Best Buy Coups!!!

I’ve talked about them before and I’m going to talk about them again. You CAN’T have enough coupons when you’re doing your Christmas shopping. You just can’t. Not possible. The more you save, the better gifts you can give. The better gifts you give, the better gifts you receive. See where I’m getting at with this. Anyway, you absolutely HAVE to click on over to Coupon Chief and get hooked up with some coupons.
Let me tell you about MY favorite merchant on Coupon Chief. Best Buy. Seriously. What red blooded American male does not LOVE going to Best Buy or BestBuy.com? There isn’t one. Every single dude out there loves electronics, gadgets, games, and movies. Best Buy has it all and with Coupon Chief, you can get it all cheaper. They’ve got TONS of coupons out there RIGHT NOW. Head out to the Best Buy section of Coupon Chief. You won’t be sorry.

A snowflake! Quick, grab some milk, bread, and eggs!

So, I have this theory on winter weather that I don't know if I've shared with you. It has to do with winter weather scares being planned by the grocery stores. For example, if it's going to snow hard and you're going to be stuck in your house. What do you need? You need milk, eggs, and bread, of course. How else are you going to make french toast and watch the accumulating white stuff outside your windows? Ok, so THIS TIME we really did get some bad weather, but most of the time, we get nothing. There's a huge hype though. There's warnings to stock up. There's those.
Here is my theory. I think that when the major grocery stores are wanting to get rid of milk, eggs, and bread, they call in some favors and get a winter weather advisory going. Now, granted, the weather has to be somewhat cooperative in that it has to be winter. They aren't going to have much luck with it in the middle of July. Anyway, so milk sales are slow this month and they're stock is getting close to the sell by date. They simple call it in and BAM, they've sold out of milk. I'm telling you. It's a conspiricy. It is. Seriously.

A great money advice site

Is your money wasting away or are you wasting your money? If you need some advice is how to save money, you’ve GOT to check out The Thrifty Scot. It’s a UK money advice site, but even if you’re not in the UK (as I’m not) it still offers some extremely invaluable advice. They offer some very steadfast advice on Credit Cards, Loans, Mortgages, Current Accounts, Savings Accounts, and Home Insurance. Not only do they offer sound advice on all of those different financial topics, but they also offer the latest financial news, which is updated daily, as well as comments and opinions on events in the financial marketplace and how they affect consumers (that’s you). The advice on the site is solid and smart, it would be in your best interest to check it out.

The Fantasticar revealed!

So, a picture of the Fantasticar from the new Fantastic Four 2 movie has been released. It looks pretty darn close to the comic, so rejoice Fantastic Four fans. Now all they need to do is NOT screw up The Silver Surfer.

Put your finger on the pulse of Private Equity Firms

Attention. If you are or work for a Corporation, Business Broker, Professional Services, Investment Firm, Entrepreneur, or a Student, you should check out http://www.pedatabase.com. That should cover about everyone, so it's worth your time. PEdatabase is a searchable web-based database of private equity firms with easy to use search tools and relavent information on over 1,200 private equity firms. PEdatabase is a great way to put your finger on the pulse of private equity firms. Check it out.

Weather, weather

I hate midwest weather. Check www.weather.com for details. Check every 5 minutes because that's how often it changes.

Crummy weather...

Crazy cool contacts!

I’ve been wearing glasses for a few years now. The thing is, I HATE wearing the glasses. I feel like I’m closed in when I wear them, so I recently got some Acuvue contact lenses. I’ve got to tell you, these things ROCK! Specifically, I got the Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism because, well, I have an Astigmatism. It’s almost like I’m not wearing them. I feel them for a little bit right after putting them in, then…nothing. It’s like they melt into your eyes and you can magically see. I love these things. The Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism contacts have Hydraclear, which a moisture rich substance that gives the lenses a soft, silky feel when they’re hugging your eyeballs.
What else is cool is that the contacts are ever so slightly tinted with UV blockers, so it’s a little like wearing sunglasses without actually wearing sunglasses. Crazy cool. It’s like contacts from the future or something. I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m super excited about these things. If you wear contacts or if you’re still in glasses, you have GOT to check them out. Go to www.acuvue-contacts.com/acuvue-contact-lenses/ for more details about all the different kinds of Acuvue contacts available. Crazy cool stuff. Check them out.

It's all about Control

It all comes down to control. We have a big winter storm blowing into town tomorrow and it makes me shudder to think about driving with all the crazy people in the bad weather. That led me to think about something George Carlin said in a comedy special he had. He said "Have you ever noticed that anyone who drives slower than you is an A-Hole and anyone driving faster than you is a maniac. You're the only one who drives the right speed." That is SO true. What it comes down to is control. You have control of your car, so you know what's going to happen with it. You know how fast you're going to drive, how fast you CAN drive and still keep control. Of course, you have NO control over other people's cars, so you always think they're out of control or shouldn't be driving. It's human nature. We fear what we cannot control.
Alright, I'm getting too deep for this blog. Peace, out!

Fantasy Football, does it get any better?!?

Fantasy Football! Does it get any better? The only way to make Fantasy Football better is to win prizes and cash for winning. The American Fantasy Football League, or AFFL, offers just that. You can win cash and prizes there, and some of the payouts are quite impressive. If you’re a football junkie, or even just a Fantasy Football junkie (like me) then I highly suggest you checking out the AFFL.

Heroes history last night.

So, Heroes was last night. Interesting stuff. I usually have mixed feelings whenever a "historical" or as I like to call them "let's look back" episodes come up in shows. I like the history of the characters because it delves deeper into their characterization, but I always feel like the story didn't move anywhere in the episode. Which is true, I guess. The story didn't really progress much, it just told more of the story we've already seen. Anyway, it was still good.

THE place to go for baby gifts!

