Metallman's Reverie

XBOX 360 Busted.... For Now

2009-07-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Stupid Xbox... It's acting stupid and now I can't get it to work. I don't know if it's permanently screwed up or if it's just acting stubborn with me. I'll continue to work on it and if I can't get it to work... looks like I'll be sending to the local Xbox "fix it" shop. UGH!!!!

Metallman's Reverie: 100,000 Page Views!!!

2009-07-17T13:29:00.001-07:00

WHOO HOO!!!! Today, July 17th, 2009 marks the day that this site has reached 100,000 page views! ALRIGHT! That's pretty bad ass, if you ask me. I'm pretty sure that if the site is up long enough, it would have reached the 100K mark so the real question is how long it took to get there. Well, according to my stat tracker thingy, it too me 477 days to get there. What is that? About a year and 3 months? Is that good? Don't matter anymore. I've reach a milestone and now, I'm shooting for 1 million page views! Later!

The Death of Entrecard?

2009-07-16T16:18:00.001-07:00

Hey there. I'm sure that all Entrecard members know by now that Entrecard has been sold to Ziprunner Inc. I have no idea what or who Ziprunner Inc is but can we assume that this is the death of Entrecard? Or the beginning of something spectacular? I have mix feelings about this. Mainly because it has to do with change... And Entrecard has been full of changes these past few months. Paid ads... no paid ads... cashouts... market... dropping algorithm... I put up with it but now I'm not so sure I want to put up with ANOTHER change in Entrecard. I just don't know how I feel about this and I'm sure many other members are feeling the same. Later.

Tournament for 4 Starts Today

2009-07-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Today is the start of the Guitar Hero tournament "Tour for 4". It's my first team competition, which is pretty much played out like a regular tournament, except that scores will be based on your groups participants and how well they rank. My tour group, Underneath the Bleachers, is ranked 12th best out of over 10,000 tour groups. That's pretty impressive if you ask me. Check out some of the gear that you can score to show support for the group Underneath the Bleachers.

Anyways, the competition spans over 4 days, with each day dedicated to a game. The competition starts today with GH: III. I'm planning on participating on 3 or the 4 days and the sad part about it is... that my freaking guitar controller is acting stupid. I'm pretty sure I can fix it since I know what the problem is. As you do a down stroke, the "click" is not registering it as a strum. I've already looked into the guitar and have seen the problem. I haven't been able to fix it only because the stupid screws in the guitar are super little and I do not have the "star" bit small enough to fit the screws. A friend that I have met in the community, Xara, informed me how the guitars that came with GH: World Tour game seem to give out after awhile. She let me know that there are places where spare parts can be bought but I don't think I'll go that route. I'm going to try to fix it tonight to take part in this comp. I have a Rock Band guitar but to be quite honest, I cannot use that guitar. It feels so odd playing with that thing that it bugs the hell out of me. It would suck if I can't get it to work. I don't want to compete using a bum guitar. Well... we'll see what happens. Later.

The Best Dog Shampoo Around

2009-07-14T14:27:00.001-07:00

Hey there friends. If you haven't read this yet, then you are definitely not in the know about a great dog shampoo. And after my initial posting of this great product, a reader of mine pointed our that our good friends at Dinovite may specialize in dog nutrition and products, but they also have a line of feline products as well. What a pleasant surprise, since I not only own 2 dogs, but a house cat as well.

Is your dog itching, scratching and stinking beyond belief? I had previously mentioned how Odin and Lucy (my dogs) have this smell to them that I can't seem to wash off. No matter how much I rather, rinse, and repeat, they have this odd smell to them. I don't know if it's what they eat or if there is a permanent odor to them that I can't seem to get off and since they have limited house privileges, I definitely want them smelling the best they can when I let them in the house. Some will compare the dogs' smell to that of a skunk but I'm not about to bath my dogs in a tub of tomato sauce to find out if that is what it is. Can you imagine how many times I would need to rinse a white dog to remove the red??? Dinovite's dog shampoo , DogOsuds, claim to get rid of that smell and offer many other benefits to my dogs. Not only does it keep your dog clean for a long time, but it's a natural flea deterrent, and helps soothe those nasty hot spots that many dogs encounter. Odin has a hot spot I try to help soothe it with sprays and wash cloths. And the shampoos that I use sure don't help since I usually use more than one shampoo to was the dogs. It's usually a flea shampoo and a deodorizing shampoo. Since I shop around for a dog shampoos, I have yet to find anything that comes close to this. You would have to buy at least 3 products (deodorizer, flea shampoo, sensitive skin shampoo) just to match what DogOsuds can do. My readers have already recommended it to me and since I now know that there may very well be a feline DogOsuds, I can't help but to get this product.

