My Brother in Law is Getting Married Today

Hey there.  Today, my brother in law is getting married.  Congrats to my other little brother!  He and his GF have decided to tie the knot and the after party is going to be in our place.  We've spent a lot of time decorating the back yard and prepping it for 100 guests or so.  The only thing missing are the centerpieces, which he's picking up right now, and will be heading over here to place them on the tables.  Check it out:

Not too bad, right?  The wife is getting the girls ready right now.  We have approx. 3 hours before we're off to meet with the in laws.  This is where it's a huge advantage to being a man.  I can get ready in about 15 mins or so.  lol  I guess breakfast and baby watching will fall on me this morning while the wife is curling up the girls' and her hair.  I'll catch up with you guys post ceremony.  Later!

Update:

Just as I was finishing this post, my brother in law came with the centerpieces.  They definitely add some color to the tables and look pretty damn nice.  Check it out.

What a difference a few centerpieces can make, huh.  Later!

Converting DVDs with ImTOO DVD Ripper

Hey there.  Once of the most difficult things to find is a reliable converter.  Whether it be mobile video to .mpeg, DVD to .avi, or .mp4 to .flv.  There are so many video formats that it's impossible to find one that will work with what you're trying to do.  But alas, there is one that works great for DVDs.  ImTOO DVD Ripper is a great tool to use when using DVDs to create original works.  Most of us own digital camcorders and converting those mini DVDs into other formats can be a pain.  With this software, you can easily cut, edit, or convert the whole DVD into multiple formats to accommodate your needs. 

Imagine wanting to create a custom made video for a special event, say a wedding.  You can use this tool to cut and paste DVD video into one, while being able to add cool effects, subtitles, take only a snapshot, take audio cuts, and much more.  You can definitely make this your own special project and and create a professional looking video with the use of this DVD Ripper.  Here are some of the main features:

• Mac DVD ripper for video - rip DVD to videos
• DVD ripper for audio - rip DVD to audios
• DVD image capture - DVD to pictures
• Magic video editor - crop/subtitle/effect/watermark
• Free sewer - clip, split and merge     

The DVD ripper is available for PC but they also have the DVD Ripper Mac which is designed to work on all Mac computers.  If you're serious about creating original web videos or quality presentations for special events, this is definitely something you should check out.  It'll save you the trouble of having several programs opened at once to create a great video which this lone program could do.  Check it out, friend.  Later!

Metallman's Reverie: Blog Income for February 2011

Hey there.  February is in the the books and it's time to report on how well on (or off) pace we are in reaching my $1700 goal for the year. Let's take a look at the numbers:


Yahoo Contributor Network - $1.85
CMFAds - $2.25
MyLikes - $5.84
DragonBlogger.com - $17.00
Sponsored Tweets - $25.25
Blogsvertise - $64.00 
Total for Feb- $116.19
YTD Total - $352.02 (+$68.69 ahead of pace)

Not too bad.  I failed to meet the minimum of $141.66 this month but my good January definitely carried me into the plus side this month.  I am trying some new things to see if they'll increase traffic and income and I was pleasantly surprised that I received a payment from YCN.  They'll pay based on impressions so for every 1000 page veiws, you'll get paid $1.50.  I have not been as active as I would like but it's nice to know that someone out there is still reading some of the articles I published there.  I also received payment for my work on Dragon Blogger.  My first payment there and I'm hoping that more will follow.

Overall, a solid month.  I fell short by only $25 so that's not too bad.  I'm trying things out and doing well in the online community.  If you believe that you're ready to try out some of online services that I use, check out the links above.  Tell them that Metallman sent you.  lol  Best of luck!  Later!

Zumba Fitness Review on Dragon Blogger

Hey there.  Check out my review of Zumba Fitness for the Wii on Dragon Blogger.  Read the review here and let me know what you guys think.  Thanks!

