Happy Anniversary, My Dear

Hey there. Today marks our 6th year anniversary! Not to be confused with our marriage anniversary. That's coming in July. lol 6 years ago, I asked the woman of my dreams to be mine. She is my angel. She not only took me in as her significant other, but took on 2 little ones as well. In an instant, my 19 year old girlfriend had a family of 4. That's a lot to handle for any young woman, yet, there she stood, by my side, ready to take on the challenges of motherhood and family life. It hasn't always been easy, we've had our rough patches like anyone else would, but we got through them and it's made our relationship just that much more stronger. So here's to you, my better half, the love of my life, and my best friend. I love you.



A Path of Love


Through thick and thin
We've walked a path
That together we have blazed

Though fire and ice
Have littered our way
We continued, hand on hand

With love and passion
We carried on
Through our trials and tribulations

As demons come
we've marched on
And slain them with conviction

As angles fly
We've been blessed
With our own kin to carry on

The unknown path
We'll follow thruogh
Together side by side

What crosses our way
We'll not yet know
But together we stand strong

Our path is young
We have yet to see
What the future has in store for us

Let's walk together
My love, my life
And continue our walk to bliss.

Let the Spirit of Christmas Ring with 60 Christmas Carols For Kids

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Madacy Entertainment. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. You guys want to know a secret? I love Christmas carols! As I'm walking down the isles of a store or walking through the mall, it's not uncommon to have music resonating. Now that Christmas is near, that music is more often than not Christmas music. I'll sing quietly to myself, or sing loudly to make the kids smile. They only know a few of the songs so when I'm singing a song they are not familiar with, they give me this look that says, "Dad, you're crazy." lol Well, I'm looking to get the kids familiarized with the Christmas carols and what better way to get that done than with the album, "60 Christmas Carols For Kids" by Countdown Kids.

Spanning across 3 discs, you'll get Christmas favorites like Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer as well as old time favorites like O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Angels From The Realms Of Glory, I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In. It's a great collection to introduce the young and old to great Christmas carols and considering that retailers are offering "Black Friday" sales, you can pick up your digital download of this album for a mere $3.69 as opposed to $9.49. That's approx. $.06 a song!

Act today and score your copy of 60 Christmas Carols For Kids for less than $4. Later!

Motivational Sunday - Priorities

Hey there.  Once upon a time, I was a hard core gamer.  I'd skip school (middle school and high school) to stay home and play games all day long.  I remember this one particular time when Megaman X first came out for the SNES.  I bought it, stayed home from school that day, and passed the game...  All in one sitting.  lol  It's pretty obvious that I didn't have my priorities straight then.  That's why I decided to use the below poster for "priorities", complete with a SNES!  lol  Later!  

An IZEA and Jones Soda Thanksgiving

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Jones Soda. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. A week or so ago, I was privileged enough to receive a little green box with a IZEA written all over it. I was excited. It is my first,of what I hope is many, freebie gift packs from SocialSpark and IZEA. I open the contents and am glad to see that I have been a cool turkey hat and a bottle of Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda . The soda intrigued me so. I've never heard of Tofurky and gravy flavored soda and I was even more impressed to read the label and find out that the whole bottle of soda contained 0 calories. That's pretty healthy for a soda. I cracked it open and gave it a sip.

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised.  There have been some great flavor combination in the history of mankind.  Peatnut butter and Jelly, mashed potatoes and gravy, and turkey and gravy to name a few great ones, but not many people like gravy all over their turkey, I do, so I was pretty stoked to taste the flavoring in soda form.  Too bad that some of my vegetarian friends have not experienced such a flavorful combo.  This is another reason why Jones Soda is so great.  It is 100% vegan! 

I have a friend that is vegan and has yet to experience the gravy and turkey experience.  I plan on sending him the extra IZEA package that I received.  Did I not mention it?  I RECEIVED A SECOND BOX!!!  I'm not exactly sure how that happened but the very next day, after I received my IZEA package, I received a second one with the same contents.  I plan on sending him that second box so that he can taste for himself the Jones Soda experience and have a nice keepsake from IZEA, the people that made it all happen.

Check out all of the flavors and deals besides the Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda that Jones Soda Company has to offer. If you act quickly, you may still have a chance to purchase Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda gift pack which will include an original and collectible tin lunch box.  Check it out, my vegan friends.  Later!

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey there. Happy thanksgiving, friends! I wish you guys nothing but the best and I hope you all have a great time tonight. Nothing beats a good time with friends and family. Especially on a day where we give thanks for all that we have. Later!

