10 Days Til Christmas

Hey there. Today, I took a day off from work. Mainly because my wife had a doctor's appointment and I wanted to take her, since it's in Downtown Los Angeles and it can be hell to drive there. We also decided that it would be wise to start tackling some of our Christmas shopping, since we have done absolutely none of it. Our tree is not even up! Yeah, it's kinda sad, but we've just haven't had any time to do ANYTHING. Something always seems to come up and we've been getting home later and later. We really don't want to set up any Christmas stuff without the kids and we send them off to bed at 9 PM. It's already close to 9 and they are rushing to take their showers, all the while my wife and I are sorting the gifts (while I sneak in a sentence or two) so that we can tackle the wrapping. I think we'll end up setting up the tree without the kids this year. We're going to have all sorts of wrapped gifts and no tree to place them under if we continue to wait.

So our day started off with some breakfast at Dennys and after spending a good hour and half chatting and eating, we went on to our shopping. We went off to the mall and I was expecting some holiday hell, even though it was a weekday, and we experienced none. We ventured int Victoria Secret, but came out with nothing. We then figured that we need to get the kids in our family first and foremost so we ventured into The Disney Store. We ended up with a bunch of gifts, a bill close to $150, and about half the kids knocked off the list. Whoo hoo!

After killing a few hours at my mother in law's, we took off to my wife's doctor's appointment. The camera crew for Deliver Me was there and we saw them shooting an interview with one of the doctor's patients. That, coupled with the fact that Dr. Bohn was just getting back from a delivery, she was backed up 4 patients so we had to wait longer than usual. All checked out well and off we went to get our kids.

Then... off to Target for more holiday shopping. Since I worked at a Target many, many moons ago, I know how the holidays look and I was expecting some holiday hell. Especially since it was close to 7, I was expecting it to be bad. None of that. I was surprised. We gathered another 9 or so gifts and another $130+ bill. Score!!!

Not bad, my friends. We tackled 19 or so kids out of 30. Not too bad. All in one day too. And the best part? None of it came out of pocket. I recently received my business debit card from Paypal (I'm still trying to grasp my head around that Metallman's Reverie is a business) so all the gifts purchased was paid by online income. SCORE! SCORE! SCORE! I was hoping to save it up for a family vacation, but hey... this is just as good, right? I know that many family members are tightening their belts this Christmas so I know that not many gifts will be given out. If our family is able to provide gifts for the kids, why not? I'm sure that they will be more than appreciated this year.

Well, it's time to start wrapping these up. 10 more days, friends. We're almost there! Later!

Back Up Your Blu-ray Movies with 123 Media Max

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 123 Media Max. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. Ever since movie recording was invented, consumers have bought products to back up their precious movies. Whether it be a VCR to make a back up of your old VHS to the more modern DVD burner to back up your DVDs. Now, with the invention of crystal clear, picture perfect Blu-ray discs, consumers have been left wondering how to make a copy of their beloved movies. If you are one of the lucky few that have extra cash to burn for a Blu-ray burner, great! But what about the rest of us that more than likely have a DVD burner that came as standard equipment on our desktop and laptop computers? Well, we can turn to 123 Media Max.

It's a Blu-Ray Copy Breakthrough in the world of technology. With 123 Media Max, it is not necessary to have a coveted Blu-ray burner. You can still make blu-ray quality backups using a standard DVD. It's unheard of, yet, 123 Media Max is the software that makes it all happen. And that's not all it can do.

Not only will it convert Blu-ray to DVD, but you can convert DVD to practically anything else! Copy ANY DVD movie or movie/video from the internet to your smart phone, Apple TV, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, PSP, PS3, XBOX 360, Zune, Gigabeat, Creative Zen, Blackberry, to name just a few. And it works the other way as well. Convert those awesome Youtube or Metacafe videos into DVDs so that you can easily convert and share. And since it comes with it's own video editor, you'll have all the tools at your disposal to create, re-create, convert practically any video that you shoot or any video that you may stumble across on the web.

Even though the near perfect Blu-ray conversion to DVD is 123 Media Max's bread and butter, the slew of features that comes with the software make it more than just the average conversion tool. For all my video loving friends out there, you need to check out the 123 Media Max website here to read up on all the specs and requirements. Later!

Motivational Sunday - Relax

Hey there. I work too hard. Well, I like to think that I do. So I kind of figured that I would take it easy this weekend. No online work, no posts, no Myspace, no Facebook, no Entrecard, no nothing but hanging out with my wife and kids and spend some time at home. I must say, it feels good to relax. Considering that we live in a hectic world where anything and everything can be done via a computer, it's nice to just forget about that and just breathe. Take it easy, my friends. Later.

Metallica in Anaheim, CA

Hey there.  The show was awesome!  For those of you that follow me on Twitter, you received plenty of updates while I was at the show.  I'm going to make this a quick post, for now, but I plan on putting on some pictures that I took of the event.  Opening acts VolBeat and Machine Head were pretty damn good and I especially loved the Dimebag Darrell tribute that Machine Head displayed, but nothing came close to the electrifying display of power that Metallica imposed on the crowd.  I'll get back with more details, friends.  Until then, later!

We're Going to go See Metallica!

Hey there.  I'm off to see Metallica!  After patiently waiting 7 long, grueling months, the day has come to go and enjoy a night of live music from none other than the metal gods themselves.  I received the tix for my B day forever ago and now the time has come to see them live and in person.  I'm giddy.  I can't wait!  UGH!  Still 5 hours away from showtime!!!!  I'm counting down the minutes!  Rock on, friends.  I know I will.  Later!

25% off and Free Shipping at CoolCrappyStuff.com

Hey there.  I started an ad block where advertisers can purchase a 125 x 125 ad space.  Initially, I was expecting to get offers from other blog writers, such as myself, but I was surprised to see that I received a few offers for online stores.  Well, I was contacted by the owner of CoolCrappyStuff.com and advised that any one that uses the ad above to reach the store will receive a 25% discount and free shipping ($10 min purchase).  How cool is that?!  I know that many of us are still trying to get that last minute shopping done and if we can get it online and avoid the malls, we might as well get it online at a discount.  So what kind of goods does CoolCrappyStuff sell?  Well, let's see....  blankets, backpacks, stickers, purses, totes, lunch boxes, hats, to name a few items, and the majority of them feature some of today's most popular cartoon characters.  Looking for Hello Kitty tote bag? A Tinkerbell backpack?  Or a Jack Skellington messenger bag?  You can find it at CoolCrappyStuff.com.  Check it out friends and before I forget...  Use the discount code CRAPPYDISCOUNT to get your 25% off and free shipping.  Later!