Average Grod's Average Blog

Woot CS3 is here! I want the Web Premium. I get so frustrated with Dreamweaver sometimes. It has a lot of cool features but lately I have been just using it to manage my CSS and as a text editor. I use a couple visual tools and I validate with it but IE 7 is so easy to design for that I don't need DW as much as I used to. Oddly the only browser I have much of a problem with is Firefox which is also what I use. As long as I have the Firebug addon I am ok but I am very excited about the new DW3 which is shocking to me. Having more support for CSS as well as Ajax and the closer integration with other CS3 products is great. The Spry tools add a huge layer of abstraction that should allow even the newest beginner to come up with some incredible sites. I LOVE the idea of a browser compatibility check!!! It is hard enough installing IE 3-7 on one PC and debugging for as many as possible but that feature alone will make it worth picking it up for me.

Photoshop 3 Extended is about the coolest thing I have heard of and you should expect to see a lot more 3D graphics soon. It will be easier to have 3D in Flash without having to buy extra software.

Speaking of Flash, being able to pull actionscript straight out of timeline tween is like cheating!!! I love to script but there are times when this will save hours as well as headaches. I usually design and draw in Flash(shhh don't tell anyone) because I am so familiar with it's limited tools. The addition of a more powerful (dreaded)pen tool to make it more like Illustrators is great. I am so excited that they adding more power to the Flash toolset AND the ability to import Photoshop docs while maintaining layers is priceless!!!

Another really intriguing feature is the new page feature of Fireworks. I absolutely love Fireworks and I can't imagine prototyping a single website without it now.

Anyone want to prebuy me a copy??? Actually I can upgrade so it won't be too bad :)

Three weeks down, three weeks to go. Sugar isn't much of a problem and caffeine is a non issue at this point. I have lost almost 11 pounds and I am hoping to lose 10 more over the next 3 weeks. Now I remember why I play video games. I can't work all the time. You can read too much and there are times when you just want to turn your brain off and kill some time. I forgot that I have a terrible time getting to sleep while I am working on something. I have missed a couple days of blogging because I have been working on a website every free moment I have. I am about ready to turn something on just to relax. If I do make it another three weeks you can bet I will be wasting a fair amount of time killing zombies or something once Shanna goes to bed. If your name rhymes with Kim Karson and yo wanna get together for an entire Saturday and play Dynasty Warriors give me a call!!!


I uploaded a few more pictures to Flickr. This set includes two of Emma and I going out to stomp some puddles with her new goulashes or "water boots" as she likes to call them. I think this one is my favorite one. She is in her all pink outfit that she picked out for herself. This is her as she is about to jump. I was at work but Shanna told me all about it. There are also a couple good ones of her opening a birthday card with her favorite present "monies" inside of it.

We decided to got with the Panasonic. I like it a lot so far. With the extra money that was left over we picked up some new warm weather pajamas for Emma and a pair of overalls. That kid is growing like a weed and Costco had the camera and the pajamas on sale.

I uploaded the photos I have taken so far to my Flickr site. I am pretty upset that Flickr is going to be going to a Yahoo ID for a login. I pretty much gave up on creating one after about 10 minutes of getting "that id is taken messages." Elmosfriend, Emmasdad, garrettshanna, yahoo_suxors, naked_elmo, naked_bear....ALL GONE. Unless I want to resort to spelling my name with no vowels or tagging everything with and underscore and my social security number I don't think I have the time to come up with something. I'll probably just build my own photo show or switch to Google's next month. I like Picasa anyways.

We have had some bad luck with digital cameras in the past. We have had two of them die on us in the past two years. My grandparents sent us some money to by a new one so that we can take photos of Emma. This is pretty cool but I have to think there is a bit more too it than my Grandpa tossing a check in the mail. On what was probably the same day Shanna found out that she was getting a bonus from her work. Combined we have enough money to buy a pretty decent camera.

This Lent deal is going pretty well and like I said I think it is good to learn to live with a little want in your life. I can say that I am truly grateful about this gift not just excited, glad, or even just thankful. I really think God had a hand in here somewhere because the timing is just too close. I'm not saying that if you fast or give up stuff your going to come into cash. I certainly don't believe my faith is like a Christian Visa and once I have earned enough points I can cash them in for a reward. I didn't give up all this stuff to get rewards but I am receiving them. Not to sound ungrateful and I know my grandparents will understand but money be it in the form of gift or paycheck is about the least important thing I am gaining during these weeks. I am starting to see other areas of my life where I can trim the fat it's just a matter of actually doing it.

