Earthquake in Richmond, VA - August 23, 2011

"Did you feel that?"

That was the text I got from my wife just a few minutes ago.

I was on the phone upstairs in our house in Midlothian, Va, just west of Richmond, when the whole house started to shake. At first I thought that the noise was simply the garage door going up, but then the house started to rock back and forth and pictures on the wall started to vibrate.

I was on the phone with my Dad who lives 20 min further west, and he was experiencing it at the same time.

Foxnews just announced that a 5.8 quake has been recorded off the east coast.

Cool Video Site

Occasionally my son or daughter gets bored and instead of watching TV, we sit in front of the computer and watch funny videos.

Both of my kids love animals, and watching funny animal videos makes both of them laugh hysterically. I love to watch them giggle and guffaw.

The most recent one was Fun Cat Videos. Cats do some of the craziest things, and are totally goofy but try to play it off like they are cool.

So, check it out...even if you don't have kids, and even if you don't like cats, you'll probably laugh: Fun Cat Videos

Virginia Reckless Driving Tickets are No Joke

Did you know that driving 81 mph in Virginia is an automatic "reckless driving" offense?

Did you know that a reckless driving conviction is a CRIMINAL offense? Think about what that means when applying for a job or a loan and being asked "if you've ever been convicted of a crime".

I know that some people bulk at getting a lawyer just to go to traffic court. They think that traffic court isn't going to hand out any serious punishment. But reckless driving in virginia can result in a YEAR in jail, $2500 fine, and a suspended driving license! It's no joke.

What's impressive are the statistics that show the impact that getting an attorney has on the conviction rate. For example, one law firm that strictly handles reckless driving in virginia reported over a 94% success rate of having the charges reduced.

I'm not a lawyer, and should probably put some kind of disclaimer, but it seems to me that if facing a criminal charge with a potential year jail sentence, paying a couple hundred bucks for a lawyer ought to be a given.

Replacement Car Speakers

My sounds system in my car totally stunk. It was surprising, because I thought Hondas had a good reputation. Turns out they do...just not for their sound systems (unless you get the uber-upgrade).

So, wanting to crank out better music, I turned to 6x8 car speakers instead of 5x7. At first I was hesitant about the idea of replacing them myself. But a friend helped me get over that fear...and I was suprised to learn that 6x8s fit directly into the same slot that the 5x7s were mounted in!

Of course, more than just speakers need to be replaced to truly overhaul your sound system...but even that much made a huge difference. I was suprised by how high the quality was over the signal, and all that signal was being lost by the manufacturer-installed speakers.

So, my encouragement to you is to get over any hesitation you have if you're considering an upgrade...it will be WAY worth it!

Cataclysm Paladin Changes

World of Warcraft - Paladin Changes for Cataclysm

Paladin:

New Spells
• Blinding Shield (level 81): AoE damage and Blind, like Eadric the Pure’s ability.
• Healing Hands (level 83): 6 second AoE heal that acts like a Healing Stream Totem.
• Guardian of Ancient Kings (level 85): A summon that has different effects based on your spec, like DK’s Gargoyle.

Ability and Mechanic Changes
• Crusader Strike is learned at level 1 for all paladins.
• Cleanse is now a dispel.
• BoM will also have the BoW effect in the same buff.
• Holy Shock is now a core healing spell for all paladins.

New Talents and Changes
• Ret and Holy paladins will have their defensive capabilities lowered in some way.
• Ret paladins rotation will be less forgiving by adding more pushables.
• Sacred Shield will be a single target 30 minute buff.
• Holy paladins will get a bigger heal to go with Greater Heal.
• Holy paladins will use spirit for mana regen.
• Prot paladins will get more pushables for their rotation.
• Holy Shield has no more charges, instead increases block while active.

Mastery Passive Talent Tree Bonuses
Holy
• Healing
• Meditation*
• Critical Healing Effect**

Protection
• Damage Reduction
• Vengeance***
• Block Amount****

Retribution
• Melee Damage
• Melee Critical Damage
• Holy Damage*

*Meditation: Spirit to mana conversion that all healers share.
**Critical Healing Effect: Critical heals heal for more.
***Vengeance: This mechanic ensures that tank damage doesn’t fall behind damage dealing classes.
****Block Amount: Paladins will have more block than other tanks.
*Holy Damage: Any attack that does holy damage will be increased.

source:spurgnot's weekly update

Railroad Track Construction

Railroad Track Construction: "TRAC does railroad track construction, construction management, design, repair..."

