What The Heck Is Going On?

What The Heck Is Going On?
Originally uploaded by brady frequent traveler and eater.

Brady...are you an airplane?

Bluetooth QUEEN, BABY!

- 2.5 hours and sheer faith and determination
- $8 bluetooth dongle plugged into USB port on laptop
- 10.99 Euro IVT Blue Soleil software
- Twenty minute conversation with my parents. My voice travelled over a bluetooth connection to my laptop, over a wireless internet connection, over the internet, and into my parents den via GoogleTalk.
- PRICELESS.

I can get music streamed to my headset so I can listen to Rhapsody Radio anywhere in the house. With no wires anywhere except for the one plugging my laptop into the outlet. I am still so blown away.

10 years ago, we were on dialup. Now, dialtones are obsolete. Imagine 10 years from now!!!

Read The ENTIRE Experience Here

Dave's New Car

As you all know, Dave's truck suffered a breakdown this Monday on Michigan and Wacker. It is in the shop for a bit, but we all know it's just getting old.

Lucky for Dave, Daimler-Chrylser announced today that they're bringing the Smart car to the U.S.!!

"NEW YORK -- DaimlerChrysler AG plans to launch its money-losing Smart brand in the U.S. in 2008 and will partner with an American distributor -- United Auto Group Inc. -- to sell its tiny Smart ForTwo model in about half a dozen areas of the country, a top company executive said Wednesday."

Full Story

Good one...

www.adsense.com

Poor advertising agency!

My Next Car

Dave and I saw a navy blue version of this stunning 2007 Saturn Sky parked in the Schaumburg Nordstrom Rack mall. We actually had to circle it, it was so beautiful. And under $25k! I still can't believe it's a Saturn. 2.4-liter, 177 horsepower, 5-speed manual w/ short-throw shifter (i.e., made for girls and race car drivers). I guess it goes from 0-60 in 7.2 seconds, my Tiburon does it in 8 seconds I think. Gotta go test drive one of these. :)

Salt potato!

Salt potato
Originally uploaded by Diva Eva.

Hi from Syracuse, NY! Hmm, maybe it isn't too clear from the picture, but I am holding a 5 pound salt potato bag! Carolyn, start dreaming!

Chicago Antique Market

I so want to go to this! :) Chicago Antique Market. Have any of you guys been?

For Manish

Happy Birthday, Super Dave!!! :)

Happy birthday, love! Couldn't be prouder of how much you've accomplished and how much you've grown in the year I've know ya. i carry your heart in my heart
xoxox

Eva and Sue

Eva and Sue
Originally uploaded by brady frequent traveler and eater.

Yikes!

What are we all doing for July 3rd Fireworks???

Picnic? Rent a boat? Jump into the lake??? Other suggestions???

True Love? Happy Birthday!

True Love? Happy Birthday!
Originally uploaded by brady frequent traveler and eater.

Click through to see couple other pictures, including one sweet Neha and Manish photo.

i/o brush rocks!

screenshot from the video...such a great idea!

This is awesome

I/O Brush

WATCH THE VIDEO!!! IT's A MUST SEE

Good advice

Now this is something we all need to know. From www.boingboing.net

I've worked for a telecommunications company that I would prefer to go unnamed, and I'd like to offer some tips to anyone trying to disconnect a service they no longer want. The biggest tip is to call well outside of normal business hours -- in my company, customer service was open 24/7, but the retention department closed in the evening. If you call, say, before bed, or during the middle of the night, you'll just be talking to a regular CS rep who has no incentive whatsoever to keep you as a customer. It can turn a twenty minute phone call into a two minute phone call.
Second, if you get a rude rep, hang up and call right back. Some reps, especially in commission driven departments like sales and retention, are especially pushy, where as if you call back you might get someone who is right at the end of his shift and just wants to get you off of his phone.

Third, there is one reason for disconnection that will work for almost every service--moving. Tell them you're moving out of the service area, or moving in with someone who already has the same service, and they should be required to cancel everything for you.

Also, it would be helpful to remember that the representatives in retention are paid to retain you as customers--threatening to record the call, asking for their name or ID, or asking for a supervisor will not do anything. All calls are recorded and the representatives have responses they are required to give for every customer question or complaint. The rep who actually gets in trouble will be the one who disconnects you immediately without trying to retain you, not the one who spends twenty minutes using every tactic in the book the company wrote for him.

10% off at Target

Kitties!!!!

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ten cats in search of owners will spend the next 10 days in a New York store window, their every move caught on camera for a reality TV show on which they will compete for best sleeper and mouse-catcher.

The show is the creation of a petfood company and will be shown on cable channel Animal Planet...viewers will be asked to vote off one feline contestant each day.

The cats, chosen from shelters around the country, will compete for loudest purr, most prolific sleeper and who can catch the most toy mice. Kitties who get the boot will be adopted into permanent homes.

