We belong to the Hollywood MVP club. Basically you pay a flat monthly rate ($10.65 for the plan we are on) and you get to rent unlimited videos each month. The catch is you can only rent three at a time and they have to be on the MVP list, which is everything but new releases. You can pay more to get the new releases but we don't care enough, we are happy to wait the 4 - 6 weeks for them to get on the MVP list. I do rent videos every couple of days so the money is well spent in our house. I think I have adult ADHD or something because I often like to have something on in the background while I do dishes, fold laundry, clean, etc. and day time t.v. is horrible (except for Matlock and Law & Order:Criminial Intent). I could use the radio like everyone else but I prefer to watch movies and catch up on t.v. shows via DVD. DVD's are great because I can watch something for 15 minutes while I fold laundry or eat lunch, etc. put it on pause, go do something else until the next batch of clothes needs to be folded then watch another 15 minutes or so. It drives Kent nuts I don't watch the whole thing at once (once he starts a movie he needs to finish it, even if it is 11 at night) but I don't need to watch the whole movie, I only need 15 minutes of distraction. :)
I was told today by my loving husband to take it easy and rest as much as possible so I can get over this sinus/sore throat thing I have going on. Well, if I am going to rest, I will need something to watch, right? Right! Thanks to Rachel and her posting of the youtube video 'Men of Regency' I have had a huge desire to watch Sense and Sensibility again so thought I would rent that and Gone With the Wind. (A show I was watching made reference to Gone With the Wind and made me want to see it again.) I went to the video store but couldn't seem to find either video. I asked an employee where he thought Gone With the Wind might be. He looked at me quizzically and said, "That's the one about the dog right?"
Hahahaha!
No, not quite. Not even in her most despairingly lowest do I think you could call Scarlett a dog...well, maybe a female dog, she did have more than her share of those moments. As for Rhett, some could classify a few of his actions as dog like but I didn't think that is what the employee meant. I quickly deduced that line of thinking was a little too deep from the blank stare I was getting. I tried to explain that is was a movie about Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler set in Georgia during the Civil War made in the 1930's or 40's. He just stared at me with one of those 'deer in the headlight' looks. :/ He finally agreed to look it up for me. They do not have a copy of Gone With the Wind. !!! How could any video store not carry such a classic?! And Sense and Sensibility had been checked out so I opted for two versions of Pride and Prejudice.
I am trying to think the best of the young employee at the video store as he looked like he was in his late teens early twenties and he was a guy. However, he worked in a video store! Shouldn't such classics be required watching or something?! I know with the millions of movies out there he can't be expected to know all of them, but it was Gone With the Wind for heaven’s sake! Who doesn't know Gone With the Wind?! What is wrong with the next generation?!
(A blanket apology to the one person I am sure to offend reading my blog who doesn't know about Gone With the Wind just because I wrote that. Forgive me.)
I am also trying really hard not to feel very old by the fact he had no idea what I was talking about. I am only 31...that isn't much older than him or even old for that matter but I can't help but feel a little dated. Especially after using the phrase “what is wrong with the next generation”. I am trying to convince myself I am not old, I am just a mature woman with eclectic taste who appreciates fine things. Yeah, that’s it...not old, eclectic taste...
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Home again, home again jiggety jog
We made it home from our week long vacation in California. We had tons of fun which included lots of time with extended family, two days at Disneyland, a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, a beach bonfire (my very first!), family pictures, games played such as volleyball, Talisman, ultimate Frisbee, Rummikub and Disney Scene It and even a trip to In and Out Burger. I took 1,806 pictures*. Yes, that is one thousand, eight hundred six pictures. :) The only down side of the trip is the fact I came home with a sinus infection/head cold/sore throat. At least I got sick at the end of our trip (Saturday night) instead of at the beginning of it. :) I will write about each day of our trip in the next few days, but I wanted to at least post again on my blog so I get into the habit of doing it. :)
Our animals were all well when we returned and excited to see us. If you don't have pets you won't really understand what a pain it is to try and find angelic souls to watch said pets when you go on vacation without them. We were so lucky to have good friends who were willing to take care of our two Dobermans and two birds. Especially those taking care of the Dobermans, they had to come 3 -4 times a day for potty breaks. So, a great big thank you to our good friends Mark and Robin who took care of the dogs half the time and Melinda who took care of them the other half of the time. And a great big thank you to my sister Sallie and her family who feed the birds and were willing to drive up from their house in Springville to do so (and who also played with the dogs when they were here...those dogs got really spoiled while we were away, so many people loving and playing with them, I am sure it is a hard jolt to reality for them going back to just me during the day). I just don't think those kind souls know how very much we appreciate them taking such good care of the members of our family.
And a shout out to my sister** Tallie who had her first baby on Monday November 26th! Abraham Jay (A.J.) was born at 10:31 p.m., weighed in at 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20 in long. Congratulations Tallie and Nick!
