Random picture of Kyla

I have a feeling she will be asking for the keys to the car pretty soon.

Computers can do anything

I saw this while flying in one of the Sky Mall catalogs in the seat.  I'm not sure if others will find it as funny, but I was cracking up.

With Carrying Case for only $50 more!  Buy two, they may run out!

Random picture of Bryce

Does he start applying for colleges soon?  He shouldn't be this big already.

We should just invest in a cow

This is a picture of our refrigerator from Sunday.  It is Wednesday now and we are already down to less then three gallons left.

Bicycling

We did a little bicycling as a family this weekend.  Hopped on the Tow Path trail and headed south into Akron.  It was quite a bit of fun as we stopped and had a little picnic half way through.  There is a train that runs the length of the trail that you can pay $2 and ride back up (with your bike) to where you parked.  We had thought we might do that, however when we got down to the end we realized the train doesn't start running until next week.

We did meet another couple who were planning on doing the same thing, but they had rented bicycles and need to get them back by 6pm.  It was already 5:15 and the girl had hurt her foot and was never going to make it back in time.  So Stacey stayed with the kids at the end of the trail, and this other fellow and I hopped on their rent bikes and hauled*$% back up the trail.  We did just under 7 miles in about 30 minutes (which is pretty good for me).  Once we got to our car we threw the bikes on the back and I drove him up to where they rented the bicycles.  We ended up getting them back with about 3 minutes to spare.  So not only did we get to help them out, but I actually got some good exercise out of it. 

Garden

Got the garden planted this weekend.  A wide variety of plants went in, including corn, tomatoes, cucumber, and a peanut plant. 

One of the neighbors also rented a edger for flower beds, and asked if I wanted to use it.  It was way easier then edging by hand, but I did spend most of the weekend working to clean up all the dirt it dug up.

Disabled Facebook

I went through today and disabled my Facebook page today.  There are some very serious concerns with privacy and what they are collecting and sharing with everyone.  I decided that instead of worrying about what they know, I would just have them know nothing.

If you are interested in knowing what information Facebook makes public on you, use this service: http://zesty.ca/facebook/

Silverware

Bryce is just starting to figure out forks. He still doesn't like it if you help him though, he has to do everything himself.  :)

Creek exploring

Kyla and I took a bike ride today down to the park and she wanted to do some exploring by the creek.  We got to learn all about cattails and see how much fun they are when you shake them and the seeds go flying everywhere.  :)

Crazy food

Somehow Renee talked me into eating Ethiopian tonight.

I recently purchased an FM transmitter that I plug in my phone so I can listen to music through the car radio.  However I recently found out the cigarette lighter in my car doesn't work anymore.  

My short term solution is the ultimate in hacks.  I managed to find 12 volt wires in the center console, and just wired it up to the transmitter directly.  Definitely not pretty but it works for now.  :)

Old technology meets new

My dad is probably the only person in the world who records XM shows onto a reel to reel.

It is extra funny because the XM radio he has can actually record eight hours of music onto it's internal memory.

Park

Bryce enjoying his first swing ride at the park.

Bryce checking out the computer deals after dinner.

I just love this picture.

Easter Egg Hunt

We went and did an easter egg hunt this past Sunday.  Unfortunately it was raining and we didn't get to actually go hunt for eggs in the yard.  They did have things to color and cookies to decorate so it was still a lot of fun.

For an added bonus they had a drawing for some prizes, and Bryce won the grand price of a really big chocolate bunny.  Thankfully he is nice enough to share with the rest of the family.

Bryce's birthday party

Bryce throughly enjoyed his birthday cake!

Isaac's life and times

This past Thursday one of our beloved cats Isaac passed away.

Isaac joined our family because he always liked to explore, even if he caused a little trouble.  Stacey was volunteering at the humane society when this sneaky cat ran past her as soon as she opened the door to their cat room.  As she was helping to get him back into the room she kind of got to like him a little bit.  Some how I agreed to a fourth cat and he was soon living at home with us.

He was always full of love and fit in great with our other boys.  He would often go cuddle up with the other cats and wash them.  He was also a great lap cat and would sit with you for hours.