My Wife's Mission and a Pair of Easy Tone Shoes

Hey there.  As many of you know, we've recently welcomed a little one to our family.  We're thrilled and happy that he's blessed our lives.  Now, my wife is dealing with the aftermath of pregnancy.  My wife gained approx. 50 lbs during her pregnancy.  She takes good care of herself and she watches what she eats, but I strongly believe that during pregnancy, her body holds on to extra weight despite her efforts to keep it minimal.  Last week, we went to visit Dr. Bohn and she finally gave my wife the thumbs up to exercise.  My wife wasted no time and she's been walking/running close to 5 miles every other day.  Last night, I bought her a pair of the new Reebok Easy Tone shoes.  She's mentioned them to me before and considering that she's a semi health nut, she would love a pair.  I was planning on getting them for our anniversary (Nov. 30th for those of you who forgot!) but I gave them to her early so that she can use them during her workouts.

Now, these shoes are little odd to me, since they claim to work our your buns, thighs, and calves simply by walking in them.  Make no mistake about it, you need balance to walk in these shoes.  I tried them on, for the sake of curiosity, and I felt as if I was tilting to one side while walking.  My wife has had them on all day and she feels that it is definitely doing something to her lower half of her body.  She's hoping that they'll help to reshape her body to what it was before we had our little one in the oven. 

I need to start getting in shape too.  I've put on a few pounds with our pregnancy and I think I'm getting a little flabby around the waist.  The best way to support my wife would be to join her in her activities.  Well, at least I'd like to think so.  If any of you guys have heard or have any experiences with these shoes, let me know what you think.  It's still our first day using them and my wife feels something but you know how things are...  is it because she wants to feel something or is she feeling something because they're actually working.  I'd like to think that they're working.  When we met up for lunch, she said that her butt hurt like hell.  lol  Let me know friends.  Later!

Let Your Voice be Heard by Singing in the Popstation Contest

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Popstation. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. Have you ever sat down and watched American Idol on TV and figured that you could do better? If only those auditions were held in my city then I'd give it a shot and show those celebrity judges a real voice? Well, now is your chance to let the masses hear your voice. Grab that microphone and head on over to PopStation.

Popstation.com is a website where an everyday Joe, like myself, can grab a mic and sing a song for my fellow peers to hear and judge. You can upload original content or you can enter into their contests and score some really big prizes. As in THE BIG DEAL type prize. If you can promote your song to #1, you can win an all expense paid trip to New York City where you will spend 2 days enjoying the sites. Oh, and did I forget to mention that you will record your very own record. That's right, your very own record deal!

Sign up is free and entering the contest is a breeze. You simply check out the song that is currently playing in the practice rooms and make it your own. You can then record your very own version of the song and once you're confident that it's the best that you got, you can upload it to Popstation as an MP3 file. You then can enter your song into the contest and watch your version of the song rise the charts! There's all sorts of neat badges that you can display on your profile, such as top 100 artist, but what you really want to reach #1 to be considered for The Big Deal prize. It is awarded once every 3 months and the winners professional recording will be made available under the "Artists" section of Popstation.

And the best part? You can choose a genre that you would like to sing to. Do you have a heart for country music? . Or are you a great voice with soul? Then head on over to the Hip Hop/ R&B section and show us what you got. Or do you have a great rock voice (like your truly. =oD)? Then show us your chops under the Rock songs and strut your stuff.

If you have the voice, then show the world. You definitely need to check out this community of talented voices and see where you stack up amongst your peers. I'm creating my profile as we speak. I'll probably be under The Artist formerly known as Metallman. lol Wait! I guess I need to be an artist first before I can be "formerly" be an artist. I guess Metallman will do. lol Hope to see your profile soon as well. Later!

Motivational Poster - Stalkers

Hey there. I'm still in the dark in regards to Twilight. I know there are vampires and it's some kind of love story. Well, if it's anything like the below, I don't see how anyone can find it romantic. I wouldn't want some blood sucking beast watch me sleep. What is it plotting? Hell with that. I need to call Blade! Later!

Olivia Munn Loves Me!!!

Hey there. I was beginning to lose hope. Disappointment was beginning to set in. It has been months since I sent in my copy of Playboy to Olivia Munn to sign and send back. Well guess what?!?! I got it back! Whoo hoo! It took over 4 months but I finally got back my signed copy of Olivia Munn's Playboy with her on cover. AND... She says she loves me. lol

Olivia's Twitter and website showed the amount of Playboys she had to sign. She continued to get more and more boxes and it felt that she'd be fed up with em and just toss em in a fire. lol She stuck it out and last week said that ALL Playboys would be signed and everyone should be getting their copy by the end of the week. Considering that she's a busy woman, I didn't think she would pull it off but check it out. It's the end of the week and I have my copy. Thank you Ms. Munn! Later!

