Mike Hunsaker

Levi's First Birthday-Part 3

2010-09-09T14:54:00.002-07:00

Levi's First Birthday-Part 2

2010-09-09T14:54:00.001-07:00

Levi's First Birthday-Part 1

2010-09-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Apple 2010 iPod Event

2010-09-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

After watching the live stream I was left with mixed feelings.

The new iPod lineup looks fantastic. Quality upgrades all around. But an iPod doesn't fit any uses for me right now. My wife and I have iPhones and my kids aren't quite old enough to have their own device.

iTunes 10 has some nice refinements but not enough to warrant a full version number update. The biggest addition is the Ping social network. This allows you to share purchases, comments, etc with other iTunes users. I don't think I've ever been so uninterested in an Apple product. If Ping tied into Facebook it might be worth looking at but I'm over single use networks like this.

The AppleTV upgrade is interesting. 1/4 the size and less than half the price of the current model its certainly affordable. I already own an AppleTV 40GB and love it. At $99 it makes it easy to simply add another to any TV in the house and use my central iTunes library. The problem with the new version is that it no longer syncs, it only streams. I have a lot of Smart Playlists that rely on play counts to keep things fresh and I believe that streaming doesn't register plays on the central library. A bummer but I could probably learn to deal with it.

Also added is Netflix streaming. There are lots of other devices that have had this first but having it in a single device that works with my huge existing iTunes library is big win for me.

Ranch at Fossil Creek

2010-08-30T10:47:00.001-07:00

We are thinking about going here this weekend. Anybody been there before?

Ranch at Fossil Creek offers Mountain Hikes with Llamas, Goat's Milk Cheeses and Fudge at the Fossil Creek Creamery, & Tours with our friendly goats and llamas-Come See Us in Strawberry, Arizona: "The Ranch at Fossil Creek
The Ranch at Fossil Creek is located in the beautiful mountain setting of Strawberry, Arizona. We are a working ranch and raise llamas and dairy goats."

Visualizing empires decline

2010-08-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

This Argument Revolves Around History

2010-08-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

This Argument Revolves Around History: "

Source: CoolMaterial

Merry Inauguration to All, and to All a Good Life!

2009-01-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

I hope that everyone finds this day to be empowering as Americans and that the idea that 'We the People' can bring us all together to create a better future.

Love, Laugh, Learn, Think, Act

It's up to us...

2008-12-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

Little Gym tonight, its 'Show Week' last week of the semester.

Gavin Solomon Hunsaker

2008-10-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful son, Gavin Solomon Hunsaker, was born last night, October 10th, 2008. He was 7 pounds 4 ounces and 20.5 inches at birth.

Everyone is healthy and happy and it is with great pleasure that we share our new addition.

We wish everyone the best and thanks for the kind words of congratulations.

Thanks,

Mike, Cameo, and Levi Hunsaker

2008-08-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

Beau Biden for President 2024

2008-08-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

Me:"Levi, what's that in your pants?"
Levi:"It's a crowbar!"
You tell 'em son...

2008-08-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Today Levi officially became a teenager. Only his third day of
preschool, and he already told me he needed 10 more minutes to sleep,
and then tried to say he was "too sick" to get out of bed.
- Cameo Hunsaker

2008-08-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

Curse you train!

2008-08-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Server rooms and colds do not mix.

2008-08-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

I actually slept in a bit today. 8am.

2008-08-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid a second Goonies movie will be one too many. Then again, there were so many unanswered questions at the end of the first one...

2008-08-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

Heading to lunch now, but can't wait to leave for vacation in Sedona.

2008-08-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Alisa!

I am Rainbow Man

2008-07-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

I am Rainbow Man
Originally uploaded by Mike Hunsaker

Levi's first haircut

2008-07-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

George Carlin has died

2008-06-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Legendary comedian George Carlin passed away Sunday night at the age of 71. He will be missed, but never forgotten.

read more | digg story

Deep Sea Diver

2008-06-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Deep Sea Diver
Originally uploaded by Mike Hunsaker

Levi singing Spongebob Squarepants

2008-06-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

well kinda

bubbles bubbles bubbles

2008-06-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

bubbles bubbles bubbles

Comic - Filibuster Cartoons 2008-05-29

2008-05-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Goodnight Moon

2008-05-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

200802091737_00012
Originally uploaded by mikehun

In February we went to see Goodnight Moon at the Tempe Center for the Arts. It was a lot of fun. It was put on by Child's Play Arizona and they do an amazing job of making theater family friendly and accessible to young audiences.

Levi Running at the Beach

2008-05-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

Look at him go

Levi Eating Cottage Cheese

2008-05-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

and loving it

InfantSEE: Free Vision Screening for Infants

2008-05-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

As with most health issues, the sooner you catch a problem the more likely you are to have a good outcome.

InfantSEE: Free Vision Screening for Infants

In 2006, I took my 12 month old son for vision screening. My husband, despite a childhood of good pediatric health care, is one of the adults who wasn't diagnosed for lazy eye until after the age of treatment. Though lazy eye is easily treated in young children, it poses the threat of complete vision loss before age 45 in those who go untreated.

Jimmy Carter challenged the American Optometric Society to provide greater emphasis on early vision screening after two of his grandchildren (despite good pediatric care and good fiscal resources) had undiagnosed childhood conditions.

In response, the AOP began InfantSEE, which offers free vision screening for infants between 6 and 12 months of age. Volunteer optometrists screen for conditions like lazy eye, strabismus, glaucoma, significant refractive errors (far-sightedness, near-sightedness, and astigmatism), and retinal blastoma.

This free visit can be a fun time for infant and parent (see Heather's write-up at Rookie Moms) involving puppets, bells, rattles, and lights.

At the InfantSEE web site you can find a local provider for a free vision screening appointment. 13 out of 14 infants screened have no serious problems and don't need further eye exams until ages 3 and 5.

Through InfantSEE optometrists are trying to improve the state of vision care in the United States so that every infant can enjoy normal vision.

Levi Running at the Beach

2008-05-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

Look at him go

Comic - You'll Have That - 2008-05-21

2008-05-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Its so true...

Youll Have That - 21 May 2008
Wes Molebash
Wed, 21 May 2008 05:24:13 GMT

Comic - The 5th Wave - 2008-05-18

2008-05-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

The 5th Wave - 18 May 2008
Rich Tennant
Sun, 18 May 2008 07:54:13 GMT

Levi Dancing to 'Moondance'

2008-05-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

At the store they started playing 'Moondance' on the overhead speakers and Levi just had to get his groove on.

Levi Dancing to 'Moondance'

2008-05-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

At the store they started playing 'Moondance' on the overhead speakers and Levi just had to get his groove on.

Comic - PHD Comics 2008-05-14

2008-05-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

What's in a name...

