Shrooms!

I never really considered mushrooms to be something I would want to grow. OK I don't DO plants in general, but mushrooms in particular. I mean, aren't we supposed to be wary of the little fun guys? Kudos to Jessica Jones at How About Orange... for enlightening me about the possibilities. (Not to mention the fact that she actually posts to her blog regularly!)

How cool is this? You can buy a log and grow your own Shiitake mushrooms. Wow, what were the odds of www.shiitakemushroomlog.com not having already been taken ;)

From the description this looks like the sort of garden ANYONE could manage. Room lighting, room temperature, and non-chlorinated water, oh, and a little organization, and you can have fresh shiitake mushrooms.

Do not count on a lot of posts about cooking and/or gardening on this blog, but there you have it. A garden that even I could grow, I think.... well, maybe not. But I like the idea of it. And I am a huge fan of the odd, so go out there and buy a log or two. These people deserve our business for the sake of novelty.

HP is not my friend

I am so frustrated right now. I own an HP Scanjet 4670. Now this is a cool scanner. It is like a little window that you can either place on the provided stand and sandwich the photo to be scanned vertically, or you can place the window on a table facing up (flat) and place your photos face down on the glass, or you can use it flat, facing down and scan sections of a larger item (map, art, book etc - mind you, always following copyright law)

I pulled the scanner out to use it, and my computer could not recognize it. So I download the latest Mac software. Still nothing. I try online chat support. They won't support Mac via chat, I have to call or email. I call. The number which LOOKS like a serial number on the device is NOT a serial number. I have no idea what it is (it has a barcode and is a long ugly number like any self-respecting serial number would be) but it is not a serial number. The only thing HP can offer me is a $30 tech support call. If the serial number was on the device (I have NOT peeled any stickers off of this scanner... the serial number is NOT on the scanner) They would be able to offer me a $55 extended warranty, but they cannot tell me what that warranty would cover since I do not have a serial number.

HP cannot help me. I have a very useless, very high-tech, WINDOW now.

We are not amused.

This is not the first time HP has been unable/unwilling to assist me. They treat Macintosh users like the red-headed stepchild. There is no reason the scanner should have failed. And yes, I am ranting. I am furious. The only thing I have done wrong here is that I do not have my receipt. It is not my fault that the serial number is not on the device. The serial number is ALWAYS on electronics. And before you judge me for having a fit, remember the title of the blog.

And consider buying something other than HP. Canon perhaps.

Flood It

First off, sorry. This game is addicting. There. You have been warned. It is not my fault if you fail to cross everything off your to do list today.

Captain Vincent Brunton

The image above is a small tribute to Captain Vincent "Vinny" Brunton, who gave his life on 9/11. The text is a stream of consciousness compiled from the posts throughout the Internet dedicated to this fine man.

In reading the words written about, for and to Captain Vincent Brunton through the World Wide Web, one can paint a mental picture of this man. Certain words come up again and again as people remember the 43 year old firefighter who gave his life to save others on September 11, 2001. Brave, Hero, Gentleman, Determined, Loyal, Friend. These are not words written simply because he is gone from our midst. These are the qualities people noticed about him when they met him. It is quite apparent that Vincent had a deep impact on people even before he made his ultimate sacrifice at the World Trade Center. The people who knew him, were touched by his spirit while he was amongst us, and have chosen to spread his spark in his memory. Everyone who reads about Vinny has an opportunity to grow as a human being, to pass his spirit along in words, and action.

This post is a part of the 2,996 Tribute to those lost in the 9/11 tragedy. Bloggers around the world have united to honor them. Please take some time today to read a bit about these people and to lift up warm thoughts to them and their families.

Captain Vincent Brunton was a part of Ladder 105 in New York City. He was a firefighter for 22 years and gave his life at the World Trade Center. In addition to being a firefighter, Vinny was a husband to Cathy, a father to Tommy and Kelly, a neighborhood bartender at Farrell’s to the neighborhood, an inspiration, a source of endless knowledge, a role model, a friend. He was a lot of things to a lot of people, and his spirit will continue to touch us all.

ValleySchwagalicious

OK, I admit I have issues... in particular, SHOPPING issues. I am well aware of this problem, but I also enjoy it.

I happened upon a fun little indulgence that feeds this weakness AND results in fun surprises.

ValleySchwag is a fun concept. Let's admit it, the best part about conventions is all the loot! My work does not send me to conventions. It is not in the budget. So I am missing out on great loot that companies throw at people.

Now I can get my mitts on the prizes without having to pack my bags or fork over registration fees galore. All I really want is the goods anyway. I can learn about products online. ;)

AND I get to hear about fun companies and check out their sites. It is like an "I feel lucky" Google search but with stuff I can hold in my hands.

As I explore these sites I will then post my impressions, but here is the package of treats I got this month:


Sir Isaac was particularly impressed by the M*A*S*H Up shirt!





So, for a mere $15 a month, I get a surprise and a hands-on set of search terms for my next Google session. Gads I do love the Internet!!!

I will definitely be creating something useful from the burlap wrap it came in too... stay tuned for updates.

Cheers!

Use those photos!

OK everybody, it is time to get those photos out of your camera and into your life. There are so many terrific options for using your pictures.


You can get US postage stamps made with your favorite furson, kid, or wedding couple.



Have your photos bound in a nice photo book. These make terrific gifts too. There is no catch to this, I just ordered a free photo book. I paid $4.50 for shipping and handling. Nice deal! Also, if you are printing large quantities of 4x6 prints, they charge as little as 9 cents each! That is amazingly cheap. It is still high-quality, Kodak paper. Granted, that price is for 1000+ prints, but the most you will pay for the 4x6 is $.19 there. Not too shabby, considering even Costco is $.17 and they are usually a low price leader.



Take scrapbooking to the next level. Digital scrapbooking is fun and you can share your creations via the web, or print them out.

Flash! Shazam! Pow!

OK, I love flash drives, I admit it. I just think it is great to have the option of bringing files with me in a tiny little gadget. And they have saved me many times over when disk drives or networks were not playing nicely. I want floppy disks to just go away. And CDs are not so high on my list of faves since they do get scratched up. (yeah I know, user error)


Some flash drives are a bit extreme but I enjoy that people are taking this medium and having a bit of fun with it. I think everyone who uses their computer daily should carry a flash drive. Just because. It is handy. You can be someone's hero when they can't print a document. You can get your friend's bookmarks. You can borrow someone's workstation and not leave junk on their desktop. It is just nice to have a way to get data.

I wish Leatherman would add a flash drive to their gizmos.

Everyone should carry a pen anyway... why not carry a smart pen?




You can be on time AND have a few tricks up your sleeve!



I love how tiny these things are getting. Pretty soon the plug will be the only thing you see.