• Christmas season officially begins today at Disneyland.  We’re taking Babito tomorrow.  Supposedly they’ve greatly improved the lighting and the snow on Main Street this year.  It should be fun.  Also, they’re about to reopen the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough that’s been closed since 9/11.  Lastly, It’s A Small World reopens today.  I dread taking Babito on it because that damn song will be stuck in my head the rest of the day.
• I’m thinking about doing a giveaway in 2009 to all my loyal readers.  My plan, which isn’t completely finalized right now, is to hook each of you up with a FREE ticket to Disneyland on your birthday.  Any interest?
• Last Disneyland note, I was looking at the height requirements for the various rides to see how much taller Babito has to get to go on some new rides.  I was shocked to see that he’s tall enough to go on the Matterhorn!  I’m not sure if he’s ready for it.  It’s somewhat of a rough ride, but he does love the kiddie roller coaster in Toontown.  We’ll have to take a closer look at it tomorrow.
• The Social Security Administration has released their list of most popular baby names for 2007.  The top five for boys:  Jacob, Michael, Ethan, Joshua, Daniel (yes!).  The top five for girls:  Emily, Isabella, Emma, Ava, Madison.  The SSA site also allows you to put in your type in your own name to see where it falls on the list and also allows you to view the most popular names by year, going all the way back to 1880. 
• Lastly, I’d like to recommend the new album by Taylor Swift, called ‘Fearless’.  I know, she’s a teenage country singer, but she’s much more than that.  Give it a listen, you may just like it.  She got a rave review in the last issue of The New Yorker, where the reviewer compares her songwriting skills to Hank Williams, Prince, Elvis Costello, and Randy Newman. 
• Have a great weekend everybody!

We got a Wii over the weekend.  I’ve thought about picking one up for a while, but I’d never seen them in stock.  A few weeks ago, my wife told me that she wanted a Wii Fit for Christmas, unaware that you need a Wii to use a Wii Fit.  We found a Wii at Best Buy and bought it and yesterday I found a Wii Fit at Wal Mart so I bought that too.  I got the last one in stock!

We hooked it up the other night and played Wii Sports, which comes with the Wii.  It’s a lot of fun.  Wii Sports has tennis, bowling, golf, baseball, and boxing.  I tried bowling first and bowled a 110 game.  It actually feels like you’re really bowling.  My wife bowled a 205 game her first try!  I told her it was definitely beginner’s luck!  =)

We haven’t tried the Wii Fit yet.  (No, I’m not making her wait until Christmas to open it up, plus I want to try the snowboarding game on the Wii Fit!)  The Wii Fit has over 40 different activities, including strength training, aerobics, yoga, and fun sports games like skiing and snowboarding.  It also keeps track of your weight and BMI (body mass index) and tracks your progress.  I can’t wait to start using it and I’ll write a full review once we’ve had some experience with it.

Do you have a Wii?  Tell me what you like about it and also let me know what games you like the best, as right now we only have the game that came with it.

Do you want to win a Wii and Wii Fit for FREE?  My good friend Katie at La Petite Chic is giving one away to one lucky reader.  All you need to do is leave a comment on THIS POST to be entered to win!  Good luck!

But after watching his interview on ‘60 Minutes’ last night I feel much better about the fact that he will be our next President.  He came across as very thoughtful and intelligent and seems like a truly genuine, nice person.  I’m feeling really good about the fact that he was elected, which is not a feeling I had anticipated having before I watched the interview.

Maybe the American people are a little smarter than I gave them credit for the night of the election. 

You can say I have Hope and am looking forward to Change.

It didn’t hurt that he’s for a college football playoff system.

Please share your favorite unknown artist in the comments.

Here’s this week’s question:

Which bands or singers do not get the level of recognition they deserve?

Jason from iVegasFamily:

I’m a fan of Marc Broussard. A native of Louisiana, his music is an eccletic mix of funk, blues, R&B, rock, and pop. I have a couple of his albums, but his first major label album, Carencro, is a favorite in our house. It’s named after his hometown and the songs heavily reflect his southern roots. He has a new album out now that’s also awesome.