I can’t say enough good things about The Corner Stork Baby Gifts & More. They’ve got a lot of unique and personalized baby gifts for sale. It’s THE place to go for your Baby Gift Baskets.
If I was getting a baby boy gift, I would definitely go with the Cashmere Soft Deluxe Puppy Collection. Seriously, what little boy doesn’t love puppies? Plus, it’s Cashmere, so you know it’s going to be a ridiculously soft fabric, and isn’t that what you would want touching your little boy’s skin? The set comes with a comfy puppy booster pillow to pull up on, there’s also a small puppy rattle, a sweet puppy squeeze toy, a fluffy 14” spotted blanket with a puppy head at one corner and a 29” napping blanket (which also has a puppy head in the corner). It’s really cute and I suggest you check it out.
If I was getting a baby girl gift, I would definitely go with the Natural Rocking Horse, personalized for a girl. It’s an adorable little, solid wood rocking horse in a natural finish with a collection of precious little infant essentials. The set comes with the rocking horse, a milky soft blanket, a terry velour bib, a burp pad, some booties, and a 12” personalized plush bear. The blankets, bib, and such have adorable little rocking horses on them. If you have to get a gift for a little girl, I highly suggesting picking one up.
Everyone reading this needs to head over there and check out their truly creative baby gift baskets. A lot of their items and baskets can be personalized would make great Christmas gifts for this holiday season.
My personal favorite gift on the site is the PGA TOUR Golf Cart Rocker. An absolute MUST for the next little Tiger Woods in the house.
Check them out, you won’t regret it.

Monkey See, Monkey Do shirts for kids.

Check out these Monkey See and Monkey Do children's shirts for twins. You can get them at www.justteesin.com if you want them.

N101 for your vitamins

Today’s world is not designed for us to eat healthy. It’s just not. We’re living in a fast food world and we’re all gobbling it up. The food we eat today isn’t as healthy as it could be, so that’s why it’s absolutely necessary to take vitamins to supplement those nutrients that we miss out on every day. Everyone needs to go check out N101 Nutrition. They’ve got great pricing on just about every vitamin you could want. Whether you’re working out hard and need the nutritional enhancement or if you’re just a cruddy eater and need to supplement those necessary nutrients you’re missing out on, you need to visit this site. They’ve got all sorts of other stuff there too, like natural skin care, beauty, and sports nutrition. Check them out, you won’t be sorry.

Cyber Monday: The Farce

So, I run a little online t-shirt shop and I’ve been waiting for this Cyber Monday for about five months since I’d first heard of it. A friend of mine also runs a little shop as well. We were both anticipating this day the same way that retail stores anticipate Black Friday. While we had no special “From 5-7 AM only” sales, we expected some increased traffic and some more sales than normal. What we got was hardly any sales and a huge helping of disappointment. We’ve both decided that this Cyber Monday is probably a media generated event and has no actual backing by actual online retailers. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

Karmic Restitution

Why do I deserve an HP digital camera and photo printer for my digital photography needs? Karmic restitution, that’s why. My camera (not nearly as nice as the HP offered) and printer, along with my PC, were in the basement office. In December of 2005, we arose NOT to a special delivery by Santa Claus, but the funk of my surrounding neighbors’ sewage which had spewed forth into my basement. The raw sewage rose about 3 or 4 inches, hung around for a couple of hours, then drained away. We had tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage, not only structurally but we stored everything in the basement. Anything touching the ground was ruined. The only things salvaged were those items stacked on other items or items on tables. Our insurance capped out before we even got done with the clean up and structural repairs. We estimate our losses at around $14,000. We had the sewage company looking into it and they could not find any reason for the backup. It didn’t come from us and they couldn’t find a blockage.
So, several months later, mid April of 2006, my wife and I came home to a very familiar funk. This time, it was worse. Much worse. The actual sewage had already subsided by the time we got home from work, but the damage was done. Over 11 inches of raw sewage flooded my basement. I won’t go into too much detail, but the “leftovers” from the flooding were not easy to deal with. Not something you want to come home to. The flooding was so bad and came in with such force that it looked like someone had ransacked our basement and then flung the funk everywhere. Things had floated around; other things had knocked over from the force of the liquid waste. It was horrible. So bad that we had to spend a week at a hotel with my two young children while the house was cleaned.
This time though, we had some help. The sewage company found pebbles and rubble in the sewage line way up the street where some construction was going on. They had knocked some rubble into the pipe and normal flow rolled this rubble down the pipe until they lodged somewhere near the end, near us. Then it backed up into our house, building in pressure, until it knocked itself loose and then drained away.
The construction company was found liable and the damages were paid for from this occurrence, but since this wasn’t found in the first instance, they weren’t held accountable for that. So, while we did get “some” restitution for the damages, we were still out the $14,000 plus what the insurance company deducted for depreciation. So again, why do I deserve a camera and printer? I say, Karmic Restitution.
This post is sponsored by HP.

Where do you hide the stuff you buy?

Want to buy a shank? A prison is offering products online that were made by inmates. Ok, so they don’t sell shanks…yet. It’s mostly normal stuff, but it’s interesting to find out that a prisoner made it. I don’t remember seeing THAT episode in OZ.

Getting hitched?

If you're going to get hitched, you're going to need to tell people, right? So, check out this invitations wedding site for some deals. They have all the latest trends as well as the more traditional styles. There are some themed invitations on the site as well that are really fun. For example, I like the Island Adventure theme myself. While my wedding didn’t have a particular theme, my rehearsal dinner did have an Island theme. These would have been great invites for that dinner. Check them out.

