Bug Eyes

Why are we seeing all these celebrities wearing these "nerd glasses" nowadays?

As a child from the 80's I can tell you that there never will be anything fashion forward about wearing nerd glasses. I was hoping that I would make it through life without ever having to see another pair of these glasses again.  Isn't that why contacts were invented?  Why isn't laser eye surgery all the rage?

It's very interesting to see these young celebrities bringing back these glasses, which probably are not prescription.  Are they trying to torture us with bad memories?  I have enough bad memories of my teenage years without being reminded of them every time I turn on the TV. All I have to do is pull out my old junior high or high school yearbook to get a flashback of big glasses and bad hair.

Most of us from that era had at one time big glasses and we hated them.  But they were our only option. Maybe that's the appeal for these celebrities.  They are not forced to wear them and have many options to choose from when it comes to eye wear.  They are wearing them to start a trend so there is no traumatic experience tied to them.  I still to this day have nightmares about wearing those glasses, waking up in a cold sweat.  I even have problems wearing sunglasses because just the feel of glasses sitting on my nose causes me anxiety.

Well I guess to each his own, if nerd glasses are your style then rock them out!  But why not add some more flair?  Tight roll your jeans, or get yourself some aqua-net and rat out those bangs!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

My mother's birthday is this weekend January 29th.  So I posted an event on Facebook (super cool feature) and invited all the siblings.   The best thing about being able to post events is that it takes all the hassle out of trying to figure out which time will work best for everyone.  I have six sisters and one brother, all but two still live close by. Since we all get together regularly for birthdays, holidays and other special occasions Facebook events have been a life saver. 

This is how the scenario started before I remembered about the event feature on Facebook, and typically how we would try to work things out.  My sister Marie texted me to ask what we were doing for Mom's birthday this weekend because she had texted Mom and hadn't gotten a return message yet.  So after several back and forth message's to decide what to do and what day to do it on, I finally decided to call my mom later that day and texted Marie to let her know.

Called my mom later to get everything squared away and she says "well whatever works for everyone else, either Saturday or Sunday."  Then we discuss maybe will we go ice skating, take the whole family, and enjoy the day.  Then think maybe it will be too expensive for some of my siblings that have children to pay for the admission, skate rental and food.  The conversation goes on and on and on.  Finally landing on having people come to Marie's  house (my mom lives a little farther away) so it would be easier to all met there.  Have some cake and ice cream and call it a day. Sounds like a plan to me.

So I preceded to text Marie and ask if her house is okay, let her know what time we were thinking and then I now need to confirm this with 4 more people.  By this time I am exhausted, irritated, really not in the mood to see anyone and can't even remember who's birthday it is.  Why has this become so difficult and how did I get put in charge of this.  So all of a sudden the light bulb flashed over my head, create a Facebook event! I love you Facebook.

So I posted an event on Facebook, stating the time, date and place.  Then made my notes about possibly ordering food, having cake and ice cream.  Also mentioning that if the time did not work for everyone that we could adjust it.  Took me all of 10 seconds and Voila!  Done and done.  The next day my mom calls me and says I thought we were going ice skating! Really!

Too tired to go into another discussion I respond whatever you want Mom, just post your comment on the Facebook event and see what everyone else thinks.  With all this indecisiveness, I was dreading the next question I had to ask "What do you want for your birthday?"  With no hesitation she says " Well an Amazon gift card, so I can buy books for my kindle, of course."

Year Without a Summer

Frankenstein

I watched this interesting story on the history channel the other day.  The title was The Little Ice Age and it talked about the year 1816 when there was significant climate abnormalities across Northern Europe, northeastern United States and eastern Canada.  This time period is often referred to as the "Year Without a Summer" or "1800 and froze to death".

Temperatures on an average spring/summer day stay relatively stable around 68-77 degrees and summer snow is unheard of.  However, in May 1816 a dry fog covered the northeastern United States and frost destroyed most crops.  New York saw snow in early June and river ice was observed as far as Pennsylvania. There were dramatic temperature swings, going from 95 degree temperatures down to below freezing temperatures in mere hours.

It is now believed that the cause of these severe weather changes was due to a volcanic eruption in Indonesia the year prior.  Who would have guessed that!  The eruption caused volcanic dust to enter the upper atmosphere, changing the weather pattern and lowering Earth's temperatures. Different parts of the world saw brown and red colored snow and the bitter temperatures dropped in the winter of 1816 to as low as -26 degrees.

Another interesting tidbit, is during the summer of 1816 when the world was stuck in this frozen landscape, the young author Mary Shelley traveled to Switzerland with friends.  Since the weather outside was too cold and dreary for any outdoor activities, the friends decided to stay in doors and share ghost stories.  An idea arouse that they each would write their own supernatural story to share amongst the group.  Which is where Mary Shelley brought to life FRANKENSTEIN...... DUN DUN DUN!  

I personally can say that one whole year without a summer is a lot more frightening than Frankenstein.  So the next time the sun is shinning on that nice summer day, enjoy, cause the cold could last longer than you think.

