Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Auto Repair Afternoon

Mood: content
Weather: Overcast, 41 degrees F
Listening to: Griddlecakes Radio
Reading: BorgBlog
Eating: Arby's Reuben sandwich, curly fries, large order of jalepeno bites, and a Diet Pepsi (brown and bubbly)
Watching: GeekBrief.tv


Fortunately for me, I've found a wi-fi hotspot at this Arby's in Reading, along Reading Road, just south of Galbraith Road

Our car is currently being serviced. As one of the conditions of our purchase, they are fixing the window mechanism for the front driver's side door. The car has nearly power-everything, and, as we test-drove it last month, we noticed that the window gets stuck and won't budge without patience and coaxing.

Patience and coaxing are not something we have a lot of during the cold winter weather. And during the rain. And whenever we want to park the car someplace where the car should be locked. You understand. So does the dealer.

Today was the best day we had to have them look at the car and work on getting the mechanism (hereafter called "thingy" because mechanism takes too long to write) fixed. I needed some lunch anyway, so while they're looking and and fixing the thingy, I'm sitting in Arby's, enjoying the wi-fi connection.

When I was in college, I co-oped for a civil engineering consulting company whose office was just down the street. This was about 12 to 13 years ago. At that time there was this Asian restaurant called "Happy Garden" that we'd often go to for lunch.

As with a lot of the area, I've noticed it's gone out of business, and, while I can still see the sign, the lettering has been painted over with red paint.

I mention this because I knew I'd need to give the dealership some time to work on the car, and, since I hadn't been a pedestrian in these parts for some time, I strolled up and down the area, about a quarter of a mile in each direction, before settling here at Arby's.

I think I chose Arby's because, if I wanted to buy something else, other than my meal, it wouldn't cost as much as if I'd gone to say, a family style restaurant.

So it's been about 2 hours since I'd dropped the car off. I'll probably call in a little while to see what's going on. For now, I'm thankful that I have the wi-fi connection and can do some work.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Get That Job! via Podcast

Mood: caffeinated
Listening to: Get That Job! via podcast
Eating: chipotle and drinking lots of coffee


Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that the most recent posts of my Get That Job! blog are available via podcast through some neat text-to-speech magic from the folks at Feed2Podcast.com:

Granted the posts over there haven't been that deep and profound of late, but you can catch something short and sweet - like an M&M.

Subscribe today!

Get ring tones for free!

clarkhoward.com: Clarchives clarkhoward - Clarchives February 07, 2006: Get ring tones for free!


Americans are spending $4 billion on ring tones for our cell phones each year. Yes, it happens a dollar or two at a time, but it adds up! The great news is that the folks at Wired.com have put together a cheat sheet to help you set up ring tones on your phone for free. Apparently, Wired was just as distressed as Clark about all the money we have spent, so check it out at here.

Monday, February 20, 2006

It's President's Day 2006

Today is President's Day in the United States.

Back in 2003, I compiled a collection of quotations from each president and posted it here:Journey Inside My Mind: Happy President's Day! - February 17, 2003

Saturday, February 18, 2006

JIMM 36 - I Can't Believe They're Podsafe

Mood: tired
Listening to: Album of the Year - Brother Love


Hey there, everyone! I just put up the latest podcast, which includes information about the contest giveaway. Head over to listen and send in your entries!

Friday, February 17, 2006

How to Take A Caffeine Nap

crossposted to Get That Job!

I heard about this on the "Le Jazz Affair" podcast, episode 22, from February 12, 2006.

Basically, drink a cup of coffee and take a 15-minute nap, and you're not supposed to feel as tired.

Check out the article:

Achieve-IT!: How to Take A Caffeine Nap

Thursday, February 16, 2006

JIMM Podcast - Contest Promo


Mood: stretched
Listening to: nothing - the TV has been turned off for 30 minutes! yay
Reading: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (with Keisha)
Eating: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, baked beans, cole slaw, and a diet cherry coke


While I recuperate a little from the physical therapy session I went to this evening, here's a promo for this week's podcast:

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Phony Photo Booth - Comedy Clip

I laughed and I cried when I saw this clip:

originally spotted via Encouraging Audiobooks - Comedy Clip of the Week podcast

The Shoplifter - JOKE ALERT!

An 80 year old woman was arrested for shoplifting. When she went before the judge he asked her, "What did you steal?"

She replied: "a can of peaches."

The judge asked her why she had stolen them, and she replied that she was hungry. The judge then asked her how many peaches were in the can. She replied 6.
The judge then said, "I will give you 6 days in jail."

