Bit of the ordinary

Only in Lexington

So on thursday, Ann was at Wal-mart using the self checkout lane. She was getting some cash back, but then forgot it in the machine when she was leaving. She only realized this when she got home and didn’t have the money. She called Customer service, not really knowing what to expect. But it turns out the person behind her in line found it and brought it to customer service. Later she brought her receipt and talked to customer service and got her money back.

Isn’t that amazing? I’m glad I’m living here.

Family biz, Photo Library

Arden turns 2

Well, we just had Arden’s birthday party this past weekend. Her real birthday is January 6th, the Epiphany. The day after her birthday we went to a children’s museum in Lynchburg. We had a great time. It was in a converted warehouse structure and had 4 floors filled with a variety of activities. There were a lot of things to do, a farm play area, slides, the obligatory water table. Some of the stuff I can really get into, like the water table for instance. It was a fiberglass table contoured like miniature rivers and canals, with real working locks that raised and lowered the boats.

I’ve posted some pictures of the trip here.

Then We had to get ready for Arden’s party. Ann made a cake and cut it out in the shape of Winni the Pooh.
Overall the party was pretty successful. Pix can be seen Here The only damper on it was McKelvey and Arden being a little sick. In fact, Arden threw up that night. Poor little miss.

So now we are relaxing at home hoping they recuperate, they enjoy the fact that they get to watch more TV.

Geekiness

Falling for plastic

I’m falling in love with my iPod again. Now when I first got it in August, I immediately put it in a protective case. Some rubber thingy I got from Radio Shack. I got quite used to it. It’s been the only way I remember the iPod. But I took of the rubber sleeve on a whim a week ago and it’s a whole new ballgame. The feel of it is very different. with the sleeve gone the size is smaller in all directions and fits into the had really well. The tactile sensation of the smooth plastic is so much better than before.

So if you iPod is locked up in a case, let it roam free for a little while. You will both be happier.

Bit of the ordinary

10 for 100

I saw a new twist on the new year resolution thing. It was over at my brother’s blog. Of course it might just be new to me. Anyway, listing 101 specific things to get done in a 1001 days is a great idea. it’s sort of like a resolution to do list. I think the specificity of it will be to my advantage, not to mention the deadline. However I’m gonna start off with something smaller, as you might have guessed from the title of this entry. So here goes:

1. Learn CPR.

2. Not buy lunch or snacks at school for two weeks.

3. Get 8 hours of sleep for a week in a row.

4. Really listen to my kids when I’m playing with them and not try to read or do other stuff.

5. Floss everyday for a week.

6. Write out a will.

7. Practice the guitar at least two times a week for two weeks.

8. Draw at least one sketch every week.

9. Keep up with and do my fair share of the chores.

10. Do something romantic for Ann that is not for a holiday, (i.e. birthday, anniversary etc…)

So there it is. We’ll see where I am in April. I’ll keep you updated.

Family biz

Holiday card 2005

As usual we made our holiday card this year. I guess I just can’t let go of the option of doing it myself. Plus Ann and I love to design things: sets, lights, paint treatments for the house, tables. everything that can be looked at from a design point of view.

We decided to try a new take on the holiday card and the year in review newsletter. From our iPhoto library we selected one picture from each month. Then we cropped a copy of the image into a square format. That became the cover. Then we repeated the square format inside, with a brief blurb for what we did each month.

Although, the link to the cover is an alternate version I did. The final version kept the original color of the images instead of the colorized B/W images.

I thought it turned out pretty good.

Geekiness

Entering the Windows world

I’ve just started using a windows computer, for the first time in years. Like since the last century. It’s different enough from Mac to be confusing.

I’ve jumped into the windows world because I’m trying out a Tablet PC, through a program at my University. It’ll be interesting to see how it works for drafting and drawing. But right now I’m just getting used to navigating around.
I’ll keep you posted.

Geekiness

Backup Hell

So the external hard drive that I used to store all my stuff on went on the fritz. So now I am recovering the data and burning them onto CD’s. 100GB’s worth. What a pain in the butt. So this means you-make multiple backups and do it often.

Bit of the ordinary

Talking to Neil LaBute, or not

Neil LaBute came to campus way back in October. When we were doing our playwright’s festival. We did a full production of the Shape of Things, as well as readings of The Mercy Seat, Fat Pig, and This is How it Goes. He was a neat down to earth kind of guy. I of course never really talked to him beacuse I don’t talk much. Not that I was star struck, well a little, more just my reticence to talk to people. I would even take failing grades on speeches so I wouldn’t have to do them. I was always like this, grade school, high school you name it. It’s funny that I have a job where I have to talk to groups of people everyday.

Is that irony, or just bad planning on my part?

the Blog of Owen Collins