Dinovite has definitely won me over with it's services and products. If you are a pet owner and have not read or heard any of their radio commercials, you owe it to you pets to go and check out the Dinovite website. Do your best to keep your dogs happy and healthy and with products from Dinovite, it just makes it that much easier. Later.

My Beef With Summer

2009-07-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I'm not a big fan of summer time. I hate the heat. It may sound weird from someone coming from "sunny California" but it can be unbearable sometimes. I've noticed that I radiate a lot of body heat. It can cold to the point where the kids and my wife are wearing 3 shirts and a sweater and I'm walking around in my boxer shorts unfazed by the cold. I love Winter, that's only because it doesn't get so hot. Winter temps are anywhere from high 60s to high 70s where as during summer, it's 75+ degrees at night time. The heat makes it damn near impossible to sleep. If it's cold, I pile on clothes til I feel comfortable. If it's hot, there's not much you can do to cool off. A/C and fans can only do so much before you venture into a part of your house that's not cool and the heat slaps you across the face. Ugh...

We have ceiling fans at home that on when we get there. They run throughout the night and the heat still keeps me and wife up. I'm looking into getting one of those high powered standing fans. My wife has one at work that damn near blows her away on the low setting. lol I got the model number of the fan but it turns out that they run close to $120. $120!!! For a freaking fan?!?!? No thanks. I've seen fans for like $5. I'll see if I can find a more price savvy fan online that can come close to that fan. Otherwise, it's more of the same for the next couple of months.... Walking around at 9PM in boxer shorts... sweating... Later.

The Ultimate Fantasy Football Weekend

2009-07-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends. Football is still months away, but football fans across the US are getting their fantasy leagues assembled. I love football and I love playing fantasy football. I love the fact that you can follow your favorite team but keep an eye other games because your fantasy players are in that game. As a competitor, I want to win and it makes football games that much more exciting knowing that you need those 15 rushing yards to beat your opponent. I can't wait till the season starts!

I'll admit that I've only participated in a live draft only once, and that was because it was more of a tedious task then a fantasy draft. There was no pizazz, no action, and just a bunch of guys in a small room that doubled as every one's war room. No fun at all. I guess that's part of the reason that I've go through auto-drafts now. But I may consider going back to live drafts, especially if my league can do it Vegas style.

During the weekend of August 27 to August 30, over a dozen of Las Vegas' famed hotels will take part in the Las Vegas Fantasy Football Superdraft weekend. Vegas is doing fantasy football right. Many of the hotels have partnered up to allow an average Joe like myself to have a football draft of a lifetime. Hotels such as The Hard Rock Cafe is offering special deals to allow fantasy leagues to reserve a draft room and if you get yourself a platinum wristband during the event, you'll be set for the weekend. The platinum wristband will grant you access to some of Vegas' hot spots as a VIP. I'm a hard rock kinda guy so I checked out the Hard Rock Cafe package and I must say, I like what I see. Especially the after party at the pool featuring the playmate bunnies! It would be the perfect way to wind down after a long weekend.

• 3 Day / 2 Night Deluxe accommodations at THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO
• The SUPERDRAFT "Weekend Warrior" Kits (2)
• Includes 2 (two) Platinum wristbands
• The Exclusive Press Party on 8/27 at JET Nightclub*
• Complimentary vodka bar from 5-7pm at LAVO Lounge on 8/27 and 8/28 including "Ask an Expert" featuring the hottest fantasy football gurus*
• Tailgate Party on 8/28 at THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO featuring a special performance by
GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC
• Access to the SUPERDRAFT Draft Room at
THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO (only)
• Post Tailgate Bash on 8/28 at LAX Nightclub*
• The SUPERDRAFT Draft Room at THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO (only) where you and your league can draft in true Vegas style!
• VIP Party on 8/27 at PURE Nightclub featuring a special performance by
FLO RIDA
• "Overtime" Pool Party on 8/30 at THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO featuring the "Poolside Playmates"

Fantasy football players everywhere need to check out the Las Vegas Fantasy Football Superdraft . Do a live draft the way it's meant to be; full of fun, excitement, and party. And if you haven't been to Las Vegas, there is no better time to go than with your football league to party. See you there! Later.

Have You Decided on Where to Retire?