Ali from Cheaper Than Therapy:
-
-
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Band of Horses:

Akron/Family:

Sunna:

Pedro the Lion:

you won’t be sorry. i promise.

Sandy from Momisodes:

Hands down, jazz musicians.  I’m not talking about Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong; they will always be the widely recognized great standards.  I’m talking about amazing, talented jazz artists today who have kept the standards alive while redefining the art of jazz.  Nothing evokes more emotion into my writing than the sounds of Michael Bublé , Diana Krall, and Jane Monheit.  All of them have an incredible style of their own. Not to mention, they can sing.  And I mean…sing.

Michael Bublé:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Diana Krall:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jane Monheit:

And here’s Michael Bublé AND Jane Monheit together!:

Maya from Gemini Girl:

My favorite band, Take That, originally started off as a boy band back in 1990. They are a British group, and became a worldwide phenomena. Unfortunately for them, they never managed to break into the US market. They broke up in 1995 (shortly after Robbie Williams left the group), and left millions of people heart broken. Ten years later, they reunited and put out an amazing album (ala Coldplay). Today, they are no longer considered a “boy band”, and are making incredible music. They have won tons of awards in Europe and put on a great concert. I truly wish they would make it big in the US so that I could see them live in concert!

Take That:

Katie from K Squared:

I’m not usually one to discover new music as I don’t listen to radio very much, but I recently started using itunes’ Genuis tool, and I’ve found some great new artists from that!

I really like Matt Nathanson, especially his songs “Come on Get Higher” and “Bent.” His music I believe has been showing up on some TV shows out there, which should really help him out. Check out his website at http://www.mattnathanson.com/.

I also like Sister Hazel a lot, but I think many people don’t know their music beyond “All for You,” which was their hit in the 90s. I just love the sound of their voices, and really that’s true for a lot of the music I like is the voice, not always just the beat or the guitar. The band actually formed in Gainesville, FL, about 2 hours from where I now live, and they named themselves after Sister Hazel Williams, a nun who ran a local homeless shelter. You can check out the band on itunes or their website www.sisterhazel.com.

Daddy Dan:

I have a few to share too.

Mindy Smith (amazing voice and great lyrics):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tristan Prettyman:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Duffy:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Keane (I know they’re popular, but not to the extent they should be.  The song in the link below is amazing.):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Brother Yusef: He’s a regular at Downtown Disney.  He’s a bluesman extraordinare, and he’s a super nice guy too.  He also has a great blues album for kids that the Babito loves and that we like too.  It’s kids music that’s bearable for adults.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dr. Heather from BabyShrink:

EVAN LURIE, composer extraordinaire, who writes most of the music for the Backyardigans. I’m not kidding, folks! Just listen to the music next time the kids are watching.

(And yes, I DO need to get out more.)

Here’s a picture from our street.  We’re only about 10 miles away from the fires.  Luckily for us, the fires are moving away from us.

It’s been gnawing at me a little all week.  I’ve been thinking about what I could have, and should have, said.

If I could go back, here’s what I’d say…

“I regret that I didn’t know my Grandma as well as I could have.

From both what you’ve all said today and from the limited time I spent with her I know she was a special woman.

I’m in awe that she dropped out of school in the 4th grade, during the Great Depression, to take care of her eight younger brothers and sisters while her parents were out working.

I think it’s wonderful that she spent countless hours with dying patients, after her 12 hour shift, simply because they were alone and scared and needed someone to hold their hand.

She spent her later years taking care of her young grandchildren, my cousins, and I can see her influence on them, as they’re growing up to be warm, well-mannered, loving young adults.

What I’m most thankful for is the values and morals and caring, sensitive heart that she passed on to my Dad, who passed them on to me, and who I’m doing my best to pass on to my son.

For all of these things I will always be grateful to you.  Thank you Grandma.  God Bless you.”

“Madeline” (by Heather from The Spohrs are Multiplying) - Heather’s birthday post to her miracle baby Maddie is a love letter that will bring tears to your eyes.  Happy Birthday Maddie!

