So, I love the Macbook. But, it is really starting to bother me that I can not add links or photos to my posts nor can I change the font without writing HTML. I had an offline program on my HP that I used from Microsoft. What I am looking for is a program I can run on a Mac that allows me to write posts and edit them with links and photos and the fonts. I want to be able to run this program without logging on to Blogger withen the browser. Any ideas? Oh and it has to be free.
So, I was at the studio yesterday and it was time to get started on a new session. This older guy was going to be playing some acoustic guitar and laying down some vocals. Should be an easyand quick session. First, we layed down the guitar. Not too bad except for the fact that he couldn't play to a click track to keep it in time. But, not a big deal until I have to add drums to it from the keyboard. But, it's really the singing that made this a difficult session. It really wasn't even singing. Since he was an older guy that smokes, it was just horrendous. There were no notes and nothing was sung in a key. It was everywhere. But, by the end it was decient. I then listened to some of his other stuff he had recorded years ago, and it was just as bad. So, it will match.
It was superbad! Yeah, we saw it a few days ago, I just haven't got around to blogging lately. My Aunt, Nichole and I went to the movies like we always do and wanted to see Superbad. We knew it was going to be good when they were checking ID at the door to the theatre! It was the funniest movie I have seen in a long time. In the end, McLovin steals the show! Go see Superbad. It's fantastic rude and crude comedy.
I'm not much of a paintballer. But, I have some good friends that are seriously into it. One of them owns three guns, tons of gear and even watches it on TV! That is how much he is into paintball. I've watched some of the shows with him as well as seen him play and it looks like a lot of fun. Just to see how much it would cost and what kind of gear it would take to get involved in paintball, I did a little searching.
Ultimate Paintball is a great source that has absolutly everything you could possibly need for paintball. Of course you can buy all your gear from them individually, piece by piece, but they also have these really fantastic packages put together that have everything you need to get started in the game. They not only have the guns, of course, but they also carry all the masks, safety gear, air systems, ball hoppers and even the cleaners and oils for your guns. Pictures as well as all the pricing is right in front of you so you know the bottom line. All you got to do is pick what you want, put it in the cart, pay for it and it'll be shipped out to you. I really like the easy navigation of the site and the ability to search their stock by maker. To get everything you need for paintball online, head on over to Ultimate Paintball.
This Is A Sponsored Post
Halloween is coming and I can't wait. I loved Halloween as a kid and I still do. The decorations, the costumes, the stories, the candy and most of all the events. I was in Albertsons last night and they already have all the Halloween candy out on an aisle with Halloween signs. I couldn't believe it. Of course Yankee Candle has had all the Halloween stuff out for weeks, but now the candy! Sheesh.
But, as for the events I can not wait. Nichole and I want to go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party this year. Then, I know I want to go to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal this year. I'd like to get a group of people to go this time. I was checking it out on the web today. They do not have much information available yet except for the theme of this year and of course the dates and ticket info. They actually have a really good option this year. (they might have had it last year, I don't know.) For the same price as a 1 night ticket you can go back for 13 nights! Those nights are Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday are not included, but I have been there on those nights before and it is ridiculous. The lines are so long. So, I think that would be a pretty good option. I don't know whether Nichole would want to go or not. I'm sure she will voice her opinion when she reads this. So, if you are local and would like to go, give me a shout and we will figure it out.
I hope this man goes to jail for a long time and has to pay out so much money in restitution that he will never have the lifestyle he used to have. This bastard committed cruelty to animals and he should be treated as such in jail. I hope the NFL gets all of his $22 million signing bonus back.
Nichole and I live in an apartment. Unfortuanetly there is only so much that we can do to modify the place and make it nicer. One of the first things I would want to change are the window blinds. Of course we have those cheesy, white plastic venetian blinds that block out absolutly no light. We even have one in the den that is metal. It doesn't even match the others! Terry's Fabrics has a really nice selection of venetian blinds and they also carry vertical and roman blinds. If I had a choice I would be replacing them with some nice wooden venetian blinds.
This is a sponsored post.
Another cool widget I have is the whole 2007 NFL schedule with standings. It even has preseason. I really like this one. I can see the dates and times of all the scheduled games. I can even see the score for all the quarters and player stats for individual games! It's pretty cool.
A couple of posts back I was talking about this new widget I got for blogger. It's pretty cool. I like not having to bring up a web browser and logging into blogger and all that. If I want to post, I want to do it NOW. So, again I am using the widget. The only thing I really do not like about it is I can not format the font. But, I looked at the font that it posts in by default, and it doesn't look bad. So, I don't think it will be a big deal. What do you think? Is the font okay? Can you read it? Oh, you also can't post a link either. I'm sure you can with html, but that's not a big deal.