First image from Transformers movie

Here is the first image released from the Transformers movie. It's hosted at Aintitcool.com

Put the X in eXtreme

You’ve got to check out these X-Treme Scooters from UrbanScooters.com. They’re electric scooters that go wicked fast. Just looking at them, the look fairly tame, but they’re fast, fast, fast and built rock hard. Specifically, you have to check out these:
The X-Treme X-500 Scooter: Seriously, this thing looks like they let a biker gang design it. There’s only one word for this scooter. Hard.
The X-Treme X-560 Electric Scooter: This thing looks like it send back in time from a futuristic…um…future. It has this unique “lean back” design that make it look it’s moving super fast just sitting there. Very slick.
And lastly, The X-Treme XP-700 Electric Pocket Bike: Ok, the name says it all. It’s a pocket bike. A Pocket Bike. It looks like a super fast crotch rocket, but it’s tiny. I can’t imagine how fun it would be to zip around on this thing. That would be the only word to describe it. This thing looks like it zips.
So, check out these X-Treme Scooters over at UrbanScooters.com. I’m sure some of them would make a super fine Christmas gift.

It's on like Donkey Kong!

So, there is this shirt up at the Saint Gray Inc. Shop that I think is hillarious. You should check it out.

Throwing the chips down

Ok. First things first. Not only is VegasPokerPro (who shall henceforth be known as VPP) a great online poker site, but they give you a free gift for signing up. Not some cheap bumper sticker or anything, decent free gifts. You can choose from a Free Poker Table, Free Poker Chip Set, Free Poker Books & DVDs, free gift cards to various places, and a bunch of other stuff too. Then once signed up, you get access to TONS of different online poker rooms with just about every kind of poker you can think of playing.
When you’re not playing poker, you can study the “art of poker” with the incredible resources they have available at VPP. They have Free Poker so you can practice, Poker News so you can keep up to date with the happenings in the world of Poker, Poker Blogs to read the ramblings of other Poker addicts like yourself, and Poker Strategy and Poker Books so you can arm yourself with mental, Poker playing tools to whip out like a gunslinger the next time you are challenged to “draw”.
If you know when to hold them and know when to fold them, then browse on over to VegasPokerPro.com and pull up a virtual stool. The dealers are waiting.

Inherent Evilness

A while back, my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told her I wanted a GPS for the car since I'm always lost and couldn't find my way out of a paper bag without a map. She moaned and groaned that it was too expensive. They are expensive, she's got me there. So, I told her that she can get me whatever else she wants or nothing at all. Doesn't matter. She then asked about which GPS I would want, or randomly throwing names of certain GPS that were on sale any particular week in the newspaper inserts at me. So, now she's basically told me that it was too expensive and she was going to get me something else. Not a big deal. Every once in a while she brings it up though. Annoyingly so. It's almost like rubbing it in that she's not getting it. Well, it just so happens that I do our bills and manage our money. I noticed a rather large payment to Walmart.com the other day. So, I go online to Walmart.com and enter my ID. Nothing. I then enter my wife's ID and password and pull up her purchase history. Low and behold. She got me the GPS I wanted. Well, the "affordable" one that I wanted, anyway. So, armed with this knowledge, I asked a few probing questions to her. She again went into the "too expensive" mode and told me that I wasn't getting it. Well, now that I already know I AM getting it. I have this inherent evil inside me that wants to play this out in an somewhat unkind manner. I keep wanting to start pressing the issue that I definitely DON'T want a GPS now and start campaigning for something else. I fight the urge to do this because it's just plain mean. I mean, she only wants to surprise me, right? Why the evil thoughts? I guess I'm just a bastard that way.

Disclosure Policy

Hey everyone. Welcome to my Disclosure Policy. I think it's a little important to have a disclosure policy on a blog that is paid for advertising. While all posts are my own, I am paid for some posts. I am always honest in my posts and I don't take any advertisement that I don't agree with or don't have a genuine opinion on to share with you. So, the following is my "official" disclosure policy. Please, read the fine print, then enjoy the blog.

This policy is valid from 25 November 2006
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org/

Jackson back on The Hobbit

So, apparently New Line has come back out and said that Peter Jackson will definitely be working on The Hobbit. These people just can't make up their mind. Not that I'm disapointed, mind you. I want him working on it. It's just goofy how Hollywood works.

The iRoom Bookshelf rocks!

So, I checked out this kids furniture site and they’ve got some really cute stuff. I especially like this iRoom Adjustable Bookshelf they have. It kind of curves around a corner a bit, but not too much. It’s almost like an entertainment center/bookshelf/dresser. It has a slick looking Natural Clear Maple Finish and it looks sturdy and well built. It also has these metal legs that give it a kind of modern look. They also have a wild west themed bedroom set that I would have loved if I was a kid. It’s reminiscent of a covered wagon and it looks like it would have been tons of fun to play in. If only I could turn back time…oh, and bring the furniture with me. That would be hard to explain to the parents, wouldn’t it? Hi mom and dad. I’m your son from the future back in my little body…and I’ve brought furniture…
I’d be writing this blog from the loony bin. Perhaps it’s best that I just think back to the past and not actually visit it.

Venom revealed...only a smidge though

AintItCool has a little clip of Spiderman 3 up that shows Venom...sort of. It's super fast, so don't blink.

Check it here.

Win an EXTREME home makeover!

You can win an extreme home makeover by just going to the linked site. So, that’s the original draw to the site. I mean, seriously, who wouldn’t want an extreme makeover to their home? Make it your dream house. Do anything you want to it. You want a swingset in the living room so you can swing and watch TV, go for it. If you’re more conservative (and boring) you can just get something simple like new hardwood floors. Whatever you want. Once you’re at the site, you can check out all of the tips they offer for remodeling. They’ve got plans, ideas, local shows, and various other links. If you own your home, check them out.

