Jason's Sandbox

Lady Gaga's Alejandro

2010-06-08T16:12:00.002-04:00

Lady Gaga's Alejandro...by the numbers:

Length of video = 8m 43s

Portion of video w/ lyrics = 6m 22s

Time we hear "Alejandro" = 5m 23s

So that means that over 85% of the words we hear during the video are "Alejandro" - probably more, since she says it several times during refrains.

I only watched twice, and I can't be bothered to go through it again.

Below are my timings/comments:

First 2.02 = no lyrics
2.15 - 2.31 = no words
2.32 - 3.21 = 1st verse
3.22 - 3.41 = 1st Alejandro refrain
3.42 -4.39 = 2nd verse
4.40 -4.58 = 2nd Alejandro refrain
4.59 - 5.37 = refrain
5.38 - 8.24 = 3rd Alejandro refrain (w/ refrain sung over it)
8.25 - 8.43 = silence

49s = v1
57s = v2
38s = refrain

144s = 2m 24s of hearing anything other than "Alejandro" during 8.43 song
1m 19s = 1st Alejandro refrain.
1m 18s = 2nd Alejandro refrain
2m 46s =3rd Alejandro refrain

Total 5m 23s out of 6m 22s of lyrics.

Chamber Session part 2

2010-05-07T13:34:00.002-04:00

Liker Building Methods

#1 -- Buttons & Badges & Widgets (see http://developers.facebook.com/plugins)

#2 -- Tag, Tag, Tag
-- use the @ sign on Wall posts but doesn't work in comments (only in Facebook - won't work if linking posts from Twitter to Facebook)
-- tag friends in photos, videos, and notes when relevant

#3 -- Facebook Social Ads (price is similar to Google Adwords & very, very targeted)

#4 -- Link to Twitter (used SNHU as an example) -- doing it from Facebook automatically shortens post that goes on Twitter

#5 -- Personal Profile
Example of Denise Wakeman (who is 1 of the "firestarters")

#6 -- The Share Link (photos, videos, links, notes -- not wall post)

#7 -- Custom Landing Tabs (using FBML)

#8 -- Invite Fan Interaction (example was Monarchs) b/c people can tag themselves and then friends of those people see it in News Feed but have to go to the Fanpage to see it.

#9 -- Fan-Only Content (use static FBML to restrict things only to Fans)

#10 -- Outsource It!
-- paid services, social media assistants (Turbo Social Media?), Check: oversight, policies/procedures, relevance

Twitter -- Follower Building Method

#1 -- Hashtag Happiness
- thematic conversations (#SMSS10)
- traditions like Follow Friday (#FF)
- interests like #ski
- locaion like #NH

#2 -- Re-tweet (& be re-tweeted)
- add personal note, if room
- show's you're paying attention
- appears in people's mentions

#3 -- Get Listed
- Twitr.org, TwitDir, local tweeps, etc

#4 -- Use Services
- Refollow, Twiangulate, Twibes, Twubs, Mr. Tweet, Twitterholic, Retweet Radar

#5 -- Meet Offline
- Tweet-ups, Networking events, workshops/seminars, trade shows, conferences

#6 -- Monitor & Engage
- Tweetdeck, Google alerts, Social Mention, Jitter Jam

#7 -- Mine Media & Center of Influence Lists
-- MSM or trade groups, industry analysts, etc

#8 -- Mine the Competition
- they'll find you on Twitter anyway, won't know that you're following the same people, they've done legwork already, in the end could be doing both a favor (getting people the right info, not wrong (2 nearby colleges, with very different target markets)

#9 -- missed

#10 -- Outsource It
- Social media assistants,

Get Help if you Need it!

1. Ramp up your learning curve
2. Find a success partner
3. Turn it over to an expert

Outsourcing is going to be a big trend for 2010 -- 10-25% are already doing it

Montaigne Communications is doing social media for NH Travel & Tourism

Become a Liker at http://facebook.com/AhaYourself
Write on wall w/ comments & pics

Administrative panel -- control where fans vs. non-fans land when they first come to our page. Make customized welcome page,

Manchester Chamber Social Media Session

2010-05-07T12:19:00.003-04:00

Kicking off with a book from Seth Godin's _Tribes_ -- how to get true, loyal fans!

- Everything's integrated
- Tactics for any online channel
- Facebook
- Twitter

1. Strategy - why doing this? Needs to be for "interaction" for the sake of driving enrollment not just "being there" or putting out news

2. Measurement
- traffic, revenue/cost, earned media, likers/followers, interactions
Google Analytics for tracking inbound traffic and look at "Insights" in Facebook. Do a baseline and then at regular time intervals

3. Content Creation
- Content is information you share with your audience in any form, which (ideally) provides a value/specific benefit to them.
Example = Franklin Savings Bank. Way ahead of what any other bank/credit union in New England is doing. 1,000 fans.
- Editorial planning! What does the audience want to see?

4. Broadcast
- automate broadcasting with HootSuite, Ping.fm (to 40 sites), Social Oomph (schedule Tweets, and Facebook [w/ professional level]), Seesmic

5. Engagement
- Chris Brogan clip from Web 2.0 expo in November 2009 - example about Roger Smith hotel and Blogger's special. Key was that they were there, and involved with people.
- Conversations -- 1) to whom will you talk? 2) who will do the talking/listening? 3) where will you draw the line?

6. Audience Building

One Size Fits All

Method #1 -- email signature & give reasons why people should follow link

Method #2 -- Cross Promotion. Put it out there on all existing materials, email lists, etc -- announce presence in Facebook, etc and give incentives/reasons to join. Constantly hammer in everything (provided you're ready and have the content)

Method #3 -- Promos/Coupons/Freebies. Easy on Twitter, but limited on Facebook (by "Promotion Guidelines". Wildfireapp.com as cheap external vendor to do contests, within the guidelines.

Method #4 -- find your Elite Fans (ones who care most about your brand). Tap into these folks, give exclusive content, etc -- and they will help get message out.

Method #5 -- Tribe Syndication
See: 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report (April 2010)

End of part 1 (first hour)

Continue to Part 2

New/improved stores in downtown Manchester!

