). I have a tendency to put too much stuff in my scrapbook pages. But one nice feature is that if you do "save as"  you can build on your original page, modify it or delete things without ruining what you have already accomplished. I used Holiday Snows pack snow overlay (left side and bottom - all one piece), with some extra individual snowflakes. The word art comes from Holiday Simplicity pack. I purposefully arranged the snowflakes to cover some of the background stuff, although I could have cropped the photo or used a mat instead. For this version, I downsized the snowfl...

I recently started using My Memories digital scrapbooking software. It's nice to be able to make multiple layouts without running out of supplies or messing things up if I cut something wrong. You can do many things with My Memories - create scrapbooking layouts (of course), calendars, cards, and I've even seen someone who is using it to create layouts of her favorite recipes, with photos of the actual food. When you use digital scrapbooking software, you can recreate your layout as many times as you like. You can share with as many people as you like, without using up your precious hoard of scrapbooking materials. (Yes, I hoard mine.) And if you think it's not personal enough this way, start the layout on your computer, print it out and add physical embellishments for the final touch. But you don't have to add physical embellishments, because embellishments are included. And what's nice here is that they are sizeable, so you can have the same embellishment in...

I recently held a giveaway that failed. I didn't get even one valid entrant. There were two requirements, both of which related to the sponsor, and I didn't want to change them. So I didn't give the item away. But here I am again. I'm going to use Rafflecopter again, because I like entering Rafflecopter giveaways, and they're not that hard, honest. I've got some background stuff to do, because I'll be highlighting the product again and want to create new stuff for this giveaway. Maybe I'm just overthinking it ...

Supposedly people are more likely to shop online today. Here's a glimpse at what happens to online shoppers when the computer crashes: Here's a modern version of a visit to Santa Claus: And finally, word to the wise: (I'd like to point out that I don't actually drink alcoholic beverages; however, I have been known to sit at the computer for hours, fueled by diet Dr Pepper.) These are some items I've seen on Facebook, which I call Facebook funnies. I'll post them here from time to time.

For anyone who hasn't used StumbleUpon, for each 5 people who sign up through my link , I can get $10 Amazon.com credit. I've got plans for something to buy there and I need more credit. So, anyone? Except maybe Mom, who has enough to do on the computer already. :-) (Mom, I like the Mahjongg game you've been playing lately.)

It seemed like a good idea at the time. I had a $30 gift card I couldn't use, but I could trade it in for some credit for an account I could use. Sure, I would lose some of the value (I would get about $24 in credit), but it seemed better than losing the value of the gift card completely or having to a) drive 90 miles to the closest store of that type or b) spend it online and have to spend more money, too (although this might have been the better option, in retrospect). So, I signed up for PlasticJungle.com. You tell them about your gift card and they tell you how much you can get for it in various formats, including PayPal and Amazon credit. They generate label information, you print out the sheet, cut the mailing label from the sheet and tape it to an envelope and tape the card(s) to the invoice sheet. Then, apparently, you wait. And you wait some more. And after you've waited for awhile, you contact their customer service. And they tell you to wait. And they mark ...

So I held my first giveaway on this blog. The giveaway ended at 12:01 a.m. today. I had one entry. The problem is that two entries were mandatory and one person did one of them, and another left a comment which didn't fulfill the requirements. I'm waiting to hear from the sponsor to see what to do next. I guess I didn't advertise enough. I also barred my relatives from entering, which would probably have gotten me a couple of entries, if only to keep them from hearing me whine about it. More to come when I know what's going on.

Today's layout is Grumpy Cat. It's actually an embellishment, but it's easy to add photos - you just add a photo box, size it and send it to the back. I also added Word Art and two text boxes. It only took a few minutes. The giveaway of a copy of My Memories Suite v2 digital scrapbooking software ends at 11:01 p.m. tonight (12:01 a.m. Eastern time Nov. 2).