Float away

Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday, I was thinking, how much would it suck to be one of those balloon float runners, or whatever they're called. What if a really strong gust of wind kicks up the balloon and carries you up 50 feet or more. That would suck. It's very possible with the rain and wind they were getting. I'd have a loose grip on that balloon and be ready to bail at any second. Anyway, just thought I would share.

Old school games played now

You know what's amazing about the older games? What's amazing is how hard they seem now. Seriously. Check out this site with free online games and tell me that the games of yesteryear aren't more challenging than the games we have today. They required precise timing and hours of practice. Check it out and see for yourself. The site is great in that you can play all of those games you grew up with. Check it out.

Feels like an hour, it's been...18 minutes!!!

It's official. Today is the slowest day ever!!! I give up. I'm going to slam my fingers in a drawer just to spice things up and perhaps even a trip to the hospital for the change in scenery.

If you need me, I'll be the guy slamming his fingers in the drawer over here. There aren't too many of us over there, slamming our fingers. Wave and say hi, I'll wave back with my good hand.

Set Up Your Trade Show Booth in a Snap

Don't waste your time with a cumbersome, second-rate trade show booth that is a pain to set up. Check out http://www.showstopperexhibits.com/
for booths that are easy to assemble, reasonably priced and compact for efficient travel and storage.

Longest day EVER

So far, today feels like the longest day EVER. Time is dragging here at the office. I was thinking that it was almost time to go home...nope. Not for a couple more hours do I get to leave. Damn Einstein and his theory of relativity!

Save Money with These Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Girlfriend

If you want a great selection of Christmas gift ideas for your girlfriend at a great price, you can save 30-40% when you buy Christmas jewelry online. Whether you're looking for an engagement ring or a Christmas jewelry piece that will make her proclaim you Man of the Year, they've got an awesome selection that won't blow your budget.

Sometimes...I worry

My mother has to be one of the most gullible people on the internet. I worry sometimes. Seriously. If you’ve seen those hoax emails that say that Microsoft or whoever is going to send you a dollar for every person you forward this email to and a dollar for every person THEY send it to, and so on, my Mom believes it and sends it on to me and almost everyone in her address book. I feel it’s my sonly duty to reply back with the link to urbanlegends.com or some other website debunking the email she received. I sat her down and explained to her that it’s impossible for those emails to work like that. Her excuse is always, well what if it works this time? It doesn’t hurt to forward it and it only takes a minute of your time. I mean, I have no argument for her that she’s can’t justify somehow. I tell her that it does hurt because it clogs up everyone’s email will useless junkmail and nobody wants more junkmail than they already receive.
Sometimes I worry about her.

High Quality Trade Show Display Graphics With No Headaches

The last thing you need to worry about when prepping for a trade show is whether or not your trade show display graphics will attract attention. And when you order from ExhibitDEAL, you don't have to worry about it. You'll know their in-house designers are right there to offer their creativity and expertise and help create trade show displays that will give you that much-needed edge over the competition.

Revenge of the Remakes

Canceled before I even knew it was planned. Apparently there was a Revenge of the Nerds remake in the works. No more though. Curtis Armstrong, who played Booger in the original, was at a special showing of the original recently and announced that the remake has been squashed. Apparently the script was too edgy, harsh, and politically incorrect for any College to allow them to film at their campus. Curtis Armstrong also stated that he wasn’t a fan of the remake anyway. He said it wasn’t very good. So, perhaps it’s for the best.

A beacon of illumination

In the beginning, there was only darkness. All of a sudden, in this void of light came a shining beacon of illumination. That’s when my uncle showed up with the flashlight. The light cut through the darkness and rescued me in my tent, as my flashlight was nothing more than a cylindrical paperweight at this point. The flashlight he used was on of those pelican flashlights from Optics Planet. This thing ROCKS! It’s really durable, I’m talking Superhero durable. It’s like they weaved this thing out of Superman’s cape or something. The website even shows one being run over by a car. Amazing stuff. They’re also super bright, using extremely bright bulbs. Of course, the most import thing is that they are extraordinarily reliable and their “no excuses” warranty is amazing. If it doesn’t work, they’ll fix it or replace it. That’s it. No excuses, no “we’ll have to investigate this and get back to you”. In a time when customer service has gone the way of the Dodo bird, it’s nice to see this kind of guarantee made by a company.
Also, did I mention that this is the flashlight that a majority of professionals use? I’m talking the kind of professionals who need flashlights to survive or rescue people, not just “Waste Management Engineers” who need it to check behind the toilet for a lost earring at the local burger joint. If you need a super flashlight, check out the Pelican flashlight.

PVP Online

So, as you probably now know...I'm here to hook you up with the coolest stuff and the coolest sites. Well, here is another one. While, in my opinion, it's not quite as funny as Penny Arcade, but it is a little more accessible to a non-gamer. It's consistantly humourous, but never knee slapping hillarious though. What's good about it is that the creator actually has good, likeable characters that keep you coming back to find out what they're doing now. It's good stuff, you should check it out.
Oh, I almost forgot the link to them.
PVP

Got the coups?!?

Who doesn’t love coupons? They save you money! I'm not talking about grocery coupons where you save like 12 cents if you buy 32 packs of hotdogs, I'm talking about real coupons and savings. You’ve got to check out this coupon site. They’ve got coupons for all over the place, but especially Amazon.com. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t shop at Amazon? Looking for something online, it’s the first place you go to get info, reviews, and pricing for it. Sometimes you can find cheaper prices at other places, but if you’ve got some coups though…eh?
Oh, they have coups for BestBuy, Target, Red Envelope, and all of the other places you shop…well, ok, all of the places that I shop at least. They probably have the stores that you shop at, but you’ll have to check it out to find out for sure.

