Me Myself and Jonna

I read books.. like The Hunger Games

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:20:00 +0000

No really I do. Check it out.

KNOCK KNOCK! Is This Thing On?

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0000

I'm back!!!!

For those of you who don't know, my email that is associated with this blog was hacked almost a year ago and I was able to just retrieve it a week or so ago.

So, in order to get my blogging fix, I started another blog.

So now what to do? Merge? Dump one? Decisions, decisions!

But in the meanwhile, I'll be updating ALL my blogs!

Justice From the Bench, Gone Wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:15:00 +0000

I just read this article in my local news:

Spartanburg Co. Murder Suspect Escapes Home Detention

Many of you who read my blog are probably wondering why I'm commenting on something like this. You may be surprised to find out that my bachelor's degree is in Criminology. Yes, I'm formally educated, even if I try to go to great lengths to hide it (that's my story, I'm sticking to it!). Regardless, I've always been a True Crime fan, I've followed crime reports and such because it's something that fascinates me. The entire idea of the justice system intrigues me, from its conception to its complete failures. I should have been a police officer, I dreamed of being an FBI profiler (but never applied) but instead, I'm a computer programmer. Makes total sense doesn't it. Anyway....

This article highlights one of those failures. And unfortunately, the story isn't all that uncommon.

Cliff notes of the story goes like this: Guy gets charged with murder and is awaiting trial, instead of being detained in the detention center with a high bond set or no bond set, the just at the time decides that it's a way smarter idea to let this charged murderer go home with a little ankle bracelet.

In this article, the local Solicitor's office & the Sheriff's office state this is not typical practice for the judge to hand out this type of home detention for those charged with murder. Now, my interest is peaked and I'm looking for a way to find out the statistics. I want to know what the numbers are, how many people charged with murder have bonds set very high, or no bond set at all or sent home with a bracelet. Because, really who knows what the norm is if different judges are handing out different standards of bond.

Another thing I find a little strange is the timing of this article. They've lost someone with a home monitoring bracelet, saying he took the bracelet off in June. Unless I missed something, It's August - why is this just now making news? Strange. And how long was it known that he had removed the monitoring bracelet? Was it just found out? If so, what good is this monitoring? I'm going to hope that it has been known and just not made public until now.

Needless to say, we're wasting man hours of the officers in hunting down someone that should have never been released before his trial anyway. What should be standard is what type of bond is offered to different charges. If you are charged with murder, NO BOND. If you are charged with simple possess, bond should be set. What's so hard about this? Why are judges allowed to send someone charged with murder home? Overcrowding? Lack of resources? These are just two of the MANY issues that have to be dealt with daily in our detention centers, jails and prisons.

I put this on the judge's head. I think there was a mistake made and if someone else is hurt or dies because of this mistake, quite a shame it will be.

A Day Out With Thomas (and heat stroke)

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Last weekend myself, my husband and our kiddo along with our friends and their son hopped in my Swagger Wagon with and headed to Bryson City, North Carolina to spend a “Day out with Thomas”.

What they really should have called it was “A Day out in record setting heat, take a 15 minute ride with Thomas and then spend the equivalent of a car payment on Thomas toys, food and random junk we will forget about by the time we get home”!

But nonetheless, it was fun!

On our drive to Bryson City we stopped off in Hendersonville, NC for breakfast at a little restaurant called “Fireside Restaurant & Pancake Inn”. This was an odd place. It looked like it was originally built inside of an old house that had an attached greenhouse. Then later they decided to turn the greenhouse into an extension, without tearing it down. They added walls and ceilings but you can look up through the 2 ft gap between the ceiling and wall and see the greenhouse ceiling. And the booth we sat in had saggy seats, the one part that I was sitting on, if I moved even an inch or so to either side I’d slide down into a whole and literally drop 5 inches. It’s just odd! But however odd that it is, the food makes up for it. It was delicious! I had the veggie omelet that had enough cheese that you’d have to twirl your fork a few times! Or friend got their Pigs-in-a-Blanket and I was jealous when I saw it, covered in deliciously fluffy whipped cream. We learned that they made their own bread, and so I had to order a side of toast, which was nothing but a side of deliciousness!

So after we gorged ourselves on breakfast, we hopped back into the van and drove through Maggie Valley and made our second stop of the day in Cherokee, NC.