TRAC really does everything from start to finish when it comes to railroad tracks. From design, to construction, to inspection, maintenance and even repair. They can fix derail accidents, and can even repair the cars.

They are the one-stop specialist when it comes to railroad track operation.

Virginia Bird Hunting

Virginia Bird Hunting: "Rasawek upland game reserve was a wonderful place to shoot. Real setting, covey birds, not set, great dogs and wonderful guides."

Lake Anna Homes

Lake Anna Homes: "Gorgeous waterfront homes on Lake Anna, in central Virginia..."

Sports Medicine Virginia

Sports Medicine Virginia: "Advanced Orthopedic is a full-service orthopedic center located in Richmond, Virginia. By using dedicated specialists, patients experience the best care targeted to their specific need..."

Privacy Policy

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Cool Bookshelf

I'm not an artistic person. I have very little creativity, which is why I am always in awe of artists.

Take something like a bookshelf. When I think of a bookshelf, I think: rectangular, wood sides, wood shelves, evenly spaced, blah blah blah. Boring.

Look at some of the creative bookshelves at this other Blogger blog: http://theblogonthebookshelf.blogspot.com/

I mean, c'mon! A pink cow bookshelf!! How awesome is that!

And some of the ones where the shelves are suspended by cables...just daggone cool!

I think the whole leaning bookshelf thing is pretty cool, too...the ones that look like a ladder and lean up against the wall. Still not sure how they don't fall down.

Who knew that something so boring could be so interesting?

Don't Slip on the Steps

I read recently that "falls" are the number one cause of at-home injuries. It was in an article about something as simple as how to avoid falling down the steps.

Yes, we've been reduced to reading news about how to walk. I'm just waiting for the government to pass legislation about it.

Actually, there are laws about your steps already. There are building codes that control things like how steep your steps can be, and how the handrail needs to be hung (what height, how long, etc.)

The article actually had like seven different ideas on how to avoid tripping. Yes, apparently there are that many things you can do wrong.

Some of them were obvious, like: hold the handrail, keep clutter off the steps, turn the lights on, etc.

Others made sense like: use stair tread rugs to prevent slipping in socks, or make several trips if you need to carry stuff on the steps (avoid over-loading).

Anyway, it made me chuckle, but I guess common sense isn't "common" any more.

Makeup Tips with Glasses

There are special techniques that can be used to apply make-up for those who wear glasses. Certain considerations need to be made to account for how the lenses make your eyes appear, and how the lighting plays through the glasses. For example, lenses for near-sighted wearers make the eyes appear smaller to others, while far-sighted lenses make the eyes appear larger.

Frames can cast shadows around the eyes which can be exacerbated by dark circles under the eyes. Use a salmon-tinted base to brighten the blue area directly beneath the eyes.

Another problem that glasses can cause to the makeup is when the nose brace of the glasses smears, smudges, or removes the makeup on the nose. Mineral foundation can help prevent the smudging.

Eyeliner should emphasize your lower lid, not your upper lid, as the angle of light coming through the lenses will balance this out when you are actually wearing the glasses.

You will want to minimize the amount of mascara on your lashes, since the glasses can rub the mascara off, or make it appear uneven. Like with the eyeliner, be sure to emphasize more on your lower lashes than your upper.

When you apply blush to your cheeks, be sure to suck in your cheeks so that you create indentations on your face. Apply the blush to the sunken areas of your cheeks, which will sculpt your face in a way that emphasizes your natural cheekbones. Having them clearly defined can help prevent the glasses from becoming the dominant feature of your face.

When you are finished applying all of your makeup, be sure to re-check in various lighting settings from your makeup mirror. And, of course, be sure to check with your glasses on.

Be sure your makeup vanity table provides ample lighting, and if need be, magnification, since you will be applying your makeup without your glasses on.

Dog is Annoying

My neighbor has a dog that is super annoying.

It barks at me every time I'm in the yard.

It barks when no one is in the yard but my daughter is trying to take a nap.

It barks in the morning.

It barks in the evening.

It's driving me crazy.

At first I was thinking that a burger with some Ex-lax in it might be the right solution. I still haven't decided which type of dog barking control device I'm going to get...but I know they have these ultrasonic ones that I can mount in my yard. They supposedly detect the barking and then pulse this sound that humans can't hear but it annoys the dogs. I'm wondering if I can't amplify it somehow. Bwuahahahaa!