2009-07-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I've been thinking about my future a lot lately. Do I have enough in my 401K? Are the kids going to be set for college? When my wife and I retire, where do we plan on spending the rest of our lives? Some people don't get to enjoy retirement since they decide to work all their lives. Well, for those of you that are planning on moving to retirement home sometime within the next few years, take a look at the below guideline to help make a better decision. Later!

You can retire to Phoenix , Arizona where.....
1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.
2. You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

You can retire to California where...
1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long
it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought.

You can retire to New York City where...
1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan ....
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus
Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is "nature."
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You've worn out a car horn.

You can retire to Maine where...
1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco .
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for moose.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.

You can retire to the Deep South where...
1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. "Y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.
3. "He needed killin'" is a valid defense.
4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob , Jimmy Bob , Mary Sue, Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.
5. Everything is either "in yonder," "over yonder" or "out yonder." It's important to know the difference, too.

You can retire to Colorado where...
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car ..
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home
and so he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

You can retire to the Midwest where...
1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at? "
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"

AND You can retire to Florida where..
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.

2009-07-12T20:59:00.001-07:00

Sunday. Tired. Sleepy. Hope everyone else is having a 'lazy Sunday' We invited my compadre over today to just chill out. We had the pool out for the kids, but believe or not, they didn't stay in it much longer. We pretty much hung out, which was cool. We talked and laughed over all kinds of topic that ranged from the paranormal, to Retro Rock. Retro Rock is the music station that we were listening to on TV. It made us feel old since all the great jams were playing. lol I didn't get to complete my competition in Guitar Hero. Which is Ok. I'll try to get to it tomorrow. Other than that, we had a very chill Sunday. Later.

A Day Full of Aches and Pains

2009-07-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I'm feeling pretty damn tired. I got up pretty early to lay some cement. I finally decided to get up off my ass and do it. I had started it awhile back and didnt complete the slab. I think that was a mistake since I found it difficult to continue where I left off without making it very noticeable. I spent a good 4 hours of lugging around 90 lbs bag of cement and mixing them by hand. Now that's hard labor! Soon after, my wife and I did some laundry. A lot of laundry. As we were folding clothes, my mother and grandma stopped by. We chatted it up for awhile before I decided to take a break. I played some Guitar Hero since I was challenged by some Guitar Hero Community members. I also have competitions to take part in but the guitar kinda gave way half through warming up with my son. It's not too bad but while you play, it won't hit some of the notes and if I'm in a competition, I need the guitar to work 100% or I won't stand a chance.

Right now, I'm enjoying some watermelon as I wait for dinner. There's still some laundry to do so I should get back to that. Later!

Thank You Friends!!!

2009-07-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I'm feeling pretty tired but I wanted to send a shoutout to all my readers. Thank you for being a part of Metallman's Reverie. It's been over a year now that I've started this blog and have been updating it frequently. Thank you all who have stuck by from the beginning and all the new friends that continue to make this blog a success.

I looked into my paypal account earlier today and have noticed a nice chunk of change that this site has made. I told my wife about it and she is extremely happy that we have that money. That money will now pay for our baby's stroller, which we plan on getting later today, if not this weekend. And it all could not be possible without my readers so again, a special thanks to all of you. Thank you for all the support that you have shown to Metallman's Reverie!!!

Have You Entered the BluWorld Contest Yet?

2009-07-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends. Have you entered the contest yet? You haven't?!?! Then what are you waiting for?!?! Head over to
BluFrog is sponsoring the Its a BluWorld contest and time is running out. Your chance to win one of five grand prizes is dwindling by the second. Just head over to Its a BluWorld contest page and submit a comment on which prize you would like to win. It's that simple. I did the max contest entries of 3 by tweeting about the contest using the the hash #bluworld and including the url http://bit.ly/UiiJy in my tweet. I've done my blog post and left a comment on their website stating which prize I would like to win. That's 3 total entries for me. For those of you late to the game, here are the prizes:

Blugamer: Ultimate Gaming Package
* Xbox 360 Elite System (includes 1 controller & Xbox LIVE Headset)
* Rock Band 2 Bundle
* Call of Duty: World at War Complete Package
* Xbox Wireless Networking Adapter
* Complimentary X-Shot
* 2 Cases of Blu Frog Energy

Happy Blu-Year: New York
* Round Trip Air Fare for 2 from Major Gateway Airport
* Ground Transport to and from the Hotel
* Luxurious Hotel for 3 nights
* Helicopter Ride for 2 over New York
* Complimentary X-Shot
* Food and Beverages NOT included