Cherokee is an interesting place to me. The idea behind it is beautiful and I love learning more about the Cherokee people, however I still am totally amused at the “junk row” that’s become a popular shopping stop for tourists. Its’ the major road that leads through Cherokee and it’s quaint and cute and then BAM – you hit the longest strip mall of stores selling Mocossins and “authentic Cherokee” trinkets, Harley Davidson belt buckles and leather goods, tie died dresses and rebel flag bathing suites. Because this is what Cherokee’s wear?? I don’t get it, but it works because we stopped and browsed a bunch of those stores and ended up stopping to watch a Cherokee dance performance being put on by a guy who looked like he was heat stroking under all those feathers. In the back of my head I wanted to stop by Harrah’s casino and try my luck on a few slots but then seeing all the construction and remembering the boredom that hit me after 5 minutes of slots the last time we stopped there, I figured it was best just to move on. I really don’t get the whole gambling thing, I think it’s fun for a whole 10 minutes or 10 dollars, whichever comes first.

So our kids got their arrowhead necklaces, their bows and arrows and head-dresses, we were ready to roll into Bryson City!

First things first, let me remind you all that during all of these fun little escapades, it’s like 100 degrees with 99.9% humidity! So, although it was only closing in on noon, I was already red-faced and my hair looked like I had rolled on a Velcro (lovely side effect of curly hair being straightened and then add humidity).

We stopped for lunch at Pasqualino's Italian Restaurant which was totally empty. This is a surprise because the last trip we took to Bryson City, when we tried to get dinner here, it was so packed there was an hour wait to get a table. Food was great and the sandwiches that my hubby and his friend go were huge! But the main thing that we enjoyed was their air conditioning!

After lunch we headed to the Train Depot to start our Thomas expedition! Our train ride was scheduled for 3:30, it was 2:30 so we figured we’d wait it out and let the kids play on the big rides and slides they had set up after the train ride. This is strategic planning on our part. It’s much easier to bribe them to be good and wait for the train ride so they can play later than it is to let them play first and then fight them to get off all the fun stuff for the train ride. However, had we known the train ride was going to be delayed by 45 minutes, I think we would have just let them play. Instead we hung out in the depot sitting on the pews they have set up for waiting under the fans. Regardless of those wonderful fans, we were all still pouring sweat the entire time, even the overpriced frozen lemonade gave little relief. I was so happy by the time our train came, I was really hoping the open air car would offer some nice breezes. But apparently that would mean having to speed up a little more than walking pace to do that, so for the 20-minute-Thomas-song-filled-ride, we sweat some more.

But the kids loved it, that’s all that mattered!

The train took us a quarter of a mile up the track or so, stopped on a trestle over a river that looked really refreshing, we got a lesson about the trestle, but obviously I didn’t pay much attention, at that point I was too busy day dreaming about swan diving down into the river, hoping to miss the rocks below and splashing around in the water.

Then the train backed up the entire way to the Train Depot and off we went into the play area they had set up with the big inflated slide that gave all the kids heat burns on their way out from sitting in 100 degree heat all day, the awesome bouncy house that smelled like sweaty feet and the tent offering up Thomas the Train temporary tattoos and balloon animals.

Just an FYI for you all out there, black balloons seem to be thinner than other colors. That’s the only reason we can think of as to how my son popped two balloon animal puppies within 15 minutes, crying hysterically about his “BLACK PUPPY GO POP” after each. Opt for another color option if you can.

Trying to relieve ourselves from the impending heat stroke, we headed over to Soda Pop’s, which was suggested to me from a Twitter friend. I’m so thankful for Soda Pop’s. Frankly, the ice cream could have been the Wal*Mart generic at this point but it was so nice to have something really cold. But it’s a really cute ice cream shop which specializes in Mayfield Ice Cream and shakes, malts and smoothies. It really has the old-time soda shop feel in there and for a moment it was kind of fun being transported back in time. But as soon as the spoon hit the bottom of my mint chocolate chip ice cream cup, Mommie was ready to hit the road back!

So we all piled our sweaty selves into the van and headed home.

Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY! But this time I’d wait until they did it in the fall or I’d opt for the first ride of the morning (10am) and then have a hotel with a pool lined up for the afternoon!

Strawberry the Re-Incarnated Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Strawberry is my son’s class pet that he named. Remember that? Well, last Thursday I walked into my son’s classroom and Strawberry wasn’t looking so hot. As in, I think fish aren’t supposed to float vertically, not good. I figured that Strawberry would be gone when I picked him up, but when I arrived that afternoon, Strawberry was still doing the vertical dance of the dead. When my son noticed me peering into the small bowl he quickly reassured me, “Mommy, Strawberry is sick and Ms. Teacher is taking him to the doctor.” Well, I have to admit,

I’m glad Ms. Teacher told them that, because frankly, I wasn’t prepared to explain the whole death thing, especially not without a drink or two.

