I Ain't Too Proud To Beg

Save your, and my, sanity. Get a Free iPod now!! Read on:

All of you who saw my post from the other day, read about my fascination with audio books being broadcast out in weekly installments through iTunes. I am now addicted to it, and can not get enough. iTunes grabs each installment for me when the authors make them available and all I have to do is throw them on my mp3 player and go. Very cool.

One problem. I have an older mp3 player, that's not the problem though. I like it, very much. It works great, as long as I can transfer my content onto it that is. You see, ever since we've had theDog, we've had to watch him every minute of every day. He's a puppy, and as puppy's like to do, he like to chew things. Nothing in particular, chords and papers mainly. Take my mp3 transfer cable for example. He managed to get ahold of it and put a hole through the plastic housing of the side that connects into my mp3 player.

I now have a morning ritual that goes something like this:

Connect mp3 player, select file, transfer, nothing happens, unplug cable.
Connect mp3 player, select file, transfer, nothing happens, unplug cable.
Connect mp3 player, select file, transfer, nothing happens, unplug cable.
Connect mp3 player, select file, transfer, file transfers, select another file, transfer, nothing happens, unplug cable.
Connect mp3 player, select file, transfer, nothing happens, unplug cable.
Connect mp3 player, select file, transfer, nothing happens, unplug cable.
Connect mp3 player, select file, transfer, nothing happens, unplug cable.
Connect mp3 player, select file, transfer, file transfers, select another file, transfer, nothing happens, unplug cable.
etc, etc.

As you may be able to guess, this process frustrates me to no end. There are several solutions to this problem, mind you. I could do any of the following, and this frustration would be over, until theDog decided to chew through whatever solution I choose that is:

1. Buy a new usb transfer cable


2. Buy a new 2.5mm to 3.5mm headphone adapter and transfer my files to my iPaq instead of my mp3 player. (I lost that in theMove somewhere).


3. Beg all of you nice folks to sign up and help me get that Free iPod I've been wanting

I realize that #3 may not be the most rational choice, but that would be my preference, so feel free to sign up and help me acheive that Free iPod. Not only would you be helping me get something I've always wanted...but you'd be saving my sanity in the process.

Daily Links:
Get your pumpking carving practice in.
Happy Halloween. Trick-or-Treat!!

Filed in:

• Wishlist
• iPod
• FreeIPod
• Tech

Guillen Steals Trophy

Congratulations to the White Sox, I guess, for your series championship. Too bad you have a greedy manager who talks of retiring if his team wins, then changes his mind. Not to lead the team again, no, but so that he would have the opportunity to coach the All-Star Game. As he put it:

"Hopefully I'll be the first Latino (manager) to win an All-Star game"

It's good to see that he has his team's, and the city of Chicago's best interest in mind. This from a coach who was quoted a multitude of times during the regular season saying the most idiotic things any manager has ever said, at least when he could be understood that is. And it wasn't over yet. As they say in the informercials that just happen to catch your attention and never let you go, but wait...there's more:

"Guillen was ready to take the prize with him.
"With all due respect to Chicago fans, I know my country, they're going crazy," he said. "The trophy is going to Venezuela.""
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5025592

I'm sure the city of Chicago, rejoicing from having won it's first baseball championship since 1917, appreciates hearing that their manager is more interested in Venezuela's celebration than their own. If I were a White Sox fan, which even though they just won the World Series I am glad I'm not, I would first celebrate, then call for Guillen's head on a platter. Ownership should tell him thanks, but we can take it from here. The conversation should go something like this:

Hey Ozzie, thanks for leading the team to the championship, really we appreciate it and all, but we'll be taking that trophy to Chicago...you can head off to Venezuela if you want, but the trophy stays here with the players that actually won it. What's that? Your only coming back next year to manage an All-Star Team? Thanks, but no thanks...I think we can find someone to do that for you. Sorry Oz, gotta go now, Lou Piniella is on the other line.

Daily Links:
Your Tonya Harding, how do you keep in shape for your next boxing match? Spar with your roommate and tell police it was two masked men.
It never fails. You sit down at a poker table and someone shows you up by playing with their chips.

Filed in:

• Ranting
• Baseball
• UncommonlySenseless

Ancestor

A long time ago, in a place far, far away, I told you about an audio book turned into a podcast called Earthcore by Scott Sigler. Finally, an author came along that wanted people to read (listen) to his book, so he offered it up for free in weekly installments on his website. Scott didn't just stop there either, when iTunes started offering the ability to subscribe to podcasts, Scott jumped all over it and made it even easier for us EarthCrack addicts (as Scott so affectionately calls his listeners) to get our weekly fix. All we had to do was subscribe and our weekly fix would stream it's way in to us automatically.