Make Downloading Photos Easier with Eye-Fi

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Eye-Fi. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. A week or so before Halloween, I invited some friends and family over for "Halloween Rockband". We all dressed up in our costumes and we enjoyed a few drinks and rocked the night away. But guess what... You, my friends, didn't get to see any of the pictures. Why? Because I have no idea where the USB cable is for the camera. It's extremely frustrating to have pictures sit in my camera's memory card. Halloween Rockband was not the only night that where I had a great opportunity to write and post pictures of an awesome night, but it didn't happen because I do not like to post about activities without pictures. If only I had an Eye-Fi SD card then I know I would get more pictures into the computer and more pictures into my posts.

Eye-Fi is a revolutionary SD card that has built in Wi-Fi. That's right, built in Wi-Fi that will enable you to transfer pictures to the web directly from your camera. No more cables, no more lost pictures, no more lost opportunities to post about some pretty awesome experiences. With a Eye-Fi SD card, you could easily transfer your pictures directly to Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, among other sites, as soon as you snap your picture. How great is that?!
I still have my pictures in my camera. It has gotten to the point where I don't even bother taking additional pictures because I have gotten discouraged with the fact that I can't download the pictures. Don't let this happen to you. You can pick your own Eye-Fi SD card Best Buy, The Apple Store, or Frys Electronics.

Do you need a little demonstration? Check out the video below to get a better understanding of how easy it is to use and download pictures. It is definitely something that you should check out. Later!

Gross Profit, Current Assets, and Financial Statements

Hey there. Today was just a tough day at work. A tough week actually. I have been asked to follow a certain Major Department store that our sales team wants to pursue. I have looked over the financial statements and this company is just not profitable. Why would you want to invest in a company that is losing millions of dollars a quarter? I just don't understand that logic. I've spent the last 3 days spreading financial statements, reading their SEC reports, and typing up an extensive report on my findings. All for the best interest of the company that I work for. Yet, I feel as if my word means nothing, even though I have been labeled as "an integral and vital part of this organization". Instead of a good old pat in the back or a "good job", I get an Email from the president of sales stating that we're pursuing them anyways. lol Yeah... Just like that... 3 days of hard work, all for it to be flushed down by a simple Email. *sigh* The life of a credit analyst is never easy... Later.

Dr. Oetker's Make it Like Mama Giveaway

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dr. Oetker. All opinions are 100% mine.
Hey there friends. Looking to revamp your kitchen? Are you just not satisfied with it and you feel that there may be a need for a change? Well, that next slice of pizza may be your ticket to a whole new kitchen! The Dr. Oetker Kitchen Makeover Contest is underway and you could be the lucky grand prize winner of a $20,000 kitchen makeover. So how can a slice of pizza bring you this good fortune? Quite simple, really. Specially marked packages of Casa di Mama Pizza will have secret PIN numbers that you can enter here for an entry into the contest. If you sign up to be a Savoury Moments Member before the contest ends, you'll receive a free PIN number to gain your first entry into the contest.

And if you're not chosen to be the lucky grand prize winner, don't fret. Our good friends at Whirlpool will give 8 secondary winners a choice of fridge/freezer, freestanding electric range, dishwasher or microwave. AND, an additional 2,000 winners will instantly win free pizza, courtesy of Casa di Mama Pizza, or a free pizza cutter. The contest is available to all our Canadian friends and the contest ends on January 4th, 2010, with the winners announced shortly thereafter. There is still time to get those entries in!

My wife has been wanting a new kitchen for the longest. She has the ideal kitchen etched in her brain and we simply don't have the money to make it happen. If we were to win the grand prize, it would definitely make her one happy woman. She's even stated that if the kitchen were more to her liking, she would do more of the extra curricular stuff like baking. I sure do love some home made cookies! I've got my entry in, have you? Later!