That's how long the gash in Cayla's leg is, according to the E.R. nurse. She slipped at the haunted house and cut her leg on a sharp corner on an outlet cover attached to a pole. She called me at work to let me know that someone from the haunted house was taking her to the E.R. I left work and met them there. It's not that bad, only took two stitches and some steri-strips to hold it closed. But we spent 3 1/2 hours in the E.R. (mostly in the waiting room) and I expect Cayla will be in a little bit of pain tomorrow (her leg is starting to bruise), so I have already called the school to say she won't be there. And now I'm off to bed, to charge my phone (which was down to one battery bar by the time I left), to turn off my alarm, and to sleep until I wake up on my own in the morning. Please let there be no phone calls. Also, my motto is Always Bring a Book. And Always Bring a Camera. Having neither of those items made the lengthy wait seem even longer. And no s...

Today's layout uses Pumpkin Flair, a free embellishment pack from My Memories. I got an email with a link to download. If you sign up to get email updates, you can get these free packs, too. The link I got is here , but I'm not sure it allows more than one person to get the free download. Usually the part that takes the longest time for me is checking out each kind of paper and embellishment, because there are a lot to choose from. It's easy to use a predesigned kit and just plug in your photos, though. This layout is based on a photo layout without any embellishments. I added the Pumpkin Flair (the little pumpkin faces), "Happy Halloween" from the Halloween card kit I downloaded, and pumpkin stripe background paper. I also used Word Art for "Trunk or Treat 2008." The whole thing only took a few minutes. The giveaway is still going on. You can win your own copy of My Memories Suite v2 digital scrapbooking software. Giveaway ends at 12:01 a.m....

I think this scrapbook layout came with the My Memories Suite. I downloaded a lot of free templates and papers, but it's not on my list. (Forgetful me, sorry) I didn't add anything to these except some text in the last page shown: There is plenty of room for text here. I would recommend putting a shape with a color that matches or complements the colors of the background paper, then putting your text box on top of that. You can group those two elements and move them around together. Cayla has no idea I've been using pictures of her for these layouts. Shhh! Don't tell her! You can enter my giveaway for a copy of My Memories Suite v2 digital scrapbooking software here . There are two mandatory entries - you must "like" My Memories on Facebook, and you must leave a comment at this blog post with a My Memories product that you like. You don't have to like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter, but you can get extra entries if ...

I thought I would try a different template - this one is a free download at MyMemories.com. As  you can see, all you do is double-click on the picture box (or circle) and browse to a photo. You can also add the names by using text boxes, but I like handwritten names better (unless your handwriting is really, really bad). :-) Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a copy of My Memories Suite v2 digital scrapbooking software. And if you don't win, but buy it on your own, you can save $10 by using this code when you check out: STMMMS22597.

Today's layout uses a template to create an album with different page layouts and photo positions. I modified these pages a bit, changing the size of the photo boxes in one and removing a couple of photo boxes and adding a journaling box to the other. Other modifications are noted in the captions. This layout uses a burlap texture for the background and word art for the name. The background for this one is turquoise large stripe paper. For a complete album, I would probably use different background but a similar color scheme, as much as possible.  But with My Memories digital scrapbooking software , each page could have a completely different background or you could them all the same. Go to my giveaway and enter to win your very own copy of My Memories Suite v2 and you can create your own digital scrapbook. You can also visit My Memories on Facebook , "like" the page and click on VIP exclusive. You can download exclusive content beginning every Friday.

During the giveaway week , I'm going to post a layout each day using My Memories digital scrapbooking software. Today's layout is barely today, because I actually work outside the home and was in town for about 12 hours today, so I didn't have time to tweak my layout and get it uploaded until very, very late. But here it is: Halloween times 2. Simple background, one of the Halloween background papers offered. "Halloween" is done with the Word Art feature. Same photos, text and word art. I put a black background behind the words "Cayla's hand" to help it show up better against the busy background. This paper comes in different colors, and there are more "batty" papers to go with it. You can download free papers and embellishments at MyMemories.com , and you can also purchase paper packs or layout sets. Also? My configuration: (refurbished) eMachine with Intel Celeron 2 GHz processor, 1 gigabytes of RAM and  53.3 gigabytes o...