Full Story

Superhero Diversity

In a move to promote diversity among superheros, Batgirl has come out of the closet, proudly kicking a new pair of shiny red thigh-high stiletto boots. (Go girl!)

"This is not just about having a gay character," said Dan DiDio, vice president and executive editor at DC. "We're trying for overall diversity in the DC universe. We have strong African-American, Hispanic and Asian characters. We're trying to get a better cross-section of our readership and the world."
Am I missing something? I don’t remember any Asian superheros…

Asian superhero:
Wasabi Potstickah: Immobilizes nasty villains by dousing them in hot broth and steaming them till they yield. One whiff of his body odor causes strong nasal discomfort.

Hispanic superhero:
Hot Tamale: Best known for his slammin’ hoopdie and shiny spinners, this superhero has the ability to turn anything he touches into a hill of rice and beans.

African-American superhero:
Ghetto Glam Gal: With bodacious booty and boobs, this ‘fro’d female superhero causes tremors when she whips out her double-dutch jump rope.

Hmmm…I think we still need an Indian superhero…does he have the ability to populate a single country in the blink of an eye? To confound consumers with customer support?

flapjack battle royale

flapjack battle royale
Originally uploaded by diastema.

So who would you put your money on?

Lemons...lemonade!

So, as you might remember, over the course of remodeling, the toe-kick and access panel of my dishwasher were lost. An inconvenience, but easy enough to remedy. Call GE, and I'll be damned, you actually get a real live, helpful person. The first order came fast enough, but they sent me a strange piece of plastic instead of my toe-kick.

Long story short, they're re-sending the toe-kick and I get to keep the part. This morning, I spent about five minutes staring at it. I spot the international wino icon on one side of it, and holy cow, they sent me a wine glass rack for my dishwasher! It's Genius!!! I did some research on it: "StemSafe includes a row of security tabs along the bottom of the upper rack which secure the lip of the glass in place, and can hold up to 6-8 stemmed glasses." Of all the parts GE could have sent me by accident, they pick the one I would have paid for. :)

Yikes at the office

The Mouse that Ira Killed
Originally uploaded by semarr.

In my new cubicle located on the sixth floor of a high rise, I moved the file cabinet and was surprised to find underneath there a tiny dead baby mouse. It was smaller than the one in this picture, but you get the idea. They are having a mouse problem- all along the walls are glue traps and black little traps with poison. Yesterday, the client project manager found a half poisoned mouse wandering around her cubicle. I've also been told to not keep my backpack on the floor for obvious reasons! A few weeks ago some exterminators came over a weekend and on Monday the entire building was filled with half dead mouse wandering around. Yikes. I'm going to work at home the next time they spray.

This One is For You, Carolyn!

Chicago - Flapjaws - Reopening!
Originally uploaded by brady frequent traveler and eater.

Did you see the sign?? Are you excited??

The Future of Manish

Yahoo Sets CEO's Salary at $1
Associated Press
June 2, 2006 9:56 p.m.

Yahoo Inc. said Friday it granted Chairman and Chief Executive Terry Semel an option to buy six million company shares as a retention incentive.

The Sunnyvale, Calif., Internet company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it also set Mr. Semel's annual salary at $1 for the 2006-2008 period. Mr. Semel had received a $600,000 salary for at least the past three years, according to Yahoo's most recent proxy.

In addition, Mr. Semel will be eligible for an annual bonus in the form of a fully vested stock option for up to one million shares, the company said.

Yahoo's compensation committee also revised the compensation package of other company executives, including those of Chief Operating Officer Daniel L. Rosensweig and Chief Financial Officer Susan L. Decker who each received 50,000 restricted stock units and a stock option to buy 2.1 million shares.

Both will continue to receive their current $500,000 salary and will be eligible for an annual target cash bonus of up to $1 million for the 2006-2009 period, Yahoo said.

Yahoo shares closed at $31.52 Friday, down 47 cents.

Personal Best!

Woo hooo!!!!! Dave and I ran the Run for the Zoo on Sunday, and this was the first 5k in which I ran for time. I hit an awesome personal best of 3.3 miles in 31:58! That's equivalent to a 10:17 min mile. WOO HOOOOO!!! My goal for the summer is to get to a 10 min mile over a 5k. :) The average time was 28:25. Sooo close. :)

Our team, the Road Runners, came in 8th for mixed teams, and 4th for female. Not too shabby at all. :)

Super happy Eva!

Super happy Eva!
Originally uploaded by brady frequent traveler and eater.

Sweet Ocassions in Andersonville offers unbelievably good ice cream. Check it out.

King Tut: June 11

Well kids, looks like June 11 wins, though I don't think Dave or I are in...but you guys go anyway. :)