u2katrina's blog

Happy Birthday Mija!

2009-02-03T21:49:00.002-06:00

A year in photos! (It's been a wild and wonderful year!)

An Important Msg from Andy, Richie, and the Fonz

2008-10-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

2008-09-20T21:32:00.000-05:00

My Avatar!

2008-08-26T12:17:00.001-05:00

Janelle Slide Show - birth to 6mo

2008-08-21T15:24:00.001-05:00

Janelle's YouTube Timeline

2008-08-21T10:53:00.002-05:00

Direct link here.

Someone likes Mommy's laptop

2008-08-19T12:41:00.002-05:00

Baracky II

2008-08-15T11:41:00.001-05:00

Our future president! LOL!

2008-08-12T10:16:00.001-05:00

The next generation of geek!

2008-08-12T09:44:00.001-05:00

Wash interviews Mal!

2008-08-06T08:36:00.002-05:00

Well, actually Alan Tudyk interviews Nathan Fillion. :D (And if you don't know who the heck I'm talking about, YOU NEED TO WATCH FIREFLY!!! I have the DVDs. Call me.)

Outing Riley Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Knocked Up Hearts in Atlantis

Want to see my new teeth?!

2008-08-04T16:00:00.002-05:00

Click on the picture of Janelle, then look at All Sizes >> Original Size, and you can see her two front-bottom teeth!

She's my Sesame Street baby!

2008-07-31T09:59:00.002-05:00

Here's a preview of the next season of Sesame Street. I can't wait til Janelle's old enough to really enjoy it. Right now we watch a few minutes every once in a while of our baby Sesame Street dvds. When she's old enough, this'll be her first tv show she'll watch.

Banksy's identity revealed??

2008-07-16T13:41:00.003-05:00

I love it!!! A true story about a famously anonymous street artist who creates artwork (or graffiti, depending on who you talk to) with a social msg. Hunted by police worldwide, Banksy has managed to keep his identity a secret... until now. Britain's The Mail has a (possible) scook on Banksy's true identity (...maybe). Here are some links for ya:

Wikipedia’s page on Banksy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy

Banksy: The Famously Anonymous Street Artist
http://weburbanist.com/2008/07/15/who-is-banksy-about-banksy/

The Mail’s (possible) expose on Banksy’s true identity (…maybe)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1034538/Graffiti-artist-Banksy-unmasked---public-schoolboy-middle-class-suburbia.html

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2008-07-16T09:00:00.002-05:00

The great and wonderful Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - Act I is up! Here's the trailer:

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

Go! Watch! Now!

We've started solids!

2008-07-15T09:15:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, July 13, Janelle had her first bit of solid foods -- baby oatmeal. We, of course, caught a video of the event:

And a few snapshots from yesterday:

Lessons Learned:

Feed baby when she's naked (nothing but a diaper). If not, *definitely* put a bib on her.
Stick with the regular rubber-covered spoons. Pass on the fancy colorful long-handled spoons. The handles are heavy, so they fall out of the bowl, and they're too distracting.
Pretend to eat along with her -- this will help her figure out what's going on.
Hold her hand while feeding her -- that way she doesn't smack the spoon away while trying to grab it.

It was *great* though! And Janelle was thrilled, I'm sure, to be eating like Mommy and Daddy. :D

It's a conspiracy against Mexicans!

2008-07-11T08:53:00.004-05:00

First it was tomatoes that had salmonella. Ok. Everyone eats tomatoes.

Then yesterday they announced they're investigating jalapenos b/c of strong suspicion that they have salmonella as well. Eyebrows were raised.

And this morning, they announce that now cilantro is suspected to have salmonella!

If tomorrow they announce that avocados have salmonella, it'll be official ....

It's a conspiracy against Mexicans!! (As a Mexican, myself, I'm terrified!) Well... and against Mexican restaurants and people in general living in southwestern states.

And interestingly, reports are finding that the highest number of outbreaks of salmonella are happening in Texas and New Mexico. ... YA THINK?!?!

(I kid you not. All of this has been reported this morning and yesterday on NPR!)

Another declaration

2008-06-24T16:54:00.002-05:00

And as your President, I promise to give every baby their own play gym, and there will be mandatory poop breaks for all!

Janelle's Declaration

2008-06-24T16:45:00.002-05:00

And so that is why I pronounce Mr. Octopus to be my best friend... this week.

My little gal

2008-06-11T08:33:00.003-05:00

Haven't posted any pictures of Janelle recently (although I've got 700+ pictures on my flickr set). Thought I'd post just a few of my recent favorites...
Click on the picture below to see a larger view.

STTN: A Baby's Point of View

2008-06-11T08:27:00.001-05:00

Found this on one of my 'mommy-msg-boards':

Sleeping through the night: A baby's point of view

OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first couple months were great--I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened.

Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night).

At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around for a few months.

Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep--they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.

It goes like this:

Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.

Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you get fed.

Night 3--every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!!

If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change.

If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it. Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it.

BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with.
My sleep sack tickled my foot.
I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.
My mobile made a shadow on the wall.
I burped, and it tasted like pears (I hadn't eaten pears since lunch - what's up with that?)
The dog said 'woof' (I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day.) Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.
Too hot, too cold, just right--doesn't matter! Keep crying!!

It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am.
You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.

P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, NO milk will come out! Trust me.