So, fast forward to this morning…. And guess who’s back from the doctor? You guessed it! Good ole’ Strawberry.

So I’ve successfully avoided dunking my 4 year old in a small tank of reality… let’s see how much longer I can keep this up!

The Genius of Strawberry

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:52:00 +0000

My son’s class (4k) at school (daycare) got a new class pet. Because isn’t the first step to instilling a life of responsibility is to introduce a fish to a group of 4 year olds and hope that their attention span lasts long enough to remember to feed it that afternoon?

So, the class pet is a little, red, beta fish.

And this little, red, beta fish has enabled my son’s genius to shine.

He is a genius. His teacher recognizes it. Why else would she have chosen his name suggestions for the new fish if it weren’t born from true genius?

But more importantly, than the fact that my son was the one to name the fish, it was the reasoning behind it.

Nik: Fishy is red and itty, I name it ‘Strawberry’!

I suppose now, I’m going to have to prepare myself for his eminent future as a rocket scientist or a doctor, obviously. Not to mention up my monthly contribution to his college savings fund, how else are we supposed to pay for all those PHD’s and ABC’s that follow people’s names that have the super smarts like my son has?

Oh, strike that, I guess I have to START that college savings fund.

And yeh.. he may not get all the ABC’s behind the name (or he may!) but I still think it’s super cool he named his class pet.

Validating a Checkbox List in ASP.NET

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 01:08:00 +0000

I've been programming for over 5 years now and it was just within the last year that I found the need to validate an asp.net checkbox list control. I'm telling you, never had a need! Now I know why I never had the need, it was because it was a premonition of what a pain it was going to be until I found this little snippet of code below.

Actually, here's the deal. There is not a standard "Required Field Validator" control for checkbox lists standard in your toolbox. So what you do is you use a Custom. Validator and add an OnServerValidate attribute calling the procedure below. (however for my blogger purposes the < and > were replaced with [ and ])

[asp:CustomValidator ID="cvAlarmType" runat="server" CssClass="ErrorFont" OnServerValidate="AlarmTypeCBL_ServerValidate"][/asp:CustomValidator]

Then add the following code in your code behind.....

Protected Sub CustomValidation_ServerValidate(ByVal source As System.Object, ByVal args As System.Web.UI.WebControls.ServerValidateEventArgs) Handles cvAlarmServices.ServerValidate
   Dim i As Integer
   i = 0
   For Each item As ListItem In Me.checkboxlist.Items
   If item.Selected Then
   i = i + 1
   End If
   Next
   If i = 0 Then
   args.IsValid = False
   Me.CustomValidator1.ErrorMessage = "Selection Required"
   Else
   Me.cvAlarmServices.ErrorMessage = ""
   End If
   End Sub

Viola!

Now, one "gotcha" I've noticed is that if you are using other validation controls on your page and you have a validation summary that is popping up, well, the popup stops working for some reason. But hey, when I figure that one out, I'll be sharing the info!!

Bring on my Droid X

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:30:00 +0000

Yes I am one of those people who:

Didn't pre-order my Droid X
Wants a Droid X
Will be heading to my local Verizon store at 8am to get my Droid X
Will be totally frantic if I walk out of that store without a Droid X

It just so happens that I have some appointments on Thursday that I had to take a vacation day from work to do. When I realized that Thursday was the release date of the Motorola Droid X, I had to take advantage of it for one reason and one reason only.

My husband pre-ordered his Droid X from Best Buy and I want to get one before him.

Sure, I want the phone but why go so far as to plan ahead and pre-order when I can spend my morning on a treasure hunt like adventure, only the treasure isn't gold, it's the Droid X!

Well, okay so I've kind of cheated, I talked to a rep from my local Verizon Store and basically set an appointment with him to pick up my Droid X at 12:30, so it's not like I'm digging on exotic beaches or threatening Verizon sales reps for it.

But will that stop me from driving to the other Verizon stores after dropping my son off at 8am to see if I can get one before 12:30? Hell no!

Bring on my Droid X!

PS. Could I possibly link to Droid X anymore???

Coming Clean

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:12:00 +0000

I am not a domestic diva.
I dislike dishes and mopping.
Laundry is not edgy.

There, I said it. I came clean. I feel better. Please don’t judge me so harshly. It’s not really my fault that I’m a pampered, not-really-in-touch-with-the-whole-domestic-thing wife. I mean, it started out innocently enough, who would have thought it would have lead to all this?