Blulapalooza: Chicago
* Round Trip Air Fare for 2 from Major Gateway Airport
* Ground Transport to and from the Hotel
* Luxurious hotel for 2 nights
* 2 Tickets to Lollapalooza
* Complimentary X-Shot & iPod loaded with music
* Food and Beverages NOT included

Blu Streak: Orlando
* Round Trip Air Fare for 2 from Major Gateway Airport
* Ground Transport to and from the Hotel
* Luxurious hotel for 2 nights
* 2 Tickets for Rookie Driving Experience
* Complimentary X-Shot
* Food and Beverages NOT included

Xtreme Blu: Aspen
* Round Trip Air Fare for 2 from Major Gateway Airport
* Ground Transport to and from the Hotel
* Luxurious hotel for 3 nights
* 2 Tickets to Winter X Games
* Complimentary X-Shot
* Food and Beverages NOT included

How can you not be interested in at least one of those prizes? Me, being a man of my word, would love to win the trip to NY. I promised my wife a trip to NY one day and what better way to show her the city then during the ultimate block party that is New Year's Eve. I'm just hoping that I could be so lucky to be chosen as a winner. Just imagine for a second, I'm sitting at my desk, I get the Email saying I'm the winner. I yell out an enthusiastic, "YES!", cause that's what I do. lol My wife rushes over to see what's up and I tell her, "We're going to New York!". Then she does the all too familiar, "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!" that many women do when they're excited. lol *sigh* A man can dream, no? Hopefully, my good friends at BluFrog can make this dream into a reality.

So what about you guys? Which prize would you hope to win? The gaming package so that we can duke it out on Guitar Hero? Or a nice trip to sunny Orlando? Leave a comment and let me know if you've also entered and if so, what you hope to win. Good luck! Later!

My first Guitar Hero Tournament

2009-07-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hey there. So I participated in a Guitar Hero Competition last night. Needless to say, I was fired up and ready to go. The competition consisted of 4 songs from the Guitar Hero Metallica game. You get to chose the difficulty but the committee get to chose the songs. The songs consisted of No Leaf Clover (Metallica), Dyers Eve (Metallica), Armed and Ready (Michael Schenker) and Black River (The Sword). None too shabby list. Seeing that, I instantly knew that Dyers Eve was going to give me trouble. The song is just too damn hard. I got home, did a few practice songs, and then went right into it. I finished all 4 songs and then checked online to see my ranking. I was in 6th place at the time. Not bad, I did the songs some more to better my score and got as high as 5th place. I took a break from the guitar competition and did the competition on drums. I only did each song once and called it a night for drums. To my amazement, I was leading the pack. Seeing that I was in first place, I didn't bother to better my scores.

I checked out the competition rankings this morning (the competition runs for a full 24 Hrs and it started yesterday at 5PM Pacific time) and I am disappointed to say that I fell out of the top 10 on guitar and slipped to number 2 on drums. Check it out.

Not too bad for my first tournament. The guitar players in these competitions are simply bad ass and I cannot compete with them. The dude in first place damn near scored a perfect on Dyers Eve and I struggle to get 4 stars on it. Looks like this grasshopper has a lot more practicing to do if I plan on cracking the top 10. I'm a little surprised that I'm holding my own in the drum competition but I know that most of the competitors have not logged in their scores yet. I was initially shooting to finish in the top 10 in each of the competitions. Looks like I'll fail in one of them.

The next competition will be held this weekend. It will consist of 4 songs from Guitar Hero World Tour. I'm not very good at that game since I'm just not familiar with the songs. I went ahead and entered that competition. I'll be competing in the Expert Guitar and Expert Bass competitions. I'm not sure what the song selection is but eh, decided to give it a go anyways. Wish me luck! Later.

The Armani Exchange is Having a Sale

2009-07-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends. Do you know how hard it is to find the right pair of jeans? And I'm not talking to just the ladies. Not too long ago, I realized that I only owned 1 pair of jeans. Just one. Why? Because they were the only ones that I felt comfortable wearing. I brought this to my wife's attention and she went out and got me a few pairs of jeans. Not just any jeans, but some nice designer jeans. Completely different from the "blah" jeans that I owned. They look great and feel good and because they are designer jeans, they are completely acceptable when I show up to meetings. The perfect combination of comfort and style. This is why I want to bring your attention to the Armani Exchange sale. Premium denim starting at $98. That's not bad considering that this is top of the line jeans.