New Spidey Posters

Hot off the press! As a follow up to the new Spiderman 3 trailer recently released, there are two new posters. Essentially, they are the same poster but reversed. Well, just take a look for yourself.
Spidey Poster 1
Spidey Poster 2
These are great posters. I personally like poster 1 a little more myself, but that’s only because the second one seems so dark. Not dark in tone, but it’s hard to see the color differences dark. Anyway, check them out.

A funny thing happened on the way to the forums...

If you are new to PayPerPost, it should be mandatory that you check out the Forums. They are an indispensable tool figuring out this glorious new endeavor that you about to embark upon. Not only is everyone on the boards very friendly and helpful, they’re some of the funniest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I’m amazed at the quick wit and pop culture references used in the most hilarious ways. Also, the reviewers and employees of PayPerPost actually read and post on these boards as well. I had several questions and concerned, mostly about how long it was going to take before my blog was accepted and I could get started, and the posters on the boards were reassuring and helpful. While I was waiting, it was suggested by a postie that I browse around the forums and get acquainted with it so that I would be a better blogger and PayPerPoster when my blog was finally accepted. I’m glad I did. So, go there, be informed and most importantly, be entertained.

Penny Arcade

I'm not a huge gamer anymore. Not since I got married and had kids, but I do get to play every once in awhile. A few of my friends still play and I play vicariously through them occasionally. I still hear about the latest games and get the full scoop on them when they come out. Well, there is an online comic that caters to this crowd and it's called Penny Arcade. This has got to be one of the funniest online comics around. More than half of the comics directly relate to video games and about half of those are pretty specific to a video game, so if you don't play that game you might not get the joke completely. The non-video game humor is knee slapping funny though. If you haven't checked them out, you should. I visit them every day they have a new comic posted, which is Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. Apparently, they make enough money with this comic website to financially support themselves (there's two of them) and their staff of three additional people. They hold their own convention each year called PAX, which I believe stands for Penndy Arcade eXpo. I'm pretty sure. They also hold a HUGE charity event called Child's Play that helps give video games to children in hospitals. Very cool guys. Check them out.

Apogee joins SEMPO

It is a good day. Apogee Search Engine Marketing has joined SEMPO. For those who aren't familiar with SEMPO, it stands for Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization. There are three degrees of membership in SEMPO and Apogee Search is supporting SEMPO as a Circle member, the highest degree of endorsement. With only 48 SEMPO Circle members, it's quite an exclusive club. With Apogee at the forefront of the search marketing industry and now a Circle member of SEMPO, this is a good day.

So, did we save the world?

Well, the much hyped episode of Heroes was last night. Save the Cheerleader, Save the World. Well, they saved the cheerleader and it was...pretty anticlimactic. What would have been cool is if Mr. Power Absorber would have absorbed some of Sylar's powers and there was a little bit of a battle. No battle though. Well, unless you count a minor amount of groping and falling off a building as a battle. It's just like Claire's last words of the episode when asked if the world was saved. "I don't know. I'm just a cheerleader."

A great new car shopping site

A great new car shopping website opened up called LemonFree.com and they have a ton of Cars For Sale. Similar to other car shopping websites, you choose the make, model, year, and location of where you want to shop for cars. It then pops up all of the cars for sale in your area that meet the entered specifications. It even pops up ebay listings for cars. Very cool. When you click on an ebay listing, it opens a separate page with the listing so you don’t lose the original search page. Also, the search and opening the results is FAST. The layout is pretty simple, which probably helps with the speedy update times. Check this site out. It’s an easy way to search for cars online, especially ebay listings.

A ripple in time

Have you ever had one of those days that feels like it’s dragging and dragging? Well, I’m having one of those days now. I’m super busy, which usually makes time seem a lot faster, but today it’s having an opposite effect. I feel like I’m working, working, working, and I’m sure it’s been an hour or two, but when I look at the clock it has only been like 20 minutes. WTF! They say time is relative, but I’m having an opposite effect day. The busier you are, the faster it’s supposed to go, not slower. Someone with a time machine, hook me up. Please.

New credit card searching site. Very cool.

Hey all, I found this website for Credit Cards that allows you to search by features for the best credit card. I don’t know about you, but just “remembering” what all of the credit card companies are and then searching their sites is a huge pain if not impossible. With the fluctuating gas prices, it might be nice to check the site out for a new credit card with gas rebates. Super easy on this site. Check it out.

The Hobbit goes down

Well, according to MSNBC, Peter Jackson will not be making the movie version of The Hobbit. It is a sad day. I'm sure whomever does make the movie will do an ok job of it, but I doubt it will fit seamlessly with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is what I was hoping would happen. Apparently not. It's a sad day.

PersonalHomeLoanMortgages.com

It’s scary stuff, mortgage fraud and all of the hidden stuff that a lot of these new “refinance now” places hit you with. While I wasn’t hit nearly as bad as some of the stories I’ve heard, I did get hit with some hidden fees and ended up having to pay about $400 more than I was original told I was going to have to pay. I wish I had know about this company when I got my home loan. They use SecureTrust which guarantees compliance with FTC, DoNotCall & Can Spam regulations. Also, they have an extensive mortgage directory and a forum which has all sorts of helpful industry information.