See, back a few years ago… 8 years ago to be exact, I married my wonderful Greek man. I essentially tied the knot in the rope that bound me to no longer live my wild ways and started down the path of domestication. Let me explain....

When I got married, I didn’t know that shortly after moving into our first house, we were going to move my husband's Father in with us. When I found out, I was ecstatic (that is after I freaked out and realized there was no way to avoid it). But, as life happens, we all must do things that take us a little out of our comfort zone. So, my Father-in-Law, who is known by anyone who is anyone, as “Pop” moved in and in a few short months everything had settled down and I realized that having him with us really wasn’t as bad as I thought.

I mean, he’s Greek so he is a great cook by nature (no, really, I think it’s in their genes). He's retired and basically has two hobbies:

1. Grocery Shopping – not because he likes to shop, but my theory is, he likes to find the best deal he can on meat. Then when he finds the one place in the 100 mile radius that he travels with the best price per pound, he laughs methodically which is how he subliminally sticks it to the other 6 stores that charged pennies more per pound! He’s Greek, being ~~cheap~~ frugal is his nature.

2. Sudoku – Seriously, this man is a Sudoku machine! His mind is a calculator (again, he’s Greek!) But really, after a hard day of trying to negotiate with the Bi-Lo Meat Man to lower the price of rib eye steaks, you have to do something to unwind right?

But back to the story…

So, since he really didn’t have anything else to fill the day and he really didn't mind cooking (did I mention he used to run a restaurant?), Pop would cook dinner for us during the week and occasionally sweep and mop the non-carpeted floors (if only I could have convinced him that vacuums are fun). Then, he started a morning routine of unloading the dishwasher that he so happily loaded the night before after dinner.

See, most of this additional housework he was doing started when I was on bed rest with my son. And it just kind of carried over. And frankly, anyone in my house that wants to do housework, well, who am I to stop them!

Well, Pop is gone. He’s gone back to Greece to visit with his family for the next 4 months and something days and frankly, I’m counting every hour until his return because after 8 years of being pampered and having basically only vacuuming and laundry to take care of, well… I miss the old Greek! What can I say, I mean I’ve always cleaned the toilets and such but when you add on the nightly chores of cooking dinner and cleaning up behind yourself, well, frankly, I’m thinking that is just a little too much to ask!

Do other women really do this? EVERY DAY? I commend you. Because being a mother is hard enough. Holding down my day job is hard enough (and right now harder than most times). Cleaning the toilets every week or so is hard enough. Spending Sundays in my bedroom folding clothes while watching Real Housewives of New Jersey is hard enough! But now… cooking and cleaning EVERY NIGHT?!?!

Ludicrous I tell you!

So, as you drift off to sleep tonight, if you think you hear the faint sound of sobbing and the echo of "Pop... come.. home!...."... yeah it was me.

Day 3 of the Sprint EVO evaluation

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Backstory: my contract with Verizon is coming to an end in July, and I will honestly say (with no compensation on the part of Verizon, although I wish they would), that I love them. I’ve loved their service and their support. I wouldn’t think of switching if it weren’t for one thing… phones.

So, hubby and I decided on Saturday to give Sprint’s 30-day money back guarantee a test. Hubby has been drooling over the EVO since he first saw the specs for it and frankly, after having it 3 days, I can see why. It’s all that, and a bag of chips! (I won't go into the details here, but click the EVO link and find out why it's an awesome phone)

So, I’m on day 3 of testing our EVO's out. The deal is this. I have 26 more days to test this bad boy out. If we really love it and find that our network coverage (my biggest concern) is still okay and that we still love the phone (my hubby’s concern), then we’ll keep them. If not, we go back to Verizon and see what our options are…. Unless I can convince the hubby that it’s high time we make the plunge for iPhones (which I would love!).

So far what I’ve learned about my EVO is this (in non-geek summary):

I can kill the battery really fast.

The huge screen in awesome.

I like the “Scenes” and the colors on the screen are vibrant.

Typing on the keyboard requires skill, which I’m slowly getting the hang of.

The camera is awesome and the HD video is awesome-er.

I’m learning how to use Android, but still prefer iPhone apps.

I don’t have 4G in my area but 3G seems to be just fine.

The voice phone dialer sucks.

~~Dish Network needs to create an android app like their iPhone app.~~ [ooh they do! just have to type Directv not Directtv in the search!]

Miso needs to create and android app like their iPhone app.

Bejewelled2 needs an android app like their iPhone app.

Yoga app please!

