Who said random is never good?
I just got word that I have been randomly selected by a computer-of-randomness for a:
Thanks Vincent! and the nice folks over at SlingMedia for cosponsoring the SlingBox Giveaway
Unboxing photos and review coming up soon.
Only at 11 pm Christmas Day... can one find a Mapco open for gas, a local market open for beer and lottery tickets and WalGreens where all the sick people with coughs, colds and congestion can go to spend $36.00 on NyQuil, Mucinex and Tylenol.
I'm grateful for the friendly help at WalGreens who make the sacrifice probably at $7.00 an hour (hopefully at time and half) to welcome in the masses who are cold and sick that were turned away from Kroger's and WalMart's closed doors.
Ok, I'm feeling better now. Thanks.
On days like today when it's too cold outside, I get really itchy to build something out of wood to knock off the winter cabin fever. Next year when spring fever breaks out, I'm building a shed. My neighbor and I went down to the country to visit some folks we know and I was inspired. 
What I want for Christmas (and it's on the way) is a power nailer, the kind that hooks up to a compressor. Meanwhile, I'll just go wander around Lowe's to get out of the house.
I'm trying to think, but nothing happens. - Curly
Not All Who Wander Are Lost is proud to present our first installment of what we hope to be a very, very irregular feature: Overly Specific Blog Absence Mad Libs.
___________ (exclamation), what a __________ (period of time)! Tuesday me and ___________ (person) took the ___________ (mode of transportation) to ____________ (special event), which was ____________ (adjective) -- not a lot of (something there's not a lot of), but we saw ____________ (famous person) ______________ (gerund) a ______________ (flightless bird), so the evening wasn't a total loss. Yesterday I went to the ___________ (place you can buy things) and picked up a new _____________ (something you really only need one of), since the old one was starting to get ______________ (sign of age) and we finally had enough ______________ (something of value) to trade in.
Get the rest of this Mad Libs (the blog edition) at Boy Howdy's and when you do, leave a comment.
If you're traveling out of downtown Nashville and head south on I-65 just before the Wedgewood exit, take a look at this:
I like art, but doesn't acrylics on canvas suffice? Defacing public property or "tagging" private property is just simply selfish. The art of vandelism. I was dismayed to see tagging done on a building's glass block facade.
Apparently there is a whole conversation on The Culture and Politics of Graffiti Art
Wrap these quotes around your head:
"Graffiti writing breaks the hegemonic hold of corporate/governmental style over the urban environment and the situations of daily life. As a form of aesthetic sabotage, it interrupts the pleasant, efficient uniformity of "planned" urban space and predictable urban living. For the writers, graffiti disrupts the lived experience of mass culture, the passivity of mediated consumption." - Jeff Ferrell, Crimes of Style
"People with money can put up signs ... if you don't have money you're marginalized...you're not allowed to express yourself or to put up words or messages that you think other people should see. Camel (cigarettes), they're up all over the country and look at the message Camel is sending...they're just trying to keep the masses paralyzed so they can go about their business with little resistance." -- Eskae
Put on a happy face with an Antidepressant Perfume called Smiley.
No kidding... buy it here
Wonder if our lovable blogger CeeElCee aka "Smiley" has anything to do with this?
That wee wascally wabbit from Hendersonville Sista Smiff tagged me out of the crowd to fess up about six wierd things about me.
I went to the source - Mrs. WonderDawg - and I knows that she loves me so much as to overlook my wierdness. She is good about stuff like that; plus she never confesses other people's sins (or wierdness) either. However, she still is working on me after 27 years to clean up after myself.
#1) Some people say I snore. I say I'll book a hotel room by myself please with two double beds. When I travel, I like to spread my stuff out and occupy every possible flat surface. I got my gadgets plugged into every available wall socket, and the second bed serves as my extra large nightstand with newspapers, magazines and additional gadgets that don't need a plug. Cleaning up drives the housemaids crazy, but all they have to do is make the bed and leave some fresh towels. They do appreciate that I leave all of my trash in one can.
#2) I can't swim. I've tried, even taking swimming lessons with the kids when they were very young. I just can't coordinate moving my arms and kicking my feet simultaneously. Zero rhythm. Jumping off the diving board at the Sportsplex to pass my test didn't motivate me to re up for the next round of lessons. I'm just not into swallowing water, unless I am assured that I'm in a NO PEE pool.
#3) I have three brothers and three sisters. I'm Kerry, there's a Jerry, Terry and Harry. (I named my son Gary). My sisters names are Lilly, Sally and Emily. (My daughter is Megan - in fact, Terry has a daughter Megan 2, born on the same day, 4 years apart). My little brother Harry is 7'2"; I'm 6'3"... everybody in our family is tall - we owe it to our diet of long grain rice.