Our little talker

2008-05-29T09:40:00.003-05:00

Just so my recent rant isn't at the top of my blog, I figured I'd post a video of our little talker. She's been talking a *lot* recently -- to us, to her hands, to the side of her crib, to her toys (starts off as happy babbling, but then turns serious, and eventually she's threatening them). Love it!

As long as you're not Muslim...

2008-05-28T08:29:00.008-05:00

In response to the ridiculous email that's going around:

In Obama's own words …

This guy wants to be our President and control our government. Pay close attention to the last comment!!

Below are a few lines from Obama's books … his own words:

From 'Dreams of My Father': 'I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.'

From 'Dreams of My Father': 'I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosityagainst my mothers race.'

From 'Dreams of My Father': 'There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself,maybe. And white.'

From 'Dreams of My Father': ; 'It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.'

From 'Dreams of My Father': 'I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa , that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.'

From his book 'Audacity of Hope': 'I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.'

Barack Obama is not a Muslim. (And who cares if he is? If they’re such a horrible religion, why do they believe in the Old Testament? And why then do they believe that Jesus was a prophet?) He has stated many many times that he is Christian – United Church of Christ, to be specific. What more does he need to do for you people to prove himself? Does he need to nail himself to a cross in order to prove he’s really a Christian? Sometimes it seems that people will accept nothing less.

Or is it that people are so upset that this man has an Arabic last name? (And he’s a black man on top of that!) His name sounds Arabic, so he *must* be a radical Muslim. That’s like saying that all Mexicans must be illegals, so we have to start practicing racial profiling in order to get them out of the country. … Oh wait. We do that. … Ok, so it’s like if we said all Japanese people were out to get us so we have to lock them up because they bombed Pearl Harbor. … Oh wait. We did that too.

Oh America. Home of the free and the brave. Land of opportunity. … Well, as long as you’re not Muslim. … And your name doesn’t sound Arabic.

Here’s the explanation of what Obama really said: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/ownwords.asp)

This statement is a rewording of a passage from page 261 of The Audacity of Hope, in which Barack Obama spoke of the importance of not allowing inflamed public opinion to result in innocent members of immigrant groups beingstripped of their rights, denighed their due as American citizens, or placed into confinement, as was done with Japanese-Americans during World War II. The original contains no specific mention of “Muslims”:

In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific reassurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.

If you’re going to pass along damning “evidence” based on what he supposedly said, make sure you’re looking at his actual words. Don’t blindly believe what every right-wing fanatic tells you.

I am very excited about voting for him in the November elections. I’ve bought into Obama’s message of hope. I’m hoping that soon I’ll be proud again to say I’m American.

Cellphone Photos

2008-04-15T23:02:00.002-05:00

I finally downloaded my photos off my phone, and below are some of my favorites (...so far). Of course you can see *all* of my Janelle photos in the Janelle Flickr set.

Tummy Time - We're making progress!

2008-04-15T22:55:00.005-05:00

We've been having Janelle work on strengthening her neck and back muscles by doing "tummy time" with her every day. This prepares her for rolling over and eventually crawling, sitting, and walking. Welp, she's definitely been making progress. The first video below is her tummy time at 5 weeks. You can she that she's not too thrilled with it. Last week (at 9 weeks) I noticed she was doing much better, so I recorded the second video below.

5 Weeks

9 Weeks

My apologies for the "shakey jake" camera shots!

Some political humor for ya...

2008-04-11T22:53:00.000-05:00

Heheheh!

2 Months Already!

2008-04-04T10:37:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe that Janelle is two months old today! Happy birthday Janelle!

She's a talker!

2008-04-01T22:38:00.002-05:00

For the past couple of weeks, Janelle's been watching our lips intently when we talk to her. Well, the past couple of days, she's gone from simple cooing sounds to a kind of baby talk. (Hard to describe -- watch the videos below to see what I mean.) It's great, though -- every day, she and I have long "conversations". :D

Janelle's First Professional Photos

2008-03-29T14:16:00.002-05:00

For our baby shower, one of the gifts Kristy and Dory gave us was a Smile Savers subscription at JC Penneys, which gives us two years of no sitting fees at their photo studio, which is really great! Well, we took advantage of our gift, and below are "a few" of my favorites.

View entire photo set.

Dallas Arboretum

2008-03-29T13:58:00.003-05:00

One of our weekly Get-Mommy-Out-Of-The-House activities is a trip to the Dallas Arboretum. While Janelle is still at the stage where she pretty much sleeps through the visit (although the last couple of visits I'll take her out of the stroller and she'll stare at the leaves and people walking by), I'm really enjoying it. (Thank you Joey for suggesting to Roy that I should get a membership!)

I've been taking a lot of pictures while we're there. Below are a few of my favorites. You can also view my collection on Flickr.

She's definitely smiling now!

2008-03-15T11:31:00.002-05:00

Yes, my blog has officially become a "baby blog". I have yet another cute video of Janelle. :) Over the past couple of weeks, she's started what they call "social smiling" -- not just smiles when she has gas. ...Although she still does that, too. :P This video is over her a few days ago when I woke her up.

Happy Birthday Janelle!

2008-03-06T10:23:00.002-06:00

Depending on who you talk to, yesterday or today is Janelle's one month birthday. Wow. Can't believe it's already been a month! Anyway, I have yet another video -- this one of her talking and laughing. Love it!!

Our phone number has changed!

2008-03-06T10:21:00.002-06:00

Greetings folks! Just a quick note to let you all know that since Roy and I now have cell phones, we've canceled our home phone. Email me if you don't have my cell phone number.