Bond, Shaken not stirred

I saw the new Bond movie Casino Royale. One word. Outstanding! Now, I’m not a huge Bond fan. I like most of the other movies, but they don’t hold a special place in my heart or anything cheesy like that. I think they’re fun, but I’m not crazy for them. This one though, I’m crazy for. I love Daniel Craig as Bond. I’ll go ahead on record and say that I think Craig is the best bond ever. He’s smooth, charming, and lethal. He’s not only lethal, he’s brutal. The fight scenes in this are amazing. They’re not filmed in that shaky, way too close to see anything, type of style that every action movie seems to use these days. They back off and let you see that these guys mean business and they’re moving at half speed for safety. They’re accurate enough with their physical brutality to show you that they know what they’re doing, but it’s sloppy enough to feel like you’re really watching this happen. It doesn’t look choreographed is what I mean. Also, this is the most realistic Bond movie to date. Everything looks as though it’s entirely possible that it could happen. Granted, there are a couple of examples of Bond’s hidden secret power of Super Luck, but nothing ridiculous and unbelievable. Nobody surfs down a waterfall on a car door or anything. All of the bad guy’s are believable in that you understand their motives without having to chalk it up to a generic “evil plan” like destroying the world. Everything in the movie is motivated by money, such as the real world is. The villain has little quirks that give him character and make him stand out, but they don’t give special powers and they aren’t cartoony. This is one heck of a fun ride in a movie and it’s done something to me that I haven’t felt in a long, long time. When I walked out of the theatre, I couldn’t wait to see the sequel. I wish it was coming out next week. I definitely want to see this movie again and I’ll be first in line for the sequel, granted that Craig is back and that it has the same realistic feel as this one.

How I discovered PayPerPost.com

I am a new recruit to the PayPerPost community. A friend who is currently earning tons of extra money by blogging turned me on to it. He told me about it and advised I sign up. I thought it was a good idea and an interesting opportunity. I had every intention of signing up, but just didn’t find the time right away and I forgot about it. Then this same friend told me that he posted his first paid blog. I said “What?!” You mean, you’re ACTUALLY getting paid to blog? He assured me that he was and he showed me the site. I signed up that day. It’s taken me a little bit of time to get my house in order and start posting, but now I’m up and running and I have exactly $20 in the hopper. The friend has over $500 in his hopper and he started receiving real money just the other day. I mean, a computer screen telling you that it owes you some money is very different than actual funds being deposited in your bank account. I’m completely stoked. My first goal for the extra money is to save up for a new computer. I’m currently writing this on an older laptop with a flickering screen. I’m in desperate need for a new PC and this is the perfect way to save for it. So, read my posts, visit PayPerPost and starting writing some posts of your own.

Not impressed

As of right now, I am not impressed with the PS3. A friend of mine was one of the idiots who stood out in line to pay a small fortune to buy one of the overpriced gaming systems. Curious, I visited him this weekend to check it out. The graphics were great, but not much better than the Xbox 360 if better at all. The games he bought were so-so at best. I don’t understand why he stood in line so long and paid so much for it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty, it’s very pretty, just not $600 pretty. I don’t know what all the hoopla was about. My friend tells me that he wanted the system, but he stood in line for the experience and not the end result. I’m not sure that standing in freezing rain is an experience that I’m ready to jump out and experience for the fun of it.

PayPerPost.com, how do I love thee, let me count the ways

PayPerPost.com, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. Let me count the dollars, actually. PayPerPost.com allows you to advertise on blogs and get a little bit of extra cash for something you would probably be doing anyway. Everyone occasionally plugs something in their blog, whether it be the GPS they just got for their birthday, the latest cell phone they received with their new phone plan, or the new TV they bought with their tax return. PayPerPost.com presents available opportunities and asks you to write what you know. Simple. If you just bought your nephew the latest Tickle Me Elmo and you have first hand experience with it, then write a humorous anecdote about it and get a little compensation. It’s an excellent way to earn a little extra money for Christmas by doing what you already do anyway. I’d advise any blogger to at least look into it.

Mongolian BBQ

Mongolian BBQ. Is there any better way to practice the fine art of gluttony? It's SO good. There is a place that I go to simply called "Mongolian BBQ and International Buffet". Don't get me wrong, the place is a hole in the wall. It's SO good though. The place opens at 11:30am and is packed by noon, which neccessitates having to get there at exactly 11:25am in order to get in and out in a decent amount of time. The line for the grill gets incredibly long once noon hits. This restaurant is also a considerable distance from my office, which doesn't stop us from going out there from time to time. The group who goes gets increasingly bigger every time. New people hear about it and want to join us. Those whove been can't turn it down. It's like greasy asian flavored crack. It upsets your stomach and everyone is in the bathroom exactly 45 minutes after eating it, but that doesn't stop anyone from going. It's so good. I'm convinced they have to be using drugs in their sauces. That’s the only explanation. God help us if they ever decide to start drug screenings at my office. We'd all fail of whatever they put in the food, even if it's just ridiculously high levels of MSG. For some, it's a challenge to go there. You create your own bowl by adding vegitables, meats, and finally sauces. The challenge is to find the exact right combinations of sauces. It's also like a game. Once you've found the right combo, you have to do a little ballancing act to get it just right each time due to the fact that everything is cooked on a large circular grill. Your bowl is dumped onto the grill at one end and wiggled around with sticks to start it cooking. Your stuff is moved over a little and the next guy's bowl is dumped in the spot your food just occupied, just as yours was dumped in the same spot the person in front of you was. Since sauce is difficult to move completely, there is a residue of the previous bowl mixed with yours. Not a lot, but some. So, THAT will influence the flavor of your bowl. So, the game is to watch a bowl ahead of you, possibly two bowls even, and adjust your saucing to compensate. The most influencial carry over flavor is the hot oil sauce. This is basically an oil infused with crushed red pepper and it's very spicy. If the guy in front of you goes nuts with the hot oil, you need to back off on yours. Most sauces will only carry flavors one bowl back, but hot oil will carry two back. So you've got to watch two bowls ahead for excessive hot oil and compensate. The salty flavors carry one bowl back, but not a lot. The sweeter sauces seem to burn up with your bowl and don't carry much, if anything, back a bowl.
It's fun creating your combination of vegitables (do I hit the broccoli hard this time or lay on the bean sprouts) and then adding your combination of meats (do I go with all chicken or combine the chicken, beef, and pork, or do some other variation). It's fun. You way them out, make your bowl, and then you get to eat the spoils of your effort. We always say to the newcomer "If you don't like the food, it's your own fault. YOU made it."

