The End of 2008...

Busy year. Two jobs, big trip to Texas, and, oh yeah, growing children. On this last day of the year, we'll try not to become too introspective, but we were busy, that's for sure. And busy yesterday too, what with the carpet cleaning, oil changing, car inspecting, toy playing, Christmas tree/light taking downing, and so much more. Phew! A slower day today. A run, trip to K-mart, and no big New Year's plans. We need a rest!

Home Again!

We survived another trip up North to the Great White North. Well, this year the Great White was the Great Green as temps soared into the high 60s in Pittsburgh. Our trip to Pittsburgh was nice, as we actually got out to the playground across the street, then we went over to a local library that I never knew existed. And what a library! It was in a large, older building. The floors were wood, they creaked, and the childrens' section was huge! Madison did an awesome job reading to both Lucy and Myra. Cole found lots of military books, and Uncle Gary rented movies. Yup, their library actually rents out movies. So cool!
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We got to finally have a Bull Dogs hotdog. It was alright, and their fries weren't bad. Coming home was a long trip, but we're home now, and have big plans for the week. Photos will be coming soon, as will the changing of the cars' oil, the cleaning of the carpets, and the cleaning of the sinks. Fun times!

Merry Christmas Eve!

So it starts! After a fun day yesterday (we met Greysen and Emma Kate at Marbles), Christmas Eve is here! This morning we hung out, I went for a 4 miler, then we went to Falls Dam and hiked around. Definitely a lot of fun being out in the open with the girls. And few were out to join us. I envision the rest out at the malls, stuck in traffic, and grumbly. Ahh...the outdoors!
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Once MJ wakes up, we will pack up to head to the Flanigans for Christmas Eve dinner. Mark, Christie, Aidan, and Maeve flew in this morning. Shannon will be up as well, so a nice family gathering. Then after presents tomorrow morning, we are heading up to PA for a few days, and we're looking forward to all those 'free cupoccino stops' at Sheetz! I think there are 7 on the way!

My Cute Little Snowglobe!

A SUITE Hockey Game...

Yeah, pretty good pun there, eh? Well, after many opportunities washed out, we finally attended a hockey game from a luxury suite. All four of us went, plus it was Bobblehead Night! As you can see, the girls throughly enjoyed it!

Tea For Two...or Six...

Our girls experienced the high life last weekend! Kerry, her cousins, and the girls decided to hold a 'high tea' with dress up, cookie decorating, and some serious fun. I love the creativity of my wife, providing all these opportunities for our girls. Neat, neat things! Of course I am a little late in posting, but the meaning is still there!

What Do My Snow Preferences Say About Me?

Your Snow Test Says You're Independent

You feel like something good will happen to you in the next few days. You love to work, especially when work is creative. You have the makings of a successful artist. You are an independent, individualistic person. You thrive when you're doing your own thing. Your biggest worry in your life is your health. You tend to be a bit of a hypochondriac. When it comes time to relax, you have difficulty relaxing. You are a bit high strung.

The Snow Test

My Linuxy, Christmasy, Baby Girl!

Optimistic View...

No matter if we make the playoffs again, ever, we'll always have this:

Definitely Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

I believe the hint is when you see the zambonis with Christmas lights on
Kerry and I received the pleasure to take in a Canes game while the in-laws watched the girls. It was our first together since before Myra. Hard to believe! We wished the outcome was a little better (Canes lost in OT), but I knew that would happen with the new/old coach. Yup, shortly before that, the Canes fired Stanley Cup winning coach Peter Laviolette to replace him with Paul Maurice. Yes, the Paul Maurice that was fired from the Hurricanes. Yes, the Paul Maurice that was fired from the Toronto Maple Leafs after not making the playoffs at all.
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Players, even from different teams, do get in the holiday spirit! Look at this hugging! {/sarcasm}

Lucy and Myra Boogie to the Bunny Hop

I remember posting the video of Lucy doing the Bunny Hop a few years ago. Now Myra gets involved. And she is quite the little dancer!

Surfing The Web!