Whoa! Our First Diaper Explosion!

2008-02-23T19:36:00.003-06:00

Roy and I decided we'd take the baby out today and run some errands. We looked at some apartments we're thinking of moving into later this year. Went to the store to pick up a few things. Then we found this new little bitty Thai restaurant we decided to try.

Janelle's bottle-fed now, and so we'd fed her, packed up a couple of bottles, and headed out. Our last stop - the quiet Thai restaurant. We're just about done. Janelle had been quietly sitting in her carrier drifting between dozing and quiet alertness. Suddenly she starts crying and I decide to go ahead and pick her up and try to calm her down. Well, she then wets all over her little outfit, which surprised me b/c so far we hadn't had any problems until then with her diapers leaking, and this was a *major* leak. So, I quickly grab the diaper bag and we run to the restroom. It was a pretty one-toilet restroom -- beautiful sink, fancy everything... absolutely no counter space. So I reach out into the hallway and grab an empty chair and drag it into the restroom to give me *something* to change my baby on.

And then I opened her onesie ... and *it* was *everywhere*. I could not believe our baby could make that big of a mess. And she was absolutely not pleased that I was angling her 21 1/4 inch body on a changing pad across the seat of this wooden chair trying desperately to undress/clean her without making things worse. I guess it was her incessant screams that brought Roy back to the restroom (thank God!) and he quietly knocked on the door, and when I opened it, he quickly stepped in and helped me.

Since that time, just a few hours ago, we've come home, given Janelle a bath. Daddy's taking a nap, and I'm still marveling at our first diaper explosion. I immediately think of the stories my Mom lovingly (and with a chuckle) tells of similar instances from when me or my sisters were babies. For me, I think the chuckle will come later. All I can think right now is "whoa".

As time goes by...

2008-02-17T21:41:00.003-06:00

I don't know if I ever mentioned this before, but Roy has this page set up a family photographic timeline where he posts a picture of each of us from the beginning of each year. This way, after several years, you'll see us age (gracefully, hopefully), and you'll see additions to our family make their appearance(s). So far, we've done it officially for three years (with a few images we could find that have been added for previous years), and this year we were able to add Ms. Janelle to our timeline.

Click here to see our Family Photographic Timeline

Janelle Is Here!

2008-02-10T09:22:00.000-06:00

Our gorgeous little girl was born at 6:30pm on Monday, Feb. 4, weighing 8 pounds, 3.5 ounces, and measuring 21 inches. It ended up being a c-section, so I'm having to heal up from that. (i'll write out the whole birth story some time when I have a little more time.) As expected, Roy and I have taken lots of pictures and a couple of videos - below are links to them.

Janelle Photo Set

Janelle's Wake Up Stretch

Dirty Diaper Dance

U23D!

2008-01-23T17:47:00.001-06:00

The Baby Bump!

2008-01-02T16:20:00.001-06:00

I figure I should post another picture of my baby bump that seems to be growing every day. This pic is of me at about a week ago (34.5 weeks along). Baby gal's still doing great -- she's kicking me right now as I type, in fact! Just a few more weeks to go!!

This picture is one Roy snapped while we were in San Angelo at his Grandmother's house.

Does this look like me?

2007-12-12T10:08:00.001-06:00

Roy emailed me this picture earlier this week. "Not sure why, but this reminded me of you." :P

Joss Whedon's new tv series!!!!

2007-11-01T16:22:00.000-05:00

YESSSSSSS!!!!! Joss Whedon spilled the beans today about a new tv series he's working on for Fox (fingers are crossed! please don't cancel them!) called "Dollhouse". And it's going to star Eliza Dushka (aka Faith the Vampire Slayer)! What *spectacular* news!!! (Read more about this here.) WOOHOO!

Roy gets his first kick from the baby!

2007-10-31T15:26:00.000-05:00

Roy felt the baby for the first time Monday night. Li'l baby Janelle has been kicking me and moving around for several weeks now, but every time Roy put his hand on my stomach, she'd get very still. It was almost like a game with our little stinker! Finally, on Monday, Roy and I were talking and he had his hand on my stomach, and she decided then to give him a good kick! :D :D :D

Our 24 week sonogram

2007-10-19T17:37:00.000-05:00

This video is amazing. Shortly after beginning, the tech zoomed in on the baby's face, and you can very clearly see our baby opening and closing her mouth. (Gives me goosebumps!) You also get a good view in the video of her feet, spine, and ribs. But the closeups of her face are just really amazing!!

Our little stinker is a...

2007-10-18T17:55:00.000-05:00

… GIRL!! Roy and I went in this afternoon for our second try at seeing what this baby is (last time, baby’s legs were crossed and curled up), and it’s a girl!! Little stinker did still have her legs crossed again this time, but the tech managed to get a good look when she kicked a few times. Needless to say, Roy and I are really, really happy! :) :) :)

I'll post the video from the sonogram tomorrow. :D :D :D

Lizzie

2007-10-17T19:14:00.000-05:00

I just have to post this... Look how beautiful Lizzie (my baby sister) is. I was going through her myspace pictures, and I totally stole these from her. These are a couple of my favorites.

Love ya *BABE*!!

