November 2006

Monthly Archive

Thanksgiving Over. No More Turkey.

Posted by Thomas on 28 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: General Ramblings

We made it.  I know you care.

After a long, non-stop drive from Phoenix to Farmington, New Mexico (with a fuel stop in Flagstaff), we’re back.  It sounds like a short drive, but a lot of it is 2 lane roads, and on Indian land, so they’re not the greatest roads.  But it was a good time.

We had fun, though.  Mucho turkey.  Turkey is good.

Of course, on Monday I started to have a sore throat, and now I have a nasty cold.  Nice.  Thanks New Mexico.  Couldn’t we have just said our goodbyes, and that would be the end of it?  You had to leave me with a parting gift?  Oh well.  It’s not herpes, so we’ll just say we’re even.

The much Wii playing continues.  It’s still as much fun as day one.

You have new Picture Mail!

Posted by Thomas on 23 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: General Ramblings



You have new Picture Mail!, originally uploaded by Thomas Bates.

Playing the card game Nertz.

On the road again..

Posted by Thomas on 22 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: General Ramblings

So, I’m writing this on my Treo 650. We are actually on the road right now, heading to beautiful Aztec, NM.

Expect treo picture love over the weekend.

Ready for a Nap…

Posted by Thomas on 19 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: Electronics, Reviews

So my wife and I did something that I’ve never done in my years o’ game playing.

Wait in line to get a new game system the day it comes out.

I’ve mentioned the Nintendo Wii a few times here.  Those that know me had to hear me talk about it, as well.  I was looking forward to picking one of these bad boys up.

We attempted to go to two WalMart’s  last night at midnight.  Unfortunately, the first one we went to already had 26 or so people in line, and they only had 20 Wii’s.  (I dunno either why people stayed there? Weird.)  We called another WalMart, and they too said their line was full.

So that wasn’t going to work.  Our next goal was Target.   They didn’t open until 8am on Sunday, though.  So we did what any reasonable, logical person would do.

We slept until 3am and then drove to Target.

I knew a Target by our house was going to have 60 or so.  Turns out from that line, I got Wii #10.   Now, waiting from 3am-8am isn’t as bad as it sounds, as long as you don’t ask the wife.  She was cold, and I was a little cold too.  But Starbucks opens at 5:30am,  and the wife slept/warmed up in the car every now and then.  And of course, you meet interesting people in line.

Now, the guy that got Wii #1 in our line was there at 7:30pm on Saturday night, so just over 12 hours. Eeesh.

In the end, people showed up at 8am and still got a Wii, but of course, they probably didn’t get any games or controllers with it.

So, how is the Wii?  Pretty cool.  The controls take a little bit of getting used to, but it has much potential.  The graphics are not Xbox 360 or PS3 quality, but it’s never been about the games.  And the ‘virtual console’ is a great idea, with Sega Genesis, NES, Super NES, and N64 games available already for download.  Very spiffy.

A big kudos for Target, as well.  They came out and handed out soda and popcorn for free, which was nice.  And they kept the line orderly and had everything organized very well.  We entered the store at 8am, and were on the road with our purchase before 8:30.  Not shabby.

Well, off to play some more Zelda.

You have new Picture Mail!

Posted by Thomas on 19 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: General Ramblings



You have new Picture Mail!, originally uploaded by Thomas Bates.

What we waited for…

You have new Picture Mail!

Posted by Thomas on 19 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: General Ramblings



You have new Picture Mail!, originally uploaded by Thomas Bates.

What she does for love.. In line for the Nintendo Wii.

Iced Latte’s Winter Cousin - The Irish Coffee

Posted by Thomas on 13 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: General Ramblings

Now, I love me my iced latte. It’s tasty. It’s delicious, and you can get your calcium that your body needs.

But now that it’s getting a little chillier here in beautiful Queen Creek, it’s almost about time to move onto ‘hot’ drinks, like a tasty espresso or cappuccino.

But when I get home from a hard day at the office, I really like to have an Irish coffee; usually with decaf coffee, thank you very much.

Here’s a link to CoffeeGeek.Com and their guide to Irish Coffee. Enjoy!

CoffeeGeek - Exploring Irish Coffee

A new toy…

Posted by Thomas on 12 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: Electronics, General Ramblings, Reviews

So, we decided it was about time to upgrade the television:

100_1545.jpg

Picked up a 50″ DLP Samsung.  So far, very happy with it.  The only thing that really stinks is that the TiVo we currently have really doesn’t look great on it.  Of course, the HD TiVo is currently $800.  That’s a little rich for my blood.  Hopefully they’ll lower it, as the cable company’s DVR really stinks.

It’s amazing how when something looks great in hi-def, you’ll end up watching it.  I watched tennis for 20 minutes the other day.  And I hate tennis.

What I want for Christmas…

Posted by Thomas on 09 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: General Ramblings

Yes, a Cessna Citation Mustang Jet at Sam’s Club.

Oh, also includes lifetime membership to Sam’s Club.  Nice.

Pickup a jet, and also stock up on bulk toilet paper.

Bob Barker retiring after 50 years on TV - Yahoo! News

Posted by Thomas on 01 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: General Ramblings

Well, we knew this time was going to come sooner or later.  Bob Barker announced he’s retiring the other day, after 50 years on TV.

When we saw him in June, he looked much older in person than he does on television, and ’shuffled’ around the stage slightly, so I can’t say I’m surprised.

Just means we’ll have to go see him one last time in January.

Bob Barker retiring after 50 years on TV - Yahoo! News