Boy, how my girls love the computer! They are actually quite good at navigating around. We spend some time on a variety of websites, including Starfall (www.starfall.com), Sesame Street, and even some YouTube videos. Lucy spends some time on some painting applications, and she especially enjoys TuxPaint, a free, open-source application. Lately, we have been designing cards for family using Open Office.
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We try not to have them use the computer too much, as too much like TV, but I think we also realize these digital resources will be their future. I think, in moderation, we are providing them with the tools they will need as they grow-up. And Daddy likes to share those with his girls! (-:

NCETC 2008

Back to Greensboro for yet another conference. Unfortunately, I believe this may be the last for awhile. I just do not pull as much from the conference like I used to. I guess it is not exclusive to this conference, as I felt this overall at NECC as well. In the future, I plan to open it up to teachers in my district, as I feel that will help us generate more interest in technology. I do certainly enjoy the networking a conference offers though. Lots of my ex-colleagues and 'plurkers' are here, so I do benefit from that sharing of knowledge. Interesting though, how each of the past four years, I've been in a different place for this conference!

Yeah, I Am Old Skool, Fo' Sho'!

So, Do You Think We're Ready For Christmas?

I do just love Christmas time. Here we are, Thanksgiving Weekend, 2008, and my girls are so excited. Yesterday we ventured off as a family to Home Depot to pick up our tree, brought it home, lit it, and hung the ornaments. The girls are so excited! Today after naps, we plan to go to the used book store, then stop by K-Mart. Simple things, but so much fun this time of year!
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Busy week, as I head off to Greensboro for the annual NCETC technology conference. While the program does not look especially enticing, I will be there with many friends, dinner at Bonefish, and just some good times.

Christmas Is Next!

So we had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday, and Kerry is out and about now for Black Friday, but the exciting news is the next holiday is Christmas!

We went out to Hidden Lake to spend Thanksgiving with Kerry's folks and Shannon. Had a really nice visit. Kerry, her dad, and I spent some of the time trying to install a basketball hoop with limited success. Who woulda thunk that many pieces go into setting up a hoop. We did not finish, so I am sure this project will continue for me. After a yummy meal, we went for a little walk, and Lucy and I hiked through the woods.
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This morning Kerry is out shopping with her Mom and sister. They planned to leave at 5:30, and I cannot confirm or deny that, as I was fast asleep! I have a big day of eRate--woohoo!

Edubuntu At Work

So here I am, working on adding Edubuntu to an old desktop that is ready for the warehouse. Warehouse of course, meaning the graveyard. So I swiped it and want to try my devious plan in loading a stand-alone Edubuntu on it. I plan to remove the network card so that if these do get placed back in the classrooms, they could not be placed on the network.

What I am really looking to do is provide some stand-alone machines that teachers can allow students to work on. They can type on them, use a spreadsheet, play educational games, and many other tasks. In essence, it will provide more workstations in a classroom. So we will see what happens! If it works, then it will be a matter of convincing my colleagues.

Raleigh Christmas Parade...

Another year, another parade. Although this year it was quite cold! We all dressed in layers, then Kerry and I hunched down on blankets on the road and both girls snuggled in close to us. Kerry's folks went with us, so that made it more fun! Definitely got us all in the Christmas spirit. We stayed busy this weekend, stringing lights (the girls love helping!), finishing some presents, and a trip to Target. Kerry and I plan to go out shopping soon, then we actually have a hockey game coming up.

Myra and Elmo

The girl loves her some Elmo! She was in such a good mood during this...she could've gone on for quite awhile chasing him!

Snow in Raleigh Today!

Yup, on my way to work, I had snow as I drove in. And we still had school! It was pretty though, snow coming down hard, laying on the trees. And 101.5 began to play 24 hours of Christmas music. So of course I jammed out! Tomorrow we go downtown for the Raleigh Christmas Parade. It will begin in the 20s, then rise to the high temps of 30s. Brrrr! The Flanigans will accompany us on the trip. Fun!