I was recently asked to do a review of the My Memories Suite scrapbooking software and the good news is that one lucky ready will get a copy of the software for their very own! From My Memories website: My Memories Suite Version 2.0 digital scrapbooking software is a fun and creative way to keep and share memories, whether you have a Mac or PC. The software's design tools will help you to build entire albums effortlessly using one of the many installed templates, or designing your very own pages from scratch. Available worldwide. Intended for English-language computers. Technical support is English-only. You can do a lot with My Memories suite . You can lay out a full scrapbook of several pages following a template and just plugging in your photos and embellishments from the digital scrapbooking software . You can just create a couple of pages - or only one at a time - and follow their layouts or create one completely from scratch. You can make cards and calendars, as ...

Did you ever play that word game as a child? It goes like this: Savvy first person: "There's a dead skunk in the middle of the road. I one it." (You explain to the other person they say "I two it.") Unsuspecting second person: "I two it." Savvy first person: "I three it." Unsuspecting second person: "I four it." Savvy first person: "I five it." Unsuspecting second person: "I six it." Savvy first person: "I seven it." Unsuspecting second person: "I eight it." Savvy first person pointing and laughing: "You ate it! You ate the dead skunk! Hey, look at who just said they ate a skunk!" Unhappy second person: "I want to do it again but I want to be first this time." Savvy first person: "Okay." Unsuspecting second person: "There's a dead skunk in the middle of the road. I one it." Savvy first person: "I two it." Unsuspe...

I suck at writing book reviews. Really. But I do want to tell you about "Pigs Must Fly" by Edna Flannigan. Iris Haugsdahl has suffered all her life. No one would ever call her attractive, and when she left high school to marry Urbb, a much older man, people didn't care, except to speculate that her parents paid him off with farm land. Urbb wasn't abusive, but neglectful. His passion was his dairy farm, and his favorite cow was Enola - "she had Swiss written all over her," Urbb had said. When Urbb is invited to a VFW convention in Las Vegas, Iris urges him to go. And when Urbb dies a few weeks before the convention, Iris goes, on her own for the first time in her life. There she meets Kitty Velour, a transgender lounge singer who inadvertently reopens old wounds. Kitty tries to make it up to Iris, with unexpected results. Added to the mix are the neighbors from back home, Forky and Netta Stimple, and things get a little crazy. "Pigs Must Fl...

Every weekday that school is held (and not delayed because of weather or whatever), I have to get up at 4:30 a.m. and usually spend the next 1 1/2 hours getting Cayla awake, out of bed, into the shower and out the door for early morning Seminary (a scripture study class at church for high school students). She is always late, except on the days when she completely misses it - like yesterday, because I didn't want to drive in dense fog. Most of the time, I just stay in my pajamas - sweat pants or old exercise pants, and an old, raggedy T-shirt (I have several to choose from). When I get home I usually go on the computer for a bit and then roll back into bed. Today, Cayla was pretty wide awake - due to the fact that when she got home yesterday she went to bed for a one-hour nap and didn't wake up til this morning. I dozed off after my alarm went off at 4:30 and woke up again at 5:35. She was ready to leave. As we left, she mentioned that she needs a calculator for a math test...

Oh, yes. I want one .

Mom called the other night to tell me she thought there was something wrong with my blog because the last entry she saw was from Aug. 20. I had to tell her that was correct - I just hadn't updated in that long. I sometimes compose blog posts in my head while driving or whenever, but then forget to actually post when I get home. Maybe someday you all will get the benefit of my thoughts on those topics ... But for now, all about our cats: We have three cats. Buster, known as Boo-Boo, is 4 1/2 (I think). Chicken and Olivia were born July 5, 2008. They are all so different. Boo-Boo is aptly nicknamed. He is a fat cat, and sometimes incredibly clumsy. Chicken is finally warming up to me after living with us for three years. (We got her and Olivia in August 2008 and the girls bottle-fed them at first - they were very tiny and hadn't been cared for by their mother.) Olivia is a sweetheart and very lovey-dovey. Chicken and Olivia as kittens Chicken is Amanda's cat. She use...

