Like most Americans today, we have the last 6 or 7 years worth of our photos in digital format. It is great to be able to send them to people, print them, add them to digital albums, etc...
Something we all take for granted, though, is that computer hardware does fail. Whether or not we have planned for it, drives go bad (or worse, things get stolen). We have a network attached hard drive that contains 80 GB of photos, videos, and documents. The drive is getting old; we've been looking at an upgrade for close to 8 or 9 months. In the meantime, I have copies of some stuff stashed in other spots.
During my search for the right hardware to upgrade to, I came across Mozy. Mozy offers up to 2 GB of free online storage (no credit card required). If you have more to store -- and most of us do -- you can go with the unlimited storage package for $4.95/month. Even with the economy in the tank and people tightening spending, we'd all feel heart stricken if we lost our photo libraries. $60 is a cheap insurance policy...
I think that will be our interim solution. The service basically mirrors your files. So, if you accidentally delete something, you can get it back for up to 30 days. Beyond that, you're out of luck. It works on both Windows and Macs, and will back up any attached (Windows) or mounted (Mac) drive.
Our long term solution will include local backup software and dual (mirrored) drives. Hopefully we'll get to that in the next few months.
Have a happy day!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
What Is Love? Cute Kitty Remix
I ran across this while going through my reader items this morning. It made me laugh, so that makes it worth posting (embedded video below).
Have a great day, and, stay awake!!
Have a great day, and, stay awake!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
New in Town, Follow-up
I blogged last week about New in Town, the movie we planned to see on Monday night. We did go see it, so I will give you my review!
Our free tickets were for a 7 pm show. Mike forewarned me that tons of people go to these things and we should arrive early. We were shooting for 6:15-6:30... Dinner went faster than expected and we arrived at 6:05 after some dilly-dallying. It was a good thing! The line was absolutely out of control. By the time we got in the theater, the only rows with two seats together were in the back. The first three rows of stadium seating were reserved for the press, so that narrowed the seating choices.
We took our seats and settled in. The ushers began moving folks around (eliminating empty seats) so more people could view. The theater filled up with people still waiting for seats by 6:30. The theater opened one of the press rows for seating, so more people could come in, so the theater was packed.
The movie started and there was only one preview, which was great. I enjoyed the movie from the get-go and laughed through-out. The only mishap was when the filmed slipped off the projector, allowing us to see only the top half of the scenes for about 5 minutes.
If you want a laugh, this is a good movie to see. Mike enjoyed it, too, so it can't be that much of a chick flick!!! We are planning it for our next Girls Night Out, though!
Have a happy day!
Our free tickets were for a 7 pm show. Mike forewarned me that tons of people go to these things and we should arrive early. We were shooting for 6:15-6:30... Dinner went faster than expected and we arrived at 6:05 after some dilly-dallying. It was a good thing! The line was absolutely out of control. By the time we got in the theater, the only rows with two seats together were in the back. The first three rows of stadium seating were reserved for the press, so that narrowed the seating choices.
We took our seats and settled in. The ushers began moving folks around (eliminating empty seats) so more people could view. The theater filled up with people still waiting for seats by 6:30. The theater opened one of the press rows for seating, so more people could come in, so the theater was packed.
The movie started and there was only one preview, which was great. I enjoyed the movie from the get-go and laughed through-out. The only mishap was when the filmed slipped off the projector, allowing us to see only the top half of the scenes for about 5 minutes.
If you want a laugh, this is a good movie to see. Mike enjoyed it, too, so it can't be that much of a chick flick!!! We are planning it for our next Girls Night Out, though!
Have a happy day!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Carnival Ride
A couple of weeks ago when Deb, Helen, and I were having dinner at Texas Roadhouse, Carrie Underwood's Last Name (the link takes you to a page where you click on the song and listen to it) started playing. The girls' attention snapped to the song and how much they love it. I just sat there looking stupid. I hadn't heard of the song. I had no idea what they were talking about.
So, as no to surprise to many of you, I had to download the album. Wow, do I love it!!! I like every song on the album, including Last Name. If you haven't heard the song, it's worth a trip over to her website to hear it.
I was thinking about my broad taste in music as I was listening to the album. I have listened to about every kind of music at one time or another. Now I listen to everything except metal and rap (Mel -- remember all those hours listening to Metallica and Too Short in high school -- what were we thinking?). I like the variety and listen to different things depending on my mood.
Now, as I am writing this post, I've run across a website I think is pretty cool. MyPlay is a Sony/BMG online music player. Both Sony and BMG are huge record companys, so the variety of artists you can listen to is really amazing. This is definitely a site worth bookmarking! I'll listen to music before I buy it while expanding my musical horizons. Cool!!!
Have a happy day!
So, as no to surprise to many of you, I had to download the album. Wow, do I love it!!! I like every song on the album, including Last Name. If you haven't heard the song, it's worth a trip over to her website to hear it.
I was thinking about my broad taste in music as I was listening to the album. I have listened to about every kind of music at one time or another. Now I listen to everything except metal and rap (Mel -- remember all those hours listening to Metallica and Too Short in high school -- what were we thinking?). I like the variety and listen to different things depending on my mood.
Now, as I am writing this post, I've run across a website I think is pretty cool. MyPlay is a Sony/BMG online music player. Both Sony and BMG are huge record companys, so the variety of artists you can listen to is really amazing. This is definitely a site worth bookmarking! I'll listen to music before I buy it while expanding my musical horizons. Cool!!!