05/14/08 PHD comic: 'The joys of having an uncommon name'

Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham		www.phdcomics.com

title: "The joys of having an uncommon name" - originally published 5/14/2008 For the latest news in PHD Comics, CLICK HERE!

Comcast is buying Plaxo

2008-05-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

I've been using Plaxo for a while now but not for social networking. Plaxo is the best platform I've found for contact and calendar syncing across platforms. With it my Outlook, Mac, Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo are all tied together. Hopefully Comcast doesn't completely move away from this feature set and focus totally on the Pulse features.

PC World - Business Center: Comcast to Buy Plaxo for Social Networking

Comcast to Buy Plaxo for Social Networking

Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 6:00 PM PDT

Comcast will acquire social-networking company Plaxo to power upcoming community features on its TV, broadband data and phone services.

The Mountain View, California, startup will help Comcast build social-networking capabilities that subscribers will reach through the U.S. cable giant's SmartZone Communications Center, said Comcast spokeswoman Jennifer Khoury.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Comcast expects the acquisition of privately held Plaxo to close in the next two months, Khoury said. The companies have already been working together in developing SmartZone, which is due to become available later this year, she said.

Plaxo will add community capabilities to cross-platform services that can bring into play all three of Comcast's basic platforms, Khoury said. For example, subscribers will be able to go into a set of contacts stored on Smartzone, pick out a friend to share photos with, and let that friend view the photos on TV via Comcast cable service.

Comcast has about 25 million cable TV subscribers and 14 million Internet subscribers. Battling to get consumers to identify with, spend time with, and remain loyal to them, service providers and entertainment companies alike are tapping into social networking.

Plaxo is just one of many social-networking sites that have sprung up on the Web in recent years. It allows automatic updates of business address-book information. Plaxo earlier this year signed on to the Google-led Open Social specifications aimed at making different social-networking services compatible.

All of Plaxo's approximately 50 employees will be absorbed into Comcast after the deal closes, Khoury said.

Comic - Real Life 2008-05-13

2008-05-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.reallifecomics.com/archive/080513.html

EverNote 3

2008-05-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

I've been using EverNote 3 for about a month now and I'm really starting to like it a lot. For a while I had been trying to work out a ubiquitous way to capture and store digital documents. Articles, HowTos, Manuals, Bills and Statements. All of this stuff that is worth saving but needs to be in a searchable form.

EverNote can do this from a web browser, Outlook, desktop application or by emailing to a private address. You can also created Notes free form. Recently PDF importing was added to the Mac client and will make text inside of PDFs searchable. The search feature can even find words within pictures.

Right its and invite-only beta with a 200MB quota.

I've got 15 invitations I'd be happy share. Send an email to evernote.invites@mikehunsaker.net.

We're having a boy

2008-05-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had an ultrasound and we're having a boy. Cameo and I are happy either way but we had a girl's name picked easy. Boys names we aren't even close. We've been putting off looking for a while hoping we could go with the easy one.

Turn Gmail into an Always-On Baby Book [Parent Hacks]

2008-05-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

I just setup an account for my son.

Turn Gmail into an Always-On Baby Book [Parent Hacks]

Blogger Rafe Needleman uses Gmail to record memories of his young son's life. With the hefty storage, easy accessibility and robust filter and search tools, it's a neat way to be able to quickly pull up that time when your little one met Santa Claus—or yanked your laptop off the table. Of course, with stuff this precious, it's always a good idea to back it up.

FW: 5 Ways to Get Kids Involved in Cooking

2008-05-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Post from NewsGator.com:

5 Ways to Get Kids Involved in Cooking

Cooking isn’t just a means to an end. Sure, you are (usually) rewarded with something delicious when you’re finished, but the process is part of the fun! Cooking is a fantastic family activity, and there are many ways to get kids involved, no matter how old they are! There is so much more they can do besides, “Shake and Bake! And I helped!”
In the kitchen, children can learn math skills, practice fine-motor coordination, make choices about nutrition, and of course, learn basic cooking techniques. Making foods from different countries is also a superb way to start conversations about other parts of the world.

Teach good health and hygiene by making sure your children pull back long hair and wash their hands properly before participating in any kitchen activities.

Measure and Pour:

Very young children can watch as you measure wet and dry ingredients, explaining the terms “cup,” “teaspoon,” and “tablespoon.” Once you level the dry ingredients, your child can pour them into a bowl. This is a great time to practice counting (to keep track of how many cups or teaspoons are already in the bowl).
As children get a little older, around 4 or 5 years old, you can start letting them pour or scoop ingredients into measuring tools. Teach them how to level dry ingredients by using the straight edge of a knife or metal spatula, and how to check liquid measurements at eye-level.
School-age children can continue to measure and count on their own, but this is also a good time to introduce conversions (i.e., 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons or 1 ½ cups = 3 half-cups) and measuring by weight.

Stirring and Combining

Very young children can practice stirring batters and combining dry ingredients using a wooden spoon, a fork, or a spatula.
Preschoolers can start learning to use different techniques, including beating or whipping ingredients using a whisk or egg beater. When they stir ingredients together, teach them to scrape the sides to incorporate everything.
School-age children can begin using hand-held electric beaters and learning new techniques like folding when using airy ingredients.

Preparing Ingredients

Even the youngest children can help with preparing ingredients by fetching things from the refrigerator, assisting with the salad spinner when you clean greens, and rinsing fruits and vegetables.
Preschool kids can start tearing lettuce for the salad, scrubbing potatoes to clean them, and cutting soft foods (like olives and strawberries) with a butter knife or dull plastic knife. They can also begin learning how to crack an egg.
Make sure school-age children are aware of knife-safety rules before letting them use the “grown-up” knives. It’s up to you to determine when your child is ready for these serious tools, but peeling vegetables and cutting ingredients are great jobs for older kids. You can also start teaching culinary skills like mincing, chopping, dicing, and julienning. Another great skill to teach at this time is how to separate an egg. Just make sure you have extras!

Cleaning up

Small children can help with clean-up tasks by using a small brush or broom and handheld dustpan on the floor. They can wipe up spills on the counter using a towel, and put away clean flatware (great for practice in sorting!).
4- to 5-year-olds can add to these cleaning skills by using spray bottles of nontoxic cleanser to spray the counter before wiping it clean. They can use brooms or Swiffers on the floor, and help with the dishwasher by filling the soap compartments and pushing the “start” button.
School-age children can begin washing dishes and loading the dishwasher. When the dishwasher is finished, they can put away things in the cabinets and drawers that they can reach.
For all ages, make sure to reinforce these skills and habits by making cleaning fun, praising kids for independence in the kitchen (even when they make a mess), and holding kids accountable.