When Mice Attack!

Dell Mouse

My computer mouse has recently been on the fritz and I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating it has been.  Since most everything we do revolves around computers, being able to navigate with the mouse is very important. 

For the last week or so I kept forgetting to replace the mouse for my home computer.  But I still needed to complete homework, write this very entertaining blog and download I-tunes songs.  So when my mouse wouldn't move in the direction I wanted it to, I almost lost my mind.

The little roller ball in the bottom of the mouse would become stuck in certain places, it would move left and right, but not up and down.  And then stop right underneath the place where I needed to click.  I resorted in some instances to using the keyboard when I could and even held the mouse in my hand and moved the roller ball with my other hand.  I would pick the mouse up, place it back down, swirl it around the desk, all to just get it to this one elusive spot on the screen! I cleaned the mouse, begged and pleaded with the mouse, told it nice things and still nothing.

Please believe me when I say that I love all furry creatures and would never condone harming one, but we all have our limits. My brain was stuck in a mousetrap and I couldn't escape. ARGGGGG!!

Finally I took a couple of deep breaths, counted to ten, and got a new mouse.  Now all is well. Me and the mouse have made up, and we are friends again.  Morale of the story; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today, or you might find yourself in a straight jacket.

No Temple of Doom Here

Boom Blox

Steven Spielberg making video games and not movies! 

Yes it's true, although he probably has not given up his movie producer day job, he has moved into the video game arena.  The video game he helped design is Boom Blox for Wii.  The action-puzzle game mimics the jenga board game but with the interactive Wii the game reaches a whole new level.  I mean who doesn't like throwing stuff and knocking things down? You use action gestures with the Wii remote to grab, throw or blast objects to topple towers or destroy battleships.  The game offers over 400 different levels and features single, co-op or versus game play. 

This is the first game collaboration between Steven Spielberg and EA and has gotten good reviews.  However game sales are not where they would want them to be, it has sold only 60,000 copies and is the ninth most popular game for Wii. With so many new Wii games competing for your attention Boom Blox definitely deserves a second glance.

And don't worry Indiana Jones, I'm sure Steven hasn't forgotten about you.

Healthy Living Work Perks

Cold Tumbler

My employer for the past couple of years has been promoting Healthy Living.  We have started a committee that meets once a month to come up with ideas that help employees make better, healthier lifestyle decisions.  We have started a weight watchers group, which was a huge success!  Started a personal training program, the trainer comer three times a week.  A yoga instructor who came for about six months, once a week. I am crossing my fingers she will come back! 

Some of the other great things they have done in the past is started a walking program, and provided all of the employees with pedometers to count their daily steps.  This year we are holding a Health Fair, where will bring in nurses that will test cholesterol levels, and other businesses that want to promote a healthier lifestyle.


We have also purchased these neat plastic water cups for all of the employees.  They are slightly different from the water bottles we normally see.  These basically look like a cup from a fast food restaurant with a straw.  But these are made from a harder plastic which makes them more durable, even the straw is made from the same hard plastic material.  They are mush easier to wash and I personally like having the straw.  Hey, if I can't have the coca-cola from the local fast food joint at least I can pretend that's what I am having!

Victoria has more secrets

Okay ladies, check out these cute new items Victoria's Secrets is offering.  And no I am not talking about your underthings.  I am talking about these new shirts, sweaters and hoodies for college teams.  They call it the Pink Collegiate Collection.  It is so hard sometimes to find sports stuff for ladies that looks cute and fits nice.  And darn it, someone has finally got it right! Touchdown for VS!

I purchased a U of M sweatshirt and T-shirt recently from the local VS store and they are super cute, fit great and even have bling, bling on them.  Sometimes the stores offer more variety than online and vice versa, so check both places when looking for your favorite team. GO VS GO!

Woot! Woot!

Woot.com

Looking for the latest and greatest deals?  Check out www.Woot.com they offer one deal per day. Perfect for those of us who like to shop but don't have the time or energy to browse.  Some of us prefer the browsing, but for me it just depends on the day.

Woot.com offers deals on items for about anything you can think of, from TV's to vacuum cleaners.  Today's deal is a Lenovo Thinkpad  offered for $349.99!  Now that is something to Woot about!  A new product is released every morning at 12am central time, seven days a week. If the product sells out for the day, a new product will not appear until the next release time.

As with any puchases your make online, be sure to read all the FAQ's on the website before purchasing. Check out the shipping and return policies.  Make sure you find out as much information about the company before you make a purchase.  The last thing you want is to be stuck with a unsatisfactory product that you cannot return. Shoppers, shop on!

If I could write you a song

There is no "if" about it,  Mike Posner can definitely write songs!  Of course I have to mention he is from Michigan, another win for Motown.  What a great new artist to pop on the scene. He has been here for a little while, producing some mix tapes, but his chart topping CD "31 minutes to takeoff" came out on August 10th and hit the BillBoard Top 100. 