Now, I won't lie to you, my fashion sense is not all that great. My wife is the one that does the shopping when it comes to clothes so when a sale is going on, she is definitely one of the first to know and check it out. When we do clothes shopping, I tend to tell her what I like and she'll find something that works with the item I chose. Since she is not typing this post, I'll be the one doing the matching today. lol For all of you men and women with fashion sense, please excuse me, since I am sure that many of you will say that the clothes do not match. I tired. But the important thing is that I like all the clothes there, I just need to find out how to match it correctly. I checked out the Armani Exchange dressing room and this is what I came up with.

Not too bad, right? A|X is also having the Text A|X contest going on right now. You can text A|X for a chance to win a pair of jeans. One winner will be chosen every day from now until the end of July. Just text DENIM2 to ARMANI (276264) and you'll be entered in the sweepstakes. Also, anyone that makes a purchase now until July 19th will be eligible to receive a $20 gift certificate on your next purchase of $100 or more.

Be sure to follow the A|X Blog to keep tabs on all that is going on with A|X. If you're in the need for jeans then you should definitely check this sale out. I've already let my wife in on the deal. You should let yours in too. Later.

2009-07-08T20:09:00.001-07:00

Currently participating in a Guitar Hero Metallica competition. Im winning the drum comp. And currently rank 6th in the guitar comp. Wish me luck!

To all Parents and Demons in Training

2009-07-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I was going through my Emails for something funny to put up today, since I'm not much in the mood to do a "thought invoking" post. lol So I dug up this set of poems that my wife sent me that I thought was hilarious. This is for you, The Mad White Woman! lmao Since I know your "demons" could be a handful. Hope it brings a smile to your face. Later!

Poem to MOM

My son came home from school one day,
With a smirk upon his face.
He decided he was smart enough,
To put me in my place.

'Guess what I learned in Civics Two,
that's taught by Mr. Wright?
It's all about the laws today,
The 'Children's Bill of Rights.'

It says I need not clean my room,
Don't have to cut my hair
No one can tell me what to think,
Or speak, or what to wear.

I have freedom from religion,
And regardless what you say,
I don't have to bow my head,
And I sure don't have to pray.

I can wear earrings if I want,
And pierce my tongue & nose.
I can read & watch just what I like,
Get tattoos from head to toe.

And if you ever spank me,
I'll charge you with a crime.
I'll back up all my charges,
With the marks on my behind.

Don't you ever touch me,
My body's only for my use,
Not for your hugs and kisses,
that's just more child abuse.

Don't preach about your morals,
Like your Mama did to you.
That's nothing more than mind control,
And it's illegal too!

Mom, I have these children's rights,
So you can't influence me,
Or I'll call Children's Services Division,
Better known as C.S.D.'

Mom's Reply and Thoughts

Of course my first instinct was
To toss him out the door.
But the chance to teach him a lesson
Made me think a little more.

I mulled it over carefully,
I couldn't let this go.
A smile crept upon my face,
he's messing with a pro.

Next day I took him shopping
At the local Goodwill Store..
I told him, 'Pick out all you want,
there's shirts & pants galore.

I've called and checked with C.S.D .
Who said they didn't care
If I bought you K-Mart shoes
Instead of those Nike Airs.

I've canceled that appointment
To take your driver's test.
The C.S.D. Is unconcerned
So I'll decide what's best. '

I said 'No time to stop and eat,
Or pick up stuff to munch.
And tomorrow you can start to learn
To make your own sack lunch.

Just save the raging appetite,
And wait till dinner time.
We're having liver and onions,
A favorite dish of mine.'

He asked 'Can I please rent a movie,
To watch on my VCR?'
'Sorry, but I sold your TV,
For new tires on my car.

I also rented out your room,
You'll take the couch instead.
The C.S.D. requires
Just a roof over your head.

Your clothing won't be trendy now,
I'll choose what we eat.
That allowance that you used to get,
Will buy me something neat.

I'm selling off your jet ski,
Dirt-bike & roller blades.
Check out the 'Parents Bill of Rights',
It's in effect today!

Hey hot shot, are you crying,
Why are you on your knees?
Are you asking God to help you out,
Instead of C.S.D..?'