Setting and Serving

Young children can set out the silverware, put napkins in napkin rings, and carry their own bowls and cups to the table..
Preschoolers can set the table and pour drinks for the family and make place cards for holiday or event seating.
School-age children can help dish out entrees and side items in addition to setting the table. Teach them which serving utensils are appropriate for different kinds of foods, and then begin letting them choose which one to use for each dish.

Tips and Notes

Make sure your children are always aware of kitchen safety. Establish rules and stick to them.
Cook with your children when you have time to be patient with them, not when you’re in a rush to get to a dinner party (you’re bringing the first course! AHH! Hurry!). You want your kids to associate family cooking with positive feelings, not with anxiety and impatience.
Neat freaks: Relax! Kitchens are messy places, and kids are messy people. Don’t worry about a few spills, and let the kids help clean up even if they don’t do it perfectly. You can fix it later (when they’re not looking).
Give your child ownership. Maybe this means your child has his or her own recipe box to fill with favorite recipes, or special colorful measuring cups and spoons. Your children might have their own aprons and kitchen towels, too. Also consider including your children when making your menu for the week.
Make sure to let your children know when they’ve done a job well! Thank them for helping you in the kitchen, and celebrate their accomplishments together.

FW: GTD at Home - Your Family Can Get Things Done!

2008-05-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

Post from NewsGator.com:

GTD at Home - Your Family Can Get Things Done!

By Michael Sliwinski

"Don't try this at home" (MTV – Music Television)
As I mentioned in my last article, being at the GTD seminar and listening to David Allen inspired me to try out different approaches to GTD.

I decided to actually try GTD at home.

I had a pleasure of talking to other fellow GTD-practitioners about their positive experiences at their homes. This short article will include tips and tricks for implementing GTD at home gathered from my friends' homes and from my very own.

Although in my case the experiment is an ongoing work-in-progress, I'm really happy with the results. Here's a small fraction of GTD concept you can introduce in your family to get more done and motivate (and inspire) each other and have a happier home:

Inboxes for everyone!

First step is to prepare inboxes for each and every member of the family. Put the names on each of the inbox and instruct the family members "what is the inbox and why do they need one". Some practical tips on setting inboxes for family members:

• Don't put all of the inboxes in the same place – put each inbox in the place the family member will most likely see and pay attention to it. Why? If the inboxes are grouped together – the items will most likely "migrate" from one inbox to the other instead of being processed and done by the family member they belong to. Family members really understand the concepts of "delegating" too well.

• Locate the inbox in a place where the family member will pay attention to it. I initially placed my wife's inbox in the hallway of our apartment. She would repeatedly ignore it. When I relocated her inbox to a spot near her cabinet with jewelry, the results improved tenfold.

• Motivate your family members to process their inboxes. Initially assist them in processing their inboxes and from time to time remind them about the piled-up inbox that needs to be cleaned to zero. I even heard a tip by one of the fathers who would actually put occasionally a 1-dollar bill or another kind of "pleasure-item" to encourage inbox-processing among his kids. I think this kind of bribery is worth trying out.

Work on the projects together

A family is a team and there are many projects, especially home-related ones, that need to be planned and executed together with several family members. Planning a project like "cleaning up the house", "redecorating one of the rooms" or "family Sunday dinner" can be planned with a simple to-do list for each of them. In my home one of the places for these kind of to-do lists is on the fridge.

A simple to-do list won't be enough, though. When planning a project like this, it's important to pay attention to these two things:

• Clearly point out each other's responsibilities in the project and delegate the tasks to each of the family members.

• Clearly define Next Actions for each other so that everyone knows what they should do right away.

Encourage the 50,000 feet level thinking

Make sure you talk to your loved ones about the meaning of their lives. About their overall area of responsibility, their goals – both long-term and short.

Try to schedule these kinds of talks to on at least monthly basis and make sure everyone (including yourself) really knows why they are doing what they are doing. Why they participate in their projects and review their priorities and analyze the motives of their actions.

I've started this kind of ritual with my wife and found out one of the best moments to do it is Sunday morning, right after our breakfast, when there is no pressure to go somewhere or do something.

Apply the great 2-minute rule at home!

After my last article about the "2-minute rule", one of my friends told me how he applied the 2-minute rule at home and gave me several examples of daily rituals that could be accomplished within this short period of time, or faster (and I never realized that!):

• Take out trash
• Clean the table after the dinner
• Put the dishes into dishwasher
• Start the dishwasher to actually clean the dishes
• Make the bed
• Turn off lights in the rooms unoccupied by other family members
• Put the shoes into the shoe-drawer
• Grab a beer from the fridge
• Etc.

I'm sure there are many more quick 2-minute tasks at home that you can add to this list. I'd encourage you to identify these quickies with your family members. Once discovered, nobody will have an excuse to procrastinate and leave these tasks off for later.

Tip: To motivate my family members and myself, I've actually created a list of these 2—minute "quickies" and posted it on my fridge for others to see.

Do it now – start introducing GTD in your Family.

I'm hoping I've encouraged you more than enough to try and start GTD in your family. Creating good habits is very important in a team such as a family that lives under one roof and wants to live in harmony, love and respect for one another.

To foster family-friendly GTD I've introduced a "family plan" in my Nozbe web application where you can set up an account for up to 6 family members to manage projects and next actions together and spread more GTD-goodness among your loved ones.

Please post your comments about GTD in your family and share your successes and challenges below – I'd be more than happy to discuss my experiences with you!

ShareThis

Only CC’d? Please display in another color

2008-05-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

As someone who's job is literally managing email I have become a huge proponent of Inbox Zero and using whatever tools you need to process mail automatically.

Only CC'd? Please display in another color

If you receive a lot of mails each day, it can be quite handy to see immediately if a mail was sent to you directly, or if you’re just on the CC list.

In Outlook you set this up like this.

1. Make sure you’re looking at your Inbox.

2. Use the main menu to select Tools | Organize. The “Ways to Organize Inbox” window appears above the list with mails.

3. At the left side you’ll see three options, click “Using Colors”.

4. At the top right corner in that window you’ll find a button called “Automatic Formatting…”. Press that button to open the following dialog:

5. Press the Add button to create a new rule.

6. Name this new rule, for instance "Only CC":

7. Press the Condition button to display this dialog:

8. Check the box before “Where I am”

9. Right next to that text, select “on the CC line with other people”

(Don’t worry, it will also work if you’re the only one on the CC line.)

10. Press the OK button.

Now that we have told Outlook which mails have our interest, we just have to specify the font that we’d like to use for these mails.

11. Press the Font button and select the font, style and color that you’d like to use for all mails in which you are CC’d.