Have a happy day!
Monday, January 26, 2009
White Chili
We were reading letters to the Playboy Advisor this weekend and ran across a chili recipe (I know, strange). It sounded pretty good, and I thought, "We'll have to try this." I modified the original recipe -- mostly because I forgot the exact ingredients when shopping then decided to modify as I was cooking. It turned out yummy!
The Original Recipe
4 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 bunch green onions
1 red pepper
1 large jar Great Northern beans
1 to 1 1/2 cups salsa (to taste)
1 brick pepper jack cheese, sliced
Cook chicken breasts and sliced green onions and red pepper in oil until done. Add beans, salsa, and cheese until heated through. Serves 4
My Modified Recipe
2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 green pepper
1 can cannellini beans (drained)
Somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 cups salsa (I didn't measure)
about 3/4 brick pepper jack cheese
Cook chicken breasts and chopped green pepper until done. Add beans, salsa, and cheese until heated through. Serves 2
I don't like red peppers (they upset my tummy sometimes), so I used green instead and didn't even remember about the onions, which would have been good. I also used a different kind of bean (didn't remember which white bean was called for). I don't know if I was supposed to drain them, but I did. Any opinions on that? Next time I would do things a little different. I'd add a little yellow onion, do 1/2 pepper jack and 1/2 Monterey jack (to turn down the heat for Mike), and maybe add a tablespoon or two of water.
Smiles!
The Original Recipe
4 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 bunch green onions
1 red pepper
1 large jar Great Northern beans
1 to 1 1/2 cups salsa (to taste)
1 brick pepper jack cheese, sliced
Cook chicken breasts and sliced green onions and red pepper in oil until done. Add beans, salsa, and cheese until heated through. Serves 4
My Modified Recipe
2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 green pepper
1 can cannellini beans (drained)
Somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 cups salsa (I didn't measure)
about 3/4 brick pepper jack cheese
Cook chicken breasts and chopped green pepper until done. Add beans, salsa, and cheese until heated through. Serves 2
I don't like red peppers (they upset my tummy sometimes), so I used green instead and didn't even remember about the onions, which would have been good. I also used a different kind of bean (didn't remember which white bean was called for). I don't know if I was supposed to drain them, but I did. Any opinions on that? Next time I would do things a little different. I'd add a little yellow onion, do 1/2 pepper jack and 1/2 Monterey jack (to turn down the heat for Mike), and maybe add a tablespoon or two of water.
Smiles!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Great Day at Mount Snow
We started our day bright and early yesterday -- 4 am. The reason? We were off for a day of skiing at Mount Snow (West Dover, VT). We were on the road by 5:25. It was 37 degrees. About an hour into our drive north the snow began. We knew that the temps were due to drop, but didn't know about the snow.
The road was a little slick, so we slowed down a bit. Then we got behind two trucks pulling snowmobile trailers. We were stuck behind them for the rest of the trip...
We arrived at Mount Snow around 7:55 am -- 20 minutes later than we expected -- and the temp was 19 degrees.
We were out on the mountain by 8:25. It was beautiful! Though the temps were cold, the snow was great and there weren't huge crowds.
The views are so incredible that I had to stop to take a picture. This was taken from the North Face around 10 am. You see Mike, very small, in the lower part of the picture.
Summit temp had to have been in the single digits by the time we stopped skiing around 3 pm. The base temp was 11 degrees and pretty crisp. All in all, a super day!
Smiles
The road was a little slick, so we slowed down a bit. Then we got behind two trucks pulling snowmobile trailers. We were stuck behind them for the rest of the trip...
We arrived at Mount Snow around 7:55 am -- 20 minutes later than we expected -- and the temp was 19 degrees.
We were out on the mountain by 8:25. It was beautiful! Though the temps were cold, the snow was great and there weren't huge crowds.
The views are so incredible that I had to stop to take a picture. This was taken from the North Face around 10 am. You see Mike, very small, in the lower part of the picture.
Summit temp had to have been in the single digits by the time we stopped skiing around 3 pm. The base temp was 11 degrees and pretty crisp. All in all, a super day!
Smiles
Friday, January 23, 2009
Randomness
I have not written much this week. I'm not sure why, I guess I didn't think i had anything to say.
This morning I was contemplating what my post would be, and go figure! I have tons of random thoughts!
Facebook
This morning I was contemplating what my post would be, and go figure! I have tons of random thoughts!
I am so excited that so many of our friends and family are Facebook now!!! It is so fun to be able to catch up with people in the "virtual" world, and easier in some ways than e-mail. Welcome to you all! Only two people that regularly follow this blog haven't joined (you know who you are, though you don't know who each other is)... You're missing out!!!
We started and are co-administrators of the TNS Group , too. There are currently 88 members. Once membership reaches 100, Mike and I are giving away a guidebook to a randomly selected member. We're so close! Don't be afraid to join groups! You can easily protect your privacy by:
We started and are co-administrators of the TNS Group , too. There are currently 88 members. Once membership reaches 100, Mike and I are giving away a guidebook to a randomly selected member. We're so close! Don't be afraid to join groups! You can easily protect your privacy by:
1. Choose Groups from the right sidebar of your FB page or the bottom of the page
2. Hold your mouse over Settings (but do not click), then choose Group Settings
3. Choose the radio button "Never publish any stories from Groups" on the Wall tab
4. Click the Profile tab and choose which (if any) Friends List can see your Groups
5. Click Okay when finished.
iPhone Stuff
NuevaSync
I love the free Facebook app. I can access my account from anywhere and the format is clean and easy to navigate. It does not have all the features of the web version, but it is very fast.