The Macbook I was given is a used Macbook. But, it's in pretty good condition. The biggest problem is the deck/palm rest on a WHITE Macbook gets dirty easily and if you do not clean it on a regular basis it will stain. Well, the person who used it before me never cleaned it and therefore it is stained. Luckily, the church has a service agreement with Apple and I can go get it fixed for free. So, I set up an appointment, because you can't just show up, and drove all the way out to International Plaza to get it fixed. Yeah, big negative on that. They have to keep the Macbook for 3 days to put on a part that probably takes 5 minutes! Apparantly they get backed up on the weekends. Needless to say, I didn't leave it there since I need it on Sunday. Some other day I guess. If most people that own Macbooks tend to be productivity users, I don't understand how Apple can expect you to live without it for a few days.
Both of my Aunts have been blogging for Pay Per Post for quite some time. When, I started up my blog they told me about this opportunity to get paid to post. Once I read about Pay Per Post and found out that it was a form of blog marketing, I knew I wanted to do it. Then it was just a waiting game. I couldn’t wait for the 3 months to be up so I could start making money. Those 3 months are finally over and now I can make some bread.
I’m proud to say that my Aunt Colleen is Pay Per Post’s largest money maker. Now, I don’t plan on making that kind of money. But, it will be nice to have that residual income. A little money here to pay for lunch and a little money there for gas.
What I really like about Pay Per Post is they work for you. Advertisers pay Pay Per Post, to have their bloggers post about the Advertiser’s product. All you have to do as a blogger is pick the opp that you want to take, create a post about it, include all the requirements and Pay Per Post then sends you the money. Easy peasy. So, do you want to do it? Click on a link and get your Pay Per Post on.
Just trying out a new widget for Blogger on the Macbook. I love these little widgets. The only thing I do not like about this one is I can not change the font. But, I can't change the font in Safari either. Get with it Blogger!
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Another perk of working at the church is my Sundays are fantastic. Yesterday, after church and lunch, Nichole and I went to Disney. We haven't ben able to go all summer because our passes were on block out. But, now we can go again. Yeah, we didn't get there until 5:30, but they were open till 11 so we got plenty of time in. It was nice to just get out of the house and ride some rides. We did some things that we haven't done before such as the Astro Orbiter. That was pretty cool. All in all, it was a nice day trip with Cole. Can't wait to see what I'll do next Sunday afternoon.
Just a perk of being an employee of Van Dyke Methodist, I get a Macbook to use! If you had a chance to see my HP laptop, you would have noticed that the OS looks like a Mac. That's how much of a Mac fan I am. Now, I have one. Though it is used and I need to take it to Apple to get the deck replaced, it is great. I also received a portable Pro Tools Mini as well. How cool is that? So, not only do I get to work in the field, hang out with great people, but I also get a free laptop and recording rig. Sweet!
Okay, for the few readers I have, I apoligize for the long delay in posting. It has just been very busy lately. This past week I have been training a new manager to take over my position at the cell phone joint. That's been interesting. I'm also happy to say that I have started doing the church gig and it is great. It feels great to be back behind the console again. I also really like being around so many people with a positive attitude, unlike the mall. I have also started working at the studio a lot more. So, between working the mall, church and the studio I have just been busy everyday and allday. I'm lucky to be here now. Thank God for a short day at the studio. Tomorrow it is back to the mall. I hope the air conditioner is fixed. It was broken today.
Sorry folks. Looks like I got one of the last few samples of Dunkin Donuts Coffee. The link is now dead.
My Aunt made some awesome home made chili a few weeks ago. She was kind enough to give me some. Unfortunately I haven't gotten to it until today. How good it was. Very meaty and just the right amount of spiciness. A big bowl of chili for lunch and some crackers will do you good. Hope it doesn't give me gas. I think I might be making a run for the china department in Dilliard's shortly.
Good Lord,I think I hit the jackpot:
And, for the ladies:
Be like Celine Dion, Sarah Jessica Parker or Vera Wang
Okay, Autumn just needs to hurry itself on over here and quick. Went to go pay the power bill today, it was $127! Now, I know you all are laughing and wishing you had a power bill that low. But, I also live in an apartment, turn all the lights off when not needed and keep our A/C at a moderate temp of 76-78 degrees. Normally our bill is between $65 and $80, so this caught me slightly off guard. It's just so hot out that our A/C is constantly running. Unfortunately, since we rent, I have no control over the efficiency of the building. $127 isn't outrageous or anything, just out of the norm. "Come on winter!"
Mooooo... What? Mooooo... Whhaaaattt? Mooove over because here comes another competition! JohnCow.com is another amazing blog giving away some fabulous prizes. I'm talking about winning a Playstation 3, XBox 360, Nintendo Wii or an Apple iPhone! How cool is that? All this is being provided by their outstanding web host. So, just as I did, run on over to the mad cow blog and see how you can enter. But, hurry there is a limited time on the offer.
I start the new church gig tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about it. The only thing that sucks is I have to be up and about at 7:30am. That sucks. But, the earlier the better because then I can have the rest of the afternoon to myself. An actual day off to do whatever. I haven't had one in quite a while. I'm also excited because I get my Macbook and Pro Tools tomorrow as well! That's awesome.