#4) When I cough, I sneeze three times as a follow-up. Must be something to do with my head size. I wore the largest football helmet in high school. To this day, I can't wear a cap (as if I wanted to). Mrs. WonderDawg breaks out in belly laughter when I try on a cap at the local sporting goods.
#5) Public restrooms are taboo. I've talked about this before, but I will never sit my booty on a public toilet, especially a gas station. Within reason, I rather take my chances on getting a self inflicted hernia driving thirty miles home than use a public restroom where I have to sit. If I'm desperate, I rather buy a newspaper and find a field behind the Mapco to TCB. But I'm smart; I don't eat Mexican food, especially fajitas with the onions, green peppers and old refried beans. No sir, pass me by.
#6) I collect way too much stuff. Even when I can't afford it, I usually will get the item I'm after in a barter or as a gift. I use to think I would be a car collector, buying the $1500 deal at some backroads car lot. I've owned two 1996 Mustangs, a Pontiac Bonneville convertible, an Oldmobile Cutlass with a hemi and a 1963 Ford Thunderbird for 2 hours. Mrs. WonderDawg made me take it back. After 30,000 LPS, hundreds of CDs, books, newspaper articles, trinkets, schwag, tools, scraps of wood, Legos, gadgets... I keep trying to downsize. I have to! I'm out of room, so I keep trying to downsize and miniaturize at the same time. Right now, I'm fixated on Target Gift Cards to go with my collection of plastic hotel room keys and little bars of soap. Ann Landers would say I'm insecure. The Bible says I'm laying up an inheritance for my children's children. Mrs. WonderDawg says I'm just being Chinese.
Was it wierd enough for you?
Ok, I'm suppose to rat out, I mean tag 6 people. This is like picking six people to join your tribe on Survivor. So in no particular order, I'm picking 3 gals and 3 guys:
Kat Coble
The Brilliant Jag
Amy at Lavendar *Sparkles*
Short & Fat
Michael Ashby aka Mashby
Big Orange Michael
There is no way that I'm going out in public today to face the mass crowds on the busiest shopping day of the year.
Unless Mrs. WonderDawg makes me drive her around. I have this special talent to always drive up to any mall anytime, anywhere and snag the prime non-handicapped open parking spot.
But if I had a boatload of money, on this Day After Thanksgiving I might be in New York eating at The Jive Turkey where I can "Grab - Gobble - Go" while checking out the The Jive Turkey Of the Month Club.
Or maybe in Las Vegas watching the The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil
Or relaxing in the Carribbean on a NCL Cruise.
But as is, I'll eat some leftover turkey, overdosing with lunch lethargy to pass out later on the couch dreaming of my Dallas Cowboys going to the Super Bowl. Later, when I come out of my tryptophan & carbohydrate coma, I'll be climbing the attic steps to retrieve the fifty boxes of Christmas ornaments.
My traditional Black Friday.
This Thanksgiving, I'm paying online homage to those wonderful souls that have either the time, technical skills, demented sense of humor, an artful way of looking at life and/or advertising dollars to make the internet a better place to surf for guys like me.
Five My-Kind-of-Web-Sites That I'm Thankful For:
(1) men who look like kenny rogers.com
(2) Men of the Square Table: Man Laws
(3) Comics On The Web (especially Herman)
(4) Sacred Sandwich
(5) Photo Essays by Herman Krieger
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!
Besides mashed up music, I've not even seen a Harry Potter movie.
I didn't even know who this was when I was at the Lego Store at the Mall of America:
"Rin" aka Kat Coble is the source for all things Harry Potter
Working at home is awesome, but it's apparent I have to get out more often.
One of the things that drives Mrs. WonderDawg a little crazy is whenever we go out and about in the mall, I'll see a display table or a fixture with shirts and pants neatly stacked on top that is unique or different.
I'll say to myself, "I wonder if that will work in my garage..." At which point, I'll stop and look at the fixture for construction details and see how everything is pieced together.
Some of my favorite stores with practical fixtures include Old Navy with their modular display shelves on big casters, Pottery Barn with their shelves and other department stores with their custom mill work.
I did build a replica of the Pottery Barn shelves to place my tools on with mixed results. The finished project ended up being too top heavy with much weight and small caster wheels. The Pottery Barn store fixture is permantly anchored for greater stability. At the time, the manager was skittish on letting me take photos or measurements, so I had to rely on pencil sketches or peering through the windows when the store was closed.
I have to build something less ambitious - like this Titans mailbox that I saw in Berry Hill. This I can do, but I already have a wooden mailbox...
Perhaps an outdoor plant stand?
iTunes peeks into my life - Way too spooky, yet fun to play... Hat tip to A Voice of Hope
Here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool and no disclaimers allowed.