Some people may wonder if I am nuts or yell BS that I am claiming a camera could be a gift from God especially since people are buying for us and it's not falling out of the sky. The truth is my Grandpa gave my brothers and I a 20 year old camera in 1996 and now both of my brothers are professional photographers providing for their families. They have worked hard to get to where they are but their paths have crossed with too many people, places, and opportunities to just chock it up to dumb luck.

So this is where I stand in regards to a camera choice. I am leaning towards a Sony H2. It got good review versus other cameras such as Canon but it is about $100 less. I think that Shanna will want a Panasonic model. The Nikon looks good but I guess it is a little more difficult to use than I want. It has a huge screen but supposedly it is difficult to shoot with one hand and your thumb will cover part of the screen. I may post another update before we go the store to look but I will check my email and blog again so if you have any last minute advice feel free to let me have it. Thanks for everything you guys have sent already. I'll have photos of Emma with her glasses soon.

pixies: My interest is piqued but surprisingly I just don't care. There are a few Pixie standards that the fans want to see played at their shows but other than that I think I have outgrown them. I used to love them all. Honestly I don't think they would be half as famous if it wasn't for Kurt Cobain. I think The Breeders are a much easier listen. Frank Black and the Catholics tends to grate on my nerves. I think Pixies biggest problem is that everyone loves some of their stuff. They are a hip name to drop and they influenced an entire generation of bands. Those bands did Pixies covers and almost every single one of those covers is better than or at least enhances the original.

Dinosaur Jr: I have 2 albums. The only 2 that charted in the top 100 maybe even top 50. Never bothered with anything else but I am always up for a listen. I was pretty tempted to look into some tickets to see them at the Showbox this Spring.

Duran Duran: I hope this is bigger than The Police reunion. It deserves to be and they have worked on singles with Justin Timberlake which pretty much guarantees a couple hits.

Relient K:Always fun. Shanna has been bothering me to pick it up.

Wilco: Wil who? I don't care. If it's anything like their other stuff I would put it on if I wanted to fall asleep.

Son Volt: I gave this a listen when I was in high school. Never heard of them again until there supposedly huge return. They got major publicity at Bumbershoot. Why?

White stripes:Not again!

Bon Jovi:Go on tour to milk you fame and call it good. You have the hits. We don't need another album.

LL Cool J:Momma said knock you out! I don't know anything else. I know he was a rapper first and an actor second(or third after model) but I like his movies better than his music. Give me Ice Cube in anyway shape or form!

Ryan Adams: Uhhh don't you mean Bryan Adams :P

Queens of the Stone Age: I really don't like these guys but they have written a few songs that rock. If I had to put them in a genre I would say they play "The Devil's Music." The first song on "Songs for the Deaf" can't be turned up loud enough or played too many times.

Talib Kweli:Never hear of him/her/them

Paris Hilton (That's Hot!):Hi, my name is Paris and I have Herpes. Now that's HOT!!!

Meat Puppets:I'll be darned if they can't write a good song but I'll never buy an album.

Radiohead:I need to write a blog about Radiohead. I'll probably run out and buy it but as far as I'm concerned they are starting to release just beeps and boops without much bite. "The Bends" and "OK Computer" easily make my top 10 favorite albums ever. I got "Kid A." I loved "Amnesiac." I have given "Hail to the Thief" more time than it warrants and with the exception of a few hot spots I don't think it's up to par but then what is when people are calling you the best band of a century. Thom's solo stuff was good but it really needed the rest of the band to fill it out. It was like "Kid A" junior. I'll always give them a listen.

Whitney Houston: Anyone who lived through 1992 heard enough Whitney to last 10 lifetimes.

Coldplay:their hiatus was just not long enough for me. I'm not ready to be bombarded by them again. The only band that is harder to escape has to be The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Let's just hope Coldplay doesn't release a double album and lets pray to the music gods that no one ever does what the Peppers originally planned for "Stadium Arcadium."

I know it's pretty bold of me to presume that my friends and family have nothing better to do on a Friday night than rush home and read MY blog but I am hoping that is exactly what you all do. Shanna and I have the opportunity to buy a digital camera tomorrow and we want advice on what to get. I happened to be at Costco when I found out so I took a quick peek. The two I liked were the Panasonic DMC-TZ1 and the Nikon coolpix S10. The only real reason I liked those ones were because they both offer 10x optical zoom. I am hoping you guys can recommend a good camera in the $300-$350 price range as well as a good camera for under $300. I have a few errands to run before work so I can't go into detail about everything. I promise I will check this before we go shopping so please either post here or email me. I am going to research on my break tonight and I will promise a full update and explanation tonight. If you don't wake up and check my blog first bright and early every Saturday morning you should tomorrow because there will be new material.