This morning didn't start out too bad. I knew ahead of time that someone was cranky about something that happened last night. Okay, a couple of somethings. One of the somethings was a missed deadline. I finished the task ahead of the deadline that is posted, but apparently behind the deadline that is not posted, that nobody else has to follow, and it's all my fault. I thought I was dealing with that pretty well, and then came the phone call. It was a personal call, on my cell phone. I had to take the phone into the office because the person on the other end wasn't listening to my point of view. In fact, my point of view was a "weak excuse" in his words. I had, apparently missed another deadline. This was a personal matter. I had agreed  to perform a certain task. I thought I still had time, but apparently although Person A said the person (Person B) for whom the task was to be performed would have things going on this week, I was supposed to do it anyway. An...

Okay, so I've had wheels for more than a week. I bought a car on Aug. 9. I got it as a used car place which I discovered is actually part of a dealership - apparently they funnel their lower-priced trade-ins over there. Or something. Anyway. It's a Pontiac Grand Prix, four-door. There's no radio, so I'm going to try to get the radio from the Camry to work, but the wiring is different. There are some wiring issues - the door locks don't always want to lock when I want them to lock so I either turn the car on and keep trying to lock them or go around and lock them all manually. One back window doesn't open. There's something missing in the trunk area to keep water from entering the trunk, so I need to get that fixed. But it runs and it gets me to work and places I need to go. And I'm thankful for that.

Okay, I don't actually have a kingdom, and I do actually have a car, only it's not well. On July 22, I picked Cayla up at camp and on the way home the car developed some problems. When I stopped at Harcourt (because it has a convenience store), I discovered that the oil cap was off. This is not good. We put a couple of quarts of oil in and continued back to Fort Dodge. After Cayla's practice (for her performance in a chamber music recital that evening) I got an oil change. We went to Walmart and headed home. Going through the woods on Otho Drive, the car's problems got much worse, to the point that I wasn't sure it would make it up the hill. Since I didn't want to try to turn it around or back down the curvy hill, I kept it going. The car died after reaching the crest of the hill. I managed to coast most of the way home, got it started and made it to my driveway. And it has sat there ever since. A friend of Kent's has looked at it and said it could b...

I said a long, long time ago, that if cats had thumbs, they would rule the world. This theme has been expanded upon by Bertrum Thumbcat , whose ponderings and plots can be followed on Facebook . I have often accused our cat Booboo of trying to kill me, especially by tripping me, sometimes at the top of the basement stairs. Although this is simply proof that Booboo is not entirely there, or possibly not thinking things through, as I buy the cat food. So that is obviously not in his best interests. I may have proof, finally, of catty plotting. Yesterday I was trying to watch a video online. It was slow loading - watch a minute or two, then pause it to let it load. It took 3 1/2 hours to watch 36 minutes last night and I finally went to bed, leaving the screen up so the video could keep loading (which it did, just fine). But this morning, the image on the monitor was completely upside-down. The cursor worked completely backward, in line with the upside-down image. I was able to Go...

But not quite a grownup. Amanda's birthday was today. She and I went out to Fazoli's for a late lunch, stopped by my mom's and did a (very) little shopping for Amanda. She and I were both tired, so we went home. I took a nap before taking Cayla to church, but Amanda wouldn't go. We also stopped at Kent's before we went shopping. His dad had stopped by and took him out to eat, and gave him an older laptop he had that he didn't need any more. Unfortunately, he can't remember the password, so Kent won't be using it right away. And Kent said his dad told him to tell Amanda happy birthday from him. I did some research on the Carr family and Thomas Nicholson, the Gowrie town marshal who was shot to death on July 11, 1908, by Wilbur Carr. Wilbur's dad was Ira, the younger brother of Lydia Carr Caylor Burrell Baxter, my great-great-grandmother, which makes Wilbur my first cousin three times removed, I think. I think I discovered an error in the 1900...