“I’m not even sure why we *have* katanas anymore” (by The Bloggess) - This post is indescribable, but it includes a gigantic snake, flashing a neighbor, gymnastics, and coin tossing.  It is probably the funniest post I’ve read in months.  Don’t miss it.

“Laughing at my pregnant wife” (by Dorky Dad) - Dorky Dad is either an amazingly brave or astonishingly crazy husband.  I wonder if he slept on the couch the day he posted this.  He may already be on the couch, since there doesn’t sound like there’s much room in the bed these days!  Just kidding, Mrs. Dorky Dad!

“Taps” (by Tia at Clever Girl Goes Blog) - On Veterans Day, Tia remembers her deceased grandfather.

“Black Hockey Jesus Made Me Sign Up The Bloggess For The Gary Busey Fan Club, Part 2″ (by The Bean) - Another indescribable but hilarious post.  I can’t remember how I came upon BHJ, The Bloggess, and The Bean, but I’m so happy I did.

The exact question was:

What advice would you give to someone that is just starting a blog?

Here’s the responses:

Jenny from The Bloggess:

I convinced the entire blogosphere that I’m actually a girl and not in jail.

It’s kind of awesome.

Maya from Gemini Girl:

I’m glad you asked!

I had a pretty tough pregnancy, that resulted in hospital bed rest for 6 weeks. My twins were born prematurely and stayed in the NICU for a month and a half. My husband was quite the trooper, always going above and beyond to do anything for me. After two months of being home with our non-sleeping twins, we were zombies. We literally wanted to just run away. I thought it would be funny to prank him, to lighten up the mood.

I decided to tell him I was pregnant again- you know, as a joke.

His eyes almost rolled back inside is head.. but said “That’s cool, we’ll get through it”.

Not quite the reaction I was hoping for, but good to know he was up for the challenge!!

Chanel from CHNL:

I love playing pranks on people. Unfortunately, I am absolutely awful at it due to the tragic fact that I can’t keep a straight face to save my life. Seriously. This one time, two of my friends dumped half a teaspoon of garlic powder in my best friend’s Stroganoff while she was in the washroom, and I started laughing before she even started eating it. Fail.

Aside from that prank, I can’t really remember the last prank that I played or had played on me (I’m not much fun, really) … But one prank I absolutely love was this dead bird one I saw on a TV show once. Here’s how it goes:

There is a magician, an enclosed table where he does his tricks on, and an audience from which he calls volunteers. In this particular trick, he has a live bird on the table. He places his magician’s hat over the bird, waves his wand, and smashes his hand down on the hat, caving it in. The audience gasps. Then, he waves his wand over the hat, lifts it up, and the bird is under there, perfectly alive. The audience marvels - no bird could ordinarily survive that.

Next, he calls for a volunteer from the audience, just to prove that there isn’t anything “fishy” going on. He gets the volunteer to place the hat over the bird, waves his wand, and gets the volunteer to smash their hand down on the hat. But this time, something goes wrong - you hear this awful squawk and features poof out from under the hat. The magician quickly lifts the hat, only to find a dead bird. The camera pans to the volunteer’s face, and the expression on it is PRICELESS. They’re completely and utterly horror-struck.

(As it turns out, there was a trap door on the table, and someone under it to replace the live bird with a fake dead one.)

They played this prank over and over again with different audiences, and I laughed like crazy every time. Awful? Maybe. But it was funny as hell.

Jeremy from Discovering Dad:

When I was in the Coast Guard Academy, we completely disassembled a sailboat in the middle of the night and carried it to the quad where assembly was held each morning.  We reassembled the boat in the middle of where everyone lined up.

Daddy Dan:

Me and my friends were constantly playing pranks on people.  It was a way of life.  The one I remember the most was a detailed and convoluted prank that we played on my best friend Greg’s younger brother.  I was about 16 or 17 at the time and the guy we pranked was about 14.

We made up this story about a crazy homeless guy that lived up in this desolate, hilly area.  We told him that people went up to this area and left food out in the middle of the street and the crazy homeless guy would run in from the brush and grab the food.

Late one night, a few friends of ours, one dressed as a homeless guy, waited up in the area for us to arrive.  About four of us took the victim up and his brother got out of the car to put the food in the street.  At that moment the crazy homeless guy (who by the way was 6′8″ tall) ran out and chased my friend into the brush and down a hill.