I don't have to eat my words yet but the terrible twos have struck! Emma has been waking up in the morning and staying up until two. She wakes up and says "Hungy! Hungy!" I usually bring her downstairs and feed her a little bit of food, watch part of a show or read to her, and take her back upstairs. This is killing any time I might have to devote to something productive but it is fun at the same time. She does wake Shanna up and that is messing with her sleep schedule but I love that Emma is sleeping in until 10! I'll have an update about this later to see how many nights she is going to do this.

Sorry about missing a day. This weekend was busy because I had to work and the time change. I will be glad to have next Monday off. Emma was awake when I came home tonight so I took her to let Shanna sleep. She just went to bed so I didn't have any time to work on stuff tonight. I am hoping she sleeps in. It is 1:28 AM.

We bought her a bike for her birthday. She has been wanting one for a while. If anyone wants to know what to get her for a birthday present we have been looking for a pink toddler helmet but haven't found one yet. There is a really cute Little Mermaid swimsuit at Costco too. Save your receipts because she probably doesn't need 7 helmets.

Everything is still going well with my Lent stuff. I lost between five and six pounds last week. Here's one of those cool lists with food you shouldn't eat. Make sure to check the PDF file or just click here. Too bad Coldstone is on there but hey, Burt Baskin died at 56 and Ben Cohen had a quadruple bypass at 50 so what do you expect?

• Grapenuts and Milk


• Spaghetti
  • Mizithra Cheese, Steak, Red Onions, Mushrooms, Basil


• Pineapple, Grapes, Strawberries, Broccoli


• I'll probably have a quesedilla or sandwich soon

It was a long week at work and I still have one day to go. Now I remember why I play games. I could really use something to veg out to. Guess I'll go read or watch some more Photoshop TV.

• 4 pieces of Pizza total throughout the day for breakfast lunch and dinner


• Turkey Sandwich


• 1 Apple


• half an Orange


• 1 Kiwi


• 2 servings of Peanuts


• 1 slice of Toast with Peanut Butter and HONEY!


• a couple Saltines

We took Emma to get her wonky eye checked today. Turns out she can see fine and in focus too. She just has an eye that has to work harder than normal to focus which is causing it to cross. We bought her 2 pairs of glasses today and we should have them both in about 10 days. I'll be sure to post some photos of her but I can't promise much because the only camera we have right now is part of my phone. I am really glad that she just needs glasses and not surgery. If she has a hard time adjusting to them I'll probably end up buying a non prescription pair for me to wear to encourage her. Even though pirates are cool I am glad she doesn't need an eye patch because I'm not looking forward to wearing one Arrrrrr! I don't think the glasses will be too bad. She loves trying them on at stores and Shanna wears glasses which Emma has been known to put on.

The lack of sugar in my diet is already having an effect on my pallet. Fruit, which is the sweetest thing I have eaten all week really POPS on my tongue now! I bought a couple dates today that were larger than my thumb. They actually seemed rich and where more like eating a caramel than a fruit.

• Grapenuts and Milk


• 1 Large Slice of Pepperoni Pizza


• Tuna Sandwich


• Handful of Peanuts


• 1 Banana


• 4 Dates

I have to work Saturday so I had today off. Emma and I had a lot of fun. We ran a few errands, went to the park, library, a second park, and did a lot of playing around the house. I usually leave to take her to the babysitter's at about 2:30. She won't nap anytime before 1PM so as you can imagine we cut it pretty close sometimes and this really only allows her to nap for one hour at most. I was curious to see how long she would sleep today. I woke her up at 4:15 so she could watch Curious George on PBS and eat some lunch. I wasn't too surprised but I didn't think she would nap for almost 3.5 hours. The strange thing is that she can actually go all day and make it until 10PM without a nap if she has to.

Everything else is going well but I absolutely have to buy some honey. No sugar is no fun. I had originally just intended to go without sweets but there is a lot of grey area so I just went for no sugar. I have had a bit. It turns out that Goldfish crackers have a small amount and I have had a couple bites of oatmeal and rice cakes to try and entice Emma to eat her breakfast/snacks. Other than that I haven't slipped yet.

