Linux Distributions

Today I downloaded 4 different Linux Distributions (OpenSUSE, Mandriva, Ubuntu & Fedora). For those that down know, Linux is a free substitute for Microsoft Windows. I booted a LiveCD (a LiveCD is a bootable CD that lets you run from the CD and doesn’t put anything on your hard drive) on my desktop just to try out OpenSUSE. It was pretty nice. The only problem I detected was that the speakers didn’t work. I only fooled around with it for about 5 min so who knows what else didn’t work (printer, usb, mem stick, backup drive, etc). I booted my old (very old) laptop up with each of the CDs and couldn’t get them to work. I still haven’t tried Fedora but I’m not very confident after failing with the other 3. The goal here was to try to speed up the old laptop. No luck. I’ll probably end up buying a $600 laptop instead.

New Microwave

Our microwave broke today. It is an over the stove type microwave so it wasn’t the easiest to replace. First, these over the stove microwaves aren’t cheap. They start around $150 and go up to $1200. We got a new one for $200. D went and picked it out – white to match the other appliances; GE because we were hoping it would fit the existing mounting bracket (it didn’t). We had a hard time taking the old one down because we didn’t understand the mounting mechanism and because it was very heavy. Then we had to setup the new one – move the venting hardware from the top to the back where our vent is; install the new bracket on the wall, drill new holes through the upper cabinet; mount the microwave and screw it into the upper cabinet. It took about 1.25 hours to get it installed. My back is sore now but we have already used it probably 10 times since noon.

Line Leader, Table Captain, X Expert

M told us today how he has certain roles at school this week. He is a line leader this week (there is 1 boy and 1 girl). That means he leads the class as they move from room to room (lunch to music, etc). Today he was also Table Captain which means that for his table he was responsible for bringing all the supplies to his table (scissors, glue) and returning all of the supplies once they are done. This week he is also a Letter Expert and is responsible for bringing in an item that starts with the letter X.

I like how they give the kids these official sounding titles

Husband For Hire

OMG! My wife tivo’ed Husband For Hire (a tv movie) and I suffered through all 2 hours of it (1.5 since we skipped over commercials). Bad story, bad acting, bad, bad, bad! Even attractive Latino women weren’t enough to keep me happy. If you get the chance – don’t watch it. I’d give it a solid F

Step Into Reading

M and Z are both doing so well with their reading! Z is only 4 and a half and is up to stage 4 or 5 in Bob Books. M has completed all of the Bob Books series and is about to move up to step 3 in the Step Into Reading series (just ordered a bunch of step 3 books tonight). Z is a little less patient than M but we didn’t really start M reading until he was already 4 and a half (Z’s current age).

This all started because M’s old preschool teacher offered an after school reading class using the Bob Books. D twisted my arm and got M enrolled in it (cost was a bit expensive). I didn’t think M was ready for reading at 4 and a half (a year and a half ago). After a couple classes he was actually making good progress so we kept him in and he learned a lot. Z was interested in doing what his big brother was doing so we let him try and he started picking it up too. I’m glad we did it. I think it helps them build self esteem and reading is pretty useful!

Blog Only Promotion

Today I posted another blog only promotion to my business blog. Through Wednesday we are selling one of our gripe water brands at wholesale price to try to get people to subscribe to our blog and to increase sales. It is unlikely to spike sales significantly since there are very few subscribers so far. I’m hoping future visitors will see the blog only promotions and sign up for the blog feed because we are offering great deals through blog only promotions. I’ll let you know how it all works out after we’ve done a bunch of promotions.

Crest White Strips

I asked for Crest White Strips for Christmas and got them from Santa. They are pretty easy to use but they make my teeth very sensitive. I got the good ones – 10 day supply that lasts for 18 months. I’ve used about 4 days so far but have been doing about 1/2 day every 10 days because of the sensitivity issue. So far they seem to have worked. My teeth do look whiter to me but probably not enough for anyone else to notice. I should have taken a before photo so I could see how much of a difference it makes.

Good Luck Chuck

This weekend we watched Good Luck Chuck the movie. It is the story of a guy (Chuck) who people believe has a curse – after he sleeps with a woman, she will find the man she loves and marry him. Chuck takes advantage of this curse but eventually falls for a girl (Jessica Alba). I laughed here and there and liked all of the main characters. I’d give it an A.

Waitress

This weekend we rented Waitress the movie from the Redbox DVD rental kiosk. My wife had been wanted to see it. It was pretty good. It is the story of a waitress who loves making pies and works at a restaurant that serves only pies (breakfast, lunch and dinner varieties). She hates her husband because he is mean. She is pregnant. She has an affair with her doctor and eventually has the baby and leaves her husband. It is funny in a lot of places. I especially liked the role her husband played. He could not have been more hate-able! I’d give it a B.

Kids Mouse

A few weeks ago I set up my old laptop in the living room so the kids could use it in the evenings after school. I upgraded the wifi card to wireless g so that the network connection was usable. I also got a new mouse – a usb travel mouse that is super small so it fits their little hands perfectly. Right now as I blog on my living room couch, Z is sitting next to me at the coffee table using the little mouse to color in a Curious George picture on pbskids.com.