Is it a keeper? I’m still not 100% sold on it yet. I’m like 95%, but the battery life is killing me. I’m not sure if there’s something I’m doing wrong or if there’s something I can do to increase my battery life other than what I’m doing already (turning off Wi-Fi, BlueTooth, GPS) when I’m not using it and trying to kill apps when I’m not running, but today I had my Evo sitting on my desk and only touched it maybe a total of 3 times to check email and play with a few apps on my break and yet by lunch, I was down to 50% battery life. THAT, my friends, will be a deal breaker unless I can figure something out.

So, my overall perception so far is: love it! Just give me more juice!

Formviews & SQL Data Source DataBinding

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:30:00 +0000

Note to self... and to all others that have beat their heads against the wall with this problem.

When you are using data source controls in a formview (specifically the edittemplate), the controls are bound by the order they are on the page. Not by, oh say, the order the data source controls are placed or by any attribute that you can assign an order to - just by the position of the controls themselves.

Why? I'm not sure... another reason why I like to do all the work in code, although dragging and dropping a control is nice, it sure makes controlling when things are bound a lot more confusing.

This is just my friendly programming tip of the day, now I can go figure a way to get the keyboard impressions out of my forehead.

Remember Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:30:00 +0000

Take a moment this weekend, between burgers and beers, to remember those that have fallen while serving in our Military. If you have the honor, thank someone you know who's currently serving!

At least, that's what I plan on doing because my life wouldn't be the same if it weren't for each and every one of them.

Thank you Daddy for your service, thank you Mike for serving. Thank you to all of the Military men & women I don't know but admire, nonetheless.

Dis and DAT!

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 01:21:00 +0000

Hello from your friendly, neighborhood DAT Volunteer!

Oh, you don’t know what a DAT Volunteer is? Well, let me tell you! Because once you know, you might want to become one, too!

DAT is one of the many acronyms that the American Red Cross uses, which stands for Disaster Action Team. The quoted purpose of a Disaster Action Team Volunteer is to “assist the Red Cross in delivering its mission to provide relief to victims of disaster and help prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies”.

Sound exciting? It is! Even more so than the technical definition of it!

In real world terms and my very limited experience, basically a DAT Volunteer is a member of an elite, covert (okay, we’re note elite or covert, but it sounds so much more secret agent that way) group of Red Cross volunteers who are trained to go out to any type of disaster and assist those in need. In my area, the most common disaster that we are called out to is fires. When someone loses their belongings or their entire house to a fire the Red Cross DAT volunteers are there to provide basic needs – food, shelter, and clothing.

It’s a very hands on and exciting group to be a part of. The volunteers that I’ve worked with so far are amazing. We are on-call whenever we sign up to be, meaning that if we can get called whenever the fire happens, if that’s 5 PM or 3AM. But, most of all, the rewarding part of being a member of the DAT volunteers is that you feel that you are out on the front line helping someone who, at that very moment in time, needs someone. And you are that someone who can help them.

So, is this a recruitment blog post to try to get others to join DAT? Sure! I’m sure your local chapter of the Red Cross needs DAT members as much as mine. But, in reality, not everyone is made up to be a DAT member. From my understanding, there are things that can be hard to deal with when you are responding to fire and other disasters. So, if you don’t feel that DAT is your gig, volunteer your time to the American Red Cross in other ways, there are so many things that they need help with that I’m sure they could find something that you’d enjoy.

So.. go volunteer! With the Piedmont Red Cross or another agency you feel is important… it’s for a great cause and for me personally, it’s brought me a huge sense of pride to be able to do so and I hope it does the same for you.

Laser Tattoo Removal Pt 3 Video

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:29:00 +0000

The March of Dimes & Why I Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0000

It's that time of year again! If you haven’t noticed, I’ve added a new widget to my sidebar over there.. see, over there.. look right.. yup, right there.

Every year I do a blog post of some sort about a very intense event that brought the March of Dimes into my in my life, and although everyday I fight to find a reason why it had to happen, I feel that by being involved with the March of Dimes brings some positivity into a very dark experience.

Here's my story, it's been posted before and I will continue to post it until I heal and until I can help eliminate premature birth and birth defects.

My family has been involved with the March of Dimes since 2004 after I lost a daughter due to premature birth. I was 20 weeks and 3 days pregnant when I lost her and it happened so fast that now I look back and wonder how there could have anyway been some way to prevent this. And as the doctors said, there wasn’t. I lost her due to a condition called Incompetent Cervix. Basically, my cervix was too weak to hold her weight as she grew.

I gave birth to her stillborn. Saying goodbye before I could ever say hello.