Screenshots
One of the super cool things I learned how to do today was to take screenshots of my phone. It is as easy as pressing the Home button, then the Lock button and releasing both. The shot is taken as a PNG and stored to your camera roll. I used this functionality for all of the photos in today's blog. Awesome!!!
Weekend Plans
We've been a bit discombobulated this winter. The house is a mess, we're not keeping up on chores, we haven't even been skiing. So, we'll address one of those deficiencies by hitting the slopes tomorrow. I hope to get some photos so I can share them next week.
Have a wonderful happy Friday and weekend!
 |
2. Hold your mouse over Settings (but do not click), then choose Group Settings
 |
3. Choose the radio button "Never publish any stories from Groups" on the Wall tab
 |
| a> |
4. Click the Profile tab and choose which (if any) Friends List can see your Groups
 |
5. Click Okay when finished.
Easy!
iPhone Stuff
NuevaSync
I know that not everyone has an iPhone, but if you do and you use Gmail calendars, NuevaSync is a must-have. It allows you to sync your Google Calendars to your iPhone using push technology (read it syncs automatically rather than manually). I even have my work calendar linked in.
The service is free, and no iPhone app involved. Just go the the website to sign up and set up your device.
Thanks for the heads-up, John!!!
Facebook App
 |
 |
The service is free, and no iPhone app involved. Just go the the website to sign up and set up your device.
Thanks for the heads-up, John!!!
Facebook App
I love the free Facebook app. I can access my account from anywhere and the format is clean and easy to navigate. It does not have all the features of the web version, but it is very fast.
 |
Screenshots
One of the super cool things I learned how to do today was to take screenshots of my phone. It is as easy as pressing the Home button, then the Lock button and releasing both. The shot is taken as a PNG and stored to your camera roll. I used this functionality for all of the photos in today's blog. Awesome!!!
Weekend Plans
We've been a bit discombobulated this winter. The house is a mess, we're not keeping up on chores, we haven't even been skiing. So, we'll address one of those deficiencies by hitting the slopes tomorrow. I hope to get some photos so I can share them next week.
Have a wonderful happy Friday and weekend!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The White House Gets a Blog
This just in from Lifehacker... If you read blogs as much as I do, this is SWEET!
via Lifehacker by Adam Pash on 1/20/09
President Barack Obama's campaign embraced technology on the campaign trail like none before, so it's no surprise that the new face of the White House on the web comes complete with a brand new White House blog. If you want to keep up with the latest from the Oval Office blog, just drop the WhiteHouse.gov blog feed into your newsreader.
Happy Inauguration Day!
We are so excited about today's Presidential Inauguration! Below are some facts gathered by Fox News:
FOX News takes a look back at the history of presidential inaugurations as the country prepares for the inauguration Tuesday of Barack Obama.
Overview
* This will be the 56th quadrennial presidential inauguration.
* Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.
* The presidential inauguration has been in existence since George Washington's first swearing-in on April 30, 1789.
* The event was elevated to federal holiday status when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the congressional bill into law on January 11, 1957.
General History
* The President and Vice President were inaugurated on March 4 of the year after their election from 1789 to 1933
* The 20th Amendment, ratified in 1933 and effective in 1937, changed the commencement date of the presidential term of office to January 20.
* The forefathers had chosen the date of March 4 because it took weeks to collect and count the votes, and then weeks by coach or horse for the president-elect to get to the capital.
* In a tradition dating to the 19th century, Presidents are not publicly inaugurated on Sundays.
* When January 20 falls on that day, a brief private inauguration is held, usually in the East Room of the White House, with a public ceremony the next day.
* President Reagan was privately installed for his second term on Sunday, January 20, 1985 and publicly inaugurated on Monday, January 21.
Inaugural Address
* The custom of delivering an address on Inauguration Day started with the very first Inauguration — George Washington's — on April 30, 1789.
* Every President since Washington has delivered an Inaugural address.
* While many of the early Presidents read their addresses before taking the oath, current custom dictates that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court administer the oath first, followed by the President's speech.
* William Henry Harrison delivered the longest Inaugural address, at 8,445 words, on March 4, 1841 — a bitterly cold, wet day. He died one month later of pneumonia, believed to have been brought on by prolonged exposure to the elements on his Inauguration Day.
* In 1921, Warren G. Harding became the first President to take his oath and deliver his Inaugural address through loud speakers.
* In 1925, Calvin Coolidge's Inaugural address was the first to be broadcast nationally by radio.
* And in 1949, Harry S. Truman became the first President to deliver his Inaugural address over television airwaves.
Weather
* Ronald Reagan's 1981 inauguration took place in 55-degree temperatures, while his 1985 swearing-in was moved into the Capitol when the temperature dipped to seven degrees.
* Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1937 inauguration was marked by record rain.
* Eight inches of snow fell the night before John Kennedy's 1961 inauguration.
* Both incoming President William Henry Harrison and outgoing First Lady Abigail Filmore developed pneumonia and died within a month of the 1841 inauguration, which was held on a cold, windswept day. It didn't help that Harrison gave a 100-minute Inaugural Address.
