Label cloud & clock

Two fun blog "widgets"...

The first from Charlotte on how to make a "label cloud." Here's a link with instructions:

http://phydeaux3.blogspot.com/2006/09/code-for-beta-blogger-label-cloud.html

(It wasn't too hard to add it, but I'd recommend you back up (save) your html code as he recommends before you start tweaking things. I noticed that once I changed my layout after adding the cloud that it didn't work any more. I guess you'd have to restore the original label html and then add the label cloud html after you chose your new layout?)

The second are little nifty clocks that show you the time where you live:

http://www.clocklink.com/

(I chose a pretty simple one & I am sure that there are other types from other folks. Now you can watch the time fly as you read others' blogs or work on your own.)

Google on your telephone!

Everybody may already know this, but my brother (Andrew) told me about it.

If you call this number on your cell or home phone and you can find company phone numbers or address of a business using voice commands. It is awesome!

1-800-GOOG-411
(1-800-466-4411)

I have used it 2-3 times over the past few months to find a few companies. You can even ask for a text of the address and phone number or if you have a fancy phone with internet, you can get a map of how to get there! It currently searches business listings only, not residences.

Put it in speed dial and there'll be no more driving around in circles!
Think of the gas we'll all save!

The Condiment Packet Gallery

Ketchup anybody?

How about a little "Bojangles Cajun Hot Sauce?"

My brother sent this link to me. You may have a few in your fridge that you could add to the collection...

They're all here in the
"Condiment Packet Gallery"


Check it out at:

http://condiment.portablefolkband.com/packets.php

Mmmm!

I have a Fairy Blogmother!

When I started this post, I thought that my idea of using the term, "fairy blogmother," was unique.

But alas, I googled it and was disappointed to find almost 7,000 hits.

RATS!


In a month of bloglessness...

My Fairy Blogmother did appear!
I did not know that I even had one
Or that she was so near...

Hovering over one starry night,
Her comment came via e-mail:
"Now Loren, dear, get on the ball!
Your blog is old and stale!"

Blogging requires posts that are fresh!
Each week maybe two or three-
Nearly a month has passed, and still it sits-
Neglected- shame on thee!

Update your blog! Post new thoughts!
Put that mouse and fingers to work!
The blogging life is not for the weak-
it's a duty that you cannot shirk.

Dear Bamamoma,
Thanks for the reminder to keep my blog current. I am also honored that you'd bother to read it between diaper changes. I can't promise that I'll do better, but maybe this exercise in commitment will be good for me... :) I have a thing or two to learn about blogging...

(Author's note: The fairy godmother pictured above in no way represents any person currently living.)

Life in Numbers

This is in response to one of Heidi's recent posts and recent comment/threat that she'd no longer check my blog if I continued to neglect it. For that I am sorry. I am still breathing , thinking, and... just not blogging as much as I formerly did!

1 - Sister (Sarah)
2 - The Goal (Wife & Me)
3 - Years in my house
4 - My "official" family number (I was born the 4th of 9 children)

(in the middle of the family sandwich)

5 - States in which I have lived (UT, AZ, NM, VA, WY)
6 - Months to have ALL of my landscaping done
7 - Brothers (Spencer, Matt, Richard, Nathan, Andrew, Kimball, and Stuart)
8 - is great? Okay- here is something better- that was when I made one of the most important decisions of my life (baptism).
9 - Thousand dollars (the low estimate on the cost to finish the majority of the landscaping, fence, etc.). Trees, plants, & flower beds will add even more...
10 - Years I've worked in public education (1 year in private/business sector)

Jed the Blogger

Okay- Heidi said that she may not even check my blog because I had not written for such a long time. So I sat down and created two posts this weekend. I apologize for my blog-negligence.

This post is primarily "borrowed," but I just had to share it. I think that many of my blogging friends out there are quite humorous and profound (Heidi, Charlotte, Monica, and Sarah, to name a few). But one of my favorites is JED! I love Jed's thoughts and am glad that he is willing to share them. Here are links to two hilarious, recent posts:

Crashing Through Walls

(Jed's perspective on the classic and all-too-often "I want to set you up with the perfect guy or girl" experience)

&

The Way the Cookie Crumbled

(A simple story of courage inspired by love)

Not only do these resonate with me, but in my opinion, Jed has in more than one case put columnists like Dave Barry to shame. Many of you write just as good, or in many cases better, than many columnists that are out there today. A few female bloggers from Utah were highlighted on TV recently and after reading 2-3 of their entries, they are not only lame, but beyond lame. Their blogs were completely worthless. I could not believe that they got so much internet traffic. So to my blogging heroes I say:

Thanks.
...and don't neglect your blog. You never know when you're going to make someone's day!

Got Gas?

This spring I test-drove a Toyota Prius. It's probably the most popular of the hybrid cars and has been around since 1997. During the test drive it was amazing to see the car's battery level increase during my short 10-minute trip. Whenever the engine was running it simultaneously charged the partially-discharged battery in order to restore it to full capacity. When you stopped, the entire car became completely quiet. A few months before I had spoken with a woman who told me it took one tank of gas to drive hers to Los Angeles from Utah. Wow! The only drawback of the Prius? Those over 6 feet tall will be a little short on headroom in the back seat. I think a hybrid car is in the future for each of us. Soon the gas-only sedans will go the way of black-and-white television.


Last week at work a coworker handed me a listing of the local gas prices around town. I thought I'd share the MapQuest link she gave me. I am not sure of how current/accurate they are, but considering recent gas prices, it may be worth it to check your area:

http://gasprices.mapquest.com/

If you live in Utah, here's a link featured on KSL.com:

http://www.utahgasprices.com/Quick_Search.aspx

Because of rising gas prices I've found myself waiting to run errands until they stack up, doing them on the way home from work, walking or running to do local shopping, and also increasing my car-pooling. Trips are now often calculated in dollars, not miles. I also checked the pressure in my tires last month and found them embarrassingly low. Inflating them to around 35 psi (or just under) will get you another 1-2 miles per gallon (as was my case). It'll also make your tires wear a little longer.

Thanks to my brother, Andrew, for the e-mail containing these little political cartoons of gasoline humor. They're a gas! I look forward to owning a car that converts solar energy during long stays in the parking lot into power! I can only imagine what solar panels could do on my house. They ought to come standard on all homes.

I guess that until I start putting my money where my mouth is and actually buy a hybrid vehicle or a new bike, I'll be guzzling gas.