*Sidebar story on the picture taking: Anyone who knows me knows I usually have my camera in hand wherever I go. I post them on the Hinkson family website as a kind of scrapbook, but, seriously if you people knew how many pictures I have compared to what I have actually posted, I would be in a padded room. I love digital cameras, you can take as many pictures as you want and you only have to develop or share the good ones. I go to any event willing to take 20 pictures for every 3 or 4 really good ones I will get. Also with digital cameras you can access the picture right away to change angles, positioning, ISO, shutter speed, whatever, to take another picture that is better than the last.
Believe it or not, this is not what I meant to talk about in my sidebar, did I mention I tend to ramble? So, anyway...In August of this year Kent got us a new Canon Rebel XTI digital camera (when he went to scout camp in July another leader had the Canon Rebel and Kent really liked the way it performed). I love this camera! It is 10 megapixel digital camera that combines the abilities of the old really nice film cameras. We can adjust things like ISO, shutter speed, etc., and it allows us to change the lens for telephoto lens', etc. Our old camera was also a 10 megapixel but I am truly amazed at the difference between our new Canon's images and our old camera's images. Some of the great features besides the ones I have already mentioned include the ability to turn it on and be ready to take pictures in milliseconds as well as take pictures extremely rapidly like a flipbook (when using the flash that slows down a bit, but you can still take them faster than with our old camera). There are also literally dozens of other features I haven't learned/figured out yet. It is just a great camera. The few things I didn't like about it to begin with, but since have learned to deal with because of all the upsides to the camera were: 1- The battery. In my old camera if the batteries ran out of juice I could stop at any convenience store and grab some more AA's pop them in and be good to go. The Rebel has a special battery that if isn't charged all the way you can't find a quick replacement (as we found out when we went to the Utah State Fair this year). 2- The LCD screen is for looking at the pictures after you take them not for before. You have to look through the viewfinder when taking the pictures. There was a small adjustment period for that but now it not even a second thought when taking pictures. 3- Because of the great lens' available for this camera, it can't just slip into my pocket like my old one did. I liked being able to participate in activities, pull out my camera, snap a few pics, put it back in my pocket and carry on with the activity. I can't do that now but I am learning to use my neck strap when I want to 'put the camera away while still having access to it'. 4- It doesn't take video, but that is ok, we have a video camera I just have ready when I think I want to video anything. Again, these are all minor adjustments compared to the many many wonderful attributes my Rebel has.
Oh jeez, I got off on another tangent, didn't I? I just love that camera though...So, anyway, several months ago I told my sweet husband Kent I would like to get another memory card for our camera before we went to California. In March of 2006 we visited California for a wedding, trip to Disneyland and a trip to Monterey and each night I would download the pictures I took to a laptop so I could fill up the card again the next day. I really felt, even with downloading the pics each night I would need more than the 400+ pics our 2 mb card will hold. About a month ago Kent came home with something under his arm and a twinkle in his eye. I asked him what he had and he said "What was it you said you wanted for the camera when we go to California?" It took me a few seconds then I said, "Another memory card." He smiled and pulled a 4 mb card package out from under his arm and handed it to me. I squealed with delight and gave him a big hug. He continued to smile and said, "Well, if one 4 mb card is good, two would be better." He then pulled a second 4 mb card package out from his pants pocket! I was in shock! And then he said, "And if two 4 mb cards are good, three would be even better!" And he pulled a third 4 mb card packet from his pants pocket! I was so flabbergasted I couldn't say anything. Then he said, "If you are going to be taking so many pictures you are going to need another battery pack." And he took out an extra battery pack and handed it to me. And then he said, "That is a lot of pictures though so you probably need two extra battery packs." !!!!! In all he got three 4 mb memory cards and two battery packs. Needless to say he received many excited hugs and kisses. :) But there is even a cherry on top of this sundae of a story. Kent told me he had been in contact with a guy in Northern Utah who was closing out his camera store. Kent set up a meeting with him and told him to bring anything for a Canon Rebel. When Kent got to the meeting the guy told him he would only accept cash (a detail he had failed to mention before) so Kent checked his wallet for cash and then asked how much the guy wanted for certain things. Kent haggled and the guy agreed. Kent got the three memory cards and two battery packs for $23. Over $750 worth of stuff for twenty three dollars!!! Talk about a going out of business sale! I am still amazed at what a wheeler-dealer I married! And now, if I keep my battery packs charged (which I do), I don’t ever have to worry about the battery dying! :) :) :) Kent is so good to me!! So, now you know why and how I was able to take so many pictures. Again, they are not all prize winning shots, but at least I have a lot of really good ones mixed in there. :)
**For those of you wondering if I misspelled Sallie, I didn't. Kent's sister Tallie had the baby. So, yes, technically she is my sister in law, however, I do not like using terms like in-law, step, half, etc. You’re either family or you’re not.