We all freaked out and the driver said “I’m out of here, Greg’s on his own.  We drove off and his younger brother was pleading with us to go back.  The line he still gets teased about is “You guys may not care about my brother, but I do!”  We had him in tears.

We finally went back and let him in on the joke, but he didn’t like it.  He didn’t talk to any of us for weeks.

I just got off my flight from St. Louis to Dallas. Sitting across the aisle from me was an older woman who looked remarkably like my Grandmother, at least the Grandma I remember from my childhood.

You could tell that she was very nervous about being on the plane. Each bit of turbulence caused her to tense up and look around to see how the other passengers were reacting. I gave her a reassuring smile each time she looked at me.

It reminded me of the many times my Dad would urge my Grandma to fly out and visit us. For years she never took him up on the offer until about four years ago, when she came out for a short while. She was terrified of flying.

By the time she came out, she was in the early stages of Alzheimers, as she was confused that she was actually in California several times, until she was reminded about it.

It’s sad that she didn’t take my Dad up on his offers. He always offered to pay her way out but she was always too afraid. We never got to really know an apparently wonderful woman. I felt kind of like a stranger at the funeral, when others stood up to share stories and memories of her. I didn’t stand up, because I really had nothing to share. I wish I had.

I wonder where that woman on the plane was going. I wish I would’ve asked her where she was headed. I hope it was to go see her family and spend some time with them.

I’ll share more about my trip when I get home. I can’t wait to see The Babito. My wife told me last night that he was carrying a picture of me around the house last night. It both broke and warmed my heart.

Unfortunately I didn’t know my Grandma very well.  She lived in Illinois most of her life and we went back to visit her a few times when I was a kid.  She’s only been out to California twice.  When my Grandpa died she moved out here to live with us but only lasted a few months before she missed Illinois.  I was only 6.  She came out here one other time to visit about 8 years ago for a week.

She had Alzheimer’s disease for the past several years of her life.  She got to the point where she didn’t recognize anyone.  She was in a rest home for the past few years.  One funny story about her is that she didn’t think she was a resident there, she thought she was one of the employees and tried to help the other residents.  She was that kind of person.

From the limited amount of times I was around her and from the many stories I’ve heard from my Dad, she was a truly wonderful woman.  Alzheimer’s is a terrible and frightening disease.  We can only hope that researchers discover a cure soon.  It’s sad to think of so many people missing out on their last years of life.

I’ve stayed away, for the most part, from talking about politics and the election here.  Why alienate people, right?

My candidate did not win last night, and that’s ok.  The great thing about our country is that every four years the people of the United States get to choose a new leader to guide us.  The people have spoken, and they want change, and I can respect that.  I understand.

Barack Obama will be my President in a few short months, and I stand fully behind him.  I hope others that did not support him during the election give him a chance and provide their full support.  I hope he can do some good things for America, and I hope that we can put aside some of the nastiness we’ve seen during this election and all work together to make America a better place.  I thought both Obama’s speech and John McCain’s concession speech were wonderful.

We are all on the same team, right?  It’s time we start acting like it.

• Today I was “Stumbled” by Memarie Lane (Thanks, Memarie!) and got a huge surge of visitors.  I signed up for StumbleUpon today, but I’m clueless to how it works.  Anybody have any tips?  I guess it’s just another funky site (like NaBloPoMo) that I’ll have to figure out.
• I have seven minutes until midnight…..I need more than this to count this as a post!
• Did you see that Jennster picked me as her favorite new blogger?!?  If you haven’t been reading Jennster, you’re missing out.  She’s one of the coolest people on the WWW.  And obviously she has GREAT TASTE!
• Four minutes…..
• For you fellow NaBloPoMo‘ers, are you as irritated as I am that they haven’t fixed the friend request button yet?  They suck.  But, if you decided to join, and if they ever fix the button, be sure to send me a friend request.

The exact question was:

What advice would you give to someone that is just starting a blog?

Here’s the responses:

Tia from Clever Girl Goes Blog:

When I first started my blog, I had no idea what I was doing.