* The worst inaugural weather was probably in 1909 when 10 inches of snow fell in Washington. Streets were clogged and trains stalled — and that was in March.
* No matter how awful the weather may be this year, the Secret Service isn't allowing spectators to bring umbrellas to the swearing-ceremony on the Capitol's West Front or onto the parade along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Inaugural Balls
* Americans threw a party to honor George Washington one week after his inauguration on May 7, 1789.
* The tradition of a ball began in 1809 when James Madison was inaugurated in Washington.
* Dolley Madison, the first lady, hosted the party for which 400 tickets were sold at $4 apiece.
* Organizers for Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1953 Inaugural ball added a second event due to the great demand for tickets. Four years later, Eisenhower's second Inauguration featured four balls.
* Kennedy attended five in 1961.
* President Carter attempted to strip the balls of their glitz and glamour in 1977, calling them parties and charging no more than $25 each
* In 1989, when George H. Bush became President, the number of balls reached eleven.
* Fourteen balls capped the day's activities for the Clinton's in 1997.
* George W. Bush's inaugural in 2001 saw the number of official balls decline to eight, and his 2nd inaugural in 2005 was celebrated with nine official balls.
Inauguration Firsts
* In 1789, George Washington pronounced the words, "So help me God" after taking the oath; other presidents have followed this example.
* In 1793, George Washington gave the shortest inaugural address: 135 words.
* James Buchanan's 1857 inaugural was the first inaugural known to have been photographed.
* William McKinley's 1897 inaugural was the first to be recorded by movie camera.
* Warren G. Harding, in 1921, was the first president to ride to and from his inaugural in an automobile.
* Calvin Coolidge's 1925 inaugural was the first to be broadcast nationally by radio.
* Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1937, was the first president to be inaugurated on the January 20th date.
* Harry S. Truman's 1949 inauguration was the first inauguration to be televised.
* In 1961, John F. Kennedy was the last president to wear traditional stovepipe hat to the inauguration.
* In 1977, Jimmy Carter walked from the Capitol to the White House with his family after ceremony.
* Ronald Reagan's 1981 inaugural was the first to be held on the West Terrace of the Capitol.
* In 1985, Reagan's swearing-in ceremony was moved to the Capitol Rotunda due to freezing weather
* Clinton's 1997 inauguration was the first ceremony to be broadcast live on the Internet.
* In 2001, George W. Bush inauguration was interrupted by two naked protesters.
Compiled by the FOX News Brainroom.
Have a historical day!
FOX News takes a look back at the history of presidential inaugurations as the country prepares for the inauguration Tuesday of Barack Obama.
Overview
* This will be the 56th quadrennial presidential inauguration.
* Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.
* The presidential inauguration has been in existence since George Washington's first swearing-in on April 30, 1789.
* The event was elevated to federal holiday status when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the congressional bill into law on January 11, 1957.
General History
* The President and Vice President were inaugurated on March 4 of the year after their election from 1789 to 1933
* The 20th Amendment, ratified in 1933 and effective in 1937, changed the commencement date of the presidential term of office to January 20.
* The forefathers had chosen the date of March 4 because it took weeks to collect and count the votes, and then weeks by coach or horse for the president-elect to get to the capital.
* In a tradition dating to the 19th century, Presidents are not publicly inaugurated on Sundays.
* When January 20 falls on that day, a brief private inauguration is held, usually in the East Room of the White House, with a public ceremony the next day.
* President Reagan was privately installed for his second term on Sunday, January 20, 1985 and publicly inaugurated on Monday, January 21.
Inaugural Address
* The custom of delivering an address on Inauguration Day started with the very first Inauguration — George Washington's — on April 30, 1789.
* Every President since Washington has delivered an Inaugural address.
* While many of the early Presidents read their addresses before taking the oath, current custom dictates that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court administer the oath first, followed by the President's speech.
* William Henry Harrison delivered the longest Inaugural address, at 8,445 words, on March 4, 1841 — a bitterly cold, wet day. He died one month later of pneumonia, believed to have been brought on by prolonged exposure to the elements on his Inauguration Day.
* In 1921, Warren G. Harding became the first President to take his oath and deliver his Inaugural address through loud speakers.
* In 1925, Calvin Coolidge's Inaugural address was the first to be broadcast nationally by radio.
* And in 1949, Harry S. Truman became the first President to deliver his Inaugural address over television airwaves.
Weather
* Ronald Reagan's 1981 inauguration took place in 55-degree temperatures, while his 1985 swearing-in was moved into the Capitol when the temperature dipped to seven degrees.
* Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1937 inauguration was marked by record rain.
* Eight inches of snow fell the night before John Kennedy's 1961 inauguration.
* Both incoming President William Henry Harrison and outgoing First Lady Abigail Filmore developed pneumonia and died within a month of the 1841 inauguration, which was held on a cold, windswept day. It didn't help that Harrison gave a 100-minute Inaugural Address.
* The worst inaugural weather was probably in 1909 when 10 inches of snow fell in Washington. Streets were clogged and trains stalled — and that was in March.
* No matter how awful the weather may be this year, the Secret Service isn't allowing spectators to bring umbrellas to the swearing-ceremony on the Capitol's West Front or onto the parade along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Inaugural Balls
* Americans threw a party to honor George Washington one week after his inauguration on May 7, 1789.