Our Oldest Daughter is Not Doing Homework

Hey there. Our oldest daughter is giving us issues and it's frustrating the hell out of me. Her teacher requires that my daughter returns a reading journal with our initials and a homework log signed by a parent. We have yet to see a reading log. Her excuse for that was that her teacher had not assigned any yet and the homework log disappeared after she took a week off while she was sick. Her excuse for that was that her teacher didn't assign homework for a week (which was hard to swallow but we believed her) and then she merely "forgot" the book in school for the following week. Now, my wife receives a call from her teacher stating that no homework has been turned in the past few weeks and the reading log has not been completed since who knows when. Needless to say, we are extremely upset and disappointed. ESPECIALLY, since just 2 days ago, she was awarded medals and a certificate for outstanding academic achievements. It sucks as a parent to come crashing down after such a high.

Now, we are upset and my daughter is at home. I haven't had a chance to discuss with my wife, since I'm at work. She conveyed this conversation to me via text messages. This isn't the first time that we've had issues with homework. We just don't know what kind of punishment would fit the crime. We've taken away TV and games, we've taken away her play privileges, and we've even sat her down at the kitchen table for a full week. Yet, we continue to have this issue with her and homework. Any suggestions to alternate forms of discipline? And the fact that she does well in school is what is frustrating the hell out of us. She gets the student of the month, author of the month, great leader, and other types of accolades from school, but what is it about homework that is just not registering with this one young. We'll figure it out... Until then, later.

Monetize Your Tweets with SponsoredTweets.Com

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Sponsored Tweets. All opinions are 100% mine.
Hey there friends. I am a big fan of IZEA, Inc. I have made many friends and do good work for them. So when they launched Sponsored Tweets a few months back, I just had to check them out. I already had a Twitter account so I needed to do was sign up for sponsored tweets and I was ready to go. The system is so easy that you literally just sit back and wait for the opportunities to come to you. As long as you have your profile updated, you will be matched to advertisers that are looking for people just like you. Once the advertiser decides you are the person for the job, you'll receive an Email and BAM!, you're in business.

And the best part is that you can name your own price! Do you feel that you are a well known online celebrity, like Ted Murphy of IZEA, Inc? Then do what he did and ask for $100 a tweet! That's right my friends, $100 a tweet! Don't believe me? Check it out.

I'm not as cool or as popular as Ted so my asking price is significantly lower, but what I will say is that Sponsored Tweets has already generated enough income for a nice family dinner. lol

Sponsored Tweets is so popular amoung active Twitter users that even some celebrities have joined in. It's not uncommon to see Kim Kardashian or Holly Madison do a Sponsored Tweet every now and then. If celebrities, with the busy schedules and all, can find time for a Sponsored Tweet or two, what's to stop you from joining and earning a few bucks?

Sign up for Sponsored Tweets today and see what all the commotion is about. You'll be glad you did. Later!

It Was Just One of Those Days

Hey there. Anything that could go wrong, will go wrong. I've heard it many times before and usually you don't get the worst of things. Well, yesterday, it finally happened.

Monday morning started out rough. We got up late and after rushing the kids to get ready, we were out the house approx. 10 mins late. I go to the van to turn it on and it won't start... Are you kidding me?!?! Our new van, which we have not had for a month is not starting. I tell the kids to go back in the house while I tinker with the battery. After about 5 mins, I figure that I can't deal with it now and load up the family in our car, the 5 passenger Mazda. It was a tight fit for our family of 6, but we all squeezed in OK.

Things start to look up when I get a call from my aunt saying my little cousin, who has been in the hospital for over a month, is being released. She is throwing her a welcome home party at her place and wants us to be there. "Great!", I think. Then, a few hours later... The hospital is not releasing her. Are you kidding me?!?!?! They kept her admitted while they deal with her insurance so the welcome home was canceled.

Then, we had our kids' assembly at their school. They were being honored for scoring advanced on the California state tests. I tried to leave a few mins early, but of course, my boss detained me for a bit while I "debriefed" him on the day's work. I left the office later than I wanted too and barely made it in time for our son's assembly (I missed our daughter's). After sitting through the whole assembly, our son's name wasn't called. Are you kidding me?!?!?! We sat through the assembly and they didn't call our son up to receive his award and medal. After a few moments of confusion, the school got it right and acknowledged my son, along with some of his classmates, and awarded them their medals and certificates, BUT.... they did not allow pictures due to them being rushed on stage and then out. A huge bummer.