Before the judge could actually pronounce the punishment, the woman's husband spoke up and asked the judge if he could say something. He said, "What is it?"

The husband said "She also stole a can of peas."

via e-mail from the Official Mom

no iPod required

I know you've been wanting to listen to the Journey Inside My Mind podcast, but maybe you're saying, "I don't have an iPod."

Well, check this out:

no iPod required

Almost a Nephew

My baby sister Mandy will be having a baby today, Valentine's Day 2006. This is her first baby and the Official Mom's first grandson. So we're excited.

As of 9:52 AM EST, Mandy had just received an epidural and was dilated to 5 cm, so it will be less than two hours.

Mandy has been miserable these last few weeks, so it will be a welcome relief to finally see her son James.

This is the same sister whom I remember vividly holding when Mom and Paul, my stepfather, brought her home. She was a "bald-headed" baby. I remember teaching her how to crawl, and that she would suck her middle and ring fingers and call me "bro-bro".

Now she gets to look forward to the same things with her son.

I am just praying for everything to go okay, and that James is healthy. Mandy, too, for that matter.

More to come later.

no iPod required

Monday, February 13, 2006

A 40-Year Friendship Built on 'Gospel Music'

Ed Ovett of Ed's Mixed Bag recommended this link to me. Now I'm recommending it to you:

NPR : A 40-Year Friendship Built on 'Gospel Music'

Sunday, February 12, 2006

100s of Radio Stations in Payola Probe

ABC News: 100s of Radio Stations in Payola Probe:

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said record company documents obtained in the investigation of Sony BMG and Warner revealed payments for songs that became major hits, including Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real."
Yet another reason why I won't buy any CD from Sony BMG.

Accidental Diffikulties


Accidental Diffikulties
Originally uploaded by danimal0416.
Guerilla podcast marketing. Click on the photo to view more details about the CD. I hope to have audio from this event available soon.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Your Plans for Tonight

Whatever you have planned for this evening, get ready to change.

Tonight at 9:30 PM EST, ABC will be re-airing the Superbowl episode of "Grey's Anatomy", which is the first of a two-parter that will conclude this coming Sunday evening.

This episode is called "It's the End of the World", with this Sunday's episode called "(As We Know It)".

In the episode that is being re-aired this evening, the hospital has a "Code Black" - i.e., a bomb threat. I saw it on Sunday, and it was a nail-biter with one heck of a cliffhanger. The writing, direction, and photography was so excellently done.

So, gentle readers. That's your assignment for tonight. Tune in at 9:30 PM EST to ABC for the re-airing of the Superbowl episode of "Grey's Anatomy". We'll meet again tomorrow to discuss, if you'd like.

JIMM 35 - What A Ride!

Mood: Fantastic
Listening to: School of Podcasting - Developing Relationships
Eating: man I'm hungry - gonna head out to grab some grub soon


Hey there, gentle readers and listeners, the latest podcast is available! Head over to the podcast page to check it out!

Alternatively, listen to the podcast in a streaming player.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Record a message and send it to me

Mood: positive
Listening to: Daily Source Code #332


Hello, gentle readers and avid or occasional listeners to the Journey Inside My Mind podcast!

Guess what? If you have a microphone connected to your computer and an internet connection, you can record a message and send it to me.

YOU DON'T EVEN NEED AN ODEO ACCOUNT.

Just click the link in the title of this post, which I've also reproduced here.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

Monday, February 06, 2006

Fire Safety for the Deaf

Here's something about which Jennie and I should be more diligent:

Bionic Ear Blog: Fire Safety for the Deaf

Statistics on Hearing Problems

Since our 8-year old daughter is hard of hearing, I'm interested in stuff like this:

Bionic Ear Blog: Statistics on Hearing Problems

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Happy Birthday to the Official Goof!

Yes, that's right. Karen, the Official Goof of Journey Inside My Mind celebrates her 29th birthday (again) today. w00t!

Go Karen! Go Karen! Go Karen!

Groundhog Day 2006

Mood: who wants broiled groundhog?
Listening to: "Waiting" by Taxi Doll
Reading: grrrr... reports on Groundhog Day 2006
Eating: um. who wants groundhog?
Watching: news reports about Groundhog Day


Aren't we supposed to HAVE a winter in order to have six more weeks of winter? For at least three years now, the results have been the same:

JIMM 34 - Love those Earworms!

Mood: good
Listening to: JIMM 34 - Love those Earworms!


What?! A midweek episode?

Yeah, that's right. I'd found some great songs that just stuck in my ears, and I wanted to share the juicy goodness with you all.