Opening Credits: Nothing But The Blood - Charlie Hall
Waking Up: When My Ship Comes In - North Atlantic Explorers
First Day At School: I Got To See You Again - Norah Jones
Falling In Love: Theme From A Summer Place - Percy Faith
Fight Song: There She Goes - The Corrs
Breaking Up: You're Gonna Make Lonesome When You Go - Bob Dylan
Prom: My Ding A Ling - Chuck Berry
Mental Breakdown: Ob La Di, Ob La Da - The Beatles
Driving: Chevy Van - Sammy Johns
Flashback: Let's Dance - Chris Montez
Getting Back Together: Why You'd Want To Live Here - Death Cab for Cutie
Wedding: Faithful - Kim Hill
Birth of Child: The Long Ships - Enya
Final Battle: Mandolin Wind - Rod Stewart
Death Scene: The Healer - Carlos Santana featuring John Lee Hooker
Funeral Song: Cold As Ice - Foreigner
End Credits: You've Got A Friend - James Taylor
I'm leaving O'Charley's restaurant and I see the kitchen help hustle back from the grocery store across the street with a clear plastic bag of Mrs. Smith's pies.
I can vouch that O'Charley's serves mighty fine pie indeed.
I'll let you figure out the markup math.
Cingular Customer Service delivers even at 12:30 am.
I was feeling a bit underneath the weather last night, even passing out on the couch in the middle of South Park. So I drag my carcass to bed around 10 pm, about 4 hours earlier than normal. I have this 30 minute rule - If I don't fall asleep within that time frame, I get up, read a book or some other relaxing task that will make me sleepy.
After 2 or three tries of trying to fall asleep, I decided at 12:00 to figure out why I can't access the internet on a Windows Mobile phone that I have been testing. On the Palm Treo 650, internet access comes easy and automatically. With this other phone, probably because it is a European phone not yet available in the states (it really rocks - I'm reviewing / testing the phone) the internet settings have to be set manually.
After doing multiple Google searches and reading the manual again, I call Cingular. At 12:30 am, with zero hold time, I get a friendly live customer service woman who in clear precise proper English looks up the info that I need:
Access Point: WAP.CINGULAR
User Name: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
Password: CINGULAR1
Primary DNS: 0.0.0.0
Secondary DNS: 0.0.0.0
IP Address: (leave blank)
Now, who in the world could have ever figure that out? Cingular Customer Service rocks around the clock. And the day before, I got my Cingular $50.00 rebate in the form of a gift card after buying Mrs. WonderDawg a new silver Motorola RAZR - which cost me a net $4.33. 
Thanks Cingular.
If you like celebrity watching, and have a love for gadgets, then I have a contest for you!
There's a contest goin' on right here
A contest to last throughout November 25
So bring your good eyes, and your geekiness too
We gonna help you win this contest with you
Lets' say that you are waiting to spot Nicole Kidman strolling out of Target in West Nashville...
Forget that! She's not even in town... And besides, all of the Nashville bloggers have already been unmasked...
All you need is your laptop, and access to a wifi hotspot to access Judie Hughes's Gear Diary
Judie is hosting another Celebrity's & Their Devices Guessing Game. The winner wins an Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro earphones (worth $250!!)
Example: Ashlee Simpson takes her _____ for a walk.
I've already left plenty of clues in the comments section, but I rather leave the winning to someone else...
There are some great bargains at the Everything Is A Dollar store...
The Everything Is A Dollar store is a perfect store to buy for those hard to please officemates or the awkward "I really don't know you, but I'm obligated to buy you a gift for Christmas" scenarios especially for those trapped in a cubicle world... My daughter brought $60.00 worth of stuff for their little gag gift party:
Not pictured: Shoe Shine Kit, Moth Balls, CareFree tampons, Glitter pencils, Mini Whopee cushions, Wet Wipes, DVDs... Hey, times are tight! Show a little love, at least a dollar's worth this holiday season.
Ever have people who just forward the joke of the day that's kinda funny or you gotta read this, or please forward to ten people for good luck?
"Something good will happen to you tonight at 11:11 PM. This is not a joke. Someone will either call you or will talk to you online and say that they love you. Do not break this chain. Send this to 13 people in the next 15 minutes. Go."
Here's one that keeps popping up: The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational
I won't repost the whole link as you can find the real Urban Legend-like story as to why the Washington Post or Mensa doesn't have a link at www.Take Our Word.com
Nonetheless, here's the edited version with 10 of the words that I like:
XXX
Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary and alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.
1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realise it was your money to start with.
2. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
3. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
4. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
5. Glibido: All talk and no action.
6. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
7. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
8. abbergasted (adj.): appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
9. Frisbeetarianism (n.): the belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
10. pokemon (n.): a Rastafarian proctologist.