2010-02-21T12:11:00.003-05:00

Saturday was a beautiful, sunny afternoon in Manchester. So, I took a walk downtown to "stroll". With the winter weather/temperatures over the past few months, I hadn't taken time to just see what had changed -- I'd just been going where I needed to go as quickly as possible.

On a recent trip, I had noticed a new used records/CDs store that popped up in one of the buildings just south of the old Post Office Fruit Luncheonette (424 Chestnut?). So, I popped in for a few minutes. I'm a big Fleetwood Mac fan, so I was happy to see some of their albums, plus solo albums from people in the group. I didn't have time for a lot of chit-chat but they guy running the place said he used to have a store over by Central High school.

There was 1 other customer in the store at the time and he even bought something! Amazing!

Close to this store is a sports cards/collectibles shop that just seems to be getting around to open. Or maybe they're open but didn't look open. There were people working inside, but it didn't seem like they were quite ready for customers.

On this same trip, I stopped into "Corey's" which is a (variety?) store just to the north of Copy Express on Elm Street. In the time that I've lived in Manchester, it was first vacant, then became the "Step It Up" campaign office, then vacant again, and now Corey's for maybe the past year.

Based on observation and comparing my previous visit to yesterday's experience, and talking with Corey herself, the place is changing. My first impression was that it was a store for cheap tools and home decor, so it seemed like an odd type of thing to have downtown. But it's evolved based on customer requests to include art supplies for the New Hampshire Institute of Art students and very recently, they added a section with groceries. Now you can get canned veggies, soups, microwave popcorn, oatmeal, etc.

Corey told me that about 80% of the items are in the store based on cusomer requests/suggestions. She really seems to be into the "community" aspects of downtown, and she even mentioned this in our conversation.

If I had the time, I'd love to do a more in-depth post and some more investigation into all this. But right now, my priorities are on other things (as listed at UnitedManchester.org). So hopefully someone can take things from here. Maybe our friend at FortressManchester.com?

Always Sunny in Manchester?

2010-02-21T11:25:00.003-05:00

Well, it seems like that's the way things are going these days...and it's improving my mood.

I seem to have a bit more "clarity" these days, on many things.

Procrastination seems to be an issue for me. Somehow, I've gotten into the habit of waiting much longer to do things than I used to. For example, I have a 2-page paper and presentation due for my graduate Marketing class tomorrow. It's not _quite_ finished yet. But, I'm planning to take a couple of hours this morning to work on things and then some time tonight -- so I should be fine. Now for my end-of-term paper, I need to work more steadily on that b/c procrastination will not be enjoyable in that situation.

Saw some good Manchester Monarchs hockey last night and am going again today. And then I have tickets for Wednesday. Why does it always work out this way? Feast, then famine!

Back in the groove

2010-02-20T10:53:00.002-05:00

I feel like I've been in an "Internet Funk" for awhile. For the past 6 months, I haven't been having much "fun" with doing things on the web. Recently, a number of factors have me happier and more motivated...

So, I can't promise to update here very often, since I'm being pulled in lots of directions right now.

I'm helping out with planning/marketing for the Manchester Food Co-Op
Trying to find a good use for UnitedManchester.org
Dreaming about doing some independent web/social media work
Keeping my ahead above water with the first class for my M.S. in Marketing

Mixing business with pleasure.

2009-06-26T15:12:00.002-04:00

I hate to bring work into this Blog, but I need to test what happens when I link from an external website to a form on http://www.snhu.edu so let's see what happens: http://www.snhu.edu/5829.asp

Fleetwood Mac in Manchester

2009-06-18T08:57:00.002-04:00

I've been to a decent number of concerts in my life. Some had pyrotechnics, others had dancers/choreography, one even had a huge inflatable pig. I once was working on a list of all the shows I've gone to, but it looks like I never posted that list...

In any event, none of them can compare to the Fleetwood Mac show this past Tuesday in Manchester, NH! I wish I had seen Fleetwood Mac shows over the years to compare one to another, but this was powerful!

I had read various reviews so I knew what to expect (nice Lindsay/Stevie moments, McVie being a somber bass player, Mick going nuts on his solo and speaking unintelligibly at times). But, my expectations were far exceeded by the actual performance!

It's probably that I'm such a huge fan, and I have been since the 60s. *laugh* Well, I've been a fan since 1997 but I enjoy the various types of music put out by Fleetwood Mac starting in the 60s (long before Buckingham Nicks ever came on the scene). As a short history lesson, Fleetwood Mac was originally a British blues band, and a very good/popular one at that. At one point they were promoted as "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac".

So, I had been waiting for years to see Fleetwood Mac in concert. I missed their late 90s tour, was in Egypt for the one in 2005 (?) and then I finally got my chance on Tuesday.

None of the songs by themselves were fantastic, though the arrangement of a couple of them was surprisingly different from what I expected. The best thing about the show is that they don't have a new album to promote (yet), so it was a "best of" performance. I think almost everyone in the audience knew the words to all the songs.

Stevie is still beautiful, but she seemed tired/worn out. She's allowed...and still gave a good performance.

McVie is a bass player. A good one, but still a bass player. Not much energy from him.

Mick really rocked, especially on his long drum solo. The only thing missing was something that used to be attached to one of the drum heads years ago which would flop around while he played.

Lindsey Buckingham IS the driver of Fleetwood Mac. Maybe it's been that way all along more than I wanted to admit. I always thought he was soft and that he took them in directions I didn't like. But these days, he makes the shows. He's stomping his feet, jumping around, firing up the crowd. He's also the only one who shakes hands with fans, signs autographs, and lets his guitar be touched.

Well done, all!

I'm a "Social Media Apprentice"

2009-06-15T14:44:00.002-04:00

This just came to me... Not quite in a flash -- more like a forehead slapping sort of moment.

I've seen people calling themselves "Experts", "Gurus", etc in Social Media. My ego won't allow me to get anywhere near using those words to describe myself.

We're all still experimenting with Social Media. Don't try to convince yourself or anyone else that you've got it all figured out.