12. Press the OK button to close the Font dialog.

13. Press the OK button to close the Automatic Formatting dialog.

14. Select Tools | Organize from the main menu to hide the “Ways to Organize Inbox” window again.

Now that this is done, any mail on which you are CC’d will be easily recognized in your inbox. This makes it a little bit easier to sift through your incoming mails.

Enjoy!

Save Cash and Earth: Start a Garden

2008-05-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Sent to you by Mike Hunsaker via Google Reader:

Save Cash and Earth: Start a Garden

via Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life by Jay White on 4/30/08

Written on 4/30/2008 by Shelly DeVous.

Listen to Al Gore and you believe our earth in is a perilous position and we all must work to reduce our carbon footprint. But is there anything one person can do to really have an effect on climate conditions?

Michael Pollen's recent New York Times article asks, "Why bother?" Pollen doesn't just pose the question, he also provides an answer; plant a garden:

"The idea is to find one thing to do in your life that doesn't involve spending or voting, that may or may not virally rock the world but is real and particular (as well as symbolic) and that, come what may, will offer its own rewards."

It's an admirable suggestion and a timely one, but his answer assumes two prerequisites:

A commitment to ecology
An ability to garden

Gardening does not require a commitment to ecology. However, when viewed as an answer to declining climate conditions, a heightened commitment to saving the earth may provide the necessary motivation to fulfill the second requirement; how to garden.

Pollen suggests gardening fulfills both prerequisites:

"But there are sweeter reasons to plant that garden, to bother. At least in this one corner of your yard and life, you will have begun to heal the split between what you think and what you do, to commingle your identities as consumer and producer and citizen."

We don't have to march in "Save The Earth" rallies, or install sun panels on our roof to show we are committed to the environment. Gardening will coalesce our own thoughts and actions; what we believe and what we do will be in harmony.

Pollen suggests other benefits as well:

Grow the proverbial "free lunch." (Cheap food)
CO2-free endeavor
Great exercise
Engages mind and body
Reason to be outdoors, away from the computer (as soon as you finish reading this)
Reengage with neighbors (if only to borrow tools!)

Reap fresh air and sunlight, exercise my mind and body, save the earth and have free food? OK, I'm a gardener. Now what?

Gardening is a worthy pursuit, but to progress from seedling to harvest requires knowledge. If you have never grown a vegetable garden, you will have to learn how.

My father-in-law, an avid and prolific gardener, always advised planting vegetables on Mother's Day. By the first week of May, serious concern of frost has passed, the earth is warm, daylight growing, and nights still relatively cool; Mother's Day is the ideal time to begin planting.

Mother's Day is fast approaching. Now is the time to seriously consider Pollen's suggestion. Are you ready to start planting and do your part to save the earth?

Vegetable gardening is not difficult, but it does require knowledge. Planning will increase the rewards of harvest. The internet provides a wealth of information on vegetable gardening. Begin with these:

Gardening 101: Plan Today for Summer Success
Ehow tutorial: How to grow tomatoes
Backyard gardener.com: How to grow vegetables
How stuff works: How to grow vegetables

Vegetable gardening is its own reward, if nothing more than you gain the satisfaction of growing your own food. Pollen offers one more reason to pursue this worthwhile effort and this may be the best reason:

"The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world."

That's a good reason to bother.

-Michele

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He got icing in his nose

2008-04-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Leatherhead...

2008-04-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

FW: How to Get Rid of Ants (Without Calling an Exterminator)

2008-04-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

Post from NewsGator.com:

How to Get Rid of Ants (Without Calling an Exterminator)

I hate ants.

At our old house, Kris and I were constantly at war with the little devils. Every time we suffered another invasion, every time they managed to find the pantry, every time they discovered the cat food, every time they ruined my chocolate chip cookies, I would berate them with colorful euphemisms.

Eventually it got so bad that we had to bring in an exterminator. It seemed crazy to hire an exterminator to deal with little sugar ants, but nothing else we tried would work. So we plopped down $100 every three months to keep the ants under control. (It may not have been $100 for each visit — Kris thinks it could have been $300.) It didn’t really help. After the exterminator visited, the ant problem would subside for a couple weeks, but then we’d be right back at war with them again.

Sad but true: the ants were one of the reasons I wanted to move out of that house.

I hate ants.

We’ve been lucky at our new house. In the almost four years that we’ve lived here, we haven’t had an ant problem.

Then on Tuesday night Kris asked, “Why is there an ant highway at the bottom of the stairs?” In our secret couple-language, an “ant highway” is the long teeming swarm of ants running from their point of origin to whatever it is they’ve decided they’re hungry for. Kris followed the ants to their destination; I traced them to their source. They were traveling through four rooms to find their treasure: a sticky mess I had made on the kitchen floor. There were hundreds (thousands?) of ants feasting on hunk of goo.

I berated the little bastards with colorful euphemisms.

But I didn’t call the exterminator. Kris and I are older and wiser now. We’ve learned that we don’t have to pay $100 to get rid of the ants. Instead, we use about one dollar’s worth of a single product: Terro. I hate ants, but I love Terro.

Terro is essentially borax mixed with sugar water. You can buy a small bottle for about five bucks at your local hardware store or supermarket. When your home is invaded by ants, you take a business card and sprinkle it with drops of Terro. You place the business card near whatever it is the ants are devouring, and then you wait. It may take a day. It may take two. And during that time, the ants will swarm all over the area (keep adding more Terro!), but gradually they’ll carry this sticky sweet poison back to their nest, and the entire colony will perish like some freakish doomsday cult. It’s delightful.

Is it possible to spend even less to get rid of ants? The Frugal Life has a large list of tips for getting rid of ants. Kris and I have tried most of these. They didn’t work for us. Some of them (like cinnamon or cayenne pepper or soap) deterred the ants for a while, or thwarted their immediate goal, but they didn’t actually address the root problem, which is the fact that we had a nest (or two) of ants outside our house. Terro does this. And for whatever reason, we’ve never had luck spraying the little critters with Raid (or other chemicals). (Though doing so is very cathartic.)

Yes, this post reads like a product endorsement. I don’t care. Nobody paid me to write this. I’m just grateful for a product that can save me so much money. And kill the damn bastards that invade my home.

Flickr photo by sbfisher.

Addendum: I have the best readers in the world. Your comments are great. And, via Michael, here’s a short story called “Leinegen Versus the Ants”. Those of us who have been there can sympathize!

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Quiet loud toys with caulk

2008-04-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't tried this yet, but I have a few toys in mind that could use this yesterday...

From ParentHacks.com

Quiet loud toys with caulk

Dawn's a smart mom:

I don't know about you, but I've found that most children's toys that 'talk' are way too loud - - too loud for me, and I'm sure for the tiny little ears that are even closer to the toy. So, I finally figured out a way to quiet them.

