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I’ve been neglecting this blog for a while because I’ve been posting the usual mundane tidbits on facebook the last year or so. But, I don’t know. I guess the pendulum is swinging back the other way now. Call me fickled. I feel like I should take ownership of this blog and do something with it. posting on FB is all well and good but I’m paying for hosting for this thing, I might as well get more use out of it, right?

something’s comin’ and it isn’t good. especially if it veers inland.

damn. after spending hundreds of dollars for private lessons over the summer break, not to mention countless hours having to listen to him practicing the same things over and over again, every damn day, it was finally time for our son to audition. All that hard work (and money) should have paid off today, right?

well, not quite. the kids were ushered into the audition room one by one and given five minutes to run through the required pieces which included an “unknown piece” for them to sight read on the spot. I guess the pressure of it all got to my son and apparently he choked. At least, according to him. parents weren’t allowed in the audition room so I don’t know.

We’ll find out the results in a couple weeks. I’m not holding my breath.

But come on, all that money spent. It can’t be for nothing. argh.

man, these are selling out fast. If you can manage to find a HP TouchPad at this point, you can get ‘em for cheap!!! HP announced a couple days ago that they are discontinuing their tablet device and are getting rid of their existing supply.

Well, the net went bonkers over this immediately and most online retailers depleted their supply in a matter of hours.

Reading up on the online chatter, local brick and mortar stores like Best Buy and Office Depot are already out too. I managed to get in on Amazon’s Lightning deal earlier today to secure my HP tablet.

I’m not sure how often Amazon will be doing those lightning deals but if you’re still looking for one, keep your eyes peeled.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s the middle of august and you know what that means – it’s “back to school” time.  Man, where did the summer go?  Time has just flown by.  Anyway, if you’re a parent, you’ve probably been making trips out to the stores lately to get the kids all their supplies for school.  Whether your kids are bound for college or middle school, don’t forget an important essential item for just about any back-to-schooler, the cell phone.  And I’m sure mom knows best and you’re probably considering simply adding a new line to your traditional cell plan but I’m here to tell you that there’s a better alternative.  I’m talking about a no-contract, prepaid plan through Straight Talk wireless.  Straight Talk provides everything you need from a wireless carrier without the long term contracts and those annoying extra tacked-on fees.  In terms of typical cell plans, you’re basically cutting that monthly bill in half with Straight Talk. 

Check out their unlimited plan – you get unlimited text, voice and web, all for just $45 a month.  That’s an amazing price especially when you consider how often today’s teens would text each other.  ugh, don’t get me started on that topic!  If you can get by with a little less, they offer a $30 plan which includes 1000 voice minutes, 1000 text messages and 30MB of data.  It’s definitely worth considering especially with all the money you’d save.

oh, and remember to call a friend and spread the word about Straight Talk.  In economic times like these, saving any amount of money is always a good thing. 

the minivan’s battery suddenly died on me. it’s interesting that with all of the cars I’ve owned (an acura, two hondas and a lexus), there’s never a tell-tale sign of when a battery will give out on you. the low-battery light on the dash never lights up to warn you that the battery needs to be changed out. never. I always end up finding out when I stick the key in the ignition and it fails to turn over. Well, I guess a good guideline is the age of the battery. For the most part I’ve noticed that the battery lifespan is around four to five years. So, I’m going to be pre-emptive and just change them out at the four year mark. It’ll be better than being stranded out in the middle of nowhere with no one around to give you a jump.

I’m guessing Netflix is closely monitoring what’s popular on their streaming service and augmenting their catalog accordingly. This would explain the new additions to their korean drama lineup. That’s right, more kdramas for us to enjoy via netflix streaming. (click this hyperlink to see my previous post about available kdrama titles)

Here’s a list of what Netflix added this week:

City Hunter – Yoon Sung — the son of a murdered government agent — begins working in the Blue House, the presidential residence in Korea. He tries to find the five men who betrayed his father 28 years ago, and makes a plan to punish them his own way. Cast includes: Lee Min Ho, Park Min Young, Lee Joon Hyuk, Hwang Sun Hee

Lie To Me – Gong Ah Jung, a Ministry of Culture official, gets caught in a web of lies when she claims she’s married to Hyun Ki Joon, a wealthy hotel manager. Their relationship is further complicated when Ki Joon’s ex-fiancée reappears in his life. Cast includes: Yoon Eun Hye, Kang Ji Hwan, Jo Yoon Hee, Hong Soo Hyun, Ryu Seung Soo