I found similar thoughts at: http://arnteriksen.com/are-you-a-social-media-expert

7 Things

2009-01-24T10:33:00.003-05:00

Tagged by @yorkd so it's time to write my first Blog entry in a long time!

Tagging:
@odoketa
@MichaelSprunger
@bhachez
@br80
@ricpratte
@ShoGrrl2
@lyssarose

Making this list seems fairly easy b/c most people I'm tagging don't really know much about me!!

1. I don't know how to ride a bike. Really. No joke. It's not inconvenient, except when it is. *laugh* One of my goals for this spring is to learn to ride. Convenient that I own 2 bikes.

2. Until moving to ManchVegas in the summer of 2007, Michigan was the only state that I had lived in. Up until that time, I had lived in more foreign countries (2 -- Scotland and Egypt) than states. Now it's a tie. I really need to fix that sometime by living abroad again!

3. I'm convinced that I'm naturally left-handed but was taught to do most things right-handed. I think this b/c when I first picked up a pool cue, I started playing left-handed on my own and only later learned to play right-handed. In things I do right-handed, it also feels natural to do it left-handed and I'm sure I could get decent with enough practice.

4. Before 2007, I had only been to NYC once. Now I've been there maybe a half dozen times. Great to have friends there to visit while exploring... Still need to do more in Boston, too.

5. Thought I was going to be a HS science teacher after college. Decided I didn't like Chemistry. Switched to English/history. Liked those and then found that being around middle school kids was going to drive me mad. Shifted to journalism and wound up doing lots of webpages. Jobs directly using my English degree were few and far between, so I became a web geek.

6. Never liked beer until after college. I think that's b/c I never had good beer until after college. *laugh* Fortunately, I have Strange Brew and Milly's in Manchester to help with trying new things.

7. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, where I want to live, etc. I think it's one of those "all of the above" things -- I want to do a variety of things and live in all sorts of places.

Back from the Big Easy

2008-06-30T19:16:00.002-04:00

Made it home to NH yesterday afternoon -- after a day or so of traveling! But...at least I got a free round-trip ticket out of it! *smile* Now, I just have to figure out where to go in the next year or so.

From New Orleans!

2008-06-25T21:31:00.002-04:00

Oops...I forgot to mention that I'm in the Big Easy this week on a service trip with my church. Challenging and rewarding -- that's the short description so far...but I didn't expect anything less!

Stories to come...

Lunchtime reading -- complex mobile phones in Japan

2008-06-20T12:11:00.003-04:00

From Wired:

In Japan, Cellphones Have Become Too Complex to Use

Plus 2 other iPhone-related items:

Speculation on value of old iPhones, including how many will pay for the mandatory 3G package, but will be unable to use it b/c of where they live

and

Refurbished iPhones are an excellent source of previous users' data

I'm still happy with mine and I use it for so many things! Gone are the days of being in a conversation and not being able to answer a question. For example, "What's with the big metal grasshopper on top of Faneuil Hall?" (in Boston)

Housing prices... sigh

2008-06-19T10:23:00.002-04:00

So I'm realizing that my condo purchase may have been a mistake for various reasons. Until recently, I'd seen that prices in my building were holding steady but then this morning I came across a listing for a unit that's very similar to mine, but for $25,000 less than what I paid. *frown* I also have high condo fees, so if I had looked more carefully at things in the beginning I would have seen how bad that was. If I had waited last summer, rented for a bit, and then done my shopping/buying now I could have gotten a really good house in a better location for a nicer price.

I'm a bit sad about this now. I like my place and the redeeming quality is that there are few places in the country where I could get a cool-looking place for the price that I did... Here's hoping that we can improve things and increase values over the next few years!

Even if nobody is reading this, at least I got to vent...

We Can Solve It!

2008-06-16T15:18:00.002-04:00

Have you heard of the We Can Solve It campaign? If not, then you have now! ("It" = the Climate Crisis)

Well, I'm writing about it b/c their newest ad features Tonya Kay, a funky actress who grew up in a small town in Michigan near the tiny town where I grew up. *grin* (we have never met, but we email periodically and had mutual acquaintances during school) In the ad, she holds up the "Tofu" sign at the beginning -- in her personal life, she promotes eating raw foods, drives a car that runs on veggie oil, etc.

Here's the direct link to a page with the ad that she's in (at least as I post this, it could change):
http://www.wecansolveit.org/page/s/millions

Dreary Morning

2008-06-16T09:46:00.002-04:00

I went to Boston yesterday for the first time. What took me so long? *sigh* Why didn't anyone tell me how cool it is? I loved it! How many days over the past few months have I wasted "relaxing" when I could have been in Boston? Sad!

Of course...

2008-06-09T08:55:00.002-04:00

David mentioned that I mentioned Blogging again and then I didn't write at all over the weekend! *laugh*

I blame the heat. *sigh* This morning on TV they said we're in a "Heat Wave" and gave a definition of what that means. Their definition had to do with

There are various definitions from all sorts of different groups. My summary of the Wikipedia entry on "Heat Wave" is that temperatures during a heat wave are so extreme that little guys in orange robes may burst into flames.

T-Mobile and CouchSurfing

2008-06-06T09:23:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty sure that we can say that CouchSurfing has gone mainstream!

Why do I say this?

Well, because T-Mobile recently started airing an ad which features a CouchSurfer who relies on his phone to stay connected as he is traveling around. (this is only part of the ad and quality is poor but I haven't been able to find anything better)

Kozmo.com?

2008-06-04T11:19:00.003-04:00

I never lived in any of the cities where Kozmo.com did business, but I remember having the opportunity to buy one of their messenger bags when the Bubble popped. I wish I had b/c now they go for at least $80.

I'm not quite sure how I got to this subject, but it seems that just a few days ago the Industry Standard did a "Where are they now" piece on Kozmo.

If you need a quotation

2008-06-04T09:32:00.003-04:00

I came across the ThinkExist.com site today while looking for a quotation having to do with "possibilities". Good stuff!

The quotation:

“The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react."
- George Bernard Shaw

Things I missed...