(I still don’t. Seriously.)

Somewhere along the way, I found my voice. I choose to write my blog about my life, and I do it semi-anonymously to protect the identity of the innocents, mostly Hubs. Any man who is okay with stories about his farting posted on the internet deserves as much privacy as possible.

I think the most important thing about blogging is honesty. You’re giving people a window into your life, and it’s for the whole world to see. I love to read blogs that are real. Real love, real life, real problems, real pain. Those blogs are the most interesting. Anyone can tell a story. It’s telling stories that keep people coming back that’s the hard part.

So my advice to the newbie blogger is this:

1. Make sure your site is eye catching and easy to read.
2. It takes awhile to get regular readers. Don’t get discouraged!
3. Write for yourself. The comments, the links…that part is just gravy.

Don’t be afraid to put it out there. That’s what makes it yours, and that’s what makes it art. Happy blogging!

Ali from Cheaper Than Therapy:

i have an answer for this one! i have an answer!

please please please don’t use a white font on a dark background. it’s too hard to read. i read exactly three blogs that are white on black (yeah right…i will NEVER tell which ones!) and i don’t have enough eye energy to read any others!

Black Hockey Jesus from The Wind In Your Vagina:

I think you need to blow yourself away with what you write. If you’re not completely excited about what you just wrote, you’re not done. You should be on your own edge. You should look at it and say “I can’t believe I just wrote that shit!” It will certainly annoy your loved ones, but they know you’re a writer. They know you’re a self-absorbed pain in the ass. They’ve learned to live with you. When I smash a coffee mug against the wall and scream “I can’t believe I just wrote that shit”, my wife will usually make a disgusted face and say “Dude. Get over yourself.” It does sound arrogant, but if it doesn’t impress you, why would it impress others. Like a parent showing of pics of kids, you should want to show people what you wrote. If you don’t, you’re not done. If you read your own stuff and shrug your shoulders, well, WTF?

Reading is one of my life’s greatest joys. I like to read things that make my head explode. In turn, I feel obligated to explode your head. You should imagine the kind of writing that you like the best, ask yourself what you like about, write that way, but only make it better. You should write what you want to read.

And don’t piss off your family.

Jenn from Free and Flawed:

Determine what type of blogger you want to be. Anonymous, themed, etc. It’s difficult to go from being a very public blogger to anonymous so choose wisely and choose early! Be true to yourself. If you’re in it for the money, fine, but if you’re writing for you, don’t let the pressure get to you. It’s your blog, your voice. Just because those who read you liked a certain post more than another doesn’t mean to fill up your blog with only one thing.

Be patient! Huge readership doesn’t happen over night. Reading and commenting on other blogs will help increase your readership. Personally I think it’s better to have a small group of close readers than a large group of strangers. The community you develop with your blog is priceless. Use social media to your advantage. Post links to your blog on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc. More importantly, practice link love. Link to other people’s blogs and let them know that you’re recommending them. This will help develop your relationship as well as increase your viewers.

Most importantly, have fun

Trey from Trey Morgan.net:

Here are four things I really like in a blog:

- Present a relevant thought
- Challenge my thinking
- Make me laugh
- Definitely, without a doubt, keep it short

Jenny from The Bloggess:

Don’t post any pictures that accidentally feature your nipples.  I speak from experience on this one.

Katie from La Petite Chic:

Here’s my tip!

I spent the first few months of blogging wondering why no one was commenting on my blog.  Well, I wasn’t exactly commenting on other blogs myself!  Lurking will get you nowhere…leave a comment on your favorite blogs and one of them is bound to stop by and say hello.

Jason from iVegas Family:

My advice:

Don’t get over-obsessed with it. There’s no need to post just to post. I fall into that trap from time to time because I feel like I need to give readers something, anything. But it really doesn’t help if it’s not compelling. Post only when you have something to say.