All the advice about covering with tape and stickers didn't work for my little J, since she's fascinated by anything sticky and immediately sets out on a mission to peel it off. One day, while working around the house, I realized the caulk I was using could be a lifesaver. Test toy number one was a Dora plastic bike that was frighteningly loud. I carefully caulked the speaker holes and......Voila! MUCH quieter. (See attached photo) You can still hear the music and what she's saying clearly (well, as clearly as before), the volume's just much lower. I've found that it works for all plastic toys.

For tiny, tiny speaker holes, I squirt a little pile of caulk on wax paper and apply it to the speaker with a q-tip, toothpick or handle end of a small paintbrush. Ahhhhh, the peace and quiet.

Related: Muffling noisy toys

Levi Dancing

2008-04-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

He's a dancin' machine!

Levi Reading

2008-04-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Going to Bed Book

Levi's Motorcycle

2008-04-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Easy Rider

Levi's Motorcycle

2008-04-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

Easy Rider

Levi will ride anything at a carnival

2008-03-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

He's only limited by the size restrictions imposed by the operators...

Dude, do ya mind?

2008-03-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

AppleTV

2008-03-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

iTunes Server

2008-03-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

Windows Home Server

2008-03-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

So I've played with Windows Home Server and it has a lot of potential especially in regard to giving any user data protection from hard drive failures. A hard drive crash can ruin any ones day/week/month/year and to have a safety net for your data that doesn't require significant expense or knowledge is great.

But where I think its week is in providing other features that make it a server and not just a network-attached storage device. I know that there are Add-Ins and that there is quite a community building for that but Microsoft makes server products for everything from email to patch management to anti virus to media streaming. Somehow they need to adapt these kinds of things or you might as well just buy a Drobo.

I also think that hardware OEMs are missing the mark for these units. To me the single significant feature of this product is the ability to create an easily expandable yet reliable data store. The 2 and 4 bay units are probably going to be the mainstream seller and I understand that they'll probably sell a lot more units at $400 to $700 but I have yet to see the 'premium' unit. Something with 8 or 12 bays. If I can continuously add drives to my server instead of needing to replace one how much more valuable does each drive become. I can then use any drive I purchase for its entire functional life. Maybe a 100GB drive isn't huge in a world of 500GB and 1TB drives but if the drive runs and all I need to do is at it to my pool of drives then it still has value.

He can climb mountains

2008-02-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the mountain in Tempe that has the big 'A' on it. Somehow I didn't catch the name.

Cameo and I were a little apprehensive about going because we weren't sure how far Levi would make it before we'd have to start carrying him.

He ran up the first half and I had to stop him a couple times. The upper half is more challenging with several big rock steps. I held Levi hand as we went but he didn't want to stop. I had to help with balance a few times but he climbed it all. All the way to the top.

At the top he was scaling some rocks that were pretty steep. The view up there is amazing and it felt good to get out and enjoy the great weather.

On the way down I literally had to hold him back from running down and jumping off every rock and ledge. At one point he even started walking down backwards. He has no fear.

iPod Car Reciever

2008-02-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

What if Apple made a car receiver that worked like the Apple TV? You could manage your mobile music library from your iTunes library. You have ubiquitous tracking of you Play Count or Ratings. No CDs, no iPod docking. Fresh music on every car ride. Create a playlist for your road trip and it will sync up while you pack the car.

Wi-Fi Enabled Car

2008-02-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

What if you car had built-in Wi-Fi? You could use this connection to connect to your car from your computer and pull diagnostic info, mileage and performance data, or even manage settings like radio presets. If your car has a GPS, your maps would always be up to date. You could even send a predefined route or set of way points.

We're gonna have another baby!

2008-02-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Cameo and I found out that we are pregnant over the weekend. We are so excited. We have been trying for a short time. Levi is now old enough to be a little independent but we don't want there to be too much of an age difference. I have great memories of growing up with brothers of close age and I'd like that for Levi as well.

Levi Eating Cottage Cheese

2007-06-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

and loving it

Levi Dancing

2007-04-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

He's a dancin' machine

Levi Reading

2007-01-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

The Going to Bed Book

my new little brother

2006-05-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

No one freak out (least of all, my mom). I did get a new little brother today, but this one is white and fluffy with pale blue eyes and walks on all fours. Wait...that STILL sounds like something my mom and dad could've made!

Actually, me and Daddy got Mommy a new kitten for Mother's Day! He's so cute and fluffy. I cant wait to squeeze him till his head pops off. He's half siamese and half manx, which means the parts of his face and tail that are normally dark are actually stripped instead. His eyes are blue, like mine, but lighter.

We named him Yeti, because he looks like a little snow monster. Right now he's so tiny, but Mommy says he'll grow quickly, just like me. I have a feeling we're going to be bestest friends.

Ryder Daniel Tapp

2006-05-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

What a glorious day this is! Today, my best friend RYDER was born!

For those of you who dont know, Ryder's daddy is Kyle, who has been my daddy's best friend since they were 4. I guess they have some kind of romantic idea about THEIR boys growing up together and being best friends too. So everyone is very excited here.

When we heard that Erin was going into labor, we all piled in the car to go down to the hospital. Grandma Linny is here visiting, so she got to come with us too!

When we got there, though, we found Erin in tears and Kyle half freaking out. Turned out, my little buddy was all flipped around and they were going to need to do a cesarian. To ease her fears, Grandma Linny told Erin about how all of her kids were cesarians and its nothing to be scared of, which calmed Erin a little bit. But then in the next 10 seconds Grandma Linny fell off a rolling stool and flailed around on the ground like a bug turned on it's back. My guess is she might have lost a little comforting rapport with the mom-to-be at that point.

They wheeled Erin into surgery, and 2 hours later a proud new dad came walking out with a little Ryder in an incubator. In pure Kyle form, he tried to convince the nurse to stop in the hallway so he could take the baby out of the incubator and show off his son to his friends. Of course, the nurse had to forcefully protest and scuttled away with the baby into the nursery. Leave it to Kyle.

For the next hour or so, we watched Kyle fumble around the nursery like a bull in a china shop, holding Ryder and feeding him for the first time. Everyone kept holding me up to the window to watch this new little person, but honestly I dont get what everyone was making a big stink about. He didnt DO anything. He just sat. The most entertaining thing about that whole experience was watching Kyle look so awkward.

I gave up after a while and kicked a ball around the waiting room. At least I got to stay up late, right?

what's he got that I dont?

2006-05-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

So, today I took a shower with daddy for the first time. And all I can say is....I hope I'm never THAT hairy.

Pittsburgh cousins turn my world on end

2006-05-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

So, my theory about girls from Pittsburgh has pretty much been solidified. My mom's not crazy because she's crazy...there's clearly something in the water in that town.

My mom's cousin Katie came to visit for a few days with her friend Blair, who by the end of the trip was deemed "Cousin Blair Blair". We had so much fun together!