In Isaac's later years, he started to not be able to make it to his litter box in time.  We decided to contain him in our bedroom with his own litter box always close by.  During this time he would usually snuggle with me when I went to bed, often times crawling under the covers and laying right next to me.  He loved to be close by and would just lay there and purr until we both fell asleep.

I have a few pictures that just show Isaac in his life, I hope you enjoy them.

Here is Isaac exploring again, when little Kyla discovers his hiding spot.

Some how Wesley didn't seem to mind the little extra weight on top.

Isaac got a little tired when he was out for his walk, and decided a nap was in order.

Again, trying to fit into any small place he could.

We loved Isaac very much and he will be missed, but I know he had a great life here filled with love.  We will miss you buddy.

This fits so many people

Lets see... this could be for Renee, Uncle Mike, my mom and Mary...

Phone design

The battery cover on my phone does not have the best design and fell off while we were walking through the airport.  I went back and tried to look for it but no luck. -  I figured it wasn't a huge deal as the phone still worked. 

I probably should have stored the phone on my pocket as the next day I lost the battery as we were rushing around.  Managed to find a Verizon store but still a pain to shell out $35 due to a poor design.

New Mouse Pad

Just got the new Vespula mouse pad from Razer. Double sided with one speed side and one control side. Can't wait to try it out tonight.

Why I dislike Apple...

What would you do if you bought a new Sony TV, however once you got it home you realized you couldn't watch NBC on it. All the other channels work, but that one just does play at all. So you do some research and find out that NBC wouldn't pay Sony enough money, so now all Sony TVs won't work with that channel.

Ludicrous thought right? That would never happen. Except that it is happening. When you purchase an Iphone (or the newly announced Ipad) you can only get programs that Apple "approves". And the worst part about it is they don't spell out what their rules are, so you don't even know if you will get approved until after you write a program.

It is like a police force that just makes up the rules as they go, and they change the rules every week to keep you on your toes.

I could rant on this for another 20 paragraphs, but I'm guessing only 3 people have made it this far. Hopefully you will consider this when you decide to make your next smart phone/computer purchase.

Pancakes

Late last year Stacey got me some pancake molds, which I finally got to use today. They turned out pretty well, plus I was able to make my Lion talk and tell jokes.

he he

they just found me  :)

Location : 3385 Keyser Pkwy, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223,

Hiding out

Smart phones are awesome when playing hide and seek with a three year old.  Gives me something to do while she is searching for me.  :)

Oh excellent, mom is helping to look for me now too.  We will see how long this takes now.

Location : 3385 Keyser Pkwy, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223,

Buzz

Google launched Buzz today.  http://buzz.google.com

Looks pretty cool so far.

Location : 3385 Keyser Pkwy, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223,

AggroLAN

Its time for another LAN party! This is an event I do once or twice a year that usually involves me adding new electrical panels to my basement to support everyone.

Even if you aren't interested in LAN's, go to the site and check out the attendees page. This year I added some cool things with mapping where everyone is coming from.

Chrome Extensions

If you are using Chrome, here is a quick list of extensions that you really should have. (Extensions are just small addons to the browser)

• AutoPager - Automatically loads the next page. Install it, then do a google search for anything, then just scroll down, you'll see it right away.
• InvisibleHand - Alerts you to the cheapest price online when shopping. Only shows up when needed and it is just awesome.
• PDF Viewer - Allows you to view PDF's using google reader, instead of loading acrobat reader. All about speed here, googles reader is WAY faster then the bloatware that is Acrobat.
• If you use gmail, wave, google voice, google reader, etc: One Number - Alerts you to new email, etc. If you just use gmail, try the Gmail Checker instead.
• LastPass extension allows you to save all your online passwords and quickly log to websites. I store all of our passwords on this site. They really do an excellent job with security as well, your passwords are never actually stored anywhere other then your computer.

And if you aren't using Chrome, I would recommend that you check it out. It is quite a bit quicker then the other browsers out there.

Wesley

Wesley has recently turned into a lap cat.  He used to never want to sit still for very long and now he is on my lap at least twice a day.  He also appears to be getting a few gray whiskers so maybe this just goes with old age. 

Saturday

Stacey is cleaning in the basement today so I get to have fun with the kids. We are currently playing trains with the Thomas train set.

New Bicycle

Kyla riding her new bicycle around the basement.