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Seemed funny at the time

So, when you grab the camera to take a progress picture of your construction downstairs and your wife quips about taking a picture of your anatomy, don’t do it and definitely don’t make it the first picture in the camera because she might just start the pictures downloading on her computer in the kitchen and walk away to take a nap.

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A couple of HEHs

Well, this about describes me (via Jon). And Les just nailed it! (a must read!)

Btw, with apologies to The Blogfather, I despise HEH. It has bothered me since the first time I ever saw it used in a chatroom (which was probably IRC circa 1988). Dictionary.com gives it a definition of "a half laugh" but I have always read HEH as bemusement but almost a disrespectful, laugh of obligation like "ok, you made the effort to say it so I’ll make an effort to acknowledge you." The two links above deserve much more than a HEH!

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And then there was Blogfest!

They gathered, and there was much posting!

Cathy felt I needed an opportunity to socialize with other bloggers without chasing Evan around.

He chatted with strangers trying to enjoy their meal with the exception of the older gentleman and his daughter co-worker date escort hooker which is regretful because that could have been a fun conversation, “pardon my son for interrupting your, uh, uh, thang. So, do you measure those heals with a yard stick?” [Source]

Tommy Shoots Pool

Tommy decided to join me on the promise that he would get to play some pool. The downside of letting me go by myself was that Cathy was not around to keep me in line..ahem!..Sorry about the shiny head jokes guys. It just came to me in a flash. This blogfest promised to be interesting as I really could put name to face and I would be able to talk without that "where’s the toddler" twitch. Rich assures me that Evan is great at the events and that I need to worry about him less. The first Blogfest we attended has a sense of apprehension to it. I mean, we all knew other and simultaneously knew nothing of each other.

we all read each other so…is there really anything to talk about? "Um..Post #1345." "Ha! That was great. I responded in comment #12768." "Read it! Excellent retort! Did you catch the Youtube video on that?" "Covered it in post #4491." Silence. "Check please." [Source]

The second Blogfest was more natural but faces and names were still coming together.

When people from the online world meet for the first time, the experience is unnerving, fascinating, and enlightening for these online people have shared stories and know of each other intimately but are always surprised to find that often the person they "know" online is not the same as the person in real life. [Source]

LesMichael and MckinleyTish and MarkLissa KayRich and Paul

The attendees at this third Blogfest were Mushy’s Moochings (who’s review has much clearer pictures than my cell phone pictures above), Shots Across the Bow, LissaKay (she impressed me with her semantics), The Kat House (also great pictures in her review), Blogitude (another great picture..beginning to think the camera phone isn’t sufficient!), No Silence Here with Knoxville’s youngest blogger – Mckinley, Les Jones, and Tommy (picture above at the pool table).

Rich Lissa LesRich Lissa Les

The turnout was a little smaller than previous events. I hope that is because of the summer and not partisan politics, or a mistaken thought that we like each other better in print than in person. The event really was fun! Several of the bloggers even tracked down one missing blogger (Barry of Inn of the Last Home) to hear him play at the Eagle’s Lodge. Unfortunately, I had kept Tommy from World of Warcraft too long and had to skip the Eagle’s Lodge to treat his withdrawal symptoms. See you guys next time!

Side note, we did have a couple of baseball players try to join our conversation ala Jon Stewart’s giant head of Brian Williams but we mostly ignored them.

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Turn Your TV Into Art

Jon has been talking about turning off the television and it is always a hot topic at BloggingBaby (see also Hottest TV Dads and Who Should Control Your TV?). I personally see the tv as a double-edged sword. I love the educational value. I have seen Amy and Evan learn concepts, songs, and words from the television. It is good. We have used it as a babysitter (good and bad). We have used it as an excuse to not play with our children or have dinner at the dinner table (both BAD!). I am often frustrated with the television and, having lived without one for a year, I recognize the benefits that could be reaped by turning the television off for a length of time. Perhaps in the summer tvs should be shut off and computers should be removed from bedrooms.

Or, we could turn our television into art! Click the picture below to see how.

Abstractor can instantly tansform any television into a beautiful piece of art. Watch and find out how to make your own. Visit Abstractor.tv
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I hate 10am

I have grown to hate 10am. It has become a magic number..black magic..evil. It simultaneously represents a time of should and cannot. On the clock it is the polar opposite of 4pm which is a terribly unproductive time of day for me. 8am is a potentially very productive time of day for me as is 2pm. I think I’m going back to bed.

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And let the world spin

I need to be working but can’t get to my computer. Instead I build up my stress. By the time, I get to my computer my anxiety will be so high that I will be completely dysfunctional. My sinuses are broken today. Apparently my nose thinks it is a water faucet. I run to the bathroom ever couple of minutes to blow my nose. Between blows the pressure under my eyes builds up to feel like I have been smacked in the face. I could take a decongestant but then I’d sleep the day away.Couple all of this with the dizzy. Yes, the dizzy spells are trying to rear their heads again. Philip has the mola mola; I’ve got a tornado in my head. I think both conditions are stress related.

My family wants to be swimming at the pool today at 2pm. I bet that would dry up my sinuses! I could use some exercise and some sun. I won’t be there. I want to be painting the bedroom walls. I want to be blogging about last night’s Blogfest. I want to be juggling. I want to be finishing my projects. I want to know how I will feed my family next week. I want to be playing with my children. I want to build them a club house, a tree fort and a zip line in the back yard. I want my head to be clear.

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Mobile crime unit streets blocked and large number of police cars in the fort


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What’s in your future?

How about wireless lightbulbs? Or perhaps a toaster with no cord? Charge your laptop simply by setting it on your desk? How about a child-safe house that has absolutely no exposed outlets?

Researchers at MIT have shown that it’s possible to wirelessly power a 60-watt lightbulb sitting about two meters away from a power source. Using a remarkably simple setup…they have demonstrated, for the first time, that it is feasible to efficiently send that much power over such a distance.

Wireless power transfer is an idea that’s more than 100 years old. In the 1890s, physicist and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla proposed beaming electricity through the air.

The [MIT] team has minimized [safety issues] by making sure that the power is mainly in the form of a magnetic field, a form of energy to which the body is almost entirely insensitive.
[Source]

They’ve applied for a patent. I bet its not long before we see some form of this in new home construction.