4th of July Weekend and a Little One's Birthday

2009-07-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Did everyone have a safe and wonderful weekend? Our weekend started on Friday. Our policy at work allows us to take a day off from the work week if a holiday lands in the weekend. Because Independence Day came on a Saturday, we took Friday off. Knowing this, we scheduled a 4D ultrasound for Friday morning. What an experience! I've never been to one of those before and after we registered and what not, we were led to a room with a big screen TV. The kids and I sat on the couch while the ultrasound tech did her thing. It was crazy to see our little on the big screen. The kids loved it. They thought it was neat the way we were able to finally see the little one. First of all, we noticed that he has chubby cheeks. I think all babies do, but it was pretty apparent from the ultrasound. Secondly, he refused to let us have a good view of his face. He had his arms up the whole time, partially blocking his face. He let them down only a few times and allowed a good shot here and there but it was surprising to us that he was asleep during this time. Of course, he's been kicking away for days, so of course.... the one day we were gonna see him, he decided to sleep in. lol Check out one of the pics. He so looks like a boxer with his arms up. It's so surreal to see him well before his due date.

Afterwards, we sped off to my mother in law's to show the grandparents the pics. They were thrilled. From there, we went to Babies R Us to register. We tried to make it a family affair, where everyone helped in selecting some of the items that would be good for the baby and us. It didn't work out so well... The kids rushed us from every angle holding up items that they all believed would be great for the baby. "Mommy, look at this", "Daddy check this out"... They didn't really allow us to discuss the items to see if we'd like them before they rushed us again with more items. lol We decided that it would have been better if they stayed at grandma's so that we can think out and the items. lol They got the hint after a short while and settled down. We then scanned items that we would consider buying ourselves. It seemed wrong to us to just walk down the isle and scan everything in our sight. That seemed to be the mentality of other expectant couples that were there. We tried to be considerate. We decided that when we register at places, we're going to through in a few gag gifts. Babies R Us is a pretty straight forward place so the only thing that could be considered a gag there was a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit game. We scanned them, thinking that no one in their right mind would buy them. lol I'm going to laugh if some one does. We're also planning on registering at Target and we've thought out some gag gifts to scan there, which include, but are not limited to condoms, KY Jelly, and other "naughty" things of that nature. lol Our registry number is 94458364 at BabiesRUs. If anyone cares to check it out and get us something, many thanks! We'll greatly appreciate it. We then went back to my mother in law's for my brother in law's birthday party. We were pretty tired by then but ended up staying pretty late. My mother and brother showed up so we ended up hanging out with them for most of the evening. We also chatted it up with some of my wife's cousin's who we don't get to see often. Fun fact: One of my wife's cousins know my cousin from where they both worked together many years ago. Small world, no?

Saturday was our little one's birthday, also knows as Independence Day in the states. We decided that we were going to go down to Long Beach and catch the firework show that will shown near the Queen Mary. The morning didn't start off to well. My cousin called to say that he would be there to early to get a good spot. I figured that he'd get the spot so we didn't really needed to be there that early so we'd leave the house around noon and we'll be good. Bad move. We ended up leaving at noonish, after making a trip to Target (sunscreen and what not) and the market for ice, we didn't officially head off to the beach until about 12:30 or so. Freeway traffic was light, but because we got wrong directions, we headed off in the wrong directions... TWICE! We went over two massive bridges and I know we were not going to to the beach. After I called my bro and he gave me the correct directions, we finally made it to the beach... ONLY FIND CARS BUMPER TO BUMPER AND NO PARKING SPACES IN SIGHT!!! I was frustrated. Time being close to 1:30 or so, I was upset that we were still in the car and not at the beach. The beach is no more than 15 mins away from my house so for us to take that long to get there was extremely frustrated. I told my family, if we don't find a parking spot in 15 mins, we're going home. Yup, it was that bad, friends. It seemed like god heard me at that point because right in front of us, some guy left his house and jumped in his car and left. We pulled in and took his spot. We had to walk 3 huge blocks, carrying all our beach stuff. It took us almost another 20 mins just to get to the spot. It was worth it though. The kids had a blast and that's what my wife and I wanted. I also heard the news of Steve McNair's death from my brother, who was checking it out from his phone. Sad, sad news. After checking it out on my phone, and reading up on it, I decided that I'll check it out on SportCenter later, since I don't want to spend the day looking for updates. I'm like that sometimes. lol Check out some of the pics from the event.
Out night ended with us standing on the shore watching the firework show. We were too busy checking them out to take any pics of that. Kinda a bummer but it's ok. Traffic on the way home was hell... Again, only 15 min drive from the beach ended up being closer to an hour because of all the cars being dread locked. And to top it off... My wife and I had to go to the restroom. When we finally made it home, we both rushed into restrooms. I thanked our lucky stars that we have two restrooms at home. lol

When Sunday morning rolled around, I declared it "Not Going to do Shit Day". All of our bodies were not up to do much. My kids complained that their arms and legs hurt, I complained about it, and my wife was too tired to complain. lol We all decided to take it easy and just watch movies and nap. Good times. lol

We had us an eventful weekend. How was all of yours?