So, I was bombarded by surveys today. I had about five in my email. I go ahead and start doing them, not realizing that each one would take about 40 minutes. That's just way too long for a survey. Who wants to talk about cell phones or paper towel for that long. Paper towel! I had to compare different brands of paper towel for 40 minutes. I don't even know what brand we buy yet alone the differences between brands. I really started to wonder if it was really worth it since most of them pay you with points. Only one of them, Pinecone Research actually pays $5 a survey. But, I'm not even sure that was worth it. Then, to boot, 3 of the surveys were the exact same thing, but from different panels! All were talking about cell phones. Apparently the study is spread across different research panels. I ended up giving up in the middle of the last one. I'll pick it up again tomorrow.
So... our Bucs won their first preseason game! Not a bad start. Especially since they were against a pretty decient team, the New England Patriots. After the first quater there was zilch on the score board. By the fourth, the game was tied 10 to 10. The clock ran out and it was still tied. The Bucs won it with a field goal in the end. Not a bad start for the Bucs. There was a pretty good turn out at the Ray Jay as well. Looks like people are getting psyched for this season. I know I am.
Thank God football season is on it's way back. I didn't get to see much of last season because I was always at work. But, this year I should be able to catch almost all of the 1pm games, all the 4pm games and all of the night games. And if there are some I might miss... I've got DVR. I'm sure my Aunt is not only excited about the new season but also that she now has DVR as well! The first Bucs preseason game is this Friday against the Patriots. It's a home game for the Bucs and it's @ 7:30pm for those of you not in the know. I'll be DVRing it.
Over at Ashwin’s blog, you will find one crazy blog owner!! You can win $2500!! To enter just copy this text and paste it in your blog!! But hurry, this competition will not last long! So get posting!
This is for real! I was kind of skeptical at first, but I headed on over and it's for real. So, get over there because it will not last long.
Finally some free stuff:
The tax free holiday for Florida has begun. This year, Florida's Tax Free holiday runs from Saturday, August 4th through Monday, August 13th. Now, I'm sitting here in the mall thinking about this. Retailers only have two weekends to take advantage of this. Weekdays in the mall usually do not produce much, but the weekends are the key. As, I look around I do NOT see one sign anywhere that mentions this holiday. You would think there would be signs in at least every clothing store trying to attract business. But, no there isn't. I'm right outside the Disney store. I can see backpacks, lunch boxes and children's clothing from where I sit. But, no signs saying anything about being tax free. Seems kind of weird to me. This is the first weekend of two and I would think that these stores would be taking advantage of it. We'll see what happens. I honestly think this tax free holiday is going to be a bust. The last time we had a tax free holiday, which was for the hurricane preparedness, I did not see the traffic like I used to see. I sell car chargers, home charger and batteries for cell phones, but I didn't see any more traffic than the norm.
For those of you that thought my post "Christmas Already?" was jumping the gun, I've got another one for you. I was walking to the food court today, since I'm still in the mall for a bit longer, and walked past Yankee Candle. In their store front windows were these big silhouettes of a ghost and a Halloween moon. That's right, their whole store front with tables have all kinds of Halloween product for sale. Now, I know that Halloween is closer than Christmas is, but Christmas is also a much larger celebrated holiday. Plus, studio projects take time. It's nothing like retail. As Mr. Fab said to me, "Christmas? Good God man, you are even ahead of Wal-Mart on this!". It looks like Yankee Candle has just jumped on the wagon with me.
It's Geeky Speaky Contest time! For August, my Aunt is giving away a fantastic prize. The grand prize is an 80GB Portable Hard Drive! That's awesome. I can't tell you how much I want and NEED this prize. As an Audio Engineer, I use a lot of hard drive space for my sessions. If you have been reading my blog all along, you would know that I am starting a new job as Technical Director for a church. I will be in charge of mixing the mass/show and recording it into Pro Tools which is our recording software. Since this all happens in a computer, a session could easily eat up a couple of gigs. The internal hard drive is not the best place to store your sessions and it is usually too small. I have one external hard drive, but it is already half full. Therefore, I will be going out to purchase another one. But, if I could win this fantastic prize, I wouldn't have to. I NEED this prize. As always, there is a booby prize for a runner up. It's really easy to enter. All you have to do is blog about it, put a bulletin in MySpace about it or drop a comment. Run over to Geeky Speaky and see how you can enter.
And he sure did bring it. It was nice and soothing to go to sleep last night with the sound of rain outside. The pitter patter on the window that has that rhythmic beat that puts you to sleep helped me out. Since I am still a little bit congested, I happened to wake up twice in the middle of the night. Possibly around 3am and again around 5am. Both times I woke up I noticed it was still raining outside. When the alarm went off this morning, it was still raining. Everything was and is soaked. I had to run in the rain to get to the car, stepping in a few puddles along the way. It rained so much, that one of the main thoroughfares I travel to the studio on was blocked off because it had flooded. Puddles everywhere, roads flooded, yards flooded and retention ponds near full, it has been raining long and hard. I know we needed the rain, but I don't know about all this. It's supposed to rain the rest of today and the next few days on top of it all.