Kent was called into jury selection today, so he needed a ride to town. His friend Chad needed to go grocery shopping, as well, so I combined those trips. Dropped Kent off just after 9 a.m., put gas in the car ($3.57/gal at Walmart, but 10 cents off/gallon because I used a Walmart gift card), took Chad to Fareway, did a little shopping and went out to the car to wait for Chad. While I was waiting for Chad, I wrote some research questions in a notebook about a relative who is a big black sheep in our family. Wilbur Carr, 23, shot the Gowrie, Iowa, town marshal to death in July 1908. Wilbur's father was Ira S. Carr Sr., and Ira's sister was Lydia Carr Caylor Burrell Baxter, my great-great-grandmother. Which makes Wilbur my first cousin three times removed, if I have figured it correctly. So, one of my questions is what is Wilbur's actual name? I think that in census records he's listed as Wilbur. But most of The Messenger articles about the crime and the aftermath ref...

First a video: Poor kitty. No nap for you! Now to our kitties. We have a bookcase (media tower?) that is about 2 feet wide and about 7 feet tall. I firmly believe that bookcases should be packed with books. The books should be stacked on top of each other, and I've been known to have two rows of books on one shelf, along with the stacked books on top of each row. However. I'm still not organized from when we moved in (September 2008), so many of my books are still in boxes. This bookcase/media tower has a few books, assorted stuff and software cases. But on the top shelf right now is a rock bookend and a cat. Chicken, to be precise - Amanda's cat. Chicken is taking a nap on the top shelf. She likes it up there. She can jump from the computer monitor (the desk is in front and slight to the left of the bookcase). Booboo can jump all the way to the top of the bookcase, and he likes to hang out there. Chicken likes the freestanding pantry we have, but she can't j...

Ancestry.com is allowing free searches of Sons of the American Revolution applications through July 4. This database contains applications for membership in the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution approved between 1889 and 31 December 1970.  The applications are  arranged in packets. It may be helpful to scroll through the images to  find all information relating to the applicant. The DAR has a database that allows searches of patriots and descendants. I discovered that an ancestor of mine did serve in the Revolutionary War and several people have achieved membership in the DAR through one of his children. I am descended from another child, but it shouldn't be too difficult to prove.

I decided to stop drinking Dr Pepper after my last one Friday night. So, all day Saturday and all day Sunday, with headaches on and off. At church yesterday, I locked my keys (both sets) in the car, necessitating a call to ask my niece Jessica to take Cayla home to get her key. We went home after that. Our power went out just before midnight last night due to a bad storm and didn't come back on until 11:12 this morning (one minute after I made an 11:11 wish that the power would come back on). Booboo woke me up at 5 a.m. puking on the foot of my bed. I threw him on the floor and he immediately jumped back up to finish puking on the head of my bed. I woke up at 8 a.m. (had my alarm set for this purpose) and called the phone company to tell them I would bring the money in today that I was supposed to bring yesterday, and the customer service representative assured me that my service would continue today. Two hours later I woke up again and tried the phone, but it was disconn...

I often have what I call "weird dreams." Because they are. Some make me feel like I wasn't actually asleep, so I wake up nearly as tired as when I went to bed. Today's was a doozy. I can only remember a little bit, so I'll give the Cliff Notes version. It involved the crew of Serenity. Somehow there was a thieving team or mafia upset with them. It may have had something to do with a possible client of Inara's, or a similar situation to "The Train Job" when Mal returned what was stolen and angered Niska. At any rate, there was a scene (yeah, well, it seemed like a movie) where the bad guys were shooting and the crew decided to try to talk their way out of it. Mal told them the crew would come up and he started up a really long ladder. On the way, he picked up a pan that had been shot, so it had bullets in it. He dumped the bullets into a pan that already had lead, saying something about not wasting it. (My dad used to make bullets for his muzz...