My first preggo picture post

2007-10-03T09:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I figure the time has come for me to post a preggo picture of myself. As you can tell in the picture below, I'm definitely showing. This picture was taken about two weeks ago when I was at 20 weeks. Today, I noticed that I can no longer see my toes when I look down. :P

More U2 Humor

2007-09-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

In continuing with the U2-related humor, I found some funny U2-ish clips online. Thought I'd share with you guys. Enjoy!

Vertigo (U2) Spoof

2007-09-24T16:23:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine sent this to me, and it just had me rolling!! HILARIOUS!!

Here's our li'l stinker

2007-09-21T17:33:00.001-05:00

Below is the video from our sonogram yesterday. It's a nice, long video since the poor technician was trying to turn every which way to figure out if this baby's a boy or girl. :D Looks like this babe was just chillin' out!

It's a...

2007-09-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

...BABY!!!! A very shy baby. A baby who kept its legs crossed at the ankles the entire sonogram. My new name for the baby? The Stinker! ;D

Ah well. My shopping spree will have to wait. We'll have another try on October 16th, when they do another sonogram to re-check the umbilical cord. This sonogram was amazing, though -- we saw a close-up of the baby's heart, the spine, the face, feet, its little rump, stomach, bladder, cute little button nose. It's a healthy, wonderful baby ... but still a stinker!!

We were able to record the sonogram again this time, so I'll digitize the video tomorrow if our studio is available, and I'll post it tomorrow evening.

So, we have a little less than four weeks to go before we get another chance to see what this baby is. Wish us luck!!

Project Playlist

2007-09-14T12:04:00.000-05:00

Yet again, my 17-yr old sister Lizzie showed me another really cool site. (My apologies if you've known about this for years.) Project Playlist lets you build a playlist of songs for you to post on your myspace, facebook, or any other social network site. I've permanently added my "Pandora Favorites" playlist on my Facebook account. I've also posted it below so you can get a preview of the wonderful music I'm finding on Pandora. Thanks Lizzie!

Next sonogram (aka "the big one")...

2007-09-10T17:29:00.000-05:00

Greetings guys and dolls. My apologies for the delay in posting anything. Things have just been busy this summer. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that the next big sonogram (aka "the big one") will be on Sept.20th at 2:30pm. We'll find out then what this baby is -- a boy or a girl. (!!!) We'll post when we find out! :D

Baby Super Model!

2007-07-17T15:01:00.000-05:00

Roy and I just had our third sonogram this morning, so I figure I should get on the ball and post some pictures!! (No problems or anything -- I had my first at 5 weeks, which was too early, and my second was last week, and today's was part of some routine testing.) Baby Adams, fyi, is currently the size of a large lime ... at least according to the books and websites we've been reading. *grin*

Below are scans of the sonogram from last week. This morning's pictures still need to be scanned; however, we did get a dvd of the procedure so I captured it and uploaded it to Google Video. Enjoy!!

Click on the images below to see a larger view.

July 12 (10 weeks, 4 days)

July 17 (11 weeks, 2 days)

Baby Adams Blog Debut!

2007-06-13T16:58:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks! Last week Roy and I went in for our first sonogram. At that time, the baby was the size of a small grain of rice. This week, the baby's about the size of a peppercorn. I've uploaded the picture from the sonogram. It's two shots side by side. If you click on the image and go to the flickr page, I have notes on the image explaining what you see. :D

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

2007-06-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

Roy and I found out last Friday at that are expecting! I'm about 4-5 weeks along right now, and the baby will be due around Feb.4. Can you believe it?!?! Needless to say, Roy and I are really ecstatic!

Watch out world - Roy's got a digital camera!

2007-05-23T13:15:00.000-05:00

Roy's birthday is coming up (May 30), and last month I got him a digital camera. Now he's snapping pictures left and right. He's even created his own Flickr collection of photos. Below are some of my favorites. (As always, click the image to see a larger view.)

Do you Jaiku?

2007-05-23T13:04:00.000-05:00

I posted recently on Edugeek Journal about Twitter vs. Jaiku, and I'm quickly moving over completely to Jaiku. Really nice functionality and just too easy to use and incorporate other feeds. I'm planning on putting a widget to this blog so you guys can get minute-to-minute updates on just what I'm up to ... b/c I'm sure you're just dying to know! :P

Can't Stop the Serenity - June 23!

2007-05-23T13:01:00.001-05:00

Attention Browncoats in the DFW area! Be sure to pick up your "Can't Stop the Serenity" tickets soon! Your chance to enjoy "Serenity" on the big screen and support a charity all at the same time!

Catching up... March Dallas Comic Con

2007-05-23T12:26:00.000-05:00

I have absolutely no excuse for not posting in such a long time. So, as I sit here at a Starbucks in the Austin Radisson hotel, I realize that I have internet connectivity and time to kill. So, let's catch up...

Back in March (I know, it's been too long...) I attended the Dallas Comic Con fan day, and there were several special guests that were of interest. I originally went to meet Morena Baccarin (Inara, from Firefly), but I ended up getting to meet some other actors. (It turns out I'm much more of a geek than I'd originally realized!)

Morena Baccarin - She was nice, but very rushed. Not nearly as cozy an experience as Ron Glass, but then again there were about 100 folks behind me in line, so I understand.

Clare Kramer - (Glory from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") At that time, I hadn't yet seen Clare's character in "Buffy", but I decided to meet her and snap a picture b/c I knew I'd end up loving the character. And sure enough, now that I know who Glory is, I cannot believe I actually met her. She's such a funny/interesting/great character in the show. Anyway, she was incredibly nice!