He recently appeared on the ABC Dick Clark New Years Eve Special and while rocking the charts he also managed to graduate from Duke University with a degree in sociology. Not to shabby for a twenty three year old from the D.  I wonder what else is on his bucket list?

Mike Posner recently came back to Detroit to play at the Filmore on October 16th, the show had a great turnout and was a lot of fun.  One of the opening bands was the Far East Movement, singing their hit song "Like a G6".  The Far East Movement has also landed themselves on an upcoming tour with Rhianna.  I am looking forward to that.

Mike Posner's shows take him out of the country for the next few months, hopefully we will see some show dates in the U.S. soon.

These Boots are made for Walking

And that's just what they'll do............. as soon as I find them on sale and in my size!

These cute sweater boots have been in trend for awhile now, but they don't seem to be fading out anytime soon.  I have been looking for some for quite some time, but since I am one of those girls on a budget, I have to find the best deal before I buy them. Hey, times are tough out there!

But to be fair I will list all the best looking ones I find, just in case your budget is a little more flexible than mine.

•  UGG Classic Sweater Boot $140.00-  Zappos.com

•  MUK LUKS $79.99- Kohls.com 

•  BEARPAW $59.99- FamousFootwear.com

•  SNOWBIRD $30.00- Amazon.com

Don't they look comfy and what great deals!  They look so cute I don't think I could risk actually wearing them outside.  Maybe I will just wear them inside while looking out the window.  Just kidding!  Like I said, these boots were made for walking......................Are you ready boots?  Start Walkin'!

In a land far far away......

There is a beautiful town in New Zealand called Waverly, which I have never visited but hope to one day.  I know this is a beautiful town because my sister Alison and my niece and nephew Kaela and Luke live there.  My brave sister over 5 years ago finished her teaching degree in Michigan and decided it was time for a change.  She was offered the opportunity to teach in New Zealand and she jumped at the chance.  They packed all the stuff they could carry and headed off on a new adventure.  We talk as often as we can via telephone and it's great to hear their voices.  In one of my last calls my nephew Luke said to me "Aunt Lana you sound so different this time".  Nothing takes the place of being with your family or even hearing their voice but nowadays most of the updates I get from them come via Facebook in the form or pictures and posts. Facebook has a unique way of making you feel like you are right there with them. So I have come to love New Zealand as much as my sister does as she shares their experiences and adventures online. I get to sit on the sidelines to view my niece in her rowing competitions, open their Christmas presents and even check out the local boy my niece is "in a relationship" with.  Useful information that I may never have known otherwise. So here's to New Zealand for welcoming my family into your beautiful home and cheers to Facebook for keeping us connected. So anyone who wants to come with me, pack your bags, grab your travel guide and let's go!  I have to warn you though, you may not want to come back.

Just Bust a Move!

Just Dance 2

I come from a large extended family, kind of like the Brady bunch.  I have 6 sisters and 1 brother, ranging in age from 18-35 and we all like to get together for a sibling night. We try to find the time at least once a month to catch up on what is going on in each others lives and also like to find fun things to do. So this weekend we got together and one of my sisters brought the new Wii game Just Dance 2 for us to play. And this by far was the most fun and funniest time we have had. Not only do we get to see who is the most competitive but also who is the most coordinated. We get to laugh at each other and get laughed at, and being from a big family, this just comes with the territory. Wii has definitely hit another home run with this game! It is an interactive dance game that comes with a variety of songs to choose from. You imitate the dancers on the screen and earn points for correct dance moves. Not only is this a fun game but you will definitely break a sweat. The songs are from a range of genres and you can also shop for new songs and download them to your game. This game made our sibling night a huge hit and I look forward to the next time I get to bust a move.

Where does your buck stop?

As more of us savvy shoppers turn to the Internet for better deals more websites are popping up to give the customers the best shopping experience at the lowest prices.  As customer service in brick and mortar stores sink further into the dumps why should customers waste their time driving out the stores to purchase items?  You receive no better discount in the store than you do online.  Sometimes the online deals are even better, and here are a few of the websites where they are http://www.ebates.com/ and http://www.fatwallet.com/.  If you are one of the lucky few that have already discovered these sites. Bravo!  But for those who have not, these sites are a treasure. These sites are a shoppers dream, not only for the coupons and deals they publish daily but for their cash back program.  Essentially, these websites are in a partnership with all of the stores listed on their sites.  And whenever you visit these sites and click through to any store and make a purchase, the store that you purchased from compensates Ebates or Fatwallet (whichever site you visited) by paying them a certain percentage of commission.  Now this is common for most online e-commerce sites to pay commissions to other websites for sending purchasing customers to them, however this is where Fatwallet and Ebates differ from any other coupon site.  A percentage of that commission that they are receiving from your purchase they are passing back to you.  Genius!  So anytime you have the shopping urge, log on to your Ebates or Fatwallet account first, locate your store through their site and make your purchase, and a percentage of the sale will be banked into your account.  Its as easy and simple as that!  Happy Shopping.