Computer Ease

Yup, I believe I *finally* can say things are up and working in the home. Rearranged some equipment, moved the laser printer to the bookshelf, and the XPS continues to stay on! Some other equipment for the E1705 laptop, we downgraded 8.10 to 8.04 (feels like Vista a little), and everything is running smoothly. I am actually typing this on the Mac, and considering using this just for the girls. The mp3 players are good too! All is well in the technology universe.

Tingles the Christmas Tension

Growing up in Johnstown, PA, this makes me smile! There was a series of videos from the 50s, Hardrock, Coco, and Joe, Suzy Snowflake, and Frosty that were always shown. This kinda pokes some fun at them! Heehee!

Christmas Is Here!

Spent the past 30 minutes scouring YouTube for Christmas-ish videos--yup, commericals, Charlie Brown, and music. Then we were dancing to Baby It's Cold Outside, Jingle Bell Rock, and more. I true get a natural high from seeing the join in my girls' eyes as we get excited for Christmas. It will be such a fun time!
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So I'm Back to Amarok...

These iRiver players are about to be the death of me. Just when I think I fine-tuned everything, I decide I want to change things up. On my iRiver Clix, I used Rhythmbox in Ubuntu to download my podcasts, then gnomad to organize my song lists and transfer music to the Clix. Yes, it took an extra step, but it worked. Unlike my iRiver E100, which I dual boot into Windows to make work. So this weekend, as I finally repaired the XPS 400 (I think!), I decided to give Banshee a shot. Seems it would make a better organization, so why not? Well, it did not work, and then worse, it blocked my ability to sync music through gnomad. So I completely formatted the Clix, and now am using Amarok once again. If I can find how to transfer videos, I will be set!
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Yes, you did read right--the XPS 400 is, what I think, finally fully functioning. For the past six months or so, I had an intermittent problem where after a random amount of time, it would shutdown. Sometimes when off it would click on and boot by itself as well. My first thought, after some lengthy calls with Dell was the motherboard and power supply, which I both replaced. No change. Tried some changes with the OS, but again, nothing. My last shot was a new I/O Panel and ribbon cable, which I replaced this weekend, and after having it on all day, it has yet to shut off. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

It's Not Christmas Without Eat N Park...

If you grow up in Western or Central Pennsylvania, only one commercial means Christmas has come, the Eat N Park Christmas Tree commericial. Everyone knows it. I have even seen it at a Penguins' hockey game. So all of you unfamiliar with it, I provide it for your viewing pleasure.

Future for The Shearers

So, a State of the State for us? No, not as formal, but I just wanted to get out in text what we're working on, toward, and looking into the future. Of course with me, it continues as furthering my professional skill set. In doing this, I am looking at acquiring some professional certifications. Right now, I am working toward my A+ Certification, as that should not take too much effort. After that, I will work toward my Linux+ Certification. Of course, we love LINUX! (-: While I do not really want to go any further than those two, both will hopefully make me marketable down the road, should I choose that path.
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School continues for the girls. Both are doing well. Lucy continues to leave us speechless with her intellect. She is just so smart--it's scary at times. She has a huge sight word vocabulary, in addition to the 20-40+ books she can read from memory. And her number sense is just amazing. We brought home my old Sears electronic quiz book, and she already does 90% of the 7-8 year old book correctly. Wow! Myra is doing well also. She had a little gap recently due to a virus she could not get rid of, but is well on the mend now. Her speech continues--she can converse with us, and we understand her. I do think that her big sister pushes her for this, so that is another good influence.
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Kerry did amazing in her marathon--just over 4 hours. While the conditions (75 degrees by the end of her run) and the course (still hilly, even when reversed from last year) were not ideal, she still did awesome! We were so proud of her. The girls and I really enjoyed our time out on the course waiting for her! She amazes me everyday!

Wordle While You Work...

Pretty neat tool, this Wordle is. What this does is generate a tag cloud of popular words in your blog, a story, article, or any other written piece to show you interesting trends. Lots of application out and about in the education world as well.

I Could Get Used to This Image...

Besides all the good feelings for minorities, it feels good to know that our world image and reputation has gone up overnight. Yes, as Obama said, this is not the change, just the chance to create change, but now we know of a fresh start coming in January.