Goodbye Miss Ripley – Miss Ripley is based on true story of Shin Jeong Ah. Two very different men fall in love with Jang Mi Ri(Lee Da Hae), a woman whose life is a complicated web of lies, propelled by her greedy desires that stem from an unfortunate childhood. Cast includes: Micky Yoochun, Da Hae Lee, Kang Hye Jeong, Kim Seung Woo

Midas – This riches-and-romance drama set in Korea’s financial world follows the fortunes of Kim Do Hyun, a young man with big ambitions. The competing pressures of his professional activities and his upcoming marriage begin to complicate his life. cast includes: Hyuk Jang, Kim Hee Ae, Lee Min Jung, No Min Woo, Lee Duk Hwa, Kim Sung Kyum, Choi Jung Woo, Yoon Je Moon, Han Yoo Yi

Bad Boy – This thrill-packed Korean drama pits Geon-Wook against the Haeshin Group business empire and the powerful Hong family that owns the company. Geon-Wook’s obsession with revenge traces back to childhood and his rejection by the patriarch of the Hongs. Cast includes: Kim Nam Gil, Kang Soo Han, Han Ga In, Kim Jae Wook, Park Joon Mok, Oh Yun Soo, Moon Ga Young, Jung So Min, Jun Gook Hwan, Kim Hye Ok

So, spread the word and keep watching and hopefully Netflix will continue to expand their kdramas library.

Read more…

After seeing a write up on Batter Blaster in Forbes Magazine recently, I thought I’d check it out. I initially had a tough time locating the product until a friend of mine suggested looking in the refrigerated dairy aisle. And lo and behold, there it was. I was a bit taken aback with the price – $5 for a can that makes only 28 pancakes but I went ahead and got it anyway.

So, for those that haven’t heard about this – Batter Blaster is a pressurized canister of pancake batter. So, essentially a quicker and easier way of making pancakes without the hassle and mess of prepping pancake batter. So, the canister looks similar to a can of whipped cream. You press against the top nozzle and out comes the batter.

There was some trial and error involved in getting a good pancake made. Since the Batter Blaster is refrigerated, I had to lower the temp of the pan since the cold batter burned easily compared to normal batter. Also the batter was lighter and didn’t rise like regular batter. In fact, I had a tough time flipping these things because the batter was a lot more delicate and “airy”. So, my initial batch wasn’t much to look at. either they were burnt or deformed.

As for taste – I actually liked the taste of the batter but the texture was lacking. Some of mine were almost crepe like thin. But maybe that had to do with my technique. I’ve read afterwards that dispensing more batter in the center would make the pancake more substantial than dispensing in a spiral motion (which is what I was doing).

So how would I rate Batter Blaster? I’d give it a “C”. I probably need more practice in making these from a can dispenser. But factoring the cost of the product and the resulting pancakes, I’ll most likely stick to prepping my pancake batter the regular way.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ve been using prepaid wireless service for years.  Way before it was accepted by the mainstream.  I mean, I had to endure weird looks from friends and colleagues early on whenever I told them I wasn’t under contract with any provider.  I guess folks have become so conditioned to the “two year contract” that they don’t realize that there are indeed other options in the wireless world. 

And I’m not one that likes to tell someone how to spend their hard earned money but come on, why would you opt for a contract based plan when a cell provider like Straight Talk can provide everything you need for a whole lot less and without the need of a contract.  You don’t need a degree in math to figure out that you can cut your monthly cell phone bill in half by going with Straight Talk’s Unlimited monthly plan which is only $45 per month.

Not only do you save a bundle switching to Straight Talk but you’re also utilizing the most reliable wireless network.  That’s right, Straight Talk is on the Verizon Network.  So, contrary to what you might think, going cheaper with wireless doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing quality.  Plus, with major manufacturers like LG, Motorola and Samsung working with Straight Talk, there’s a great selection of phones including some highly desirable smartphones.

So, with the amount you can save and also being on the verizon network, this Straight Talk deal should bring in the masses, hook, line and sinker.  It’s a no-brainer in my book.  Spread the word, call a friend, Straight Talk is definitely the way to go in terms of low cost cell service.

great. maintenance came around this week at work and replaced our “permanent” cubicle location/name plates with ones that can easily be changed out.

you know the ones where you can switch out the names with just a new piece of paper.

this sure doesn’t instill employee confidence here… I mean come on, is management expecting a rapid turnover of staff sometime soon? WTF.

job security, indeed.