On our way home, I called some people that were selling a wireless guitar and wireless drum set for Guitar Hero World Tour. My brother broke my Rockband drum set and I need a replacement. This couple is selling their set for $45, which is a steal, so I called them up to let them know we're on our way to pick em up. We meet up with them and they still have the drums and guitar in the original box. Everything looks good. I go home and the Xbox 360 craps out on me... Oh man... 3 red rings of death. So I take the time to fix it and after some time, I finally get it working. I set up Guitar Hero Metallica and I start the game. I check the drums and everything seems OK... until I try the orange cymbal and it's not registering. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! I could not believe the day I was having... After check it out, it looks like the wire connecting the cymbal has been severed. Needless to say, I was upset... I sent a message to the couple to tell them it's busted and they offered a refund. I told them that I'll try to fix it, but if I'm not successful, I'll let them know and they agreed to give me a refund it doesn't work out for me.

I then fed our son, at close to midnight and after lying him down for bed, I realize that the van is not starting and I need to take care of that. I go and grab my light and head outside with my tools. I remove the battery from our car and van and place the car battery in the van. As soon as I hook it up, the back light in the van turns on. Oh man... The kids must have switched on the light and didn't turn off, causing the battery to drain. I turn it off, throw the battery in the van (to be charged later today) and go back inside for some sleep. Time? 2:00AM

Man... It was just one of those days... Later.

LeapFish and Make-a-Wish Foundation Team Up to Make Dreams Come True

Hey there friends. I'm glad that something like this came up. Recently, my family has been through a tough ordeal with my cousin's sickness so seeing a worthy cause like this definitely warms my heart. Jacob, a young one of 4 years old, has Atresia. By definition, Artresia is the "absence of a normal opening or failure of a structure to be tubular." This can affect anything in tubular nature such as the esophagus, the aorta, pulmonary valves, to name a few. Needless to say, the disease is life threatening and claims hundreds of young one's lives a year. LeapFish and Make-a-Wish Foundation have teamed up to alleviate some Jacob's pain and is granting his wish to go to Disneyland. But to do that, they need our help.
Help out by participating in Leapfish's tweet-a-cause. Leapfish is donating $.05 for every tweet that is done through the link. Simply click the link and then click on the "click to tweet" button. It's that easy. At the time of this posting, there have been 833 tweets and that includes my own.

It's that easy to help out a ill boy achieve a goal. Please check out the tweet-a-cause and send out your tweets. If you care to donate a little more, they site makes it easy to donate a little more than the $.05 that your tweet will generate. Let's work together to help Jacob realize his dream. Thanks, friends.

My Little Cousin is Winning the Battle with Meningitis

Hey there. As I've mentioned before, my cousin has been battling meningitis. I am grateful to post that my little cousin is being released from the hospital today! Oh man, is that some great news of what!? I thank all of you that left comments with well wishes and I thank those that left their story in the comments. We were bracing ourselves for a long fought battle with disease but it turns out that my cousin made a wonderful turn for the best and things are looking up. The last time I went to go see her, she could not speak but was allowed to go out in the courtyard of the hospital to hang out with family. The breathing and feeding tubes did some damage to her throat so she was recovering from that. Since hospitals no longer allow children inside, they made special arrangements for her to be allowed outside to hang out with her siblings and family.

My aunt just sent me an Email inviting all of us to her place for a welcome home party. Looks like the family will not be spending Thanksgiving in the hospital this year and Thanksgiving will have a special place in our hearts this year. Thanks!

Need Some Awesome Speakers for Your iPod?

Hey there friends. We've all seen the commercials for iPods. People dancing, while walking down the street with earphones listening to iPods. The white earphones are almost iconic and once someone sees them, they instantly recognize that the user is listening to an iPod. The problem with earphones is that you cannot share the iPod with friends and you're the only one listening to music while shutting everyone else out. Well, not anymore! Check out the Yamaha PDX-60 Ipod speakers!

This easy to use and portable bad boy runs on wireless technology so that you can use it everywhere and anywhere. It uses the Yahama "Yaired" technology to ensure that your Ipod will get superior sound quality without any lag. And since the iPod can be charged at both the speaker and it's cradle, you'll never have to worry about the iPod running out of juice. Did I mention that it's compatible with the iPhone as well? Imagine watching a movie on you iPhone and experiencing rich, quality sound to go along with it?

We don't own a radio at home. All the music that we listen is music that we have on CDs or bought off of iTunes. All of which is placed in our iPod. Our iPod works as our music player at home. The downside to this is that we can only listen to it when it's plugged into our computer or for single use when my wife and I are working out. Having a device like this would greatly enhance our music experience. Since we won't have to share a set of headphones while working out, we would be able to listen to our workout mix and do exercises without being attached to each other by headphones. And the fact that it's wireless really takes the cake. No one likes wires. They can be messy and look awful all bunched up in a corner. The fact that the Yamaha PDX-60 can go anywhere really makes it the device to use for all our iPod listening needs.