2008-06-04T09:27:00.002-04:00

I forget sometimes that there is a big gap in my life. During my time in Egypt from 2003-2006, I absorbed popular culture of the Middle East and largely disregarded what was happening in the West. For the most part, this doesn't matter but then every once in awhile I come across something and can't believe that I missed it!

Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt" is one such example.

Wow.

What other significant music/TV/movie moments do you remember from 2003-2006? Please share them with me and I'll comment about them.

YouTube on my mind

2008-06-03T07:43:00.003-04:00

How much of a geek am I?

Well, it depends on who you ask and what type of geek you're talking about... *laugh*

I'm hooked on the amazing voice of a new, unsigned singer/songwriter named Shanna Gilfix. Her song It Took Loosin You was featured on YouTube's main page for a few days recently and was viewed 500,000 times!

I can never take things at face value, so I needed to know more? Who was this young woman who came out of nowhere?

Well, I did a bit of Googling and put together what I found at ShannaGilfix.net -- enjoy!

Internet cafes typically full of teenaged gamers are nearly empty

2008-02-01T16:02:00.000-05:00

This would be a real pain if I was in the Mideast right now, but there are some amusing bits to the article... One of the most striking things about Egypt was how many kids/teens spent hour upon hour in the Internet cafes.

Third undersea Internet cable cut in Mideast

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

2008-01-28T19:54:00.000-05:00

Sunday night's episode was shot this fall in Manchester. I didn't know about the opportunity to volunteer until it was too late, but some people from my church helped out (along with 4,500 other people)

I watched last night during a celebration in the local arena to recognize the companies that donated products and to honor the volunteers. During the program that aired on ABC, there are many nice things said about the city of Manchester.

From this page, choose "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" then "The Voisine Family" (1/28/08):
http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing?lid=ABCCOMGlobalMenu&lpos=FEP

Global Warming My A$$ ?

2008-01-28T19:49:00.000-05:00

I noticed an unusual sentiment on a sign for a cigar shop in Manchester over the weekend. I'll admit, I thought for a minute or 2 about going inside to have a short discussion.

Good thing I didn't. Apparently, it's already been in the news:
http://www.wmur.com/news/15115819/detail.html?taf=man
(short article and video clip)

The Simpsons -- Political Commentary

2008-01-14T21:01:00.000-05:00

I haven't watched the Simpsons in years, but with the snow day today, I decided to watch a bit of TV online. Fox has Simpsons episodes available in a streaming format. This episode makes fun of Michigan, for trying to replace New Hampshire as having the nation's first primary (and comments about the entire campaign/election process, including Bill Clinton, Fred Thompson, and Dennis Kucinich). There's a short scene set in New Hampshire and someone did their homework -- the road sign shows Highway 28, which is an actual road!

Choose the episode called "E Pluribus Wiggum".

Snow Day!

2008-01-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Heavy Snow Warning. The university (along with 500 other things in the area) shut down today. So far, we're at 6 inches here in Manchester. The prediction is that we're going to be in the 10-12" range before the storm finishes up this evening.

Check Weather.com for all the details. I may venture out (on foot, of course) to deliver a movie to some friends. It might be snow that's good to pack, so it'd be fun to play in the snow, too! We shall see...

Humerous Primary Coverage

2008-01-11T18:04:00.001-05:00

A video-blogger who was in New Hampshire for the primary...apparently to make fun of Mitt Romney, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Chuck Norris. (link from kottke.org)

Emily Rocheleau's 15 minutes of fame.

2008-01-11T17:21:00.000-05:00

Emily's a friend of mine. She worked for a group called the Carbon Coalition. Emily's a great organizer. Emily saw all the candidates multiple times when they were in New Hampshire. She could probably give their stump speeches for them. *grin*

Last week, Emily was interviewed by the New York Times and they included a few of her comments in an article.

The Times took things way out of context and put her comments into an article about Undecided voters.

Emily told them all about how McCain was talking about Global Warming and how that was a great thing. Because of that, people should consider voting for him if they really want to keep that issue out there.

So, a Portland, OR blogger made this comment:
Emily Rocheleau*, 22, is the stupidest person in New Hampshire

Emily was sad.

But Emily has wonderful friends and one of them wrote to the Blogger to explain the situation. (no, it wasn't me. I would have defended her, but I didn't hear about all this until after the fact)

His response:
Update: Emily Rocheleau is NOT the stupidest person in New Hampshire

Ah, I love Happy Endings!

Jan. 8 -- Awesome Global Warming and Climate Change folks!

2008-01-09T10:47:00.001-05:00

I needed to be in my office on Primary Day, so I wasn't out-and-about doing things. I was OK with that b/c most of the action was at polling locations with candidate campaign volunteers standing out with signs. Candidates stopped by different spots with no notice given, so it wasn't possible to plan to see them.

Even so, the wonderful people who I volunteer with in the Carbon Coalition (with funding from the League of Conversation Voters which put together HeatIsOn.org) were able to keep doing good stuff! I haven't talked with them yet to hear all that they were up to, but I saw signs during news broadcasts, so they were out there!

For me, it had been a late night on Monday. After all these months, I was finally able to make it to a Hillary event. Even better than that, Bill and Chelsea were also there! Most of the events are done with the "divide and conquer" technique so it was great to see them all together. Of course, this was the same day that we saw our first glimpse of a softer Hillary, so that made it even more exciting!

The event was badly planned in terms of parking and logistics, but inside things were done alright. They said 8pm, so we got there around 7.15 to avoid some of the trafic and to try to get a decent spot to stand. Usually at events, you just wait and wait and wait for the candidates to come and this was no exception, but...there was a warm-up band. Apparently, Hillary wasn't to be outdone by Huckabee's bass playing (frequently) and Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt playing some John Edwards events awhile back.

So, some local band played for awhile as we waited. Not great by any stretch -- but they were a decent distraction and it was a refreshing change from recorded music or no music at all!

About 9pm the Clintons arrived! Very cool to see them all together. Hillary gave a strong speech with Bill and Chelsea looking on behind her. At times, it looked like Chelsea was going to cry, but she kept her composure and cracked a smile every now and then.