Jennster from Jennster:

i would tell someone who was just starting a blog to ask themselves WHY they are starting it.  and then remind them not to forget that reason.  hell, have that be their first post so they can go back and remind themselves once they suddenly find themselves caught up in things they never imagined in the blog world.  it’s sometimes easy to forget why you’re there in the first place.  just be true to yourself and true to your ideals and make sure to tell everyone else to go fuck themselves.  (except for me, cause i’m awesome)

Sandy from Momisodes:

Something I did not anticipate as a new blogger, was just how much time I needed to spend reading other blogs, on top of creating my own content. If your goal as a blogger is to generate some level of readership, audience, or sense of community, you must remember to read other blogs and leave comments. Seek out other bloggers through comment sections, social communities, blogrolls, etc. on a regular basis. This will help you develop a regimen of blog reading and commenting, which in turn, will direct bloggers back to your blog to offer their feedback. Reading other blogs has always kept me inspired, and the comments I receive have become my sounding board.

Mike from Unraveling Life’s Mysteries:

Don’t do it.

Why would you want to have a voice that will just be ignored by thousands of people? Blogging just sucks the life out of you. Trying to conger up something to write and still be witty, intriguing, engaging, and thoughtful is a chore.

I mean really, who wants to hear about your boring life. And don’t get me started about the family around you who put up with your crazy ideas for posts. My wife is constantly nagging me that my blog is taking up all my free time. It’s sucking the life out of a me. She hates that I try and get the family to do something strange, stupid, or funny just so it can be included in the blog.

But seriously, I try to live by the KISS principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Write what interests you and you will have readers who are in similar situations commenting back. Give yourself time for people to find you. They will.

Don’t over analyze your blog layout. Start off simple and let it grow naturally. If you get too caught up in your layout, the writing will suffer.

You don’t have to write everyday, but make sure that it is often enough to keep people coming back. I lose interest if you don’t update your blog but once a month. I came to your blog because I like that your writing. I’m looking for more.

In short, have fun. Enjoy the process and don’t stress if it doesn’t work out.

Dr. Heather from Baby Shrink:

BLOG WHAT YOU LOVE.

That’s the only way to sustain your own interest in your site. There are “up” times and “down” times in the lifecycle of any blog. Writing about what you love will keep your involvement fresh, fun and helpful to others.

Traffic will come and go. Newfangled social networking “platforms” will appear — and disappear. Technical developments offer splash — but can’t create GOOD CONTENT. Focus on that, and the rest will follow!

Katie from K Squared:

The best thing to do is just wing it! Pick a name for your blog and just write. When I started I didn’t have a good name for my blog, and it took me a few weeks to get a rhythm going of writing, using photos in my posts, etc., before I actually really liked what I was doing. I use wordpress, but have used Blogger in the past, and both are great free blog forms to use. Another tip is to find other bloggers you love to follow, because they will give you inspiration where you might not otherwise find it. The blogging community is a great family to belong to!

Maggie at Okay. Fine. Dammit.:

Don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to your mother-in-law’s face. Whomever you think your audience is in the beginning, it could change at any moment and often does without warning. Be prepared like the Boy Scouts. At the same time, try to avoid thinking about your audience too much — try not to anticipate and write what you think everyone else wants to read, or what you think will make you “popular.” Figure out what it is about you that makes you different, and embrace that. And whatever you do, don’t hate. If you’ve got this piece of a communal garden to share, plant hydrangeas instead of choke weed.

Something’s bugged me about daylight savings time for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never seen the answer explained.

I always hear that daylight savings is controversial and that farmers hate it.

My question:

What do farmers have against daylight savings?

Somebody (farmers?) please explain it to me.

Thanks!

Babito was Jack Sparrow, the pirate:

I had to wear the Mickey pirate hat because he wouldn’t put on his costume unless Daddy was going to be a pirate too.

I’m not going to turn this blog into a “Green” blog, but there’s something about gas prices I wanted to point out.

There is a drawback to lower gas prices.  The lower the prices fall, the less incentive there is for companies to develop alternative fuels and energy.  It’s hard for an electric or hybrid car to compete with cheap gas, and companies will be more reluctant to invest significant dollars into researching and developing alternatives because they’ll worry they won’t recoup their investment.

Hopefully, our next administration will focus more on alternative energy and offer incentives for companies to continue to work on this important issue.

They even allow you to add a photo to the cartoon and e-mail it!