The first night the girls were were, we all went out to my favorite sushi restaurant. Well, it WOULD be my favorite sushi restaurant if I was allowed to have sushi. So I'll call it my favorite-teppanyaki-place-that-makes-great-sushi-I-cant-have. Has anyone ever really looked into the legalities of the gross age-discrimination that parents weild like a giant sword in World of Warcraft? Son of a biscuit, I want to try sushi so bad.

One thing that I *was* able to eat that night was this delicious little invention called "miso soup". I love this stuff. And what's even better, my parents went APE SHIT that I liked it so much. All night long..."Can you believe the baby likes miso?!" "Who ever heard of a kid liking miso with seaweed?!" By 9pm, I was thinking, Get over yourself. I like EVERYTHING you people put in my mouth, even the cat food I snuck off the floor last week. Accept it, and lets move on.

On the 7th, Katie and Blair Blair actually babysat me while Mommy and Daddy went out for their anniversary. I had been thinking up some really evil pranks to play on my unsuspecting babysitters, but since they had been so cool all week, I decided to take it easy on them. I did, however, punish them right before bathtime by peeing all over the floor when they stripped me down. It was so classic...I start my tinkle, and these two girls starts screaming, "Its peing! Its peeing!" I almost laughed so hard, I could have...well, peed some more, I guess.

The best part of the whole weekend, though, we our trip down to Tucson. Katie and Blair Blair wanted to see some of the wild west, so we decided to take them horseback ridiing. Mommy used to work at this horse ranch in Tucson and we combined a fun day on the trail with a visit to old friends. I really liked meeting the horse people. Their names were Nuja and Tim. We went on a ride with their son, Trenton. He was so funny. At first I really liked the ride, although it was kind of uncomfortable sharing a saddle with my mom. I even fell asleep for a little while. But, after a while, the sun started getting really hot, and I was sitting so close to my mom that my back got soaked with sweat. By the last 15 minutes, I had pretty much had enough. But seeing horses for the first time was really cool. And I really liked that guy Tim. I dont know what it was about him....but I think I might have cracked his tough, cowboy exterior when I gave him and extra-special tight squeeze before we left.

Then, as if that wasn't fun enough, when we were done w/ the horses we met some more of Mommy's friends and went swimming! I had never been swimming before. To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I mean, sure it was hot outside, but that water was COLD! My little baby parts couldnt handle the shrinkage!

All in all, it was a great visit, and I was sad to see the cousin's go.

two at once

2006-04-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

It cant be. It JUST CANT BE.

I thought this whole "tooth" thing was bad enough. But now I'm getting TWO AT ONCE!

I'm not sure exactly how I'll make it, but I've got to. I've just got to.

Weeeeee!

2006-04-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today Mommy, Daddy and I did a very fun special project. We met a group of people downtown to pick up these cool little things called Ben's Bells. They are these beautiful porcelain bells that are made in memory of Ben Packard who died when he was only 2. His mom is my mom's old teacher and friend. After Ben died suddenly, Ben's mom and dad started making these bells and would hang them around the city, just to make people smile. Now Ben's Bells has turned into a huge non-profit org and they pass bells out all over the state.

Today was my first bell distribution. We picked up about 60 bells and started driving around Phoenix, hanging the bells on any tree, park bench, and sign we could find. It was so great knowing that at some point in time, someone would find this bell, and it would just make them smile. What a random act of kindness!

While we were walking through a park, looking for the perfect tree branch to hang a bell, Mommy spotted a swing set with little kid swings. I was a little wary....I had never seen such a contraption before. What could this thing be used for? Torture, of some sort? Were they going to sling-shot me into the heavens and wait for a new baby?

I was terrified as they strapped me into this monstrosity. The chains were hot and my legs hung down....very unsettling. Then, Mommy stood behind me and grabbed a hold of my little seat. I thought, this is it. I'm done for.

Then....the most amazing thing happened. It felt like I could FLY! All of the sudden I was soaring through the air, my stomach rolling over itself, the wind blowing through my...peach fuzz. It was incredible! I was SWINGING!

Although I had a blast, I have to tell you...this whole experience has left quite a sour taste in my mouth. Why on earth did my parents wait so long to introduce me to something so insanely wonderful?! What ELSE are they keeping from me?!

The truth has come out. I can trust no one.

a whole new world

2006-04-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

So, I've become fairly skilled with crawling. Sometimes I still get too excited and my back legs move faster than my front legs, causing me to do a really graceful face plant right into the floor, but in general, I rock.

However, I just discovered something that might change my life. Did you know there is a whole other plane of reality ABOVE the floor?! That's right...I know its a lot to take in all at once. Just breathe, and stay with me, okay?

Here's how I found it: I reached up to the coffee table, I grabbed a hold of the edge, and pulled myself up until I was standing. And....there it was. THE TOP OF THE TABLE. Do you know how much STUFF is up there?! Its incredible! It's like hitting the jackpot!

Now, I must warn you, DO NOT LET GO OF THE TABLE. The table, or couch, or chair, or whatever you're holding on to is completely magical. The moment you let go, you will find yourself back on the floor again within seconds, sometimes painfully. So hang on to that table at all costs!

I've got to go...I've got so much stuff to explore and destroy!

the worst day of our lives

2006-03-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning, Mommy and Daddy were both already awake and they both looked awful. For about 20 minutes I watched the two of them run back and forth to the bathroom. It wasn't until they started saying how they were so grateful I didnt have "it" that I realized...they're SICK.

Just at that moment, it happened. I puked. Now, remember, I still spit up after I eat, so regurgitating isn't a wholly uncommon experience for me. But this was a whole other animal. I was heaving and puking and I couldnt stop to save my life.

Mommy called Dr. Uncle Scotty and his best advice was for us to find someone to take care of the 3 of us, because he said we all had something called the "stomach flu".

Luckily, Mommy started feeling better by mid-afternoon and was able to take care of both me and Daddy. What a trooper that chick is!

I'm FREE!

2006-03-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!

All of the sudden rockie rockie is archaic and trite. Who wants to rockie rockie when you can CRAAAAAWWWWWL!

That's right, cats and kittens. I started crawling today! All of the sudden, so much more of the world is right at my fingertips. That electrical outlet I've been dying to try? Can do, buckaroo. The sliverware holder in the dishwasher with all the sparkley knives? I'm all over it. I can even chase the dog and cat around!

My days of being an immobile beetle flipped on it's back are OVER! I'm a CREEPY CRAWLIE!

Revenge

2006-03-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm clearly being punished for something. Just as I'm starting to celebrate my hands and knees accomplishment, another freaking dagger appears in my mouth! Isnt one enough?! How many of the wretched "teeth" do people need?!