An audience?

2008-01-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

Wow...there might be people reading this now (beyond those of you who I emailed). Thanks to David for talkin' me up!

Tired! (updated with news footage of me)

2008-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm running on not nearly enough sleep! I think that each night since my return on Jan. 3rd, I've gotten less sleep than I'm used to getting. But it's been worth it!

Last night the Hillary campaign had their Primary Night event at Southern New Hampshire University (the place good enough to issue my paychecks). It wasn't my first choice on an event to attend but logistics made it a good choice and it was a historic night!

I worked all day at SNHU and then had the opportunity to take part in some televised interviews about the Primary. ABC News Now wanted 6 students (that includes me, since I take classes) to talk about their opinions on various parts of the Primary process. We basically did a videoconference with the on-air personalities. Sam Donaldson was firing off questions and it didn't matter who got in his way! *laugh* He did say that our group had "a good grip on things". Nice to hear that!

First interview session (I respond to a question)
Second session (2 staunch Democrats who crossed over to vote for McCain talk, I sit)

In the end, we didn't have much time on-air and I only got to speak during the first segment, but it was quite an experience. They promised to send us links, DVDs, and goodies later so stay tuned!

When that wrapped up, I walked over to the Hillary primary party that was happening in our fieldhouse. It was the Hillary party. With the returns coming in slowly and media outlets refusing to call the outcome, you could feel the energy in the room building. I was in the overflow room, not even the main venue -- but people where I was at were really getting excited. With Hillary off to the early lead in the returns, I kept wondering if the numbers were going to start to turn -- but it just never happened.

When the Associated Press gave their prediction, the crowd erupted! Then just a few minutes later CNN chimed in and again the crowd came through with loud cheers and lots of smiles.

I had to watch Hillary's victory speech on a video screen, and people in the crowd really responded to it, but that was nothing compared to when she came out to see us. Granted, we had to wait until nearly an hour after she finished her speech.

First, Bill Clinton came through to work the crowd and keep us occupied while we waited for Hillary to finish up with the media. He looked drained -- it had been an emotional night and he probably hadn't been sleeping much! I was able to get close enough to say "congratulations" and he took the time to sign an autograph for me, along with items for probably 50 others near me. The room had maybe 200 people, but unless you were in the first 2 rows of people standing near the ropes, you weren't able to get close...

After father, came daugher -- Chelsea. Immediately, people started talking about what year she could run for President. She was full of smiles and very warm and energetic but she didn't look healthy. Her hands were overly-thin and she looked like a celeb in one of those "why is she so thin?" features.

To complete the hat trick, Hillary entered to a huge ovation (from the 200 or so in the room). Interestingly enough, the combined number of supporters was around 700 supporters in attendance as compared to about twice that number when Howard Dean had his event at SNHU 4 years ago.

So, Hillary took some time with the crowd and seemed very appreciative of people's support. A young woman beside me had made telephone calls for the campaign with Chelsea's roommate and another young man must have been very active in things too -- both got some special words on a few extra moments to talk.

I'm not moving over to the Hillary camp, but she's better now than she was a couple of days ago. I think a "kindler, gentler Hillary" is going to win over a number of people. Hopefully, she continues talking about environmental issues and in the few seconds that I had to say something to Bill, Chelsea, and Hillary, I asked them to keep that issue as a major one in the election.

A great photo essay from the night (with various candidates) by CBS news. This is the best compilation I've come across this morning.

The New Hampshire primary is over -- now I can Blog

2008-01-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Such is my luck -- I finally had a ton of exciting things going on in my life (all related to the New Hampshire primary), but I didn't have the time or energy to write about it. Well, there were plenty of other people doing that anyway. *grin*

What a crazy time, especially the 4 days following the Iowa Caucus. Darn you, Michigan! I could have had 4 weeks of fun like this, but you forced New Hampshire to move up its primary! *laugh* It's probably for the best that it was only 4 days of events all the time and not sleeping much -- I don't think I could have survived much more of it!

So, in an effort to share with people and to not forget fun things I've experienced, I'm going to take time over the next few days to Blog. Stay tuned!

The first thing is "New Hampshire Rocks the Vote" which is a YouTube clip made by Rock the Vote. The young people featured in the video are the crew who I've been volunteering with over the past few months to help raise awareness of Global Warming and Climate Change. They're standing in front of the "Action Center" in the middle of downtown Manchester. I'm going to miss that place and all the great people when they close their doors on Thursday night! *sniff*

Fun to write things again

2007-08-09T17:45:00.000-04:00

Now...I just need to tell people that I'm back to actively sharing here.

Tired.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights I attended a "First-time homebuyer" education program. The mortgage for my condo has some special incentives to help someone with my income level and b/c of where it's located. So...they want accountablity and one way to do that is for people to attend classes. They were helpful, though targeted more toward people earlier in the saving/buying process.

The major drawback was that each night it was 3 hours and a 1 hour drive each way. They are offered closer, but I had to take the class before I close on my Condo (which is sometime between now and Aug. 24).

Now it's over and I'm moving to a new place on Friday. Not to _my_ place (yet) but somewhere different. We've managed to find a dorm room for me to stay in for the next 2 weeks. Hopefully it's less than that! I'll hear more on Friday about the closing date for my condo.

Well, I want to enjoy the sunshine and nice evening.

Checkin' in from New Hampshire

2007-08-03T16:14:00.000-04:00

Well, I have a web-related job again and lots to write about. Maybe I'll start posting every so often. I was told to "start blogging again (expletive removed)". *laugh*

More to come, but not over the weekend. I'll be out and about walking and hanging out with folks at the ReEnergizeNH event.

I feel wonderful tonite!

2006-12-05T18:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm quoting Clapton! (but that's how I feel...and also happened to hear a cover of the Clapton song in an Egyptian movie tonight)

Big day with the last of my exams and my final time in my classrooms. *sniff* I also ran around Tanta on errands, saying goodbyes, trying to get some photos printed, etc.