This Makes Me LOL!

Seriously though, it is time to move on and leave the woman alone. It was a tough, and at times nasty, campaign, and it is now over. Media--get over it and let her and Mr. McCain go back to their lives. And I am a Democrat-whoda thunk it!

Los homcimos! She Did It!

Kerry finished the 2nd Annual City of Oaks Marathon this morning. The girls and I were out on the course to cheer her on! More following, but just wanted to share this proud moment!
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Halloween, 2008

Christmas Music Begins!

Yes, we made it through October, and now November is here--and we know in our house--the Christmas music begins. In years past, I did it with some eyebrows raised by Kerry. Now, with Lucy and Myra being fired up, I have two strong Christmas lovers, so the music flows easily. Today we rocked out to some Brenda Lee among others. Hard to believe it is that time though!
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Hard to believe the election that we never thought would get here is HERE! Truly, I will be happy on Wednesday morning--provided McCain does not have a hissy fit and prolong the results ala' John Kerry and Al Gore a few years back.

So The Ride Is About Over...

We go to the polls in 6 days. Or in Kerry and my case, we sent in our absentee ballots about two weeks ago. I cannot believe we found ourselves as caught up in this as we did this year. I even listen to NPR on the way to work. Me! NPR! I do enjoy watching The Daily Show, the Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. I will not say who I prefer (duh!), but from my blog, I am sure you can tell.

This Makes Me Laugh...

I am not a fan of Andy or Happy Days, but given the state of things, this is very appropriate:

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

October, Already?

Yup--hard to believe we just passed my daughter's fourth birthday. And now we find ourselves two weeks until Christmas music starts. Wow! Where does all the time fly to?
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We had an unexpected trip to PA this past week due to the unfortunate passing of my grandfather, Skinny. My folks were to come down for Lucy's birthday, but we went up instead for the service and to spend time with my Grandma. Sad, but the man led a full life. I am so blessed that he met both of my daughters. I have so many fond memories of him, and so many life lessons he taught me, helping me become the person I am.

5 Friends - Don't Vote!

Whatever your views, this video just wants you to vote!

Fun in the Flowers!

So cute! My two sweet little girls!

Preschool Begins Again!

Well, I am a few weeks behind, but wanted to post a few pictures from the past few weeks. Lucy and Myra both went back to preschool. It was touch and go with Myra at first, even a few other kids dropped out, but she loves it now! Word on the street is that they blow bubbles first thing in the morning! How can any kid (or adult) not love that. Lucy adjusted quickly to Ms. Donna and Ms. Christy. She also has some of her old pals in her class, including her buddy Anna W and Ella Grace. Yes, the daughter of the hockey player! (-: Then she has some new kids as well--a new buddy, Alexandra. We are just so amazed and proud of the progress she is making!

October is Almost Here--And That Means Christmas!

Ok, so most of you know I love Christmas...no, I mean really love it. I begin listening to Christmas music (mostly instrumental, at least until the 15th! ha!) on November 1st. But as we were out and about yesterday, we noticed a few stores, BJs and the Dollar Tree, with Christmas decorations, lights, trees, and more out already. Not even October 1st, and Christmas things are out. Wow!
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A nice weekend so far. Yesterday Kerry and I both got out for a run, then we went over to the Dam. Hiked down to where water is released from Falls Lake. The water comes rushing out at such a high rate that tons of folks take kayaks and ride on the rapids. The girls liked watching them, especially when they rolled over! Today we went for our first family portrait (it turned out so cute!), then Trader Joe's, and lunch at Red Lobster. Fun times!
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First presidential debate the other night. Loved hearing 'Granddaddy' McCain talk to Obama like he was a little boy. Come on, seriously--people think this type of 'talking down' is what we need in this 21st Century? Imagine McCain talking to Iran like that--we would be nuked for sure!

Arrrr You Reading This Post?

So yesterday was talk like a Pirate Day. I figured I would check to see how much of a pirate I am...And I do like my booty! Or other's booty! Ha!