Our animals were all well when we returned and excited to see us. If you don't have pets you won't really understand what a pain it is to try and find angelic souls to watch said pets when you go on vacation without them. We were so lucky to have good friends who were willing to take care of our two Dobermans and two birds. Especially those taking care of the Dobermans, they had to come 3 -4 times a day for potty breaks. So, a great big thank you to our good friends Mark and Robin who took care of the dogs half the time and Melinda who took care of them the other half of the time. And a great big thank you to my sister Sallie and her family who feed the birds and were willing to drive up from their house in Springville to do so (and who also played with the dogs when they were here...those dogs got really spoiled while we were away, so many people loving and playing with them, I am sure it is a hard jolt to reality for them going back to just me during the day). I just don't think those kind souls know how very much we appreciate them taking such good care of the members of our family.
And a shout out to my sister** Tallie who had her first baby on Monday November 26th! Abraham Jay (A.J.) was born at 10:31 p.m., weighed in at 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20 in long. Congratulations Tallie and Nick!
*Sidebar story on the picture taking: Anyone who knows me knows I usually have my camera in hand wherever I go. I post them on the Hinkson family website as a kind of scrapbook, but, seriously if you people knew how many pictures I have compared to what I have actually posted, I would be in a padded room. I love digital cameras, you can take as many pictures as you want and you only have to develop or share the good ones. I go to any event willing to take 20 pictures for every 3 or 4 really good ones I will get. Also with digital cameras you can access the picture right away to change angles, positioning, ISO, shutter speed, whatever, to take another picture that is better than the last.
Believe it or not, this is not what I meant to talk about in my sidebar, did I mention I tend to ramble? So, anyway...In August of this year Kent got us a new Canon Rebel XTI digital camera (when he went to scout camp in July another leader had the Canon Rebel and Kent really liked the way it performed). I love this camera! It is 10 megapixel digital camera that combines the abilities of the old really nice film cameras. We can adjust things like ISO, shutter speed, etc., and it allows us to change the lens for telephoto lens', etc. Our old camera was also a 10 megapixel but I am truly amazed at the difference between our new Canon's images and our old camera's images. Some of the great features besides the ones I have already mentioned include the ability to turn it on and be ready to take pictures in milliseconds as well as take pictures extremely rapidly like a flipbook (when using the flash that slows down a bit, but you can still take them faster than with our old camera). There are also literally dozens of other features I haven't learned/figured out yet. It is just a great camera. The few things I didn't like about it to begin with, but since have learned to deal with because of all the upsides to the camera were: 1- The battery. In my old camera if the batteries ran out of juice I could stop at any convenience store and grab some more AA's pop them in and be good to go. The Rebel has a special battery that if isn't charged all the way you can't find a quick replacement (as we found out when we went to the Utah State Fair this year). 2- The LCD screen is for looking at the pictures after you take them not for before. You have to look through the viewfinder when taking the pictures. There was a small adjustment period for that but now it not even a second thought when taking pictures. 3- Because of the great lens' available for this camera, it can't just slip into my pocket like my old one did. I liked being able to participate in activities, pull out my camera, snap a few pics, put it back in my pocket and carry on with the activity. I can't do that now but I am learning to use my neck strap when I want to 'put the camera away while still having access to it'. 4- It doesn't take video, but that is ok, we have a video camera I just have ready when I think I want to video anything. Again, these are all minor adjustments compared to the many many wonderful attributes my Rebel has.