The only downer was an email waiting for me when I got back. *sigh*

Months ago, I applied for a volunteer program called "The Climate Project" which is a program to get Al Gore's word out about the environment. They wanted people to be trained as presenters of his message and then do talks. I thought my skills/interests were perfect for it. Unfortunately, the folks at the program seem to feel otherwise. *frown*

They emailed today to say that I will _not_ be invited to the training sessions, but that I can host some small group discussions about a DVD of "An Inconvenient Truth, and Al Gore’s award-winning documentary". So...don't be surprised if I invite you to a showing in January!

I'm disappointed, but at least I know the situation now. I had been really looking forward to the possibility of going to these training sessions and then traveling around a bit to make presentations. Now, I just need to swich gears and put my energy in a different direction.

First exam = finished

2006-12-03T22:11:00.000-05:00

Got back from a great weekend around Fayoum.

Fun with friends last night, then tonight gave an exam and said goodbye to a group of students. *frown*

I'll try to write this week b/c Internet access will be a bit unpredictable after I move on Thursday.

American Football!

2006-11-24T10:19:00.000-05:00

So, would you believe I got to watch the first half of the Lions game LIVE on TV on Thursday?

*laugh*

Yes, really!!!

I'm thankful!

2006-11-23T08:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I'm off to Cairo in a few minutes, but wanted to give you a bit to think about while I'm gone. In getting ready for Thanksgiving and my return to the US, I've been thinking a lot about how blessed I am.

I have friends/family scattered all around the world who love/care about me and I feel the same way about them. Some of you, I haven't seen in years (or years and years) but that doesn't matter. I'll see many of you soon and work to get to know each other better again.

For the past 4 years, I've been in a wonderful country surrounded by fantastic people who have tried to help me with almost anything I have needed. There were difficult times, but I always knew that I had people to turn to.

I love this place and I'm going to miss it.

Enjoy your time with loved ones!

Oh...I can't forget this: Tanta in the news! (from the Christian Science Monitor)

Back in Tanta...

2006-11-20T19:11:00.000-05:00

Good weekend with friends in Cairo for my Going-Away party and MCC meeting. Wow, am I going to miss people here!

I also attended a 2-day conference on teaching and a lecture by William Dalrymple. The lecture was very intersting and MCC was nice enough to buy his book, From the Holy Mountain: A Journey among the Christians of the Middle East, which I'm now reading. It's about travels all around ancient monasteries and Christian spots. Dalrymple is an amazing writer!

A Better Blog?

2006-11-14T20:08:00.000-05:00

If you're reading this, then you got your invitation to read the Blog and made it over whatever hurdles Blogger put up. It's now "private" and inaccessible unless I invite people.

As you may have noticed, one recent post from this week has been heavily edited (including the deletion of 3 pictures). In addition, I removed nearly a dozen other pictures that I had uploaded with Picassa and to Flickr.

Some of the discussions I mentioned in a previous post are happening. Continue to pray for understanding and forgiveness.

I've hurt people

2006-11-12T18:05:00.000-05:00

It seems that I have hurt some people in Tanta with the things I have written in this Blog and some of the pictures have put up.

I hope that they will forgive me and I hope that they will talk with me about the problems they see. I won't say more than that at this time, but I will tell you more personally. If you're in Tanta and understand what I am writing about, please call me to discuss this or talk with me face-to-face.

So...this is the last post for awhile, at least until I can talk with people. Instead of writing anything new, I will be going through what I have put up in the past, to see where the problems could be.

I know it is painful for those people, but this is also very painful for me. It feels like with this one mistake, I've erased all of the work I've done in Tanta. This is a very difficult situation for me right now because I don't know who I've hurt or how, really. I need their help to help me learn and understand.

I hope we (people in Tanta and myself) can all learn from this.

Clowns Without Borders

2006-11-11T18:49:00.000-05:00

I want to bring an organization to your attention. Awhile back, I met 2 people in Cairo who were visiting to share their clowning abilities.

Well...they're coming back soon as part of Clowns Without Borders -- "no child without a smile". Give if you can.

Great weekend with Tons of Friends! (heavily edited)

2006-11-11T15:47:00.000-05:00

(several pictures removed, out of respect for people shown in them)

What a fun time! Early Friday morning (7.15am), my friends Amber and Ben arrived from Cairo. From the train station, we had the good fortune of meeting up with a priest who was going to the same village we were, so he offered us a ride. There were 4 of us, so we squeezed into his big station wagon, along with 3 other men. I recognized the priest, but my Egyptian friend was the one who made the connection -- it was her family's home in the village that we were heading for...

The short ride was OK for me, but Amber, Ben, and my friend had to deal with the gas fumes coming into the back of the car. Thankfully, we were able to clear the air by opening a couple of windows...

Once in the village, we met my friend's parents and started our day. We had lots of tea, a lovely lunch, and 2 nice walks around the fields. On the walks, we saw lots of my friend's extended family -- a cousin, uncles, 2nd/3rd uncles and cousins, etc.

Earlier in the week, I told my friend that I had one big wish for the trip:
Yeah!!!! My wish came true! (picture of me riding a donkey removed)

Then, once we were back in Tanta, we went out for a nice dinner and back to my place to play games (just Amber and Ben, b/c they were staying the night with me).

Saturday morning, we had a pleasant breakfast together at my apartment and then I showed them around Tanta a bit before their train back to Cairo.

After that, I had just a few hours to get ready for my going-away party. *smile* I knew nothing about who was invited, or any of the plans. My director and everyone kept the secrets very well and I was very surprised by things!

For starters, my director invited 2 of my really good friends who now live in Alexandria and Tanta to the party. Micho and Mina were guys who I spent tons of time with before they moved so it was wonderful to have them with me at the celebration! My friends Mikel and Fady joined us in the car for the drive over.