Since my last post, which was on a very painful day, I did have a couple more days like that. That Sunday (June 12) was pretty bad. By Wednesday it was getting better, until I was getting dressed to take Mom to the podiatrist's office. While pulling my jeans on, my left leg twisted and pulled a muscle or something, causing a lot of pain. I called Donna to see if she could take Mom so I could go back to bed and not have to be out running around, but she didn't have her car. So I went. Mom's appointment went okay, and we even grabbed something to eat and sat in the car for awhile. The weather was nice and with the windows open it was quite breezy. We were parked in the shade in the Walmart parking lot. I felt the need for a chocolate milkshake, so I went to Ja-Mar's before dropping Mom off at home. My knee hasn't given me too much grief since then. I've had more problems with muscle cramps in the calf of that leg. But overall it's been slight pain and some...

Got up (always a plus), dressed, and out the door for an ancestry workshop by the DAR. Had McDonald's breakfast on the way there. Was a little late, but no worries. I got some information, learned how to look things up on the public part of the DAR website and learned some things. Then I went to the flea market. Parked my car, walked all the way to the main building, where I bought Avon deodorant from 2 vendors. I like to spread my money around. ;-) I also got popcorn, which I had to wait for, but it was good. Then I went looking for eggs. Barbara had raved about the eggs she had bought there before. So I tried to find the vendor. I went north and south from the main building, then all the way north and around, through the barns and back to the main building. Possibly I didn't go far enough south, but even by the time I left the building, I was having problems. So. Much. Pain. My left knee, my right knee a bit, my left ankle, my lower back. Whatever benefit my fairly go...

This is not exactly a book review, especially since I haven't finished the book. It's a warning: Do not read this book just before bedtime. It is unsettling. I lay part of the blame for my three hours of wakefulness in the middle of the night on this book. It's a fascinating read, and I will finish it, but not at nighttime.

I have been in increasing, almost constant pain for probably a couple of months now. My left knee is stiff and painful, especially when I stand or walk. When I sit, my leg becomes numb and/or painful. Sometimes the pain radiates up or down my leg. Stairs are a killer. Walking with this pain is such a problem it affects how I walk, to the point where my right knee is sometimes affected, as well. I even started taking pain pills, which is very rare for me. I stopped taking them because they didn't seem to help, but I'm going to start again. I'm taking a store brand naproxen sodium. But I haven't seen anyone about it. I don't have health insurance - the premiums at work were too high, and the kids are currently covered. So I muddled along thinking I can deal with whatever comes along. I keep limping - last week at work a co-worker called me "Hopalong." I gave my witty reply back and it was well-received. But people at work will notice today, because I w...

 Today's laundry list: Go to hospital to visit Mom, who was held overnight for observation after having chest pains. Pay interest on laptop. Put gas in car. Call phone company. Call Chamber of Commerce for Cayla's costume for the parade tomorrow. Call landlady. Fill out and return reporting form. Library - need an article for June 4. Go to work. Here's where I'm at right now: Go to hospital to visit Mom, who was held overnight for observation after having chest pains. (Update: just talked to Donna. Mom will be going home soon, so I won't be going to visit her at the hospital. Which is fine, since I've got to get to work.) Pay interest on laptop. Put gas in car. Call phone company. Call Chamber of Commerce for Cayla's costume for the parade tomorrow. (Called, left message, no response. So we're taking Cayla there.) Call landlady. Fill out and return reporting form. (Can't find my Nanny Goats in Panties pen, so I have to find anothe...

The NBC show "Chuck" has been renewed for its fifth season . This is good news. It's a great show overall, and one of my favorites. I generally watch the morning after it's aired, since we are cable-less now, but it's worth waiting for. The bad news: this is likely the last season for the show. I hope that the season-of-13-shows-with-option-for-more turns into a full season, and I hope that enough people join the current fans of "Chuck" to increase the numbers and keep the show going. Synopsis: Chuck, who has been in a holding pattern since being kicked out of Stanford for cheating (he didn't) and being dumped by his girlfriend, receives a mysterious email from his old college roommate, Bryce, who was the person who turned him for cheating. The email downloads top-secret information into his brain, which can then make connections between things he sees or hears and the government data. Chuck then becomes a government asset, to be guarded and watc...