Oh jeez, I got off on another tangent, didn't I? I just love that camera though...So, anyway, several months ago I told my sweet husband Kent I would like to get another memory card for our camera before we went to California. In March of 2006 we visited California for a wedding, trip to Disneyland and a trip to Monterey and each night I would download the pictures I took to a laptop so I could fill up the card again the next day. I really felt, even with downloading the pics each night I would need more than the 400+ pics our 2 mb card will hold. About a month ago Kent came home with something under his arm and a twinkle in his eye. I asked him what he had and he said "What was it you said you wanted for the camera when we go to California?" It took me a few seconds then I said, "Another memory card." He smiled and pulled a 4 mb card package out from under his arm and handed it to me. I squealed with delight and gave him a big hug. He continued to smile and said, "Well, if one 4 mb card is good, two would be better." He then pulled a second 4 mb card package out from his pants pocket! I was in shock! And then he said, "And if two 4 mb cards are good, three would be even better!" And he pulled a third 4 mb card packet from his pants pocket! I was so flabbergasted I couldn't say anything. Then he said, "If you are going to be taking so many pictures you are going to need another battery pack." And he took out an extra battery pack and handed it to me. And then he said, "That is a lot of pictures though so you probably need two extra battery packs." !!!!! In all he got three 4 mb memory cards and two battery packs. Needless to say he received many excited hugs and kisses. :) But there is even a cherry on top of this sundae of a story. Kent told me he had been in contact with a guy in Northern Utah who was closing out his camera store. Kent set up a meeting with him and told him to bring anything for a Canon Rebel. When Kent got to the meeting the guy told him he would only accept cash (a detail he had failed to mention before) so Kent checked his wallet for cash and then asked how much the guy wanted for certain things. Kent haggled and the guy agreed. Kent got the three memory cards and two battery packs for $23. Over $750 worth of stuff for twenty three dollars!!! Talk about a going out of business sale! I am still amazed at what a wheeler-dealer I married! And now, if I keep my battery packs charged (which I do), I don’t ever have to worry about the battery dying! :) :) :) Kent is so good to me!! So, now you know why and how I was able to take so many pictures. Again, they are not all prize winning shots, but at least I have a lot of really good ones mixed in there. :)
**For those of you wondering if I misspelled Sallie, I didn't. Kent's sister Tallie had the baby. So, yes, technically she is my sister in law, however, I do not like using terms like in-law, step, half, etc. You’re either family or you’re not.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Off to a Slow Start
Wow, so far I am not doing so swell at this blog thing. I know it isn't because I don't have anything to write about, because believe me, I can ramble on about nothing with the best of 'em. I am going to go with the excuse that I have been very busy the last few days with a sick baby and getting ready for a week long trip to southern California. Yep, that is a good excuse, though an even better one would be that I was on vacation for a week so I wasn't able to write until after we got back. Be sure to look for that post in about a week. ;) Hopefully once I get back into my regular swing of things I will post more than just excuses why I don't post. :) In the mean time, yay for vacations to California to see wonderful family (and sidetrips to Disneyland!!!). I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful week, and a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Let's Get This Party Started!
Well, I have succumbed to the pull of the blog. I enjoy reading several blogs almost religiously and have often thought how much I would like to start a blog. I couldn't decide if my desire to start a blog stemmed from my desire to start and maintain a diary/journal/history or from some desire to write or to feel important and that someone out there actually cared enough to want to know what is going on in my life. My initial apprehensions of starting a blog included but were not limited to these following rational and irrational thoughts:
Does anyone actually even want to read a blog written by me? Does my life warrant recording and sharing (recording yes, I believe everyone's life is worth recording for future generations, but sharing...)? Would I share too much information? In my desire to share my life and my thoughts, would I pass on things that should be kept sacred and private, embarrasing myself and/or family members? I do have a tendency to ramble on so and a blog almost seems to demand you share information, where do you draw the line? Would I know where to draw that line or would I steamboat over it? Or just as bad, would I fall short of it, becoming a blog that is mundane and so secretive you would learn more from a rock, than from reading my blog? Would I have the time to maintain a blog? What if I decide I really want to write a dairy/journal/history and not a blog, so give up on my blog, would I be a failure, adding to the many things I have started and never finished or maintained? Will starting a blog stop people from calling or e-mailing me because they already know what is happening in my life? Will I be doomed to repeating everything I write on the blog to those I talk to only to be shut down with the phrase "Oh, yeah, I already read about that on your blog."? Will I constantly be having one sided conversations, asking only questions, because everyone already knows what is happening with me?
After months of going back and forth (and never starting a diary/journal/history) I figured I would start a blog and we can find out the answers to my many questions as well as my motivations together. So, grab my hand, hold on tight and we’ll see where this crazy ride takes us. :)
Does anyone actually even want to read a blog written by me? Does my life warrant recording and sharing (recording yes, I believe everyone's life is worth recording for future generations, but sharing...)? Would I share too much information? In my desire to share my life and my thoughts, would I pass on things that should be kept sacred and private, embarrasing myself and/or family members? I do have a tendency to ramble on so and a blog almost seems to demand you share information, where do you draw the line? Would I know where to draw that line or would I steamboat over it? Or just as bad, would I fall short of it, becoming a blog that is mundane and so secretive you would learn more from a rock, than from reading my blog? Would I have the time to maintain a blog? What if I decide I really want to write a dairy/journal/history and not a blog, so give up on my blog, would I be a failure, adding to the many things I have started and never finished or maintained? Will starting a blog stop people from calling or e-mailing me because they already know what is happening in my life? Will I be doomed to repeating everything I write on the blog to those I talk to only to be shut down with the phrase "Oh, yeah, I already read about that on your blog."? Will I constantly be having one sided conversations, asking only questions, because everyone already knows what is happening with me?
After months of going back and forth (and never starting a diary/journal/history) I figured I would start a blog and we can find out the answers to my many questions as well as my motivations together. So, grab my hand, hold on tight and we’ll see where this crazy ride takes us. :)
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