At the party, I spoke, plus my director, 2 of the other teachers, my boss James, my friend George, and the Bishop. During some of the talks, I laughed...while during others, I cried. Some people were very serious about things, but there was also a "roast" and video montage from my time in Egypt. This solved the mystery of why there were so many recent visitors to my Blog from Egypt -- people were reading it and finding pictures to use in this presentation! *laugh* I will get a copy of it and show people when I get back to the U.S. *smile*

Now, the "roast" part was done by one of my former students and the younger brother of one of my good friends. He likes acting and was also the class clown when I had him as a student! Well...he took my mannerisms and way of dressing and just nailed it! In this pic, you can see the style of sandals I often wear and wrinkled khaki pants with the cuffs rolled up! I never realized people noticed these things or found them so funny! I wish I had video of this, but I'll have to settle for the memories and a few digital pics!

Friends on Friday

2006-11-09T08:07:00.000-05:00

I have 2 American friends from Cairo (Amber and Ben) coming to visit on Friday, so I'm trying to get my apartment around. It's clean, so mostly I'm just trying to pick things up and get things looking nice.

Thankfully, the the weather has gotten a bit warmer today. We're planning to go out to a farm in a village outside Tanta for the day. Amber and Ben are coming on a 6am train, so I'm betting they'll be tired at the end of the day -- that means an early dinner and early bedtime.

They'll stay with me Friday night and then go back to Cairo Saturday morning. Then just a few hours after that, James and Linda are coming to Tanta for my going-away party.

Hmmmm....I guess I should prepare some things to say. *sigh*

I hate goodbyes.

New (to me) travel site

2006-11-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe other people have known about this site for awhile, but I just stumbled across Wcities Destination Guide which has a nice section on Cairo. It's a nice mix of edited reader-submitted content and writing that comes straight from the company. Look elsewhere for blunt opinions, but I like the style of this one.

They cover major cities in countries around the world. Worth checking out for background information before a trip or to figure what to do and where to stay once you get to your destination.

Traffic Control!

2006-11-08T17:59:00.000-05:00

Riding in around with a friend in his car today and saw something truly amazing!

-- an Egyptian police officer actually controlling traffic! *laugh* (and boy, was he)

This was at an intersection near the train station where traffic comes from about 5 different angles and there are also cement barriers in place to move you in the right way. But people still try to do anything they want.

So...a guy with his donkey cart starts coming through the intersection and wants to veer to the left. Apparently, the police officer didn't agree b/c he reached out, grabbed the reigns, and pulled the donkey to the right! Wow!

Now, that's service!

2006-11-08T17:39:00.000-05:00

As previously mentioned, I am a proud number of a pre-owned Mercedes-Benz.

Apparently, ownership has it's privileges b/c they offer free road-side assistance for the life of every vehicle...no matter how many owners or how many miles!

-a few gallons of fuel if you run out
-jump-start if needed
-changing your flat tire to a spare

Pleasant Political Surprise!

2006-11-08T05:36:00.000-05:00

As I write this (7.20am EDT), CNN is saying that Dems have taken the House, but the Senate is still undecided.

Also, here's a run-down of various ballot measures and their (predicted) outcomes.

Something I've learned

2006-11-07T18:14:00.000-05:00

It dawned on me today that one of the things I've learned in Egypt is to appreciate people in "the service industry".

Every day, I interact with guys where I teach who work hard cleaning, making tea, etc. for very little money.

I also see guys sweating it out at restaurants all day, serving food, cleaning up, and all that. These guys are always smiling and people usually seem very thankful for what they do. I think people tend to be "regulars" at places far more here than in the US, so it pays to build a relationship. Or maybe it's just that everywhere I go is small, so servers are bound to remember people if they come in on a regular basis.

Today I thought of this b/c one of my local cafes recently added an oven and now serves up my favorite Egyptian food, fatir!

That pic is from "Boots in the Oven" which also includes a ton of other great shots from Egypt,. (DSL or faster only -- very heavy on the pics).

License Plate in Egypt

2006-11-07T17:18:00.000-05:00

Walking home from class today, I saw this license plate in the back window of a car:

BIG 4X4

No big deal, right?

Well, except that it was a MICHIGAN license plate and it appeared to be real, not just some cheap imitation!

Burning trash

2006-11-07T06:53:00.000-05:00

They're burning trash in my neighborhood today. *achoo*

So...my alergies are going crazy -- red eyes, sneezing, etc. It took me awhile to realize what was happening. I guess I should shut my windows, but I want them open to get some warm air in here, since the weather is decent today.

Want to work for the United Nations?

2006-11-07T05:34:00.000-05:00

Anyone interested in working for the UN or related organizations? It appears they're hiring in some very specific fields (none of mine, unfortunately) and offer very attractive packages.

Hunting on Election Day?

2006-11-06T19:49:00.000-05:00

Why, oh why???

"Cheney to go hunting on Election Day". (from CBS News)

TV and Internet

2006-11-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been spending a fair bit of time on the Internet (as you may have noticed from the number of posts here in the Blog).

Well...as I hammer away on my laptop, the TV is usually on. Sometimes it's on Arabic music videos and other times on a channel with English-language movies. The connection I have is a split cable connection from my landlord. So, I'm somewhat at his mercy as to what channels I get.

Last night, he changed the channel and I ended up with The Family Stone. Quite enjoyable -- good, dry humor. Diane Keaton was the biggest surprise. She's funny! Sarah Jessica Parker was cast as a stuck-up professional, a part she seems suited for...but she was just all wrong. I'd say she was the weakest link, followed closely by Craig T. Nelson.

This afternoon after lunch, I flipped on the TV and it was a Pay-Per-View wrestling event from the WWE. The program was CyberSunday and I presumed that it was from awhile ago, but apparently it was on live here last night and now they're showing replays.

I only watched 1 match and it was a Tag Team Championship Match with Rowdy Roddy Piper and Ric Flair teamed up against some young hotshots. Any guesses on who won?

I didn't actually care who won -- I was just really, really amused to see these 2 flabby old guys running around out in the ring! Plus, the announcers kept joking about how Piper looked as if he had been out partying all Saturday night and that if Piper/Flair won, it would be a huge celebration all that night.

I'll give you a hint on the winners:

Woooooo!!!!

More pics of my Car

2006-11-06T06:09:00.000-05:00

Since I seem to have nothing else to write about today, I'll write about myself! *laugh* Or at least, my car...