You Are 50% Pirate

Garrrr, yer a true pirate down to yer bones. Yer an originial sea dog, an' ye certainly have earned yer sea legs. No one be goin' to accuse ye o' bein' a landlubber. Ye got yer eye on the prize, an' yer willin' to go pillagin' fer some booty.

Would You Make a Good Pirate?

Fall Is Here!

Wow...what a nice change from the summer. We have had some days of mid 70s and lows in the 50s. How nice has this been! Let's just hope it continues. What I like is the ability to just go out and play outside, or go to the playground, or a spontaneous trip to Durant Nature Park, like we did yesterday. And it was so nice--we pretty much had the park to ourselves!
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Busy weekend--Lucy has a birthday party today. Tomorrow we will help Kerry's folks with their storage unit-although I do hear Rudino's pizza and some Yuenling may be the compensation!

Bizzzzz--eeee!

Well, I am tired of saying that in every post, but we are sooo busy. As evidenced by my lack of posts this month.
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Kerry's folks are in North Carolina officially. They came down last Wednesday and spent their first night in the house Thursday. We went over on Friday to visit, then went back over on Sunday to help hook some equipment up and help unpack. The girls are really going to love having their grandparents close by. They just tore around the house--funny! They even have a whole closet dedicated to their toys. Then Kerry's dad and I went and bought two big screen tvs yesterday. Unfortunately no buy 2 get one free for Chris, but I am definitely excited to go over there to watch some hockey games!
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The new job is good as well. It keeps me busy, but I really enjoy the leadership that I receive. Have a staff under me is a new experience as well, but I feel I need this experience to grow professionally as well. In three weeks, I definitely have grown!

MORE COWBELL!

	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

So This One Definitely Has Me Pegged...

You Are a Realist

You don't see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what's exactly in the glass. You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is... But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on. You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope.

Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?

More From PA...

Our Visit to Trampoline, PA...

That's really what the trip was all about! Our girls pretty much lived in that trampoline, as you can see from the pictures. We did enjoy our visit, and look forward to seeing Nana and PapPap in October in Raleigh!
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Last day here at the Downtown office. On Thursday I will officially begin my Director of Technology and Media position. Looking forward to that, seeing the focus of technology they have and the support given to technology and media programs from the system, school board, and community.

Annual Summer Pilgrimmage to PA...

Must be August, as we'll be heading up to Pennsylvania tomorrow. While not looking forward to that 7 hour car ride with a 3 1/2 year old who gets carsick in the summer and an 18 mos. old who screams upon entering the car these days, I know the girls will have fun with their Nana and PapPap, plus Aunt Jenny and Cole. Should be a fun time, but then we'll have the carride back on Sunday...
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Getting ready to take my new position as Director of Technology and Media. I will begin next Thursday and have two days with the existing director before her retirement, then will be on my own! I am excited, as I feel well qualified and can bring some great ideas into a technology-supported district. We shall see!

Smashing Pumpkins in Raleigh

So two nights ago I saw the Pumpkins yet again Downtown at the Memorial Auditorium. Pretty neat venue for a rock concert, and rock is just what they did. Yes, some may complain that this is still Billy's band, but it always was, just with folks interchanged.
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They played a nice variety of music and faves (first time I heard Mayo LIVE!). Tonight, Tonight and Today were good. They had this acoustic-ish session, and then for the encore, the kazooing for 'We Only Come Out at Night' and 'In the Summertime.' So cool! more info later...

August Makes You Want to Growlll!

Can you believe we are midway through the month? This month represents so much change, which would be why I am exhausted! Kerry's folks' house will by completed this week. That in itself would be a lot of change, having family within 20 minutes, but coupled with my job switch, to become Director of Technology and Media in that county will be sure to add more fuel to an already busy time. Yes, I did accept the position--what a great move for me. I will become the youngest technology director in my state, which impresses me. That will also align me for great future prospects moving forward.
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The girls are doing well. In fact, we are sitting here together now watching Sesame Street! Kerry is out for a long run, still training for November's marathon, so I earn some special time with my girls!

