music videos in space

I read today that Commander Hadfield, an astronaut and recent resident of the International Space Station, has posted his final space video and is returning to Earth. His final video was a music video, a parody of David Bowie's "Space Oddity", done in zero gravity and with a guitar. (By the way, how'd they get a guitar up there? Not quite like they could just stop and pick up a fender squier at guitar center!) Anyway, his videos have been fabulous and educational, and I'm sorry that they have to come to an end!

real estate analytics

Very cool - a big software company has designed a program that applies the analytics analysis normally used on websites against various real estate regions, like real estate jacksonville nc. That information can be used to make statistical predictions about the area, which in turn can be used to improve the return-on-investment for real estate. Math rocks!

21st century privacy

The Internet has definitely changed privacy as we know it, but for the most part I think it is good. There is a lot of value in being able to find information about the criminal backgrounds through websites like http://www.easybackgroundchecks.com of people you know. Of course that information has always been available, but it is now more accessible than ever. I think it encourages honesty - you can't lie about who you are or who you were. And that's a good thing.

prom season

It's prom season, so I guess that means high schoolers all over are going to be shopping for tuxedos and formal dresses, and hiring limo services like limo st pete. It's overrated, if you ask me. I didn't go to prom and I wouldn't change it. High school is so dumb. Really, you just have to get through it. There is absolutely no reason that you have to enjoy it, or be popular, or waste money on dresses and dances. (Yes, I said WASTE. You'd be better off to save that money for college or a nest egg!)

hallmark movies and brain injuries

I happen to be watching this Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, Remember Sunday. It's an outstanding movie, as are most Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. Two interesting characters... a girl who has a boatload of financial problems (desperately needs a debt relief law firm) and a bunch of dreams, and a brilliant guy who had a brain injury and amnesia of his short term memories. This is hitting way close to home. Way too close to home. Speaking as a brain injured amnesiac... If only it could be fixed in a two hour movie. If only. It's so much more complicated.

photography

Every now and then I think about going into photography. It seems like a common progression for many people to go from "blogger" to "photographer". I enjoy taking photographs and I've even taken several photography classes over the years. But it's also a huge investment - let's be honest, professional cameras cost THOUSANDS of dollars. And while we're being honest, the truth is that I don't love photography the way a real photographer should. I enjoy taking photos on an amateur basis, and I will continue to travel and take photographs whenever I can, but for the time being, I am not interested in becoming a professional photographer (like raleigh photographers). Maybe someday I will want to do that... but not today!

snow and more snow

Is anyone else ready for winter to be over? :-) It snowed on Palm Sunday. Easter is less than a week away. It's almost April and the ground is covered in snow! I'm not as upset as some people - I mean, life will go on - but I can't wait until I can get outside without needing a columbia jacket www.rockymountaintrail.com or some such garment to stay warm! I can't wait until we get into tank-top-and-shorts weather!

writing and wordpress

My mind is scrambled. I've spent so much time wrapped up in my latest novel and trying to educate myself on such a wide variety of topics that it's become just a confusing cloud of trivia, about everything from law enforcement and crime to raleigh business lawyers! Today I realized that I should also probably finish up the Wordpress themes that are in varying states of development on my hard drive. Because you know, I'm not busy enough already! :-)

washers and dryers

It hasn't been all that long since my family replaced our washer and dryer - maybe five years? The washer/dryer pair before this lasted a REALLY long time - over thirty years. But they really don't make 'em like they used to, because our dryer is already behaving poorly.

Regardless, I think everyone should keep a washer/dryer repairman on retainer, so to speak. More often than not, problems can be fixed by a visit from whirlpool dryer repair. It saves money AND it's better for the environment!