Ernie Hudson - (Winston from "Ghostbusters") I couldn't resist getting my picture taken with a Ghostbuster! He was so incredibly nice, too. And it was cool seeing the various Ghostbuster fans walking around in full costume.

Walter Koenig - (Chekov from "Star Trek") Nice man. Made me realize just how long ago the Star Trek show and movies came out. He seemed very tired when I met him, but then the ST fans that were in the "line" were kind of ... fanatics... so I'd be tired too.

Peter Mayhew - (Chewbacca from "Star Wars") Nice man. It was the end of the day, and he was nice enough to smile for a quick picture as things were closing up.

Good times!

My Heroes Theory....

2007-04-25T11:49:00.000-05:00

Damn, I love this show. I have never before speculated so much on the future of characters in a tv show. I was just discussing a theory that I came up with, and I received approval/interest from two friends, so I figure it's legit enough for me to post it here.

*Takes deep breath*

Ok... we know that Hiro from the future goes back in time to tell Peter to 'save the cheerleader...." We find out from the online novels that the reason he did this is b/c when Sylar was about to explode, Hiro stabs him but Sylar heals and proceeds to blow himself up. Hiro says that this is b/c Claire can heal herself and that Sylar got her brain; however, we don't know if hiro knows this for sure or if he just assumes it b/c he knows about claire's ability. However, claire is not the only "healer" in this group. Which might explain why after informing Peter about saving Clair, Hiro goes back into the future and nyc is still leveled. What if instead Hiro stabs Sylar, Linderman heals sylar (we know L. wants the explosion to happen b/c this puts N.P. into office), Sylar explodes, nyc still leveled, and saving the chearleader didn't really help anyone ... except Claire. Maybe Hiro did change history, but Linderman somehow either found out about it and made the future still happen ("you can't fight the future") or just ended up being in the right place at the right time.

What d'ya think??

Very cool "No Cellphones" advert

2007-04-25T07:57:00.000-05:00

U2 3D

2007-04-04T12:21:00.000-05:00

I can already see Fatima and me at the theater, arms up and screaming. "Booonoooo!"

Supermarket 2.0

2007-04-03T10:26:00.000-05:00

Found this on Boing Boing this morning...

glumbert.com - Supermarket 2.0

History of Religion

2007-03-16T22:51:00.000-05:00

EduGeek Journal

2007-03-15T23:23:00.000-05:00

Great news folks! Matt, Darren, and I just recently started up a blog called the EduGeek Journal, where we'll discuss all things concerning educational technology. (This means many of my "geeky" posts will now go to that blog, which many of you might be happy to hear.) Eventually, we plan on expanding our blog to include a wiki, a podcast, and a Second Life presence ... but all in good time. We already have several interesting posts up. When you get a chance, please stop by and take a look! Thanks!

I'm Willow!

2007-03-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

Willow You're loving, caring, and sweet! You're very smart, and have a lot of friends that care about you!
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

What really happened...

2007-03-15T12:56:00.000-05:00

My faith in American voters has me convinced that this is what actually happened.

Florida Voting Machine | Send To Friends | Video Jokes at JibJab

"Back in the day"

2007-03-12T21:25:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I was cleaning out a shelf in the office, and I came across a cd full of pictures from "back in the day" when I still worked at Angelo State University with the Lab Assistants ("Lab Asses"), Multimedia guys ("Mmedia Gurus"), and Helpdesk folks. Man, those were great times. My best friends today I met while working there.

Anyway, I uploaded all the pictures to my flickr account. Click here to see the entire set. Below are some of the group shots of us.

Looking through these pictures, though, I found myself wondering what ever happened to several folks, so I also created a myspace group for us computer lab student workers, past and present.

Ah, those were good times.

Spring Has Sprung

2007-03-12T21:21:00.000-05:00

Some photos I took of a tree outside the back of our apartment.

Lovely ladies having birthdays

2007-03-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

(This is a few weeks late, but ... well, you know me.) Three lovely ladies I know have had birthdays recently...

February 28: My "baby" sister Lizzie (who's taller
than I am now)turned 17
(Man, I feel old!)

March 2: My cousin Cristina
(who's quickly approaching the one-year birthday
for her babe Gabrielle)

March 2: The Goddess of Blue, Ja'Nate'
(Vicki and I actually flew down and surprised her
for her 30th birthday ...
Click here to see the photo set from our trip.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LADIES!!!

My Nerd Score

2007-03-10T21:32:00.002-06:00

What's yours?

Zeroes

2007-03-10T12:12:00.000-06:00

Being a complete "Heroes" junkie, I have to post this. Enjoy.

10 years ago, Buffy Summers came to Sunnydale

2007-03-09T22:24:00.000-06:00

A snippet from Wikipedia's front page...
Click the image below to read the clip.

Oh, and an update: Spike is now my favorite character. Love him! (Sorry Xander.)

Spike: "I may be Love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it."

Xander: "Where is it written that quiet reflection can't be combined wiht cake and funny hats?"

midomi

2007-02-22T21:25:00.000-06:00

Heard about this a few weeks back in a SecondCast podcast, but I finally tried it out just tonight. Midomi is a fun website that allows you to sing (or hum) bits of a song, and it searches its database to find matches. It's harder than you think, though -- so far it's only recognized my singing "Happy Birthday to You" and "Friday I'm in Love". You'll get strange looks from your spouse, but it's worth it. Hours of fun!