Earthcore has now ended, which means if you didn't start reading it, you can download and listen to each and every episode concurrently. If you like sci-fi thrillers, Earthcore is a must-read (listen).

The reason behind this post, however, is to tell you about Scott's newest podcast novel Ancestor. Again, it's as easy as subscribing with iTunes to listen to the latest episode, every week. I'm on episode 3 of 7 so far, and it appears that Ancestor is going to be even better than Earthcore was.

Daily Links:
According to this, theKids are going to be 6'2", 5'9" and 5'5", oldest to youngest.
Watch all of Star Wars Episode IV in 8-Bit Mode
Tags: ScottSigler, Earthcore, Podcast, Audiobook, iTunes, Ancestor

Filed in:

• Podcasting
• Books
• Internet
• Tech

Question for the Ladies

I was walking down the hallfway at work yesterday, minding my own business. A doorway opened up in front of me on the right hand side of the hallway, catching my eye as someone walked out of the door. As nature intended, my head and eyes were unavoidably drawn to the open door and I noticed that I was looking into a restroom. Since it had been a woman that had opened the door and walked out, my powers of perception quickly figured out that I was looking into a Woman's restroom. Before my realization snapped my neck back around and my eyes out of the room, I noticed something. Something so foreign and out of place to me, that I have to dig deeper into the realm of thought to find out why it was there.

It was this:



And my question to you ladies out there is Why is there a couch in your restroom?

Do any of you ladies actually use this type of furniture in the restroom? I have to know. The bathroom would be the last place in the world I would want to spend more time in, besides maybe a hospital and funeral home of any sort, so you would not find me sitting on a couch in the bathroom.

I have to know if any of you ladies have spent time on bathroom furniture and why. Why I say, why??!!!

Filed in:

• UncommonlySenseless

A Better Rabbit Cage

Yesterday morning started off like any other day in theHouse of theMike and theFamily. We woke up, looked out the windows, and theElderSon noticed this:



Then we knew we would have a good day. Saturday night, as I lay in bed, groggy from the effects of a heel to the back of the head by theMiddleChild (story another time, but not intentional), theWife and theKids got a start on the next day's project:



theWife had been getting sick of how theRabbit's current area had been taken up space in her morning room. So she did a some googling and came up with the idea to build a better Rabbit cage using nic cubes. All we had to do Sunday was tighten down the zip ties and build the frame. I don't mean to brag, but I think we did a bang up job. Don't you?

Filed in:

• Family
• Pictures
• Recreation

Plane vs. Flock of Birds

TheBro-in-Law sent me along these pics. He's a pilot and last time he visited he was telling me that his roomate had been behing a plane that crashed during takeoff. Luckily noone was hurt!
These pictures illustrate what happens when a plane takes on a flock of birds.

Filed in:

• Family

Start-up Sound

How powerful is your computer's startup sound huh? Huh? Because your computer is nothing without a nice startup sound:

Filed in:

• Humor
• Links
• Video

Life Is Good

Once upon a time, theMike and theFamily moved into a house they could call their own, and life was good. theWife felt like something was missing however and added theOrangeCat to the mix and life was good. Again, something was still missing to theSuckler was acquired and life was good. A little while later theDog was added to the fray and life was still good. theMike and theWife then started to add landscape to theHouse, planting grass and trees....life was good.

But still an empty feeling tore at the pits of all of theFamily's stomachs for we all felt something was still missing. None of us could figure out what this missing element was, until it arrived on our doorstep via theFriends (B&S).

And once again, Life is Good.

Filed in:

• Friends
• Family
• Humor

Mac Parody

Remember a bunch of years ago, when iMacs first roared onto the seen, Apple had the whole switch campaign going. Someone brilliant created this Mac Parody based on those. And he's a mac user to boot.

Filed in:

• Humor
• Links
• Video

You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

There is nothing more frustrating in Fantasy Football than to be the most consistant team in the league, and have a .500 record. A second straight loss has put me at 3-3. Can anyone tell me how I have a .500 record, but my team has more points than anyone else in my league? Huh? Anyone?

Filed in:

• Ranting
• FantasySports

Can't Wait (Christmas in October)

dsc04185
Originally uploaded by theMike.

Christmas in theMike's house is done. Saturday, theFamily and I got our first taste of what we will be doing this winter, as well as our early Christmas present. Pick-a-Day passes to Boston Mills & Brandywine. Now we just have to wait til it snows.

Filed in:

• Places
• Recreation
• Family