* The tradition of a ball began in 1809 when James Madison was inaugurated in Washington.
* Dolley Madison, the first lady, hosted the party for which 400 tickets were sold at $4 apiece.
* Organizers for Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1953 Inaugural ball added a second event due to the great demand for tickets. Four years later, Eisenhower's second Inauguration featured four balls.
* Kennedy attended five in 1961.
* President Carter attempted to strip the balls of their glitz and glamour in 1977, calling them parties and charging no more than $25 each
* In 1989, when George H. Bush became President, the number of balls reached eleven.
* Fourteen balls capped the day's activities for the Clinton's in 1997.
* George W. Bush's inaugural in 2001 saw the number of official balls decline to eight, and his 2nd inaugural in 2005 was celebrated with nine official balls.
Inauguration Firsts
* In 1789, George Washington pronounced the words, "So help me God" after taking the oath; other presidents have followed this example.
* In 1793, George Washington gave the shortest inaugural address: 135 words.
* James Buchanan's 1857 inaugural was the first inaugural known to have been photographed.
* William McKinley's 1897 inaugural was the first to be recorded by movie camera.
* Warren G. Harding, in 1921, was the first president to ride to and from his inaugural in an automobile.
* Calvin Coolidge's 1925 inaugural was the first to be broadcast nationally by radio.
* Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1937, was the first president to be inaugurated on the January 20th date.
* Harry S. Truman's 1949 inauguration was the first inauguration to be televised.
* In 1961, John F. Kennedy was the last president to wear traditional stovepipe hat to the inauguration.
* In 1977, Jimmy Carter walked from the Capitol to the White House with his family after ceremony.
* Ronald Reagan's 1981 inaugural was the first to be held on the West Terrace of the Capitol.
* In 1985, Reagan's swearing-in ceremony was moved to the Capitol Rotunda due to freezing weather
* Clinton's 1997 inauguration was the first ceremony to be broadcast live on the Internet.
* In 2001, George W. Bush inauguration was interrupted by two naked protesters.
Compiled by the FOX News Brainroom.
Have a historical day!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Snowy Holiday
Mike and I spent MLK day doing a few errands and, well, shoveling. Guess that's the beauty of New England... Mattie just hates the snow. He belongs in Florida (Mike would agree to that!)...
Here are today's highlights.
Have a warm day!
Here are today's highlights.
Have a warm day!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
New In Town
We got a flyer for a new movie when we were at the Hip Hostess event on Thursday night. It's called New In Town. I hadn't heard of it (that doesn't mean much), so I checked out the trailer (embedded below).
Looks cute :) I want to see it!
Looks cute :) I want to see it!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Facebook and Privacy: Learn How to Adjust Your Settings
I recently posted about Facebook and how fun it is. Since then, many of you have signed up and are getting a feel for what social networking has to offer. The more I play with FB myself, the more I want to know. A primary concern I have dealt with is privacy. How can I control who sees what?
I did some research last week or the week before and thought it would pertinent to share it here.
Friends Lists
This is really good and will facilitate easy management of your friends. I have several lists: Family, Friends, Caution (and others). The benefit of having a friends list is that not only can you do mass messaging to say, your family group, but you can also set permissions based on a list. If you have added a someone as a friend but don't want to give them full access to you on FB you can add them to a flagged list (like my Caution) as well as other applicable lists.
1. First, if you click "Friends" in the blue bar.
2. Click Create List.
3. Enter a name.
4. Start adding people to the list by typing their names or choosing multiple people.
Privacy Settings
Once you have established lists, you can adjust your privacy settings.
1. Go to the blue Facebook bar at the top and hover (hold you mouse over but don't click) over Settings, then click on Privacy Settings. This will list lots of settings you can change.
2. Click on Profile.
The profile privacy settings let you determine who sees what. For example, if you take a look at each of the subheadings, you can adjust if just your friends, or your network, or whatever, sees which part of your profile. As you explore, notice that for any setting you can also block a list of friends. So, you may want to block access to your "Caution" list from seeing your friends list, photos tagged of you, whatever... Be sure to save the changes (bottom of the page with all the options) as you go along.
As you make changes to your privacy settings, you can see how other people will view your pages (wall, etc..) by typing in their name near the top next to "See how a friends sees your profile". You can see how different lists of friends see you on FB.
News Feed and Wall Settings
Another thing to change are the News Feed and Wall settings (back up in Settings-Privacy Settings). You can also block people or restrict to certain lists here. I think that may be less important overall.
Group Settings
If you are a member of a group you can change settings in those areas, too.
1. Just navigate to the group, then at the top, hover over Settings.
2. Choose Groups Settings in the drop-down now.
You can restrict if group stories are published to your wall, what friends list can actually see them, and what lists are blocked.
Photo Privacy
Finally, you can edit who sees your photos.
1. Go to Profile.
2. Click on the Photos tab.
3. Then click on Album Privacy on that page.
Other Fun Stuff
Facebook released a new feature that can remind you of upcoming birthdays via an email notification. If you opt in, you will receive an email on the weekend summarizing the upcoming birthdays of your friends for the next week. Here is how to enable it:
1. Hover over Settings and choose Account Settings.
2. Click the Notifications heading.
3. Under the "Facebook" section, click "Show More".
4. Turn on "Has a birthday coming up".
I hope this helps! Have a fun, safe, time on Facebook!