Memory

2007-02-20T12:24:00.000-06:00

Over the past couple of days, I've been listening to a four-part audio-series about memory. How it works, why it doesn't work, and what makes our memories act screwy. It's all really amazing. (That being said, Cognition was one of my favorite classes in school.)

Part 1: What is memory?

Part 2: The fallibility of memory

Part 3: Memories in distress

Part 4: Treatments

Be careful, though. As with reading medical books about various illnesses, you might find yourself trying to label your own memory issues, as I did.

Google Cheat Sheet

2007-02-20T12:17:00.000-06:00

I found this recently and thought it was interesting. Someone took the time to create a cheat sheet for all the numerous Google services and tools.
Click the images below to download the pdf.

Roy gets a Second Life

2007-02-20T12:09:00.000-06:00

Welcome all to the newest avatar ... well, he was the newest avatar on Saturday when he signed up -- ladies and gentlemen -- Roytoo Grut!

(Vicki also got a SL account on Saturday, but I have yet to snap a picture of Ms. WhosA Lusch.)

Really good joke

2007-02-19T17:44:00.000-06:00

My friend Milena sent this to me recently, and I thought it was too hilarious not to blog about. HOWEVER... I must warn you, this is *not* something you'd tell your kids. Enjoy!

(Highlight the text below to read...)

Subject: Who is Jack Schitt?

For some time many of us have wondered just who is Jack Schitt? We find ourselves at a loss when someone says,'You don't know Jack Schitt!'

Well, thanks to my genealogy efforts, you can now respond in an intellectual way.

Jack Schitt is the only son of Awe Schitt. Awe Schitt, the fertilizer magnate, married O. Schitt, the owner of Needeep N. Schitt, Inc. They had one son, Jack. In turn, Jack Schitt married Noe Schitt. The deeply religious couple produced six children: Holie Schitt, Giva Schitt, Fulla Schitt, Bull Schitt, and the twins Deep Schitt and Dip Schitt. Against her parents' objections, Deep Schitt married Dumb Schitt, a high school dropout. After being married 15 years, Jack and Noe Schitt divorced. Noe Schitt later married Ted Sherlock, and because her kids were living with them, she wanted to keep her previous name. She was then known as Noe Schitt Sherlock. Meanwhile, Dip Schitt married Loda Schitt, And they produced a son with a rather nervous disposition named Chicken Schitt. Two of the other six children, Fulla Schitt and Giva Schitt were inseparable throughout childhood and subsequently married the Happens brothers in a dual ceremony. The wedding announcement in the newspaper announced the Schitt-Happens nuptials. The Schitt-Happens children were Dawg, Byrd, and Horse. Bull Schitt, the prodigal son, left home to tour the world. He recently returned from Italy with his new Italian bride, Pisa Schitt.

Now when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt,'you can correct them.

Sincerely,
Crock O. Schitt

Across the Universe

2007-02-17T11:29:00.000-06:00

I'd heard about this a while back when Bono signed on to play a small role, but I'd forgotten about it. Today I stumbled across the trailer for the upcoming musical "Across The Universe". I'm intrigued. I love the Beatles. (I have to. It's genetic. Had my Mom had the chance, she would have traveled great distances and slept outside of arenas to see them. Sound familiar?)

A love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s amid the turbulent years of anti-war protest, mind exploration and rock 'n roll, the film moves from the dockyards of Liverpool to the creative psychedelia of Greenwich Village, from the riot-torn streets of Detroit to the killing fields of Vietnam. The star-crossed lovers, Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), along with a small group of friends and musicians, are swept up into the emerging anti-war and counterculture movements, with "Dr. Robert" (Bono) and "Mr. Kite" (Eddie Izzard) as their guides. Tumultuous forces outside their control ultimately tear the young lovers apart, forcing Jude and Lucy – against all odds – to find their own way back to each other.

Death Of A Snowman

2007-02-15T22:03:00.000-06:00

The recent frigid temperature reminded me that I had some pictures Roy wanted me to post. A couple of weeks ago, it snowed enough to make a few decent snowballs. Since I was sick that day and couldn't go out and play, on his way upstairs, Roy filled his thermos with enough snow to make a snowman or two.

Sadly, however, it was a little too warm in the house for our snowmen to survive. So Roy, being the sicko that he is, had me take periodic pictures of the melting of our two friends. Out of the 55 pictures we took (I kid you not), here are a few of the highlights.

*sniff*

Keepin' It Real - (Messy) Virtual Desktops

2007-02-15T21:52:00.000-06:00

In an effort to create a more realistic desktop, the Bumptop Prototype enables users to pile, crumple, fan-out, and even fold the corners of documents and files. It's a very interesting demo... but I can see how my virtual desktop could very easily become just as messy as my real one.

The Perfect Man

2007-02-15T19:36:00.000-06:00

One of my Valentine's gifts Roy gave me this year is called "The Perfect Man".
Click to view a larger image.

I got a kick out of the serving size.

A Valentine's Poem

2007-02-15T18:59:00.000-06:00

(I know this is a day late...) My pal Nathan Fillion (he *must* be my pal -- he accepted me as one of his myspace friends :P) posted this yesterday. I liked the poem so much I had to share.

A Valentine's Poem

If I were a mountain, I'd be so grand and tall.
My glaciated head made up of rock and mineral.
My massive slopes would spiral down and plant me on the earth.
The trees and bugs would gaze at me, to marvel at my girth.