I think its all a plan hatched by my menacing parents. I think they noticed I'm getting up on my hands and knees, and they know the turmoil that their lives are in for as soon as I become mobile, so they induce great pain upon me, hoping to disable me with agony.

Well, I'll show them. The stabbing pain in my jaw only MOTIVATES me! This will be my comeback, my greatest challenge and success! I will overcome these "teeth"...oh, teeth will not win today, my friends.

I can fly!

2006-03-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today me and Mommy flew to Pittsburgh...again. Of course, I was perfect on the plane. My favorite part is watching all of the other people shuffling onto the plane. See, since I'm just a little guy, we get to board the plane first. That means that I get to sit and stare at all of the people getting on the plane as they walk by. Some people are just interesting to see, but then...there are the ladies. Any time a young woman with a beautiful smile walks by, I am Mr. Personality. I've also discovered that if I stand on Mommy's lap, I can flirt with the lady sitting behind her. I'm really starting to like this flying thing.

When we got to Pittsburgh, we went over to my Guggie's house. Boy, it was so good to see her, and she was SO happy to see me! Its hard for Gug to hold me because I'm such a heffer, but I put on a good show for her while I was there and got lots and lots of smiles. No matter how many beautiful girls smile at me on planes, there is nothing better than my Guggie's smile.

While we were in Pittsburgh, Mommy had lots of meetings and places to go to get ready for the big wedding in June. This will be the last visit Mommy has before she comes back to Pittsburgh for the wedding, so there was lots to do.

The fun part about the trip was that I got to spend the night at Uncle Scotty and Aunt Paige's house while Mommy did something stupid and boring called a "bachelorette party". I had fun playing with my older cousins. They are so cool! The next day my family even took me out to eat with them at the country club while we waited for Mommy to get home from her "bachelorette party".

When we got home from dinner, Mommy and her friend Katie were both at Uncle Scotty's waiting for us. She must've had a horrible time because she looked like hell. I dont know what they do at those "bachelorette parties", but I sure never want one!

Oh, and I got to show Guggie my new rockie rockie trick. I'll tell you what - Mommy and Daddy look happy when I do it, but Guggie made me feel like I just conquered the world! She sure did make a big deal about rockie rockie!

I had a lot of fun in Pittsburgh, but I really missed my Daddy. Five days is too long to be away...

Who said I'm a sack of potatoes!

2006-03-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm writing in yellow today because I am so excited of the recent developments that have happened at our new house.

So I got through the tooth thing okay. By the way, that's what I found out that little dagger in my mouth is called...a "tooth". Dont worry if you've never heard of it...I hadnt either. But they all assure me that's what it is. And believe it or not, you get used to it being in there. So things are well with that.

But I gotta tell ya...I am sick and tired of LAYING. That's all I do. I lay. And if Mommy wants to move me, she picks me up and moves me. And if Daddy wants to move me, he usually just kicks me over to where he wants me to land. (just kidding). But if I want to change locales, guess what I do? I lay. Sure, I can wiggle my legs and thrash my arms about, but its really not that graceful. Kind of reminiscent of a beetle flipped over on its back. Just like a beetle, I'm not going anywhere.

So today I decided to change that. I put my game face on, mustered up all my courage and strength, and I got up on my hands and knees! Can you believe it?!

Maybe you're asking yourself, "But he didn't actually MOVE anywhere. Wasnt that the point?". BABY STEPS, PEOPLE! Its not just a clever saying...give me time! I will be wreaking havoc in no time...

Coordination Cha Cha Cha

2006-03-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't believe what my legs will do now! Okay, so I've become fairly skilled at getting up on the good ol' hands and knees. I do that a lot and it has lost it's novelty. Now I've discovered the absolute funnest thing in the world. If you gt up on your hands and knees, you can make yourself rock back an forth. It is SO MUCH FUN. Rockie rockie cracks me right up. Go ahead... try it! All you do is lay on your belly, pull yourself up to your hands and knees, and then start to rock forwards and backwards Its great!

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT GET TOO EXCITED WHEN PRACTICING YOUR ROCKIE ROCKIE! Sometimes, if you really get into it, you can rockie rockie your face right into the floor. Trust me, its not pretty, especially because you cant get up once you fall! (refer to previous blog and the beetle comments) But if you're careful and you keep your intensity in check, I'm sure you will have an equally enjoyable rockie rockie experience. I dont need any law suits or anything.

This place is hell...

2006-03-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

This place is hell. I dont know what I did to deserve this, but ever since we moved into the new house, my mouth has been KILLING me! I mean, this is a pain like I've never known. It seems like my gums are half burning, half ripping, and all I want to do is BIIIIIITTTE! If I could just put as much pressure as possible on the inside of my mouth 24 hours a day, I think I'd be in paradise. What CAUSES such things?! Does this happen to everyone when they move into a new house? Mommy and Daddy dont seem to be in any pain. They're certainly not biting on things like Im doing. They are as cranky as I am, though. Maybe they ARE in pain. I wouldnnt know...I cant figure out how to tell them whats been going on. I dont even have the words to describe! So I've been trying to be a strong man, keeping the pain to myself and not letting on that I'm in endless agony.

As if that weren't bad enough, on March 3 I woke up with a knife in my mouth. That's right, a little knife. I dont know where it came from or when it appeared, but all of the sudden the inside of my mouth could cut through glass. Mommy knows...I bit her shoulder earlier today. I dont know what's going on here, but I want my smooth little mouth back.

I think we're going to have to move again....

My New Digs

2006-03-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

So big changes are afoot. I'm not entirely sure what it all means, but you know that feeling like your entire perception of reality is about to be turned on end? Yeah...I have THAT feeling.

For the past few weeks, my parent's stress levels have been sky high. They've been working with my Uncle Kyle and Aunt Erin on something big...real big. Lately we've been going on some really weird day trips, visiting other people's houses and walking through every room...sometimes no one even lives there! I dont understand why we would want to visit people in an empty house, but Mommy and Daddy must know what they're doing.

Another wierd thing is what's been happening at our house. It seems like every waking minute, Mommy and Daddy have been putting everything we own in boxes. There are boxes piled all over the house. I hope we're not giving it all away...I like some of our stuff!

The weirdest part came on Feb. 28. It seemed like half the family came over, even Uncle Casey and Johnny down from Vegas, and loaded all of our things into a big truck. Even the snake! Then we drove all of our things to one of the houses we visited. This time, the house was all empty but very very dirty. Then, it hit me...

WE'RE GOING TO LIVE HERE!

At first I was skeptical. Our house in Maricopa was the only home I've ever known! There's no WAY I can be a happy boy in a strange place! But after a good cleaning and all my toys made it out of the boxes, this place started to grow on me.