I did some research last week or the week before and thought it would pertinent to share it here.
Friends Lists
This is really good and will facilitate easy management of your friends. I have several lists: Family, Friends, Caution (and others). The benefit of having a friends list is that not only can you do mass messaging to say, your family group, but you can also set permissions based on a list. If you have added a someone as a friend but don't want to give them full access to you on FB you can add them to a flagged list (like my Caution) as well as other applicable lists.
1. First, if you click "Friends" in the blue bar.
2. Click Create List.
3. Enter a name.
4. Start adding people to the list by typing their names or choosing multiple people.
Privacy Settings
Once you have established lists, you can adjust your privacy settings.
1. Go to the blue Facebook bar at the top and hover (hold you mouse over but don't click) over Settings, then click on Privacy Settings. This will list lots of settings you can change.
2. Click on Profile.
The profile privacy settings let you determine who sees what. For example, if you take a look at each of the subheadings, you can adjust if just your friends, or your network, or whatever, sees which part of your profile. As you explore, notice that for any setting you can also block a list of friends. So, you may want to block access to your "Caution" list from seeing your friends list, photos tagged of you, whatever... Be sure to save the changes (bottom of the page with all the options) as you go along.
As you make changes to your privacy settings, you can see how other people will view your pages (wall, etc..) by typing in their name near the top next to "See how a friends sees your profile". You can see how different lists of friends see you on FB.
News Feed and Wall Settings
Another thing to change are the News Feed and Wall settings (back up in Settings-Privacy Settings). You can also block people or restrict to certain lists here. I think that may be less important overall.
Group Settings
If you are a member of a group you can change settings in those areas, too.
1. Just navigate to the group, then at the top, hover over Settings.
2. Choose Groups Settings in the drop-down now.
You can restrict if group stories are published to your wall, what friends list can actually see them, and what lists are blocked.
Photo Privacy
Finally, you can edit who sees your photos.
1. Go to Profile.
2. Click on the Photos tab.
3. Then click on Album Privacy on that page.
Other Fun Stuff
Facebook released a new feature that can remind you of upcoming birthdays via an email notification. If you opt in, you will receive an email on the weekend summarizing the upcoming birthdays of your friends for the next week. Here is how to enable it:
1. Hover over Settings and choose Account Settings.
2. Click the Notifications heading.
3. Under the "Facebook" section, click "Show More".
4. Turn on "Has a birthday coming up".
I hope this helps! Have a fun, safe, time on Facebook!
Fun Hip Hostess Event
Last night Mike and I attended a Hip Hostess event at the Nine Zero hotel in Boston.
Hosted in the restaurant KO Prime, the first session of the event was attended by 200-250 people. In attendance were many ladies from the Boston Women's Network , a co-sponsor of the event. We couldn't believe how packed the place was!
We were each presented with a gift bag at the end of the event. It contained a little Chambord, a Chambord shot glass, nail polish, and a pocket-guide for Hostess with the Mostess.
What a fun night!!!
Hosted in the restaurant KO Prime, the first session of the event was attended by 200-250 people. In attendance were many ladies from the Boston Women's Network , a co-sponsor of the event. We couldn't believe how packed the place was!
We started out with free Chambord drinks (I had French Martinis) and were offered many of the plentiful hors d'ouevres. We checked out the table displays set up by hip hostess Jennifer Sbranti. The displays were just so cute, and so affordable... I love her website. The ideas are easy, inexpensive, and fun (what more could you want for a party?!) and the event was very nice.
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Jennifer gave a nice talk about entertaining on a budget and included some really fantastic ideas. Her favorite shop is a scrapbooking shop, even though she does not scrapbook, just for the fun papers and ribbons that you can use as placemats, candle wraps, and lively decor. She was followed by Tim Laird, Chambord's Chief Cocktail Officer (yup, that is the real title). He did a nice demo on drink mixing. The camp crowd would have gone wild!!! He demonstrated opening a champagne bottle for Kir Royale and made a Boston Cream Pie drink...
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We were each presented with a gift bag at the end of the event. It contained a little Chambord, a Chambord shot glass, nail polish, and a pocket-guide for Hostess with the Mostess.
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What a fun night!!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Happy Bunny
Inside of my box of Christmas gifts from my father and John were two cute little packages meant especially for me. Happy Bunny candy.
Do you know Happy Bunny? She's this cute little bunny that has a smarty pants side. Apparently, she dislikes everyone and makes little snipes that crack me up. Ok, not all of them crack me up. Some of them are mean. But some are cute. Look at the candy boxes I got below:
Now that's cute. I want to note that even though the wrappers are off the boxes, I have NOT eaten this candy. Nope. Not me. DON'T look inside. Really, I didn't eat them, all alone in my office, without any witnesses.
I did take this Happy Bunny quiz . Guess I am this phrase:
Have a Happy Day!
Do you know Happy Bunny? She's this cute little bunny that has a smarty pants side. Apparently, she dislikes everyone and makes little snipes that crack me up. Ok, not all of them crack me up. Some of them are mean. But some are cute. Look at the candy boxes I got below:
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| Happy Bunny candies |
Now that's cute. I want to note that even though the wrappers are off the boxes, I have NOT eaten this candy. Nope. Not me. DON'T look inside. Really, I didn't eat them, all alone in my office, without any witnesses.