And if I were an ocean, a large pool of reeking brine-
All the fish and squid and zoplankton would be close friends of mine.
They'd swim by on a Sunday afternoon and say, "Hello."
But I'd see them all the time, for I'd be everywhere they go.

But if I was a flatworm, with a tail so slick and long.
I'd have correlated eye-spots as cerebral ganglion.
Would I while away the hours- eating microbes, dirt, and spores?
Or would my mean old flatworm grandma have me doing flatworm chores?

But I am not a mountain, or an ocean, or a worm.
Were you to glance at my ID, I'm sure it'd be confirmed.
And underneath "Corrective Lenses", in print so small and fine-
It's written by the DMV, that I'm your Valentine.

-- by Jason Mestinsek

Crazy Performance @ the Grammys

2007-02-13T07:43:00.000-06:00

While I was very excited and impressed by the Police's performance at the Grammys, I was completely blown away by Gnarls Barkley's performance of their hit song "Crazy". I watched it a couple of times trying to figure out who the guy's voice reminded me of was, then it hit me -- Otis Redding! Anyway, loved the performance. Hope you do, too!

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

2007-02-12T13:55:00.000-06:00

Can you trust your mind?

2007-02-12T13:47:00.000-06:00

Can you trust your mind?
How good are you when it comes to concentration and perception?
Here is a cool experiment where you can test you ability to focus attention on a certain object in a short video.

Roooooooxanne!

2007-02-12T13:14:00.000-06:00

Wow! The Police played the Grammy's last night, reuniting for the first time (I think) since the 80s when the group broke up. Great performance!

I'm waiting on someone to post the video of Gnarls Barkley's performance, which was *awesome*!

9 Things that Non-Tech Savvy People Do That Annoy (Us) Geeks

2007-02-11T22:59:00.000-06:00

This digg find was too funny not to blog about. View the original post with more information here. Link doesn't work? (Try this one.)

Microsoft Word is the application for everything.
Incorrect Aspect Ratios
Everything Must Be Double Clicked.
Getting a faster computer will speed up the internets.
I won a trip to the Bahamas!
Your desktop wallpaper is NOT your screensaver.
NO, I DON’T want to fix your cousin’s brother’s uncle’s 10 year old computer.
The Non-Tech Savvy Geek
Why can’t I open this file on my floppy disk?

*sigh*

More geek fun!

2007-02-09T16:02:00.000-06:00

Ok, combine this with the face morphing (see previous post) with SecondTalk with Second Life. I'm drooling!

Morphable 3D Faces

2007-02-09T15:55:00.000-06:00

How long before this becomes part of the virtual worlds we're playing with? My avatar may some day have my actual face.

The end is near...

2007-02-05T17:47:00.000-06:00

As you've probably already hear, Book 7 of the HP series -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- is scheduled to come out on July 21st. (If you've glanced over at the "currently reading..." and "recently read... sections of the sidebar of my blog, you'll notice that I'm in the process of re-reading all of the Harry Potter books ... and creating my own little HP library as a result.)

I have mixed feelings about this:

Dread - JKR has said that two characters are going to be killed in this book.
Glee - Another Harry Potter book! Yeah!
Dread - JKR has already said this is it. No more HP. No spin-off series. The end.
Curiousity - There are so many theories out there. Which, if any, are true???
Dread - It's like reaching the end of a really, really good book, but double-triple-quintuple that!

Thankfully, the release date is a Saturday, meaning that all of us Muggles can hunker down for the weekend and seclude ourselves away from work, family, and friends. This'll be the first time I actually purchase the book when it comes out. (I *do not* want to have the ending spoiled by anyone!) I'm sure most everyone else who's ever picked up a Potter book will be doing the same. Looks like Book 7 will blow away any previous publication records set.

I am very much looking forward to going out and braving the release parties at the local book stores. (Roy and I were dating when he offered to come with me to see the Book 5 release mania. He quickly turned me down when I asked if he wants to join me this coming July.) This'll be the last time folks can don their witch's hats, capes, and magic wands. And I'll be there with my camera to capture it!

Do you see something wrong with this?

2007-02-05T17:25:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, Roy was about to fill out the registration card that came with our new washer, and he noticed something strange about the "three easy ways" listed.

Click the image below to see the larger view.

The Police Reunite!

2007-02-02T12:11:00.000-06:00

Holy Moly! The rumors are true! The Police are reuniting to open the Grammy Awards this year. This will be great! ... *if* Sting, Stewart, and Andy can behave themselves and not start fighting before the show. (Have you seen the VH1 Legends show on them? They're like brothers - they literally have fist fights!) So ... I have my DVR set and anxiously wait for February 11! (*Plus* the show will be hosted by my friend and yours, Mr. Stephen Colbert!)

Conferences! Conferences!

2007-02-02T11:48:00.000-06:00

I love my field b/c at least once a year, we get to go to a conference and stay in a fancy hotel (paid for by the school!) and hang out with fellow edtech geeks. In March, my co-workers and I are staying at the Moody Gardens Hotel down in Galveston to attend the TxDLA conference. Then in May, if our proposals are accepted, we're going to the IOL conference in Austin.

Speaking of proposals, I figured I'd post the abstracts.