After her death I felt terribly alone and I was looking everywhere to find out what happened, what I could have done differently and how I could prevent it. I was looking for someone to talk to who knew what I was feeling. Luckily, I found www.shareyourstory.org which is a site ran by the March of Dimes. The next thing I knew I was reading stories of women who were going through losses like mine, some later in their pregnancy and some earlier. I was reading of survival stories and I knew there was hope. I wrote with hope and I wrote to heal. It was the first time I really shared publicly what had happened. I updated regularly then and each year around this time of year, the anniversary of her death, I wonder if I should continue to update that blog when my sadness hits.

That was the first year I walked in the March For Babies hosted by the March of Dimes (at that time known as WalkAmerica). It’s amazing what getting involved with the March of Dimes did for me. Not only did I raise over $1000 and win the Top Family awared, but it helped me to heal and it helped me to move forward from an experience I thought I would never move on from. It made me stronger as a person.

In 2005, I couldn’t walk in the March For Babies because I was pregnant again with my son, who now is almost 3 years old. But I still did fund raising and I still tried to get involved locally. And other than that year, I’ve walked every year since.

My son was born 7 weeks early and spent 14 days in the Greenville Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I received so much support from the March of Dimes, books on prematurity, things to look for and just general support from the community through them. My son’s very first valentine card was from a local school that donated them to the NICU through the March of Dimes.

The support and research that the March of Dimes provides is invaluable to thousands of families like mine. I was honored for my family to be the Spartanburg County Local Ambassador Family (Nikkos is in red) for two years because I felt like it was in some small way, giving back to them for what they had given me.

If you are interested in helping the March of Dimes, please, join a walk in your area. If you live in the Upstate South Carolina area, please feel free to join me during the walk in Spartanburg on April 24th or if you’d rather, just donate… even a dollar can make a difference.

This is my story and if by sharing it I can raise just $1 or help inform just 1 person about the March of Dimes, then I feel my job is done.

Gotta try some Java Juice!

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:18:00 +0000

Not too long ago I attended a nice presentation of Layering 101 at Appalachian Outfitters, who gave us some wonderful gifts for attending, which included a Nalgene bottle and a baggy filled with goodies like Sports Beans and Java Juice.

Today I tried out the Java Juice for the first time to see if it was backpack worthy on our next trip.

Basically, Java Juice is organic coffee extract. Add hot water and you have a hot cup of coffee! And

frankly, carrying a zip-lock bag full of instant coffee grounds is a pain and I have never liked the taste of instant coffee. Java Juice comes in single serve packets that you just tear the top off, pour it into your cup and add your hot water.

So as I tried it this morning here are some thoughts that I've collected:

It tastes AWESOME! I could literally drink this instead of my daily stuff. It's got a smooth, bold flavor, no bitterness (which is what I don't like about instant stuff usually)

Easy to fix. I don't even have to stir it, as the water pours in, it literally mixes it, so on the trail it's not as much work to make.

Easy to pack. Because it's in single serve packets I don't have to sit and measure out amounts to take with me, I just throw the packs in my kitchen bag and I'm ready to go. Also, their packets are not flimsy, so I don't worry about them being easily punctured.

The price! I was really expecting to put the price portion of this review in the "Cons" section, but here's the pricing I found on 2 of the bigger sites that sell it (among the big list of places):

So the point is, buy it in bulk if you can!

So, give it a try, you may like it!

(*I was not compensated for this review and was not asked by anyone to review this)

Want Free e-Books?

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:33:00 +0000

Looking for some free reads? Even if you don’t own an e-Reader (*cough* I do! *cough*), you can download these free books from Barnes & Noble. And NO! You don’t need a Nook or Kindle to read them. Barnes & Noble also offers a free download (it’s always free) of their e-Reader software. You can use it on your PC or Mac, your iPhone/iTouch or Blackberry!

So stop complaining that you can’t afford books, these are free.. get them before they’re not offered anymore!

By the way, when you create your account I can share books that I've purchased with you on your device as well!

My 2 Cents on the Barnes & Nobel Nook

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:55:00 +0000

And so it happened, I got my Barnes & Noble Nook on Christmas morning.

Not to take away from any of my other presents, but technically speaking, this is much more geekery fun (although I really felt the urge to pop out a quick blog post regarding all the fun backpacking stuff I got as well, who knows, that may be in the works).

I’m going to be completely honest here, as I feel I am with everything I write about on my blog, so don’t think this is just an all-out-gush-fest over my Nook. I gush, yes. But there are a few things that I’m a little disappointed with. Because after all, I’m not being paid for this – my husband had to spend our hard earned money to get me one of these sweet little e-readers, so by George, I’m going to be honest.

So, let’s get on with it!