I did take this Happy Bunny quiz . Guess I am this phrase:
| What "Happy Bunny" phrase are you? you suck and that's sad You are a very compassionate and sympathetic person. You use your divine sense of humor to cheer up a situation.  |
| Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests. |
Have a Happy Day!
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Six Degrees of Separation between Me and a Bear Poacher
The coming about of this post is a little strange and nebulous. Below are step-by-step details of how things unfolded and how far I ended -- emotionally -- from where I began.
Last week I blogged on Facebook (FB, from here on out) and my experience with its social networking. I was on FB this weekend for quite some time. At some point, Michael's cousin Kerry was tagged in a photo posted by Laurence Van Atten.
[FB members can tag their friends in photos as another part of social networking. The tagged person's photos appear on their wall, then on the wall of their friends. So, in this case, Laurence posted a photo that contained her friend, Mike's cousin Kerry. It appeared on Kerry's wall, and in turn on mine, since we are friends.]
The photo of Kerry was cute, but what really stood out to me was the name of the poster, Laurence Van Atten. It was familiar. I recognized the name -- but do not know the person -- from some posts on the Yahoo group for Second Chance for Animal Welfare group (for which I used to volunteer). I said to Mike, "Oh, that person is a cat person." I recognized the name because some people posted about Laurence having been away and she later made some posts. I had the impression Laurence was a female, instead of a male as the name implies.
Two days passed. I recalled the photo today, and decided to verify that the Laurence person was part of the Yahoo group. Check, seemed to be the same person. Next I wanted to know who Laurence was. I Googled her. It turns out that Laurence is very big in the Animal Rescue movement. I mean, quite respected and well regarded. She runs the US office of the International Animal Rescue (IAR). She spent 3 months in India at the Agra bear facility working with blind "dancing" sloth bears who were in rehabilitation. She currently organizes lectures and fundraising events for the IAR.
So, what the heck are "dancing" bears, and why do they need to be rescued? I went to Laurence's You Tube page, and the videos I saw there were a huge punch in the stomach. Sloth bears are a breed in India that are quite recognizable and very highly abused. They are stolen -- poached -- from their mothers as young cubs, as early as 6 weeks into their lives. If the mother tries to protect them, they are shot on the spot. The young cubs are castrated live without anesthesia, then jabbed through the nose with a red hot poker. A rope is strung through the hole. Most times the bear's teeth are also clubbed out of their mouths. The roped bears are taken to the streets of India to make money for the impoverished owners by dancing. The owner pulls the rope attached to the bear's nose. It hurts so badly that the bear sways and moves trying to avoid the pain. The animals are chained and starved their entire lives.
Though this cruelty against sloth bears was officially outlawed in the early 1970s, it continued to thrive. Since 2002, IAR and Wildlife SOS have worked together to rescue 500 dancing bears and treat them in their 17 acre sanctuary in Agra. It is believed that only 130 dancing bears remain in captivity. IAR hopes to free them by the end of this year. Ultimately, the goal is to release the bears back into the wild.
I watched several of IAR's videos on Laurence's YouTube site. They chilled me to the bone, and shook me terribly. The terror and misery these animals are subjected to was difficult to watch, and even more difficult to turn away from. I had to watch, because I needed to understand both how this could happen and how these animals have healed.
I was very upset after watching just 3 of the 5 videos. I think it was then that my internal balancing act began. I thought, oh, wow, this is like that 6 degrees of separation thing...
Person A (Me)
Degree 1 - Me to Michael
Degree 2 - Michael to Kerry
Degree 3 - Kerry to Laurence
Degree 4 - Laurence to IAR
Degree 5 - IAR to dancing bear
Degree 6 - Dancing bear to poacher
Person B (Poacher)
The realization, and my internal attempt to rebalance things and regain my perspective worked in a funny way. I have never, ever, played that 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon game. I have never even given the theory (follow the link above to find out why some call it 6 and some call it 7) any thought. Then, it popped into my head out of the blue was I was distressed.
Strange, huh?
If you would like to know more about IAR's involvement with the dancing bears, I recommend watching this short video . It gives a good overview, and is much less upsetting than the more in depth 7-9 minute clips.
Don't forget, as big as our world is, we are only six "steps" away from each person on Earth.
Last week I blogged on Facebook (FB, from here on out) and my experience with its social networking. I was on FB this weekend for quite some time. At some point, Michael's cousin Kerry was tagged in a photo posted by Laurence Van Atten.
[FB members can tag their friends in photos as another part of social networking. The tagged person's photos appear on their wall, then on the wall of their friends. So, in this case, Laurence posted a photo that contained her friend, Mike's cousin Kerry. It appeared on Kerry's wall, and in turn on mine, since we are friends.]
The photo of Kerry was cute, but what really stood out to me was the name of the poster, Laurence Van Atten. It was familiar. I recognized the name -- but do not know the person -- from some posts on the Yahoo group for Second Chance for Animal Welfare group (for which I used to volunteer). I said to Mike, "Oh, that person is a cat person." I recognized the name because some people posted about Laurence having been away and she later made some posts. I had the impression Laurence was a female, instead of a male as the name implies.