2009-07-04T18:19:00.001-07:00

At Long Beach celebrating my baby's birthday. Just waiting for the fire work show to begin.

DogOSuds by Dinovite

2009-07-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends. You guys should be well aware that I have a zoo at home. lol Dogs, cat, rabbit, tarantula... and it's tough to keep the house smelling clean when our family pets are roaming around the house. Our dogs, Odin and Lucy, are outside dogs, but have the privilege to hang around the house from time to time. One of our biggest problems is their odor and shedding. Don't you hate it when it feels as if you wash your dog one day, just to have the stink return the next? Or have them jump on your couch only be able to point out the exact spot they were sitting in? I haven't been able to find a solution to these problems. Until now, that is.

Dinovite has done it again with their line of dog shampoo, DogOSuds. I'll admit, I haven't tried this shampoo yet, but I'm planning on getting it since I feel demoralized when I wash my dogs only have that odor return and I've tried a few different shampoos hoping that one will keep our dogs smelling clean. I was about to give up hope til this product presented itself. I've already talked to my wife about it and we're going to go for it. And as an added plus, the shampoo is a natural flea deterrent! Considering that they're outside most of the time, a little added flea protection would be great to help keep fleas outside the house. That's the last thing I need, considering that we're expecting a new addition to the family come October.

Now... If only Dinovite can branch off and create a "MeowOvite", I'd be an even more happy pet owner. The shampoo that we have for Jack, our cat, just isn't cutting it no more and a product like this would be great for him as well, since this dog shampoo reduces shedding. Until I find that product, later.

Olivia Munn's Playboy Cover

2009-07-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Yesterday, I mailed out our copy of the recent Playboy magazine to Olivia Munn. That's right, G4's very own Olivia Munn, who so happens to be on the cover. A few months ago, we received one of those little cards in the mail that asked if we wanted to subscribe to Playboy magazine. My wife and I let the card sit in the mail pile until we decided why not. It was only $10 for the year and we got a free DVD to boot. Truth be told, I haven't even read any of the 4 or 5 magazines that we've already received. My wife is the one that actually goes through the magazines and then tells me if there is anything good or not. I haven't opened them yet to check them out for myself so I don't know if the articles are any good... *wink wink* lol

Anyways, the recent issue features Olivia Munn on the cover. I didn't get a chance to read it but my wife was upset because it only had a few pages of Ms Olivia on it and none of her pics were completely nude. lmao She proclaimed it a rip off. lol I mentioned to my wife how Olivia offered to sign copies of the magazine for fans. She said that I should get it signed. Not a bad idea. Yesterday was the day that I finally had the chance to send out our copy of the magazine to her for a signature. Because she's in LA, I'm hoping that it will not take long to receive our magazine. How bad ass of her to do that, considering that I'm pretty damn sure that many of her fans will be sending in their magazines. Or maybe, it's a ploy to make her cover the best selling ever. Hmmm... Something to think about. lol Once I get my copy back, I'll make sure to post a pic of it. Later!!

A Patriotic Music Collection For $1.99

2009-06-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends. July 4th is coming up and aside from it being my little one's birthday, it is also America's Independence Day. The day that America declared their independence. Grills will be burning, fireworks will be blazing and music will be blasting from millions of homes come July 4th. To honor the great American holiday, Amazon.com is offering the album, A Salute To America , by the 101 String Orchestra, for only $1.99 on July 3rd during Amazon's Deal of Day special. A collection of over 30 songs, that is bought individually, would total close to $30. This true blood American collection includes classics such as God Bless America, Stars and Stripes Forever, Battle Hymn of the Republic, America the Beautiful, The Star Spangled Banner, and many more. The album went on sale today and it retails for approx. $10 so if you get the album during Amazon's Deal of the Day, you'll be getting the album for at least 80% off.

On a personal note, history teachers should pick this album up as a means to display some music, dedicated to America, to their students . Especially during the week or so leading up to Independence Day. I remember as a child how my teacher would play the music during our history lesson as a way to make the lesson more interactive. I must say that it was fairly effective since I remember walking home humming some of the songs or remembering a certain lesson each time the song was played. For $2, you really can't go wrong with A Salute To America, a collection of 30 of America's greatest hits. Later.

3 Extremes Film and Asian Horror

2009-06-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Hey there. We tried to take it easy this weekend. Didn't go to many places and didn't over exert ourselves at home. We put up the swimming pool this weekend for the kids to jump and we did some house cleaning while they were in there. We also caught many movies this weekend.