Google Olympic Map

As we are watching the Opening Ceremonies, came across this Google map...cool!

Paris for President

Good for her! This video makes me laugh!!!

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Home Again!

Good to be back in Rah-lee! The week went pretty well, although a week of facilitating a team, coupled with a humid summer at the beach will exhaust the most robust out there. I did receive a positive call--for the second interview tomorrow morning. Cross your fingers and wish me luck! More news hopefully soon! Also, you can see by the picture, we played Ladderball once again (aka redneck horseshoes!)
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Kerry's folks are also coming down this weekend again...and we have a DATE NIGHT planned! A movie? Dead Sea Scrolls? Who knows and who cares--the point is--DATE NIGHT!

What's On My Mind...

As usual, we continue to find ourselves busy. That in and of itself is not too unusual, but we look at the next few weeks with little to no let up, and more things on our mind. We begin with my annual retreat to Sunset Beach. Besides some yummy Calabash for dinner, it will be a week away from my girls! This is always a difficult thing to do, but I do believe in the work I will do that week, so all is good. Hoping to maybe even slip down to the new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach.
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Smashing Pumpkins are coming to Raleigh! How cool! I believe I will try to score some tickets tomorrow morning. What is really interesting is the venue...I originally thought they would play at Reynolds Coliseum on NCSU's campus. Whether it changed or I was way off base, they will play at the Memorial Auditorium, in Downtown Raleigh. Coolness!
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Regardless of what happens with my recent 'news,' of which I should hear next week, I decided that path is definitely where I wish to move toward. To that end, I decided to begin working toward some certifications. While I move freely between Mac, XP, and Linux, having that nice little certificate will only help. At the moment, I am thinking of working toward my A+ and Linux+ certifications, of which I can always move forward from there. As Lucy would say, 'we will see!'

Lucy and the Reindeer

In the spirit of Christmas in July, a blast from the past--Lucy, a few years ago, giving BABAB a ride in Rudolph. Makes me laugh!

Busy Week to End July

Can you believe July ends next week? Don't worry though--the girls and I decided to go ahead and make it super busy so it goes even quicker. D'oh! Just some highlights include going to visit the Galbraiths tomorrow on the Outer Banks, two conference presentations on Thursday in Greensboro, and then a week at Sunset Beach starting Sunday. Phew!

Visit From The Texans!

So the Texas Flanigans had to pay us back for our trip to see them. The actually stayed with us for two days, before heading down to the wedding in Charleston, SC. We actually leave tomorrow for that trip. Should be fun. Have not been down that way since the Kiawah Island Marathon that Kerry and I both completed.
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Dontcha Love A Closet Full of eees?

 How neat to see a new school open, and each grade level will have a set of eeePCs.

Week O' Social Networking

So this week I am going to fully dive into using social networking. I have yet to see the reason for the fuss, so I figure a total submersion will hopefully help me. My major ones I am using include twitter, plurk, and than an interesting open source microblogger, identi.ca. I also hope to get invites to Jaiku (Google's recent acquisition) and Brightkite.

This Sounds Cool...

Hoping to get on the agenda as an education expert! (-:

Gotta Love Colbert...

Back Home Again...In North Caroooolina!

Made it back! The flights were not bad. My flight out of San Antonio took off late, and I made it to DFW with just 20 minutes before we boarded. Interesting that there were a lot of folks I knew on the plane from Raleigh and North Carolina. The girls were good--Myra actually fell asleep for part of the ride, which was good!
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Now we are back in Raleigh, enjoying a quiet Fourth of July. No large plans, just uploading pictures to send out and recuperating!

Asus Booth at NECC

I am very glad to see Asus have a booth here at NECC. For those not in the know, Asus makes the ultraportable eeePC machine that I am evaluating for work. Of course it runs Linux, as do all of their machines, so that makes me happy. I really see this trend in education continuing, as school districts look for ways to cut corners. While one MS license does not sound like much, multiplied by 100+ computers (per school) in a large district, plus licenses for an office suite, and other proprietary software. Phew! There is your budget, without upgrading your hardware.