Cayla didn't miss the bus to school this morning. It is the first time in 2011 she didn't have to be driven to school - other than days she was sick. This means she's on time and not making me waste gas. Yay! Also, Kent and his friend put some stop leak stuff in the radiator and hopefully it will hold together for a couple of days until I can get it fixed. So I'm leaving soon to go into town - genealogical society meets today and one of the members specifically asked me to come for my input on a decision they will be discussing. Cool.

It was just another Sunday afternoon at work. Two obits to process, a few pages to lay out. Deanna had the front page done and we thought we were going to get done in a timely fashion. Then the sports editor said, "I hate to break it to you, but the president's going to make some big announcement at 9:30." That was sometime after 9 p.m. It would be much, much later that we got the official word (after many "unofficial" announcements by various people) that U.S. forces had killed Osama bin Laden. Then was more of a waiting game - waiting for the Associated Press to provide an article, waiting for updates to the article, waiting for photos be be available. Finally, finally we sent the last pages to the press. And I called my sister to have her pick me up and take me home, because apparently it developed another hole (this is the second time since Friday this has happened) in the radiator. I won't be able to take care of it Monday (today), so I will nee...

With about four hours of sleep, I wasn't prepared for the various weirdness of the day. Cayla delayed getting up, to the point that she was extremely late for school. As it turned out, that didn't matter, as she started feeling sick again (she was sick yesterday) and so I told her to have her dad drive her home. I was at the hospital with Amanda, who was having an upper GI endoscopy done. She had missed a lot of school because of "stomach aches" when she was still going to school, and when she was ill a couple of weeks ago the doctor remembered this and decided she should be thoroughly checked out. Last week it was an abdominal ultrasound, this week an upper GI encoscopy. And the illness a couple of weeks ago was vomiting on a nearly daily basis for about a week, then nothing since then. The weird part is that it's April 19. And it was snowing this morning. Big, heavy, clumps of snow coming down. Accompanied by thunder. Kent actually consented to driving below...

We all have them. Sometimes I tend to focus on things that are similar, as if a group of bad things are an indication that my life is going downhill. When that happens, I ignore any good things that happen. It's kind of like when a celebrity dies and somebody wonders who the next two will be, because "these things happen in threes." So, this morning I discovered that my laptop battery not only wasn't holding a charge, but lost power quickly, going from 53 percent to 40 percent in only a few minutes. Yikes. An involved web search - on the desktop computer after I shut the laptop down - gave me the information that: the battery needs to be replaced laptop batteries tend to last about a year (mine is two years old) a new battery will be between $104 to $150, depending on whether I get a six-cell or 12-cell battery the 12-cell battery got bad reviews, including the fact that it sticks out from the profile of the laptop and makes the laptop go at an angle you can ...

I saw this at our local Hy-Vee store on Saturday. The jars on the right are the normal size, but now they have 26.5-ounce jars available. Wonderful!

I don't often get involved in the current fads. Although I did have a pet rock the first time they were popular. And a mood ring. But really, I don't subscribed to fads that much. What I do is my own fads, themes, obsessions or whatever. I played Farmville, Frontierville and Cityville - those last two daily from the time they started until I gave them all up on Jan. 1 of this year. I put in 2-3 hours a day playing Zynga games. Then there's the food thing. I find a food I like and can eat that thing twice a day for forever, or until I get tired of it. Put some Panda Express pork potstickers in front of me and I can eat them 3 times a day. Especially with my favorite Thai sweet chili sauce. (That I now have four bottles of, thanks to a road trip to Ames on March 1.) I think my new fad may be family history/genealogy webinars. I just finished one (on using Twitter/Tweetdeck) and signed up for Writing Your Personal History (and Living to Tell About it) which starts in abo...