Is it Holiday Music or Christmas Music

So the other day I was importing a new CD into iTunes. Kidz Bop Christmas to be exact and when iTunes downloaded the track names etc. it tagged the genre as Holiday. Then I looked at my Christmas music play list and noticed that all the Christmas music I have is tagged as Holiday music.

This brings up two questions. First is there any other Holiday's with music associated with them?

And then, why not tag Christmas music as Christmas. I'm sure it's so some dip shit isn't offended, but the only people who are going to by Christmas music are people who are not offended by Christmas music to begin with.

Crazy.

Family Christmas Tree 2007

We once again made our annual journey up into the mountains to get our Christmas tree. What amazes me is how different and unique each year is.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

I have never read anything by John Steinbeck so I figured this book would be a good place to start. I was not disappointed. It's a short story of commitment, loneliness, hope and loss.

The story is just long enough to completely suck you in but short enough that it's easily a weekend read. I enjoyed this book so much I'm going to try and convince my wife to read it next When my girls are older it will be required reading.

This is a true classic and worth every bit of your time.

Potty Trained!

That's right folks for over two weeks we've been diaper/pull-up free and we're not looking back. It's a beautiful thing but it still feels odd to go to the grocery store and not buy pull-ups or diapers.

Put Him Back

John Cloud at TIME sums up how I feel about J.K. Rowling announcing that Dumbledore is gay. It makes me wonder what her agenda is.

Put Dumbledore Back in the Closet

Everything I Thought About Swinging Was Wrong

I ran across this survey the other day: Today's Alternative Marriage Styles:
The Case of Swingers

Very fascinating. I was especially surprised by table 14 that showed that 78.5% of swingers are very happy in their marriages compared to 64% for non-swinging couples. Table 16 blew my mind as well with 62% of both females and males being happier in their marriages after swinging.

Those are just two examples that surprised me but the entire report is very interesting. I guess it goes to show you what assuming can do. I wouldn't have believed any thing would be like that for swingers.

Cold Mountain

Here's another book that I've read after watching the movie.

This is an interesting book if you don't mind a story with a slower pace. I know of two other people who I work with that didn't finish it due to it's pace. I, however, enjoyed it. Part of the draw for me was the descriptions of life back then.

I did have issues with the ending. So much of the story is about Ada learning to survive on her own and Inman returning home that when they were finally reunited I became rapidly bored. Here the two have been in one adventure after the other and then they hang out in a cabin for what seems forever.

I enjoyed this book but not enough to read Mr. Frazier's next one.

From the Mouth of a Two Year Old

"Daddy! Look at my butt! Look at my butt Daddy! Do you want to spank it?"

Two thoughts ran through my mind as my youngest told me this after her bath.

First, shouldn't this be happening when she's A LOT older and not with me around? There's somethings a parent just doesn't want to know.

Second, where in the world did she pick this up from? I better talk to her mother.

Tour De Boise 2007

My Wife and I rode in this year's Tour De Boise. We signed up for the 30 mile ride (which is actually closer to 26 miles), however, after the rest area that is halfway for the 15 mile ride you approach a steep climb. The wife and her friend turned around, but I continued on. It was tough but I made it.

Once we finished they had an excellent lunch with some incredible food. Without a doubt they had some of the best food I've ever had for something like this. Unfortunately I can't remember any of the restaurants that supplied the food. Oh well, maybe next year!

We Made It! For now.

Well we made it. My wife and I were not laid off. Hopefully business picks up and we can stay employed for a good long time.

We Could Lose Our Jobs

My employer is going to being laying off a bunch of people. Information is vague at this point so we're walking on egg shells at work.

No one knows who will be laid off or spared so my wife and I are both on the chopping block.

Not a very fun time.

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

This was an enjoyable book. It still doesn't displace The Old Man and the Sea as my favorite Hemingway novel.

In a nut shell this is a story of Hemingway's time in Paris in the 1920's as part of the Lost Generation.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters concerning F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda.

Another thing to note is how Hemingway already considered himself a great writer. I'm surprised at this since for the majority of the book he hadn't published The Sun Also Rises yet. Perhaps it's either Hemingway's notorious ego or that fact that this was written towards the end of his life.

Anyway, this is a good yet short read, check it out.