Two days passed. I recalled the photo today, and decided to verify that the Laurence person was part of the Yahoo group. Check, seemed to be the same person. Next I wanted to know who Laurence was. I Googled her. It turns out that Laurence is very big in the Animal Rescue movement. I mean, quite respected and well regarded. She runs the US office of the International Animal Rescue (IAR). She spent 3 months in India at the Agra bear facility working with blind "dancing" sloth bears who were in rehabilitation. She currently organizes lectures and fundraising events for the IAR.
So, what the heck are "dancing" bears, and why do they need to be rescued? I went to Laurence's You Tube page, and the videos I saw there were a huge punch in the stomach. Sloth bears are a breed in India that are quite recognizable and very highly abused. They are stolen -- poached -- from their mothers as young cubs, as early as 6 weeks into their lives. If the mother tries to protect them, they are shot on the spot. The young cubs are castrated live without anesthesia, then jabbed through the nose with a red hot poker. A rope is strung through the hole. Most times the bear's teeth are also clubbed out of their mouths. The roped bears are taken to the streets of India to make money for the impoverished owners by dancing. The owner pulls the rope attached to the bear's nose. It hurts so badly that the bear sways and moves trying to avoid the pain. The animals are chained and starved their entire lives.
Though this cruelty against sloth bears was officially outlawed in the early 1970s, it continued to thrive. Since 2002, IAR and Wildlife SOS have worked together to rescue 500 dancing bears and treat them in their 17 acre sanctuary in Agra. It is believed that only 130 dancing bears remain in captivity. IAR hopes to free them by the end of this year. Ultimately, the goal is to release the bears back into the wild.
I watched several of IAR's videos on Laurence's YouTube site. They chilled me to the bone, and shook me terribly. The terror and misery these animals are subjected to was difficult to watch, and even more difficult to turn away from. I had to watch, because I needed to understand both how this could happen and how these animals have healed.
I was very upset after watching just 3 of the 5 videos. I think it was then that my internal balancing act began. I thought, oh, wow, this is like that 6 degrees of separation thing...
Person A (Me)
Degree 1 - Me to Michael
Degree 2 - Michael to Kerry
Degree 3 - Kerry to Laurence
Degree 4 - Laurence to IAR
Degree 5 - IAR to dancing bear
Degree 6 - Dancing bear to poacher
Person B (Poacher)
The realization, and my internal attempt to rebalance things and regain my perspective worked in a funny way. I have never, ever, played that 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon game. I have never even given the theory (follow the link above to find out why some call it 6 and some call it 7) any thought. Then, it popped into my head out of the blue was I was distressed.
Strange, huh?
If you would like to know more about IAR's involvement with the dancing bears, I recommend watching this short video . It gives a good overview, and is much less upsetting than the more in depth 7-9 minute clips.
Don't forget, as big as our world is, we are only six "steps" away from each person on Earth.
Weekend Project
A few weeks ago Mike mentioned that he would like to change the flooring on the stage. I said, "Sure" and we continued whatever we were doing. We finally got around to getting materials last weekend. We assembed the new flooring this weekend. What a project!
We got a new subfloor so we can switch between flooring anytime we want. We choose a laminate wood look for the new surface. We originally wanted actual hard wood, but opted for the laminate instead for durability. The planks had pre-attached padding that we removed for better adhesion. After careful planning and deliberate assembly, we got it all done!
The total cost of the project was $95. Of that, about $25 was spent on tools (drill bits and router bits) and the rest went to materials.
Have a happy day!
We got a new subfloor so we can switch between flooring anytime we want. We choose a laminate wood look for the new surface. We originally wanted actual hard wood, but opted for the laminate instead for durability. The planks had pre-attached padding that we removed for better adhesion. After careful planning and deliberate assembly, we got it all done!
The total cost of the project was $95. Of that, about $25 was spent on tools (drill bits and router bits) and the rest went to materials.
Have a happy day!
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Petition for Diabetes Treatment
I received this petition signature request today. Please sign it if you want to help effect a change.
via dLife Today by dlife on 1/9/09
The diabetes community is trying to get the attention of the FDA, and this is your chance to help! There is currently a petition to the FDA for a Diabetes Advisory Council. According to the petition:
"We urge the new FDA leadership to recognize the urgent need for more safe and effective treatment options for diabetes and to reduce barriers to innovation. More treatment options will benefit patients. The disease is progressive. Delays in the availability of new treatments will only result in tremendous cost to public health and the economy. Our recommendation can benefit patients without sacrificing their safety."
If you would like to lend your support to this effort, get involved! Sign the petition!
For more information, visit HealTheFDA.com.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Oooh...
One book on the Kindle and I am already spoiled. I finished Death Angel last night and switched to a standard hardback to read today. Boy I miss that Kindle. I keep thinking, "Hmm... I could just send this hardback on to the next bookswap person and buy the book for the Kindle..." It isn't going to happen (because I am too cheap) but the thought has crossed my mind. More than once.
On another topic, I don't know why I love these photos so much (they are pretty boring, actually), but I just think he's such a cutie...
The only way he let me get away with taking his picture -- he usually runs to me when I get the camera out and try to take his photo -- is that I used my phone. He thought I was surfing the web, I guess.
Happy Day!
On another topic, I don't know why I love these photos so much (they are pretty boring, actually), but I just think he's such a cutie...
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| Mattie snoozin' on the couch |
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| He's so content |
The only way he let me get away with taking his picture -- he usually runs to me when I get the camera out and try to take his photo -- is that I used my phone. He thought I was surfing the web, I guess.
Happy Day!
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