Playstation 3 insanity

So, I had to stop at my local Target store this morning and there was a line of people outside waiting for the new Playstation 3. Craziness. I talked to one of them and he said that they had been out there since 8pm the night before. Insane. I’m here in St. Louis (just outside actually, but close enough) and we got some nasty weather last night, plus we were expecting snow this morning as well. They intentionally stood out in the rain and muck for this.
After my meeting with the crazies at Target, I drove by my local Best Buy and saw what can only be described as a refugee camp. There were tents on the sidewalks everywhere. There were tents set up in front of other stores near Best Buy. How can they possibly allow that? I know I wouldn’t want to go into a store with a half crazed Playstation junkie on the stoop. I like video games as much as the next guy, but no game system is worth the trouble that these people are going through. Now, there is one additional factor to this that has to be considered. At least 25% of the people standing out there are probably there for love of money and not the almighty Playstation 3. I recently saw this ebay auction. $2500 for a Playstation 3. Someone must have a serious video game habit and an unlimited supply of money. Actually, there must be more than one person who has the same habit and slightly lower supply of money because somebody had to help drive that price up that high. This whole thing is insane.

Writers...

So, I have two friends who are self proclaimed writers. One friend, whom we’ll call Baron, graduated college with an English degree and a creative writing certificate (whatever that means), the other friend, whom we’ll call Kelvin, graduated with a marketing degree, but he took enough writing courses to qualify to…write a LOT. So, anyway, both of these friends have been trying to write books, short stories, whatever, and get it published. Their dream is to be the next big thing in fiction. I have another friend, ok I have a few more as well but none of the others are relevant to this story, anyway, I have another friend who is somewhat known as the playboy or ladies man, we’ll call him Kat. If you’re bored on a Saturday night, give this guy a call and meet up with him. You’re guaranteed a wild and crazy time. Anyway, this guy, like a literary ninja, just up and writes a 480 page novel. Out of nowhere! Bam! He didn’t tell anyone until he was over ¾ of the way done. He finished it and has started the editing and revision process. He has now gone through a couple of complete revisions and is close to publishing level now. He is currently shopping around for agents.
Well, as you might expect, this stirred up a world of shit with my two writer friends. I mean, how can this playboy non-writer write a book while they struggled with it for so long. I mean, the most they’ve ever written of their respective books is about 10 chapters or so. This guy just up and writes a full novel. What the hell, right? Ok. I mean, you can tell he’s not a trained writer from the writing itself. It didn’t flow all that well, he used some really odd words sometimes, and his dialog didn’t feel very natural. With each revision it gets better though. After another revision or two, he really will be at a publishing level with it. It’s amazing to me. It’s like this. Think of the one person who you would never ever think of writing a book. Not just someone who wouldn’t be capable, but someone who wouldn’t even be interested in writing a book. Now, imagine that they just up and tell you that they’ve been writing for a bit in secret and are now almost finished. That’s the shock I received.
Anyhow, the point of this story was to rant about how my “qualified” writer friends reacted to this, not to ramble on, which is what I’m doing.
So my two writer friend, Baron and Kelvin, they both immediately rip into the book as trash. Granted it had some problems, but it wasn’t trash as they had indicated. In defense of Kelvin, he didn’t rip into too hard, he did call it junk, but he said it wasn’t unsalvageable. Baron was another story though. He tore into it like a pit bull. He was cruel too. He told him that it was completely wrong, it was junk, and he should scrap the whole thing and start over from the beginning. He then offered to “teach” him how to write and then proceeded to send Kat what can only be described as homework. He asked him to write the first sentence of his book five different way and so on. As expected, Kat was insulted and hurt. He came to me to see if it was really as bad as Baron had said it was. I told him that it wasn’t and offered my help.
(wow this has gotten long. I’m going to wrap this up.)
I, being an adult college student, edited his book to the best of my ability without getting too crazy in the editing so that I changed the essence of his work. I think it’s much better. Kelvin has also stepped up and offered to help him with his dialog. As a quick note, although Kelvin has never finished a book himself, he is a master of dialog. He really does know how to put what feels like genuine dialog to paper. So, he’s going to help him get his dialog up to snuff. Everything seems to be working out for Kat, but he has declined any further offers from Baron. While Baron may claim to genuinely want to help him, his bedside manner needs some drastic improvement.

Avengers unite!

So, Sylar practiced his amature brain surgery again, this time on a waitress with photographic memory. Hiro is off to save her. Things seem to be getting pretty good on the CBS show Heroes each week. I'm actually pretty impressed with this show. I'm afraid of where they're going though. I just hope that this season doesn't get them all together and next season has a goofy Justice League or Avengers thing going.
I think the appeal of the show is the relation and identification with viewers. Here's my theory: The best part of any hero story, especially a superhero story, is the origin. It's easy to identify with someone who was normal and suddenly has something thrust on them. Who hasn't felt like something they aren't ready for has been thrust upon them? Also, who hasn't wondered what they would do if somehow they ended up with super powers? It's easy to put yourself in their place because you'd be just as amazed and excited as the characters in the story. The origin is the best part of any story because of just that. When it gets more difficult is when the origin is over and the real journey begins, then we see what kind of writer or storyteller we're dealing with. That's what the entire first season of Heroes has been thus far, a long origin story. That's why it's so captivating to so many people. The big question is, what are they going to do next season. I assume there will be a next season based on how popular this first season has been. I'm curious if they'll keep it interesting or if they'll choke. I guess we'll just have to wait to find out.