The black one above is more my taste, but if my wife finds out that there's a pink one available, she may fight tooth and nail to get that one. lol It comes in four colors (pink, blue, black, and grey) so that you can color coordinate it to your iPod. Technically, it's my wife's iPod so she may end up winning the battle of the color. It's ok though. As long as we're both enjoying the music, I can't complain. Later!

Motivational Sunday - Twilight

Hey there. There's been a lot of talk of Twilight and New Moon. I'll admit that I'm not a fan of the series. It could be that it's just because I haven't read the books but I'm leaning more towards the fact that it's a love story and I think it's more of a "chick" thing. Anyways, from what I know of vampires, I completely agree with the below. THIS is how it should have ended. lol Later!

Dropped off my mother and father in law at LAX. They are off to a 3 week vacation. Hope you guys have a good time. Later.

Family Traditions

Hey here. What are your thoughts on family traditions? I may be missing some, but the only one that I can think of is that we decorate the Christmas tree together as a family every year. Other than that, I am not sure if there is anything else that we do. I mention this because I've put some thought into it and I decided I am going to give my first guitar to my oldest boy this Christmas. All it needs is a change of strings and a good cleaning and it's good to go. It's a junior size Peavy guitar that I do not use and I figured that it would be perfect for him to start learning how to play. I received it as a gift from an uncle from Minnesota and because I received that gift, I blossomed into the guitarist that I am today. I hope that my boy can continue this tradition that I am starting and pass it on to his boy one day. I also plan on giving my acoustic guitar to my newborn son when he's about 10. That way, he too, can continue a tradition of a father passing on his guitar to his son.

I also mentioned starting a new tradition for Thanksgiving. And it would be a chicken wing eating contest. =o) I know it's a little unorthodox but the men in my family love to eat so I figured this would be perfect! The problem is that my son, 10, would be no match for me and my brother. I would love to get this started but I think he needs a few more years on him before he can be competitive. lol I'm sure that some kind of trophy would be involved that one of us would be able to place in our room for the year and bring it to the table to defend the following year. My wife, is not too keen on the idea. lol It's just something that I'm throwing out there since I want to start some long standing traditions in the family.

So far, that's 2 new things that I would like to have go on in my family. I haven't put too much thought into them, but these are just 2 of what I hope are many traditions that I can share with my family. Later!

Leapfish.com - A Smarter Way to Search

Hey there friends. I strongly believe that competition is great for the consumer. A great example of this would be the battle between Google, MSN, and Yahoo for your internet search needs. Each offer their own services in order to entice us to use their search engine. Well, what if I can introduce you to one that can combine all three? Welcome, Leapfish.com.

leapfish is not only a great search engine, but a great source of all things social media. Their home page is customizable to include your Facebook or Twitter account, read up on Us Weekly (or other magazine sites), and check out Youtube's most popular videos. But the search engine is where Leapfish really shines.
I went ahead and entered Metallman's Reverie in the search, just to see what would come up. I was surprised to see that Leapfish not only gave me the search results I was looking for, but gave me the search results for the 3 search engines named above, any Twitter mentions, all blog mentions, AND images in relation to my search. What more can an internet surfer want? Especially one that is active in all things social media?

You definitely want to check out Leapfish.com. Once you give it a go, you may find yourself seriously considering the switch from one of the other guys. Especially bloggers such as myself. Check out this video, it will give you a good look at what leapfish is all about. Later!

A Broken Faucet

Hey there. We have a problem in the kitchen. A few months back, a pot fell on our faucet. Not a big deal right? Well, the faucet we have is made of a plastic material so the hit it took cause a crack in the faucet. It began to leak each time we turned it on but last night was the last straw. We are not sure how it happened but it started to gush at the base of the faucet. You know, the part that allows it swivel. So now, instead of a leak, it's a gush. I turned off the water in the kitchen last night, to avoid wasting water, but I've decided that I need to get a new faucet to replace the old one. I plan on heading out to Home Depot after work to pick one up. Along with some caulking to keep it in place. I'm checking out the site right now to see if they have any that I like available at the store. Ah... The joys of being a home owner. You got to fix any issues yourself. I'm leaning towards the one below. Not too bad, right? Later.

Use Shopobot to Find the Lowest Price Online

Hey there friends. Are you confused with the wide selection of iPods that Apple has out on the market? iPod Touch, iPod Classic, 8Gbs, 16Gbs, 1st generation, 2nd generation... There are so many that it's tough to get a good read as to which iPod is the perfect fit for you. Well, our good friends at Shopobot.com have come up with a nifty price guide to help you along.