TxDLA

Virtual Environments: The Evolution of Online Learning?
Abstract: Virtual environments offer students the ability to interact with their class in a 3-D setting. Realistic Learning environments can be created where students can explore and manipulate learning materials, and collaborate with other students via avatars. This presentation will demonstrate some educational uses of the virtual world “Second Life”.
(View complete Virtual Environments proposal here.)
Using Respondus Tool to Create and Manage Online Quizzes
Abstract: Respondus is a handy tool for creating, publishing and managing quizzes/surveys for online courses. This session will provide faculty and supporting staff a hands-on experience to get to know about this tool and learn how to actually create and publish a quiz to an online course site using the tool.
(View complete Respondus proposal here.)

IOL

Cutting Edge Innovations in Online Learning: Web 2.0 For Everybody
Abstract: With the emergence of Web 2.0, educators have a plethora of online tools, such as Skype, Odeo, and Slideshare, which encourage collaboration and the sharing of ideas. This showcase will demonstrate several of these tools and give participants ideas on how to apply them to their educational setting.
(View complete Web 2.0 proposal here.)
We're in Second Life! From Brainstorming to Begging to Building
Abstract: From idea to implementation, our journey into the virtual world of Second Life. This presentation will cover the UTD School of Management's approach to developing a virtual island in Second Life -- from the proposal process to planning and design to lessons learned.
(View complete Second Life proposal here.)

I'm a podcast junkie

2007-02-01T18:12:00.000-06:00

Apparently I was a good girl last year, b/c "Santa" got me a very cool Creative Zen Vision M mp3 player. I immediately set to filling the 30Gb with my music, as well as explore the world of podcasts I'd heard so much about. Now, six weeks later, I am proud to admit that I am podcast junkie. Below is a list of podcasts I listen to regularly.

WNYC's Radio Lab - Wonderfully geeky seasonal hour-long show on NPR. My favorite podcast ... when it's available. I highly recommend it.
SecondCast - A really good (although sometimes NSFW) podcast about all things Second Life.
Wait! Wait! Don't tell Me! - My favorite weekly show from NPR. Very funny look at the week's news in a quiz-show-ish style.
Metaverse Sessions - Another podcast where there are only nine shows available from early 2006, but they're worth a listen. Very interesting view on the future of the metaverse and virtual worlds.
Who's on Second - An ok podcast on the educational/non-profit presence in Second Life. It's kind of slow, and the host almost puts you to sleep, but his guests are interesting and the questions are good.
NPR Technology - Yeah, I'm a geek, and this is my weekly fix.
PRI's The World Technology Report - ditto
7th Son Podcast Novel

Other podcasts on my list to try out are Second Life Podcast, PBS's NerdTV, and NOVA. Love it!

Thanks Frank!

2007-01-31T12:17:00.000-06:00

Click here to make your own.

U2 Rehearses for 1997 MTV Music Awards

2007-01-26T22:20:00.000-06:00

U2's performance at the 1997 MTV Music Awards is my favorite live U2 performance. (That part where Bono just goes nuts and the Edge playing his guitar ... *chills*!) As I was doing random U2 You-Tube searches, I came across a three-part set of U2 rehearsing for that actual performance. Very cool! It's interesting listening to Bono try different sounds and the Edge testing out different moods and guitar tricks. I challenge you to watch the third part and not at least hum along. It's like U2 karaoke!

If you want to see the live performance, click here.

I can't believe I missed this

2007-01-26T21:32:00.000-06:00

I have this bad habit. It starts with me really wanting something (i.e. the new U218 dvd), but when I finally get it, it sits unopened (in this case on top of the tv) for a long time before I decide to pay attention to it. As a result, I just did a search on YouTube and found this new-to-me video by U2 called "Window in the Skies".

Roy and I are headin' for New Orleans!

2007-01-26T18:20:00.000-06:00

Roy and I are taking a week off this year and heading to New Orleans for vacation!! We decided earlier this week. Woohoo!! And we're staying a week! A full 7-day week! (I'm just a bit excited. Can you tell?)
We're staying at the Dauphine Orleans, which is in the French Quarter and apparently (as I just found) it is haunted! I just did a google search and one of the pages that popped up was a 'haunted hotels' page that lists the hotel. Here's the scoop:

415 Dauphine St. Much of the hotel dates from the 19th Century. A dark-haired male spirit wearing a military uniform prefers the courtyard, and there you might be able to also catch a lightening-fast glimpse of a dancing woman. Someone likes to lock empty rooms from the inside, and many people report a sense of being watched.

Now that I have it in my head, I'm sure I'll have that in the back of my mind and think I see/hear/whatever something. :P

Anyway, the pictures on the website are *beautiful*!

Raising my Whedon IQ

2007-01-26T18:07:00.000-06:00

My friend Tracy got me interested in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As you must already know, I was totally blown away by Joss's most recent (and tragic) tv endeavor - Firefly - and so I decided that I wanted to check out what else Mr. Whedon has to offer.

So, I pulled up Netflix in my browser and added every single Buffy and Angel dvd to my queue. All 6783 of them. I watched the first season and liked it but wasn't incredibly impressed. I mentioned this to Tracy, and she insisted that Season 2 was much, much better, so I gave it a go. And I like it! So, I'm working through them. Season 2 Disc 4 should be in my mailbox right now. Four down, 6779 to go. :P

My favorite character is Zander. I think b/c he reminds me so much of Wash from Firefly. (*sniff* You're a leaf on the wind!) Very sarcastic and very funny! Hopefully he won't get killed.

Anyway, I'm enjoying the show. Just thought I'd share.