Don't Hassel the 'Hoff

I know this has been on a lot of blogs but I just gotta say it's really impressive to see a man embrace his own pathetic-ness.

An iPod Tract

Thanks to http://wittenbergs.com/carson for this.

Help A Sister Out

My friend is a great photographer and has an awesome website. She is having problems getting her website to register on a google search. I was trying to help but all the stuff I read on search engine optimization went right over my head.

So, being the old Reformer that I am, I thought I'd try a grassroots approach. I was hoping you would all consider adding a link to her website to your blog. I know that helped my traffic and helped my google search optimization.

If you know anythingthing about search engine optimization, you can talk to her hubby over here.

Got Mac??

Here's an article by Apple. It outlines all the reasons I've switched to the good guys. For all my friends who don't understand why I've switched, read on.

Do you have a MAC yet? NO! What are you waiting for? Are you tired of searching for drivers, or scanning for viruses? Life is easier with a MAC. Below are 14 reasons for you to buy a MAC as your next computer.

1. It just works.
How much time have you spent troubleshooting your PC? Imagine a computer designed by people who hate to waste time as much as you do. Where all the hardware and software just works, and works well together. Get a Mac and get your life back. More

2. You can make amazing stuff.
Every Mac comes with iLife ’06, a suite of software that transforms your photos, music, and video into all kinds of projects. Make high-quality websites, photo books, DVDs, songs, slideshows, music CDs, calendars, cards, prints, podcasts, music videos, documentaries, and more. More

3. Design that turns heads.
You won’t want to hide your Mac in a corner of the den. You’ll want it front and center in your life. The Apple style shows in every detail, from its sculpted surfaces to its gorgeous Mac OS X graphics. More

4. 114,000 Viruses? Not on a Mac.
Mac OS X was designed with security in mind. Windows just wasn’t built to bear the onslaught of attacks it suffers every day. A Mac offers a built-in firewall, doesn’t advertise its existence on the Net, and isn’t compromised within an hour of being turned on. More

5. Next year’s OS today.
Since Mac OS X engineers aren’t busy damming a flood of viruses, they have the time to think up amazing new technology. Like Dashboard widgets, mini-applications offering a world of capabilities just a keystroke away. Or a built-in RSS news reader. More

6. The latest Intel chips.
Intel Core Duo processors put you on the cutting edge. In fact, a Mac with an Intel chip is so fast it surprises even longtime Windows pundits, who keep running benchmarks again and again. Results? Fast. Fast. Yup, still fast. More

7. Instant video chats.
Setting up a video chat with the people next door — or across the globe — should be as simple as picking up the phone. On a Mac, you just click an icon to have a four-way video chat in a full-screen window with amazing clarity and special effects. More

8. More fun with photos.
On a Mac, you don’t need any extra software to make a photo book. You don’t have to leave your photo software to visit a separate website and wait for forms to load. All you need is a camera and a Mac. More

9. One-click websites.
How long does it take to post a photo or video to your blog on a PC? On a Mac, you can shoot a picture or a movie with the built-in camera, then post it on the web in a few clicks. Pontificate, preachify, and publish. The hardest part is coming up with something to say. More

10. Amazing podcasts.
Want to get your message out to the world? Podcast it. A Mac makes it simple to create professional podcasts, complete with artwork. Add sound effects and jingles, even use the built-in radio engineer to make it perfect. So you can be a talk star in seconds. More

11. Rock star tunemaking.
Musicians get all the girls (or guys). And a Mac has the software to turn you into the musician of your dreams. Choose from hundreds of cool riffs and instruments to create your own songs. Get good enough and you could be on iTunes. More

12. Hollywood-style movies.
Connect your DV camera and turn your movies into spectaculars. Add graphics, titles, and sound effects in minutes. Then use your Mac to burn a DVD or post to your website. More

13. No hunting for drivers.
Just plug in your stuff. A Mac includes USB drivers for mass storage, digital cameras, input devices, iPod, and more. It can see Bluetooth cell phones and headsets, as well as FireWire cameras. No rebooting. More

14. Awesome out of the box.
Other computers include software, it’s true. But once you start using that software, you find that you’re hobbled in some way or another. Software included with the Mac, on the other hand, is critically acclaimed as best in class. More

Thanks Friends

Thanks for all your well wishing and prayers as we enter this adoption process. We're taking the first cheque to the adoption agency tomorrow morning. We officially start counting then. That's when the "gestation" period begins.

OK I better stop there before I say something silly.

The Big News REVEALED!!!

OK well I guess there are 2 things:

1.
I made a fantastic Mango Lime Chile Sauce to go with our barbequed salmon last night. I'm really coming along in my cooking skills, especially if I get to try something exotic.

2.
OK OK Here's the real big news. Wanda and I have decided to take the plunge and register with an adoption agency for the purpose of adopting a child. Many of you will already know the journey we've been on for the last 9 years (not a typo) trying to get pregnant. We feel the time is right to adopt. Waiting until today to tell you was because yesterday was our first appointment at the adoption agency. The process is that we'll have a home study done (which takes three months) and then we'll wait up to 1 1/2 years for a baby.

Another exciting part is that this agency specializes in adoptions from China. There is a strong likelihood we will adopt a girl from China. To tell you why China is a good fit for us would take a while so if I actually see any of you in person I'll explain it. We'll have to travel there to pick her up but they have an incredibly organized program and it's almost like having a short holiday in China and picking up your new child at the same time (that might be a little crude but these people really know what they're doing). I can't really tell you how excited I am right now. Even talking (writing) about it gets me to another level of glee. Please pray for our future child.

Think about this; if we adopt from China, our baby may be in her mommy's tummy right now. And the crazy thing is that they don't even want her. I promise to update the blog everytime we have something new to tell regarding this process. Our first and next step is to fill out the application (done) and send in the first cheque to start the home study. The home study is what freaks me out the most because it can feel quite invasive from what I've heard.

A ball park figure is that the whole process from today until we're home with our child may take anywhere from 12-16 months. Stay tuned for more.

Next Week

Well we hope to have some big news to report middle of next week so I hope you all had a great weekend. I'll post on Thursday to let you know our news.

Wow.....

I didn't think I'd post again so quick but I read this and was astounded.

Who is Reading Books (and who is not)

One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Many do not even graduate from high school.
58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
42% of college graduates never read another book.
80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57% of new books are not read to completion.
--Jerrold Jenkins.

http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/statistics.cfm

I'm Back

In true Po-Mo Blog Boy fashion, here's what we've been up to in our absence from blogging :
822 kilometres to Kamloops and back
0 good cups of coffee in Kamloops
39 degrees Celcius each of the..
3 days we were there
2 waterfights with our nephew, Kyan
1 new God-daughter visited (picture to follow)
102 booths visited at Kamloops Canada Day celebration
THEN......
3 nights that friends spent with us at our place after we got back
1 game of Settlers of Catan

So yeah that's about it. Hope yer'all getting the summer started right. Come visit us!!!!!