First off, I finally made the jump from Direct TV. I know... I know... blasphemy. But you know what, it was the better. Verizon was offering us this bundle package that included FiOS TV so we took it. So now we have FiOS TV, FiOS Internet, and FiOS phone line. I can't complain with the services. Haven't screwed up on me once so I'm fairly happy with it. We still need some time to get used to the TV though. The remote is kinda weird and the channels have not yet been programmed into our brains. I don't know where half the channels are but I know where they may be. lol Like Cartoon Network is somewhere in the 250s area and movies start at 340 or so. lol

Anyways, we spent a fair amount of time watching movies. Anything from WALL-E, to Dark Knight, to 27 Dresses, to Wanted. I also caught this Asian horror film called 3 Extremes.

I'm a horror fan. I try to catch the latest in fright but quite frankly, they go for cheap scares like something jumping out of a dark corner or something like that. I tend to enjoy the foreign films a lot more since they go for that "mindfuck" route to not only get you trippin' out over the film, but have you thinking about it afterward. 3 Extremes is one such film.

The film is a collection of 3 short stories, each filmed by a famed horror director from the East (Korean, Chinese, and Japanese). Each has their style and each one was beautifully done. The first short was called "The Dumplings". It's basically a "how far would you go to stay young" story. A woman offers her special dumplings as a means of getting younger. As the story unfolds, you see how the dumplings are manufactured and to what lengths are taken to secure the ingredients. Definitely a chilling tale.

The second short is called "Cut". I enjoyed this short mainly because it was written in "Saw-esque" mode, where as a person is pitted against himself, and the outcome of his predicament depend on his actions. It did half some low points such as trying to force some comedy in unnecessary places, which irked me some, but otherwise, enjoyable.

The last short is called "Box" which tells the tale of sisters. I really can't say much without killing the story but I can say that this one was beautifully done. I loved the camera work and the way the story is told flows gracefully.

I loved it. Not a gruesome film, but definitely gets you wondering as to how you would react in the characters situations. I've a got a few more that I have lined up under movies I need to see. I can't wait to catch Battle Royal. From my understanding, a film of teens that are stranded on some island in a no holds barred kinda of death match. I don't know if they were forced or they being there by choice. I'll find out when I see it. Another one I want to see is Tale of Two Sisters. I'll confess, the movie poster intrigued me enough to look into this film and I've found out that the film "The Uninvited" is a remake of this film. I haven't seen The Uninvited, but that may be on my list next, only to compare to the original. Until then, later.

2009-06-28T10:25:00.001-07:00

The King of Informercials,Billy Mays,is dead.Celebs are dropping like flies this week.Like a good friend of mine pointed out,celebs may have pissed off death...

2009-06-27T16:27:00.001-07:00

Its going to be pizza and movie night tonight. Kids spashed thepo mstar of the day so now its time to sit back and catch a few good movies.

Is Banking Your Baby's Cord Blood Right For You

2009-06-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends. My wife and I are now well into our second half of our pregnancy. We are in what I like to call, full baby mode. We've gone out to buy some clothes, check out some strollers, look into cribs and fancied a few bassinets. We've also received a few pamphlets and coupons in the mail. It's almost as if the world knows we're expecting since we're receiving all sorts of baby stuff in the mail. One particular pamphlet got us talking. It was concerning the baby's cord blood.

I know that it's a touchy subject to some and I don't know the full details of what or how banking your baby's cord blood can help, but it is something that we decided to look into and inform ourselves on. One such company that offers banking is Cryo-Cell .

Cryo-Cell offers a very user friendly interface and we were able to get all the information that we need to better inform ourselves. Cord blood is proven to help aid in over 70 diseases, that's good. But it's only been performed about 12,000 times, that's not too good. Could it be because it's still a relatively new process? I can't say. It's also a little pricey, but what price can be put on your child's health? They also have financing which is as low as $57 a month. Not too bad, I think. The cord blood collected is 100% effective on the donor and 25% chance that it will be effective on a sibling. It's proven to be helpful against Leukemia, Hodgkin's Disease, Hunter's Syndrome, among many others. That list itself is pretty impressive.

This is something that is not for everyone, but it is something that surely deserves some consideration. Especially since Cryo-Cell is offering $750 discount if you sign up by 06.28.09 and using the promo code HOT during check out. This is definitely a life changing decision for our family and is something that should be discussed in detail. Check it out. It may be something that you are definitely interested in. Later.