• Breakfast Burrito
  • 1 egg, bacon, cheese


• Tuna Sandwich


• 1 Orange


• Raisins


• Pecans


• Turkey Sandwich


• A few bites of Steak


• Peanut Butter Toast

This is already starting to have a positive effect. I am a pretty compulsive shopper when it comes to the grocery store. I don't by junk but my wife knows better than to send me in there alone. Emma and I walked to Safeway for plain peanut butter(EVERYTHING has sugar in it!!) today. Odwalla juices were on sale for a really good price and I was about to buy one. I was hot, thirsty, and I haven't had anything to drink but water since Saturday night. I thought about it and decided I don't really need one. This was a pretty big step because that purchase needed very little rationalization. The reality is that I had 8 oz of water left in my bottle. There was absolutely no risk of dehydration. I had plenty of fruit and food at my house which is less than half a mile away and yet I was completely convinced that I needed this juice. I guess all the practice saying "no" to stuff over the past 48 hours really is paying off. I'm not even halfway through the first week and I can recommend this to you. As weird as it may seem it is good to be able to live in want. Say "no" to yourself once in a while. The truth is you can't have everything you want and I have a feeling that even if you could it wouldn't be enough.

• Grapenuts and Milk


• Quesedilla split with Emma


• 1 piece of bread with peanut butter


• 1 Apple


• Meatball and Noodle Casserole


• Cheese and Salami Sandwich

• Grapenuts and milk


• Sandwich
  
  
  
  • Turkey
  
  
  • Cheddar
  
  
  • Avocado
  
  
  • Tomato
  
  
  • Mayonnaise
  
  
  • Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
  
  
  • Crescent
  
  


• 5 meatballs with sauce
  


• 1 piece of bread


• 4 crackers

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Day One went surprisingly easy especially when you consider I have a box of Girl Scout Cookies and a half a bag of Peanut Butter M&Ms on the counter. We don't usually have this stuff around the house but its that time of year for the cookies and the candy is left over from a retreat last week. I bought a basketball Saturday and I went down to my neighborhood court to shoot some hoops. I spent about 45 minutes and worked up a good sweat. I think I made about 10 shots lol but I'm actually not way off considering it's been about 10 years since I played. I can't run either because of my knee so it really was just shooting with a little bit of shuffling here and there.

I spent all of my free time today drawing with the computer, blogging, and optimizing a website I am working on. I would like to put together a collection of clip art stuff to sell. Here is the start of my first piece of art. Obviously unfinished. This pecker is missing feet, a perch, some shading, and I need to play with the angle of his head because right now it just looks like he is missing an eye. I am working on the texture for the wing but I have it all wrong and am probably just going to hand paint it. Any advice is welcome since this is my first attempt at drawing an animal and I draw like Napolean Dynamite.

Anyway here is what I ate today.

• 1 Apple


• Spaghetti


• Foccasia bread


• Salami Sub Sandwich(homemade)


• Some pita chips and Salsa


• 3 meatballs


• 2 small fried plantains

I have never actually participated in any sort of Lent event. Never given up anything for 40 days and technically I'm not doing it this year either. Due to equal parts ignorance, sloth, and irony being that I am a pastor's kid I don't even know when Lent is but I guess it started a couple days ago. So where is this going? Well for the next six weeks starting today(err yesterday I guess) I am going to give up sugar, caffeine, fast food, and video games and I am hoping to document it on my blog. Each day I'll be posting what I ate and if I was able to refrain from wasting time twiddling my thumbs.

My goal is to be more productive over the next couple weeks. See if I can get a leg up on some of my projects or increase my skills. See if I can drop a couple more pounds. Maybe replace some of what I am losing with some healthier choices, activities, or practices. Because I work until midnight most of the posts will be posted at about this time so if I am referring to "today" it will probably be "yesterday" for you, dear reader.

Caffeine, fast food, and gaming are all pretty clear cut. As far as sugar goes I'm not actually going to be too strict. No candy, desserts, and the like. I am checking labels for hidden sugars in things like dressings but if I miss something because I can't figure out what the name is I'm still going to consider this a success. All the same if you see something on my list that may be suspect let me know.

I am interested to see where this goes. If I can keep up with the discipline and the blogging. I may need some extra prayer or reflection time to get through it so this may end up as more of a "Lentil"?? experience than I had originally planned.

Finally, I updated my links and also added a nifty value widget that my brother turned me onto. Normally I don't place things like this because they show how many people DON'T visit your page. In this case I new it was low due to my lack of activity so I decided this was a good benchmark. We will see if I can move it at all over these next few weeks.
$564.54