For those with short attention spans:

The Good: It’s stylish, it’s a great e-reader, it’s got the capability to expand into something more later due to the Android OS and for an e-reader, it’s hands down awesome.

The Bad: The touch screen is slightly lagged. Sometimes the navigation can be a little confusing between the touch screen and the arrow buttons (the < and > on the sides).

The Ugly: One of my purchased books that I was reading through the Barnes & Noble desktop reader isn’t loading on my Nook. All of my other books do, so I need to contact Support about this.

For those of you who want the inside scoop…

It’s a fabulous e-reader! The e-Ink really is like reading true ink on paper as opposed to reading on a backlit computer monitor. I was initially a little worried that I may have eye strain, that the font may be too small or that my eyes wouldn’t like looking at the e-Ink (I’m not sure why, but hey..) but I’ve been relieved to find out that after countless hours of reading since Christmas morning, none of the above were true! I have to admit one thing about the black and white e-Ink. I really miss seeing some of the photos in my books in color, though. And before I hear about it, no I’m not reading comic books! But when I am reading about a graphic crime scene and there’s a photo and yet I’m missing out on the detail of the picture because it’s in black and white, I have to say I’m slightly disappointed because when I want to see blood and gore of a crime scene (as I’m sure you all want to see, too!), it’s just not blood and gore when there’s no red!

The touch screen at the bottom is fun and very handy. I have a few complaints about it as well, but generally, I love the fact that its color and that I don’t have to navigate completely with buttons. The color is a beautiful contrast to the black and white e-Ink screen on top. Another minor complaint about the touch screen is that it’s a little laggy. I hope that in future Android updates this will be resolved, I would say it’s definitely not as laggy as I had heard initial complaints of but it’s laggy enough that at times I end up going through 1 or 2 menus I didn’t mean to because I thought it wasn’t responding.

The Nook offers “The Daily” menu on your main menu. This is your daily content that is updated, which I find to be really cool. Any new software updates, new subscription content (like newspapers) or the such is found on your “the daily” menu. As much as I like this, I wish there were a way to mark items on it as “read” or “archived” like you can do with your books. I mean, I’ve had my Nook for 3 days now and every morning I check my “The Daily” and I read through the blog updates from “Grin & Tonic” and a few other helpful articles about my new Nook. But when I’m done, I’m done. I don’t want to see it anymore, or at least have the option of hiding it. On that note, how about allowing me to unsubscribe from “The Daily” content if I so choose, just a thought.

Moving on! I really am digging the fact that I can go online from anywhere and have access to all my books. I can download them on my Nook or into the Barnes & Nobel desktop reader on any computer. I find shopping from the Nook itself a little cumbersome and unless I’m just in a place that I can’t access my laptop, I’ll be using the actual Barnes & Nobel site for updating my e-wish list and for purchasing. It’s just a navigation preference for me. However, I can totally see using the instant shopping access when I’m in a bind with no computer.

As for the device itself, I love the size and weight. Apparently, it’s a little heavier than a Kindle (I wouldn’t know I’ve never really held one long enough to note its weight). But for me, the Nook is perfect weight and size for holding. I love the rubberized back plate because I never feel like it’s going to slip out of my hand or off the armrest of my recliner, where it sits quite frequently. I also like the cute accessories they are starting to sell for it. However, I must say I’m disappointed in Barnes & Nobel for their accessories prices. Sure, $19.99 isn’t that much to ask for a neoprene sleeve and $29.99 for a leather case isn’t all that outrageous, but considering there are “Designer” cases and such on the website for $65.00 and up, it seems a little overpriced. Other than the cases, the other “essential” accessories (like the book light) seem reasonable.

Oh, and let me just say, in comparison to holding a book, I look reading on the Nook! I can hold my Nook with one hand and my wine/candy bar/cheetos in my other hand without having to worry about the pages fluttering shut with a slip of my finger! It makes reading that much more enjoyable!

Another thing I like is being able to upload MP3’s and my own pictures for my screen savers. Just another way to personalize, which I find important, I mean after all it is a reflection of me!

Enough is enough and frankly I haven’t used all the Nook’s features to really comment yet on them. I want to “Lend” a book to someone to see how well that works and the settings are all helpful and pretty self explanatory.

So.. The gist of all of this…

I love my Nook. I’m glad I got the Nook over the Kindle because for me, it’s just more suited to my tastes of personalization and ease of use. I like touchy-things (touch screens people!) so it stimulates the nerd in me while letting me read 1500 of my favorite books! (hah as if I will ever come that close!)

vlog - Appalachian Outfitters "Packing Your Pack" Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:48:00 +0000

Support your local outfitter!