Venom

So, I WAS going to post a link to a working copy of the next Spiderman 3 trailer, but the link has been removed from the originator. If anyone followed the original link on Ain't It Cool News then you already know. For those who didn't, I wish I could show you the clip. You'll see it soon enough though. I'm sure the trailer will be released in due time. Just to give a quick recap, the trailer runs very similar to the one that played on TV this last week, with a couple of exceptions. The most notable exception is the look at Venom at the end of the trailer. If you saw the original one, it shows Spidey ripping off the black symbiote costume at the top of a bell tower. Apparently Topher Grace followed him in. The black suit drips down through the cracks in the floor and lands on Topher. He falls to his hands and knees as the black suit envelops him. It quickly covers his body and up over his face. He looks up with the sinister Venom grin and opens his gaping mouth as the camera flies right into it. For anyone worried about what Venom will look like, don't. He looks great. We do have yet to see him in action, but if the CGI was anything like what we saw in those few seconds of the trailer, then we'll be well taken care of.

My spider-sense is tingling…

They’re finally learning how to coordinate promotions. Check this little tidbit about Spider-man 3. Which, by the way, looks to be as fantastic as the previous two movies.

SPIDER-MAN 3 TRAILER TO DEBUT EXCLUSIVELY ACROSS MULTIPLE VIACOM PLATFORMS AND ON CBS
Unprecedented Trailer Road Block to Premiere Thursday, Nov. 9, at approximately 10 p.m. (ET/PT), on BET, CBS, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Spike TV and VH1 Following Television Premiere, High-Definition Version of
Trailer to be Posted Exclusively on MTV Networks' IFILM.com

LOS ANGELES, CA, AND NEW YORK, NY—Nov. 8, 2006—"Spider-Man" fans will get a long-awaited sneak peek at Columbia Pictures' highly anticipated motion picture Spider-Man 3 when a new, full-length, two-and-a-half minute trailer debuts in a special unprecedented "road block" across Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) brands and on the CBS Television Network on Thursday, November 9, at approximately 10:00 pm. Spider-Man 3, starring Tobey Maguire and directed by Sam Raimi, kicks off next summer's moviegoing season on May 4, 2007. The television networks airing the new trailer include BET, CBS, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Spike TV and VH1, with each supporting the event with custom promotions both on-air and online. A total of 14 online destinations from Viacom's networks are supporting the airing of the trailer, including AddictingGames.com, AddictingClips.com, BET.com, MTV.com, IFILM.com, Nick.com, ComedyCentral.com, GameTrailers.com, LOGOonline.com, Neopets.com, SpikeTV.com, The-N.com, VH1.com, and Xfire.com.
Immediately following the television premiere, a high-definition version of the trailer will be available exclusively on MTV Networks' IFILM.com.

"The Spider-Man franchise appeals to audiences of all ages and we wanted to find a special partner that would reach Spidey fans everywhere," said Valerie Van Galder, President of Domestic Marketing for the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. "This is not only event television, but it's event online programming and Viacom and CBS have an umbrella of world renowned brands that were a perfect match for our movie online, on cable and on network television. We couldn't be more excited to launch this new Spider-Man 3 trailer in this innovative way."
In Spider-Man 3, based on the legendary Marvel Comics series, Peter Parker has finally managed to strike a balance between his devotion to M.J. and his duties as a superhero. But there is a storm brewing on the horizon. As Spider-Man basks in the public's adulation for his accomplishments, Peter becomes overconfident and starts to neglect the people who care about him most. His newfound self-assuredness is jeopardized when he faces the battle of his life against two of the most feared villains ever, Sandman and Venom, whose unparalleled power and thirst for retribution threaten Peter and everyone he loves.
Spider-Man 3 reunites the cast and filmmakers from the first two blockbuster adventures — which have grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide.
Columbia Pictures, part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.
Viacom is a leading global entertainment content company, with prominent and respected brands in focused demographics. Offering programming and content for television, motion pictures and digital platforms, Viacom's world-class brands include MTV Networks (MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, TV Land, Logo and more than 130 networks around the world), BET Networks, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, DreamWorks and Famous Music. More information about Viacom and its businesses is available at www.viacom.com.
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer
businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company,
through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and The CW – a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution Group), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), digital media (CBS Digital Media Group and CSTV Networks) and consumer products (CBS Consumer Products). For more information, log on to http://www.cbscorporation.com/.

Horseshoes and hand grenades

I took the College Mathematics CLEP exam and passed! Woo hoo! It was close though. You need a score of 50 to pass and I got a 52. A pass is a pass though, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. So, that’s 6 credits under the belt and it saves me from two math courses at school. Good times!
I’m not particularly good at math. I mean, I can do it, it just takes me a little while to figure it out. I don’t add things up like a calculator, as some people do. It’s also been a long time since I’ve had a math course, so I was a bit rusty. I studied with a CLEP study guide from http://www.finishcollegefast.com/index.htm. I’m now studying for the Natural Sciences CLEP exam. Hopefully I’ll do well…as well.

Heroes question

I have a quick question for anyone willing to answer. On the show Heroes, is Niki supposed to be a bad guy or a hero? I mean, last time I checked, Spider-man wasn't ripping people in half, stealing money from the people he loved, and then framing them for murder.
Also, I have some more theories. This theory is triggered by IMDB though. www.imdb.com lists Sylar as Sean Bean, which means the Haitian guy who travels around with the Cheerleader's father isn't him. Also, they've never actually said or shown either one of those guys hurting someone. Not technically. Sure, they tied up the cop and the Haitian did a little brainscan on him, but they didn't hurt him or kill him. At least, not that we know of. Also, they kidnapped flyboy, but they also didn't hurt him either. I think the show is leading us to believe that they are the bad guys while in fact, they are good guys or at least residing in a very grey area. That's my thoughts.