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It's a great site that will easy distinguish where you can get any item for the lowest price. Check it out today and see where you'll be purchasing your next item. Later!

Taking Charge of Music Education

Hey there. I've decided. I'm going to be more hands on with the kid's music instruction. I have a flute,my son is learning flute, so Im going to help him practice. I need to take a more active role in their education and I think this is a perfect way to step in and be a part of my son's education. Later.

Motivational Sunday (on Monday) - Motivation

Hey there. I know, I know... I'm a day late on this but in my defense, I forgot. Today's poster is brought to you by the term Motivation itself. I'm sure that we've all thought it, and I'm sure some of us have even said it, but by looking at the below poster, we can all conclude that one point in our lives, it rang true. Later.

The Perfect Chore for Football Sunday

Hey there. The perfect chore for football Sunday is laundry! Think about it men. You sit on a couch, watch TV while folding clothes. It's perfect! I've been doing it since the start of football season and I must say that I don't have a problem doing it. I have noticed that it frustrates me when it's done at any other time, but I guess that because football is on, I can yell at the TV and take out some of that aggression. lol Later.

At the hospital.My little cousin looks great and very happy.The docs are amazed at her recovery. From what im being told she may be able to go home any day now.

An Update on My Little Cousin with Meningitis

Hey there. As I mentioned before, my little cousin has been battling meningitis. It's been a tough ordeal for the family since it's taken a huge toll my little cousin as well as our family. It's tough to see a 5 year old, strapped to her bed, with feeding and breathing tubes coming out of her, all while being heavily sedated. Well, I'm happy to say that she's doing a lot better.

We were worried that the sickness did not affect her brain too much. I don't remember if it is viral or bacteria but the sickness did cause some speech loss, but my lil cousin is smiling, walking, playing, and doing what little girls should be allowed to do. Albeit, in the hospital, but it's better than being drugged up or strapped down to your bed due to involuntary body movements. The doctors have mentioned that she may be allowed to go home very soon. She's still there for some observation and the speech loss is something that she can regain with some therapy. We're hoping for her to be released by her birthday later this month, or at least for Thanksgiving. If all turns out well, our family will have something special to be thankful of this year. Later!

Pathos

I sit here in wonder
In awe and disgrace
Of terms and my trials
That I cannot embrace

My life has passed by
It burned up in flames
All faces and characters
Lived on with no names

No sense of my pride
All down the drain
No wine and no blood
Will flow through these veins

As god as my witness
And cherubs as jury
My days will come pass
I'll full their fury

A life has been wasted
Time has ticked by
Remorse and disdain
I won't fly to the sky

I sit here and wonder
Sullen in rain
As minutes turn to hours
I live on with this pain.

-Metallman

The T-Mobile Dash Phone is Getting on my Nerves

Hey there. I am officially looking for a new phone. I've had the "T-Mo Dash" for some time now and I must say that it has served me well. I don't need much flare. Just something that can get my Emails while I check out ESPN or Cracked.com. It was horrible at taking video and you can forget about any flash applications. But you know what? It was alright. I didn't need those things, but now... the phone is not even doing the simple functions anymore. I can't make calls, the phone resets by itself, I love text messages, and it's constantly freezing on my when I go online. It's extremely frustrating and it's time to for this phone to go.

I got my wife a G1 one too long ago and I must admit that I was impressed by it. It has flash, the browsing is great, and I like the fact that you have a wide array of applications that you can download. The problem that I have is that YOU MUST get the internet plan in order to get full use of the phone. I refuse to do it. I'm running on an unlimited data plan with the Dash and it's served me well since I am able to text, Email, and surf all I want for something like $5 a month. The internet plan alone is somewhere around $20 a month. I already subscribe to it because it's a must have for my wife but I don't feel it's right for a company to deck us for another $20 to have the same service on a second phone. I don't think it's worth it.
So while my phone is on it's last legs, I feel that I'm in between a rock and a hard place. I don't want to pay more to use a newer phone, but I need to get a new phone because this one is ready to be smashed up against a wall. Maybe I'll call T Mobile and complain about it. If I'm lucky, I may be able to get a discount on the phone AND get them to reduce the price of the plan. Wish me luck! Later.