Kristen's Crazy World

My sister-in-law has started a blog. You can find it here: Kristen's Crazy World.

Bob LeBow 2007

This one's a little late, but my wife and I completed this years 35 mile Bob LeBow Bike Tour.

This was an important ride as it is the one we crashed in last year. It went pretty well all things considered. Amy was super nervous during the ride as it was her longest ride to date this year, not to mention the mental baggage from crashing last year.

Our next upcoming charity ride is the Tour De Boise. I'm not sure if we're riding the 15 or 30 mile route yet but I do hope it's fun.

First Camping Trip

Well our little family finally went on our first camping trip. We went up to a little spot along the North Fork of the Boise River just North of Idaho City.

Our girls had a blast. Their favorite parts were playing in the dirt and sleeping in their new sleeping bags. All of us can't wait till we can go again.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Here's an incredible story about following your dreams.

It's a simple story about a shepherd boy from Spain who travels to the pyramids in Egypt to find a buried treasure. Along the way he meets all sorts of different characters who help him along the way.

I really enjoyed this story. Part of its appeal is in its simplicity. The story never tries to be more than it really is unlike most current novels.

There's nothing really new or surprising in regards to the plot of finding ones dreams, but the beautiful way in which it is told will keep you enchanted.

Another must read.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This is the best first novel by a living author that I've read in a long, long time.

Diane weaves a fascinating tale that, once you get past the first couple of chapters, will hook you and make this book very difficult to put down.

I won't go into what the story is about as there's a lot of other places where you can get that, but this is a highly recommended read. If you enjoy a good story that will keep you guessing this is the book for you.

I will be looking forward to Diane's next book.

Now do yourself a favor and go out and grab a copy for yourself.

Cycle For Independence 2007

My Wife and I rode in the Cycle for Independence this year. We rode the 25 mile route.

This is the first of four charity rides that we plan on doing this year. It may also be the shortest. The next one coming up is Bob LeBow where we will be riding the 35 mile route once again. Followed by the Tour De Boise(40 miles) and last but not least the Blues Cruise.

Each ride will be setting a new distance record for Amy since her accident. However she continues to get stronger and I think after Bob LeBow we'll see real progress since that was the ride she had her accident in last year.

Anyway, back to the Cycle for Independence. There was approximately 300 riders for the event and it seemed like the majority of riders had some sort of corporate sponsors.

It started out windy but not unbearable and it was an excellent way to really kick off cycling season.

How Did You Spend Mother's Day?

As you can tell ours was peaceful.

Crystal Light or Crystal Meth?

So were at the grocery store and the kids want some sort of drink. We happen to see a shelf full of various Crystal Light On the Go drink mixes and we decide to buy a box for them.

We get home, eat dinner, and all is well. Then we decide to make the drink...

About an hour has passed, the kids have both downed their drink and I decide to make some for myself. That's when I notice a couple of key words on the box; "Energy", and "Caffeine".


To make a long story short. One kid stayed awake until after 10 p.m. The other until 1 a.m.

Watership Down - the Book and the Movie

I've been meaning to post about this for awhile as I finished both over a month ago. Anyway on to my thoughts.

The Book: Watership Down the novel is an incredible story. I won't say too much about it as there's plenty of reviews all over the place except that I enjoyed it enough that now that I've read it and own a copy I will read it several times in my future I'm sure. In fact for my kids if it's not assigned in school when their old enough it will be required summer reading. Everyone should check this out.

The Movie: This may have been a good animated movie back in the seventies, but watching it on DVD now is a disaster. The color fluctuates from frame to frame in some spots, the animation is inconsistent, the sound is off in parts. That's just technical stuff. As for the "story" part well that's a mess. If your curious about Watership Down and think that watching the movie first to gauge your interest is the way to go do yourself a favor and don't. This DVD is a complete waste of time and money. The only good thing I can say about it is at least I rented it rather than bought the piece of shit.

Back on the Bike

Well my wife is riding once again. Today we went on an eight mile ride. Nothing major but a good ride to see how she felt riding that far with her new fitting and also to see how the physical therapy is going for her.

Today wasn't her strongest ride, but it's the first time since her accident where you could tell she was riding comfortably and relaxed. In fact when were where returning she was very chipper and even did a small sprint (a rarity in and of itself).

With this amount of progress she'll be ready for the Cycle for Independence that's coming up next month.