Fried Kitty Cat

Poor kitty.

Our cat, Snuffles (short for 'Snuffleupugus', but that's a story for another time), spends a good deal of time outside. Which is fine, except we feel a little bad about the cold weather.

We had a brand-new electric blanket, with DUAL control!! Now we can each keep our side the temperature we want. But the point is, we decided we'd use the old one in a small dog house outside to keep Snuffles warm. A bit redneck, I admit.

Anywho, Snuffles loved it. At first. She would snuggle down into the dog house...in fact there were times we'd call and call and even open a can of cat food and she wouldn't come out. We'd have to reach in there and drag her toasty self out.

Apparently, though, either the scent of her humans on the blanket, or a desire to get even warmer, drove her to start gnawing on the blankets. She was shredding that thing like a gerbil. Until she hit the wire. Yup. She got a big mouthful of e-lec-tricity! I wish I could have seen how fast she shot out of the doghouse...she still won't go back in.

Needless to say, we trashed the old blanket, and got a cat heating pad, which is designed to be the right temp, with less electricity. And chew-proof! :) I'm sure Snuffles will love it, if we can ever get her back into the doghouse.

A tribute

My wife is something special. She is an incredible gift to me, and I am thankful for her every day.

To that end, I have created a blog devoted to her:

Best Wife In The Whole World

I haven't told her about it yet. I'm saving it for those rare days when she's feeling blue. I might even save it for when I do something stupid, or say the wrong thing, or forget something important. :)

She rocks!

Neti Pots are Gross

OK...seriously. Neti Pots?

Does anyone remember swimming as a kid, jumping into the pool, and that delightful feeling when you forgot to exhale through your nose and you took a gallon of water all the way into your nose.

Now people are doing that in the name of 'health'.

I know, I know: "The neti pot has been around for centuries...". Why is it that we keep looking backwards for health solutions? Didn't the people who invented neti pots also bury twin babies alive because they couldn't tell which one was the demon? These are the people we look to for our health solutions?

If you don't know what it is, a neti pot is like a teapot with a long spout. You put a warm saline mixture, called a neti pot solution, in it, turn your head to the side, insert the spout in your upper nostril, and let it rinse through your sinus cavities and out the bottom nostril.

Yummy.

Seriously, there probably are some benefits. But the 'yuck' factor of rinsing my snot out with a teapot is too high for me. For kicks and giggles, go to YouTube and search for neti pot and watch the grossness.

Kids Falling Out Of Bed

It freaks me out when I'm up late blogging in my office when suddenly the ceiling goes BOOM! Especially since my toddler daughter is supposed to be asleep in the room right above the office.

Ever since we took down the baby bed rails, I've been scared she'll fall out. And even though she's getting bigger (almost 4), and can easily climb in and out, she still occasionally falls out.

At first this terrified me. I run through the house and fly upstairs and burst into the room to rescue my darling, only to find out that she's still asleep...on the floor in a jumble of stuffed animals, pillows and blankets that she took with her when she fell. I put her back in, and she's right back to sleep, if she even ever woke up.

Now I laugh. I mean, seriously, these kids sleep like the dead. If I fell out of bed in the middle of the night, I'd have enough adrenaline pumping through my veins to lift a car. Forget going back to sleep...that might happen in a few days. My son usually wakes up long enough to look around groggily, say something completely random, and then crawl back in bed.

Ah, the sleep of the innocent!

Building a Cheap Desk

If you want an inexpensive desk, you can build one yourself for much less money than even the cheapest pre-made desks out there. All without any construction skills whatsoever.

Go buy two cheap 2-drawer file cabinets, and an unfinished door. You can find a door at a local hardware store. It doesn't matter if the doorknob hole is there or not. Just make sure the door is flat (like an inside door).

Put the two file cabinets about 4 feet apart and place the door on top. It's as simple as that!

This type of desk gives you the perfect height, a lot of space to spread out your papers, and 4 drawers for storage.

If you want it to look a little classier, use a wood file cabinet instead of a metal one.

Wizard 101 Blog

There's a new blog about Wizard 101, and I'm enjoying it already. You can tell it's a real dad, writing about his real experiences with his son playing Wizard 101...and you can tell he's got previous MMO experience.

You can find the site for Wizard 101 Hints, Tips and Help at http://wiz101.net.

I plan on following this blog, to see what he's up to next!