Vacation Mode = True

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:26:00 +0000

Typically, when one goes on vacation the first thing you do the first day of your vacation is to sleep in. Apparently, that's not the case for me. My body is still in full-time work mode and I've been popping up in bed at 6:15 AM. Totally unacceptable.

But, considering the holiday, I suppose I should be thankful that at least I'm sleeping in an extra 15 minutes and slept well.

Also, when one goes on vacation, they usually don't work harder around their house than they do on the typical week. Apparently, that's not the deal with me. I've been running around like a crazed woman trying to get my house ready so promptly after the last crumb of Thanksgiving has been wiped from the table, I can instantly transform into Christmas mode. I'd really do it now but my husband would stab me in the face for putting my tree up before the ole' Turkey is served. Okay, not stab me in the face literally, but he would shoot me stabby-looks until I would prefer if he would have just physically done it.

But, I should be thankful again that I have the time off from work (and gainfully employed) to do all of this!

See, I'm getting better, I'm not all bitter! I'm only 50% bitter during the holidays!

Nerdz Alertz! Kindle vs Nook (my view)

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:56:00 +0000

Every few days I sit down and I do a Google Search on "Nook vs Kindle" and it's interesting to see the results (hint: click back there). I really wanted a Kindle. Like really, really wanted. To the point that I wanted it because it was a Kindle, not because of it's features or it's books or because it was worth $279 in my mind. It was... (drum roll).. the Kindle, right? I mean, nothing is supposed to be better.

Then I actually read the specs on the Barnes & Noble's Nook.

Wait a minute? Dual Screen? Color? Expandable memory? Android OS? Seriously? Those are just a few of the features that first stood out. The "lend" feature that allows me to lend out my purchased e-books for 14 days to friends running the Nook application. Built in Wi-fi, exclusive content while I sip my coffee at my local store, PDF reader compatibility! OH MY!

Most importantly, I can read my eBooks on multiple platform devices, PC's, iPhones, Macs! What?

Do I need to go on? Of course!
I can preview titles in store, I can personalize my screen saver and I can replace the battery!

I started off fighting the Nook, I fought liking it. I cursed it's name because it didn't start with a "K". But now... I embrace it.. I welcome it's beautiful Android OS and..

Hopefully, I'll be doing an unboxing video come Christmas day!!! (Hint Hint Hubby!!)

“Time waits for no man”

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:13:00 +0000

Not only is that a quote that has arguably more sources than the alphabet does letters, but it’s something that most adults will argue becomes truer after becoming parents.

Here I sit almost a week after Halloween and I've realized that Halloween has come and gone and I look at my calendar and see the looming November and December months waiting ahead. It’s like driving into a dark tunnel, you know there will be light at the end of it all, but the thought that you won’t make it out is always in the back of your head. This one weekend of Halloween festivities was exciting and fun but it was hectic and chaotic at times, and the thought of that lasting for 2 months straight, accompanied by travelling, shopping and cooking, tied in with Christmas parties and festivities and everything else that comes along with the Christmas cheer – scares me.

Every year seems to spin by faster and faster, leaving me less and less time to do things I need to get done, let alone the things I want to get done.
But, with every year before, I look ahead as I sit the week after Halloween, and then halfway through the thick of it, I realize that I’m having fun and it’s not really as bad as I thought it would be.

So, I think I’ll spare myself the grief for the next week or two and just jump into the looking forward to egg nog (and brandy) and have myself an old fashioned Griswold.. er.. whatever.. Christmas!

St. George Scenery

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:13:00 +0000

This is some video that was forgotten about on my Flip until today, so I just wanted to share with you a little of what I consider to be Southern Utah's beauty.

Tattooed & Curly

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

At least for now.

See, I have an inner fight with myself & my curls and well, right now the curls have won.

But we will see for how long.

But for the meantime, you can read all about my curls here and at my other wonderfully neglected blog.. A Girl and her Curl

Video killed the blogging star...

noreply@blogger.com (Jonna) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:08:00 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve last blogged and I blame video for that. I am looking to go almost all vlog format now and keep my text posts to a minimum, and I still have all intentions to do so, however my little nit-picky self made it to a point that I was spending entirely too much time on the editing part of the video that by the time I got a video where I liked it, it wasn’t relevant anymore!

So.. I think I’m going to stick to my spontaneous posts in text and vlog – it seems to work much better for me in the long run. I may not have the fun little graphics and whatnot but at least it’s relevant and timely, plus you get a lot more material to make fun of me for when I wing it.