I can't wait to watch her progress continue.

Wobble-Naught Bike Fitting

My wife and I recently had our bikes fitted using Wobble Naught over at George's Cycles at their front street store.

What an amazing difference it has made! I am not a professional cyclist by any means and I went into this for the most part out of curiosity. My bike (a Specialized Roubaix Comp)was already "fit" based on things I'd read in books and online so I figured I had it dialed in close to where it should be and only small minor tweaks would be needed. Was I ever wrong. My saddle height increased close to an inch, by stem was lowered and both cleats were adjusted as well. It has made a huge difference. I didn't realize how big of a difference this would make both in my comfort and even my performance. I ride faster and more comfortable than I ever have before.

I can't recommend Wobble-Naught enough, and when I buy my next bike I'll have this done from the very beginning.

Wii Are Back... Again

Well our Nintendo Wii has returned once again from repairs. So far everything this running smoothly but I haven't had much time to use it yet. Hopefully this coming weekend I'll get some Zelda time in. On thing that's interesting is since this is the third time the console has been shipped it's got light scratches on it. Nothing major and you can't see them in the TV stand but it is disappointing. Hopefully this is the end of my console troubles.

Adventures of Jen

One of my sisters started blogging on Blogger so go check her out.

Adventrues of Jen & Other Fun Stuff

Sunray Premium Playground Part 2

One thing I should add about putting this play set together. It's wise to both watch the video and read the instructions together. There's a number of times where the video will give you a key piece of information that is not included in the instructions. Just a tip for anyone who's also putting one together.

In Every Married Man's Mailbox

The Wii Has Been Shipped

My second Wii system has been shipped back to Nintendo today. Now we'll see if they fix the one I sent or send me another system once again.

Another Wii Bites The Dust

It hasn't been a full month and my second Wii is having problems and going in for repairs. This time they think it is something rubbing against the fan. I really hope this will be the last of my Wii problems. Having one system have a problem is one thing but two in a row... Wii are starting to get upset. I'll post more info as more is found out.

The Playground

I've been spending the past week or so putting together a swing set for the kids. Specifically the Sunray Premium Playgrounds set from Costco. It took me about 21 hours to put together along with my wife helping when she could. The kids love it so it's all worthwhile.

Wii Turned

Well I got my Wii back. In total it took about a week and a half including shipping both ways for it to be returned to me.

I still don't know what was wrong with it and the "fix" was to send me a brand new Wii. So far I haven't had much time to play it as I've been building a swing set for my kids. However, I have had time to make sure it works. One nice touch is Nintendo transfer all of my information to this new system so all my network settings, game saves, Mii, etc. were all ready to go. The only thing I found odd is I did have to install the latest system update. You think they would have taken care of that already. Oh, and the channels I have downloaded previously need to be re-downloaded. No big deal.

This new system doesn't seem to feel as hot in standby mode as my previous system. I'll see how it preforms running Twilight Princess this weekend.

Wii Will Be Back Soon

Well my Wii was shipped out today. UPS says it should arrive on Monday. Now it's just a waiting game to see what happens. I'm curious as to what the fix will be but I don't I'll find out. I'll post again once it's returned.

Tragedii for Mii

I've been enjoying my Wii since the middle of December and now Tragedii has struck. My system is having issues with it's graphics processor and needs to be send in for repairs. You can see some screens of a similar issue with another guy here. So far I've called Nintendo and they're getting me set up to send in the system for repair. I'll post how everything goes from now until I get the console back.

The Final Frontier?

The last lovemaking taboo lifted?

Why Costco Rocks

Here's an excellent article on why Costco is a great (and rare) company.

Costco: The anti-Wal-Mart

I really like how the CEO of the company isn't a billionaire and isn't trying to be a corporate rock star. Too bad more companies don't have executives of this caliber.

The Best Thing About Valentine's Day

The best thing about Valentine's Day is that it's over. Who needs a holiday to tell someone they love them?

What Book Am I?

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.

Take the Book Quiz

What is ironic is I starting reading reading Watership Down a couple of weeks ago.

The IHOP Experiance

After having dinned at several different IHOP restaurants in several different towns I now believe that you can count on the service to be extremely slow and the food to be mediocre especially for the price you pay. It will be long time before I partake of that mess.