Report From San Antonio

Happy July! Hard to believe we are in the middle of the summer. And you know what that means: Christmas in July, so Christmas music month!
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I am enjoying some good sessions here at NECC in San Antonio. San Antonio is a nice town, but I am not sure what the buzz is about. Yes, the Riverwalk is nice, the Alamo is neat to see, but there are many shuttered storefront and lots of graffiti. While glad to have the chance to visit it, I do not think this is a place I must attend again, unlike San Francisco. And yes, I did visit the Alamo, as you can see!

Segways in San Antonio

Boy, that's a title for a book if I ever heard one! As I walked to the convention center last evening to pick up my swag, this is what I saw--a training class of Segway users!

Made it To San Antonio

Phew! A rough ride, but made it to my hotel last night around 6:20. We diverted west on the flight due to some storms, and still managed to have some pretty rough turbulence. I guess that was payback for me saying to Mark, "After riding these coasters, no flight could be worse!" Then once I was on the ground, I made it through San Antonio International--a smaller than thought airport. Boarded a shuttle bus of about 20 people, and I was the LAST person off. I walked around a little, toured the Riverwalk and Alamo, then had dinner at Fuddruckers. How is that for taking in the culture! (-:
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Sitting now in a session on 'Welcome to NECC' (the conference I am at). One of the large names in Open Source, David Thornburg, is up next.

Another, clearer pic...

So that motion shot was pretty blurry! Here's another

Deep in The Heart of Texas!

Currently waiting at DFW airport, awaiting my trip to San Antonio for NECC. Had a great evening with the Flangians and an AWESOME morning--we took the kids to Six Flags over Texas-Arlington, and I had some coaster rides! They actually have some decent coasters. Mark and I hit Batman, a pretty speedy invert. Then we went to Mr. Freeze, which is one of those laucher coasters (0-70 in 4 seconds), with a tall spike you fly up. Took a ride on Titan, a pretty sweet megacoaster...with an inverted helix. And then the Texas Giant--a mega-woodie that reminds me of Mean Streak at Cedar Point, but the second half shook me apart.
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And Lucy got on her first coaster with Daddy! Proud moment!! All I remember are all the wheees! So funny! She went on everything to keep up with her buddy, Aidan. Myra rode a bunch too--so fun!!! But I miss all three of my girls already!

Sheetz Goes Global!

So many of you know my infatuation with Sheetz. After growing up with it up North, I was thrilled a few years ago to hear they were moving down to North Carolina. Now, we have about 20 or so Sheetz, stretching from Greenville, an hour and a half east to High Point, two hours to the west. Our local Sheetz is only four miles from our house. Great times!

Now, it seems like they want to further expand. They recently began offering 'Sheetz Bros.' premium coffees to rival Starbucks. While of similar quality, the cost is much cheaper. With this release, they also began a 'poem' contest, playing on the jazz coffee shop metaphor. And offering a cool $5 grand. Well, the other evening, while surfing around, I found a Sheetz ad in the unlikeliest of places. First--do not judge me for the video I watched on YouTube in the image attached to this post. Yes, it is New Kids on the Block, but I heard they had a new song (yuck!), and wanted to hear it. While my ears burned, I noticed the ad. I usually just tune out any advertisements, but since I did not want to watch the NKoTB video, I gazed at the ad--and it was the Sheetz ad for the contest. So in a way, I owe New Kids for noticing Sheetz advertising globally. Pretty neat!!

See--I Am Even Smarter Than an 8th Grader!

You Passed 8th Grade US History

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade History?

One Week Until Our Flight

What a busy week! Between all the work things going on, working with a large group on professional development, we also continued to plan out the trip to Texas next weekend. Kerry did such a good job with the girls--they played 'security checkpoint.' Too funny! They brought out a table, and this was the 'x-ray machine,' and Lucy and Myra had to push their suitcases through it. They both had a ticket too and pushed their suitcases all over. Makes me smile!
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The other large thing going on, looking at that other position, will begin interviewing on July 13th. I have yet to hear about an interview, but I heard my endorsement from a former supervisor was shared! We will see!