Mommy and Daddy did a lot of things to make our new house nice. They picked cool colors to paint the rooms (my room is blue, yellow, and green; we even have a purple bathroom!). They bought all kinds of cool lights and decorations to make the house feel comfortable. And, my favorite, we even got a 52'' plasma flat screen TV that Daddy mounted on the wall in the living room! At that point, I was sold.

So, here we are...all settled into our new house. I wonder how many memories we'll make here...

my shout out

2006-01-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

I would like to send a special shout out to the person who posted the comment regarding the "animal pyramid" in Tombstone, AZ. If you remember, we saw this strange man with his dog/cat/mouse pyramid walking around Bisbee during our weekend getaway, and Mommy and Daddy had seen them before in Tombstone. This posting reminded me that I have not uploaded that picture. I will do so now and I apologize to any of my adoring fans who have been waiting on pins and needles to see such a feat. Here ya go...

Jewin' it up with the Mormons in Vegas

2006-01-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas, everybody!

We went to Las Vegas to celebrate the holidays with Daddy's family. We stayed with Uncle Casey, Aunt Carrie, and my cousins Cora and Caden. Uncle Christov lives there too and I finally got to meet him and his son Christian. We all had a lot of fun together.

Christmas was a blast. I love this Santa guy! He brought me new clothes, a totally cool new hat (its just like my Grandpa Ron's), toys, books...everything a kid could want.

Later that evening, it was the first night of Channukah, so Mommy made a traditional Channukah dinner, complete with latkas and the candle-lighting ceremony. Daddy's family had never seen anything so Jewish! Everyone enjoyed the food and had a lot of fun.

I'm a world traveler...

2005-11-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling very sophisticated these days. The weekend of Veterans Day, Mommy and Daddy both had a 3-day weekend, so we decided to take a trip. Mommy had always wanted to visit Bisbee, AZ, so that's where we went.

I won't bore you with the details about the lovely old Victorian mansion turned bed and breakfast we stayed in, or how we toured the artsy shops in the town and visited the Bisbee Mining History Museum. There are much more interesting things of which to speak...

HUGE things happened for me on this trip. First, I rolled over for the first time in our hotel room. Mommy freaked. It was hillarious.

But her freak out to that paled in comparison to how bad she freaked when I all of the sudden started sucking my two fingers. You see, when Mommy was little, apparently she sucked her first two fingers and played with her bellybutton instead of sucking her thumb. It was her claim to fame...it almost defined her as a person. And now, the jury's been out as to whether HER kids would pick up that quirky little trait. Well...guess what....(there are pictures to prove it).

In other news, I saw the most AMAZING thing in Bisbee. There was this guy who had this dog, and he trained his cat to sit on his dog's back and walk around town. Amazing, right? That's not even the half of it. The guy also trained his two mice to sit on his cat's back while the cat was balancing on the dog! They all walk around Bisbee in this giant pyramid of dog, cat, and mouse. I have pictures to prove THAT one, too.

I would also like to add that, much to Mommy's delight, I peed on Daddy twice while we were walking around Bisbee. She thought that was hillarious.

LaStly, I would like to tell a little tale of how different and ridiculous my mom and dad are. Perhaps it will incite a little sympathy for my home situation and what I have to deal with as I'm growing up with these two whackos.

As a testament to how DIFFERENT my parents are, I would like to review the things they each had to eat while we were on our vacation:

For breakfast, which was cooked for us at the B&B where we stayed, Mommy had crepes filled with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and cheese & broccoli quiche. Daddy had pancakes.

For lunch, at this cute little restaurant in town, Mommy had a Mediterranean pizza with pesto, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta with a Greek salad. Daddy and a cheeseburger.

For dinner, when we swung through Tucson, we went to Mommy's favorite sushi restaurant that she had been craving since she was pregnant with me. Mommy had a Las Vegas roll: shrimp, crab, eel, cream cheese, avodado, masago (some kind of sea creature's eggs) all wrapped up in seaweed and fried in tempura batter. Daddy had a piece of chicken on plain white rice.

What on EARTH will become of me, coming from these two polar opposites?!

By the way, I posted the pictures we had from our trip to Bisbee, but if you want to see footage of the town or the sights we saw, you're out of luck. The only pictures there are of me sucking my two fingers, and a bunch of close-ups Mommy took of my face while we were driving back to Phoenix. What a tool...

Levi Hudson Hunsaker

2005-08-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

Apple on x86...

2005-06-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

This could be huge. I have been dying to use Mac OS.X at home and I have been saving for a Mac Mini, but this would change things.

http://www.betanews.com/article/Newscom_Says_Apple_Switching_to_Intel/1117894429

Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

2005-05-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Run, don't walk. That is all.

Microsoft's new all-in-one desktop protection product

2005-05-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has announced a new desktop protection product. Antivirus, Antispyware, Backup, Defrag, etc. all from a single console. This looks like magic for almost every Windows user who doesn't know how or have time to protect the performance of their PC. You can apply to be in the beta from the site.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/onecare/default.mspx

Age of Empires III - Preview

2005-05-04T10:51:00.001-07:00

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/age-of-empires-iii/608322p1.html

Age of Empires III - Interview

2005-05-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/age-of-empires-iii/608726p1.html

It's a boy!!

2005-03-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

Cameo and I had another ultrasound on Friday. We're having a boy. The technician was great, but we only got one picture to take with us. We're both pretty excited, but I think Cameo was hoping for a girl.

Xbox 360 getting attachable hard drive and wireless controllers

2005-02-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000100032808/

Zoom Zoom

2005-02-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

Kentucky vs Georgia

2005-02-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

Motorola MPx220

2005-01-11T10:45:00.001-07:00

I just got a new cell phone. The Motorola MPx220. It's a Windows Mobile 2003 Smartphone. This thing is awesome. I hook it up to the USB cable and it automatically syncs with my Outlook which is connected to my MSN/Hotmail. All my info all connected. Priceless.

Apple Mac Mini

2005-01-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

I want a Mac Mini in the worst way. It's exactly what I'd hoped Apple would do for years.

Super Troopers

2004-12-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Super Troopers

When the previews came out, I wasn't sure that this would be any good and I didn't know anything about Broken Lizard. I caught this one lazy Saturday and it's hysterical.

Buy it.

Ocean's Twelve

2004-12-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ocean's Twelve

Go see it. Go right now.

Blogging from a cell phone

2004-12-03T10:44:00.002-07:00

How cool is that

Pi: Faith in Chaos

2004-12-03T10:44:00.001-07:00

Pi: Faith in Chaos

Interesting math and geometry, bad ending. Worth a rent except for the last 5 minutes.

Blogging from MSN Messenger

2004-12-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

Not quite as cool as the cell phone.

What I'd really like to see is MSN Spaces functionality built into MSN Explorer.