Thinking About Getting a New Pool

Hey there.  A wonderful perk about living in Southern California is the weather.  It's usually sunny, warm and overall very pleasant.  We don't deal with severe cold winds (though you would never have guessed that with last night's winds...), blizzards, and all things cold so it's usually grilling and pool weather all year long.  We already have a grill and pool.  Not any fancy schmancy ones, but they definitely get the job done.  But what has crossed my mind is maybe getting a built in pool set up in my back yard.  Here's my back yard:

There definitely is space here for a pool.  It's just a matter of whether it's worth it or not.  We have one of those inflatable pools that is pretty sizable.  Not monstrous but a good 8 feet in diameter and about 3 feet deep or so but it's a pain to set up and put away.  Putting it away is the worst!  You can NEVER fold it the way it came packaged.  NEVER!  So it never fits all nice and snug in the box so you can't neatly set it aside.  It's a bulging mess and once frustration hits, it's just tossed in a corner of the shed. 

Having a built in pool will definitely fit that.  But then new issues come up.  Cost and maintenance are the big ones.  Will it cost me a fortune.  It needs plumbing, it needs water, it needs a filter (maybe one of those automatic pool cleaners), it will need a cover, it will need a fence, etc. etc. Especially now, that I have a very curious and adventurous 1 year old roaming the yard, I don't want to risk my boy falling into the pool.  I'm just so iffy on it.  The older kids would love one, the wife always mentioned that we COULD have one but in the end, I'm the one that usually shoots the idea down.  What do you think?  Take the plunge and build one or be on the safe side and stick to the more affordable build it yourself pools?  Let me hear your thoughts.  Until then...  Later!

There's No Room for Crying in the NBA LeBron!

Hey there.  If you're a NBA fan, you've heard by now how the Miami Heat, once again, collapsed under the pressure and loss a meaningful game against the Bulls last Sunday.  Why is this a big deal?  Because the Heat, dubbed "The Super Team", consists of NBA All Stars Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, were celebrating like they have won the championship before they ever stepped foot on the court and they are losing against the best in the NBA.  According to some stats that have been floating around, the Heat are something like 1-9 against the NBA's elite.  Their only win coming against the LA Lakers.  They have yet to beat the Celtics, The Magic, The Spurs, The Bulls, or the Mavericks.  And this is supposed to be the team that was going to the challenge the NBA record of 73 wins in a season.  They have 43 wins now and I don't see them cracking 55.

Now, back to this weekend.  In a game where the Heat claimed they had to win, they loss, yet again.  They were up by more than 10 points during the game.  Wade and LeBron looked good in the first half.  All they had to do was maintain their lead in that 4th qtr and they'd come out with that victory, but again, missed shots by Wade, missed shots by LeBron, stupid fouls by the Heat, kept the Bulls in the game.  The Bulls are an awesome team.  They're second in the East so they're no pushover, but with the Heat down by 1 and with Wade and LeBron on your side, you should be able to make shots in the clutch.  They have yet to have a single game winning shot this season.  The so called super team cannot muster a single win on a last second shot.  After the game, their coach claimed that some of the Heat players were crying.

Now this is where I have a problem.  There is no room for crying in the NBA.  If you are crying, they are tears of joy after winning the NBA championship, NOT after a loss during the regular season.  There is absolutely no reason to cry.  And I'm looking at you, LeBron.  What's wrong?  You're realizing that you're not as good as Kobe or MJ?  You can't carry your team, or should I say Dwayne Wade's team, over a quality win?  You're realizing that "The Decision", the prancing around, and the guarantees of championships were stupid moves made by you and the team?  Grow up, man.  You're a great player, no doubt about it, but you have made some pretty stupid moves this year and many of the fans that have become "witnesses" are now witnessing your flaws.  You couldn't do it in Cleveland being the man, now I believe you are realizing that you can't do it being a wing man.  You force bad shots at the end of games trying to be the hero.

Now, I'm a Lakers fan.  Always will be.  But I'm also a fan of the game.  I'll watch the east powerhouses go at it so that I can see an entertaining game.  I'll watch our western conference foes play against each other to better assess our competition.  But when I hear a team chirping away that they're the best before even playing a game, it insults the intelligence of us fans.  We know that it takes more than just talent to win (eg. Malone, Payton, Bryant, Shaq Laker team...).  You need chemistry and you need an identity.  Right now, the Heat have no identity and they have shown flashes of some chemistry, but nothing that can say this is a championship caliber team.  Time is running out.  If they cannot get it together before the playoffs start, they will be bounced from the playoffs in the first or second round.  Then, LeBron, you'll have a real reason to cry.  Later!