A Christmas Carol (2009)

Hey there. Last night, we were fortunate to attend an early screening of the movie A Christmas Carol. First off, I want to thank my brother in law for giving us the tickets even though I'm sure it was because he couldn't make it himself. lol He won 4 tickets to an early screening of this film and handed them over to us. And second, I'd like to give a shout out to Power 106. I don't listen to the Hip Hop, Rap, R&B music that they tend to play there but they provided us with the tickets and thus, the opportunity to check it out. So thanks, you guys!

We received 4 free tickets to see the movie, which we told the kids about over the weekend. They were excited to go and see the film. The problem? We needed 5. I called the theater and because it was a special screening, the seats were reserved. I could not buy a ticket to this event so someone in the family had to sit this one out. In the end, my wife took one for the team and decided that she would stay behind with the baby. The kids seemed excited to check out the movie. As we drove to The Bridge in Culver City, they saw billboards of the movie and asked questions about what it was about. I was a little surprised that they were not familiar with this Charles Dickens classic. I told them that I would answer any questions they have after the movie. And what a movie it was...

First off, there have been many versions of this film. Each with their own flare but mainly stick with the premise of the book. The flair of the 2009 version clearly is in it's use of imagery. As Scrooge zooms through the air, the visuals are stunningly beautiful, and just as vivid. The main problem I had with the film (especially for it being a Disney film) was that they used some pretty images to induce fright.

The first instance of this occurs when Jacob Marley comes to warn Scrooge. I was surprised to see that the ghost manages to unhinge it's jaw, yet there are no jokes made. My 4 year old stayed closed and whispered to me that she was a little scared. I assured her that there would be nothing to be scared of. Boy would I eat those words later...

With Marley's unhinged jaw, he went on several more minutes with a deranged face speaking to Scrooge. The loud cackling and thunderous thumping of his chains added to my little one's fright. As Marley sped away, I was surprised that still, Disney did not attempt to make the scene a little more comical. Something to assure the little ones that everything will be alright.

Then comes the ghost of Christmas past. There is something plain old freaky about it. The smile on it's face that just will not dissipate and that strange tick in it's neck that is used to break tension during moments of pause. The voice that Jim Carrey uses for this character amplifies the creepiness of it all. If a doll were to me made out of this thing, I would surely be freaked out by it.

As for the ghost of Christmas Present, the giant that sits atop the Christmas tree, with his torch blazing. I didn't have much of a problem with him, since he's made in a similar figure to that of Santa Claus, but there was the talk of death near the end of tenure that didn't sit well with me. He spoke of greed and ignorance and the children used as their symbols were that of those that belonged in a Silent Hill game and when he reiterates to Scrooge that his time has come, he laughs hysterically as his flesh withers away with each bell of the clock. Skin peeling away and when they show his feet, a clear cut image of bones and death were left in his wake. Death...

The ghost of Christmas Future was clearly meant to be made in the splitting image of Death. Shadowy figure that does not speak, bony fingers protrude it's cloak, and he rides in a chariot pulled by demon horses from hell. Nothing is made humorous about this ghost. He clearly intends to take Scrooge to hell and makes that known when a coffin surrounded by the flames of hell is sitting under Scrooge as he dangles, barley holding on to Death's finger. And again, no comic relief during the frantic chase or the cold stares from Death.

Overall the movie was well made. I greatly enjoyed this new take on a classic tale. While the majority of the remakes focus on the feel good outcome of the story, this version made the journey that Scrooge undertook be the main attraction. When I mentioned to my wife how the movie played out, she rightly commented that the story itself is not a feel good story, but more of a man that has gotten a chance for deliverance. It was refreshing to see the story at it's true form, but I am not sure if it's something that kids will be able to digest at first viewing. My kids liked the film but their first comments about it where of those that spooked them. If you're in for a true to form version of A Christmas Carol, then I highly recommend this film. If you're in for a cutesy version, this may scare some younger children and you may want to check out a different take on this wonderful classic. Later!

Top Blogs of the Month of October

Hey there. Not much of a shake up in my top droppers for the month. Ann's Snap Edit Scrap takes the top spot in both drops and comments. I'm awarding her 500 ECs for being a part of this month's winners and another 500 ECs for being the top commenter for the month. Thanks for dropping and thanks for being an integral part of Metallman's Reverie! Later!

Motivational Sunday - Perspective

Hey there. Everything is not always what it seems. Or... maybe it is, but you're looking at it from a different angle. I chose this perspective for this Sunday because I thought it summed it up beautifully. An extreme close up shows you something that looks like a beautiful woman's back, while the outside shot shows you it's true form. Gotta love it. Later.