One of the bulletin boards I'll be using to ask other Mercedes-owners for help is nice enough to give free photo gallery space.

So, take a peek at my Mercedes 300TD Wagon Galleries

Anonymouse?

2006-11-05T17:31:00.000-05:00

No...I didn't type that wrong. I wrote "Anonymouse". Apparently, this is a free service which you can use to mask information about where you are connecting from, what web browser you are using, etc. while looking at websites.

I wish I knew who to thank for helping me find this, but it was someone using Anonymouse and I found the link in my site statistics! *grin*

Fuzzy Slippers

2006-11-05T15:30:00.000-05:00

Sadly, it's become fuzzy slippers weather. Don't get me wrong...I like my fuzzy puppy dog slippers, but when I break them out, it means it's gotten chilly! Actually, I'm a wimp b/c it's 58 degrees and the high today was 68.

According to the Weather.com forecast, it's going to warm up to the mid/high-70s later in the week. That'll feel a bit better!

Freedom of Information Act

2006-11-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

Ah, what a great idea that was. B/c of this legislation, we are able to read that "1999 war games foresaw problems in Iraq". (from Yahoo News)

So my question is, why even run these simulations if you're not going to take their findings into consideration?

Environmental Studies/Sciences

2006-11-05T06:44:00.000-05:00

This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy...

I was just reading through the latest edition of the Albion College Alumni Magazine, Io Triumphie. I've had it sitting around for awhile, but just found it this weekend while cleaning up my apartment in preparation for visitors.

The interesting thing I found in the magazine was a profile of Albion's Environmental Studies/Sciences program. I knew a bit about this when I was at Albion as a student and then as staff and even lived next door to the program's director, Tim Lincoln, for awhile...but it was never "my cup of tea". As you know from reading this Blog, I've become much more interested in the environment over the past few months.

It seems the program has grown and matured over the years, as well it should. They even have the E House, a "sustainable living/learning center". Great stuff!

Mysterious Statistics!

2006-11-05T06:31:00.000-05:00

I love the statistics for my Blog. It's evidence that I have far too much time on my hands that I am able to look through them regularly to see how people got to my Blog, what they read, and what link they followed to leave the Blog.

Today's mystery is this:

Someone clicked into my Blog from David's Blog. No surprise there b/c he has more visitors and sends more people my way than I do his! *smile*

But the strange thing is, the person was connecting from Hillsdale, the town which I often say is my "hometown" b/c I grew up in the country and people are more likely to know Hillsdale or Hillsdale College than they are to know Camden.

If you are this person, please leave a comment so I can contact you. Help solve the mystery!!!

JPG Magazine

2006-11-04T19:47:00.000-05:00

I just stumbled across JPG Magazine. Nice eye candy and before each issue, they allow people to submit photos on several themes and then choose those that get the most votes.

Those chosen receive $100 and sometimes an extra gift.

Sadly, photos must be at least 2200 pixels tall or wide and my camera won't take pictures that big! *sigh* Another reason to get a new camera when I go back to the US.

More photos

2006-11-04T18:54:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a fun couple of days in Cairo. No new pics from that, but I did finally get around to uploading some old pics.

They're in my Picasa albums. Unfortunately, they load a bit slowly so be patient!

Squirrels!

2006-11-04T16:07:00.000-05:00

Did you know that squirrels are omnivores?

I learned that little tidbit this morning while reading Margaret Visser's The Way We Are. Great book! It basically gives the background for everday things like objects, foods, and customs.

Before the weekend

2006-11-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

Time to get a bit of sleep before an early bus to Cairo. Once there, I'll go to church, on a walking tour through the old Coptic part of town, then a sailboat ride on the Nile.

And that's all before it gets dark!! I still have to figure out plans for the evening and Saturday morning!

Guilty Pleasures...

2006-11-02T17:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, I admit it! I just watched the movie Ali G Indahouse on TV and really laughed at parts of it! *laugh*

Yeah, I guess advertising and news about the Borat movie suckered me in!

Sahlab Recipe

2006-11-02T12:37:00.000-05:00

Under the heading of "good timing", David asked for a recipe for Sahlab. Well, that's funny because the past 2 days in one of my classes, we have been talking about food, cooking, ingredients, and recipes. I love it when things go together like that! *grin*

I found a good Sahlab recipe online, but I'll just say that I strongly recommend adding in maybe 10-20 raisins per glass (depending on how big they are and how much you like raisins) and that chunks of peanuts can be used instead of pistachios. Also, note the last comment about sprikling a bit of coconut on top.

Quiz Time!

2006-11-02T09:02:00.000-05:00

No, not for you -- for my students!!!

I'm off to give my first quiz for the current term. Wish them luck!

Last night's sound and light show

2006-11-01T20:27:00.000-05:00

"It was a dark and stormy night."

*snicker*

This brought back memories of a book/contest my friend David once talked about...
Ah, I love random neurons firing in the brain!

News from Tanta

2006-11-01T18:30:00.000-05:00

I got word this week that the married couple who were scheduled to come here and teach after I leave will _not_ be coming. Too bad...that'll make it tough for the students, my director and the other teachers here.

Please pray for this situation.

Also, pray for this married couple as they look into what they will do next...

A new spin...

2006-11-01T17:55:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I had discovered a new spin on an old favorite.

The weather is starting to turn chilly at night, so that means coffee places are shifting over to their winter drinks. One of my favorites (aside from hot chocolate) is something called Sahlib. It's a thick, slightly sweet milk drink with raisins and sometimes peanuts.

Well, today they added cinammon! Yum! I'm sold!

New Pictures!

2006-10-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, a long-awaited pictures update! It was the last day of the month and I still had quota left for uploading on Flickr, so I put up a bunch. Still waiting for pics from last week's trip...so you'll have to make due with pictures from September and early October. Check out the first page and then the first few on page 2.

Thunder!

2006-10-31T22:16:00.000-05:00

No...I'm not having an AC/DC moment. *grin*

We just had a short rain shower, complete with some rumbling thunder and I believe one flash of lightning! A great belated Halloween present from the Guy upstairs! *smile*

(and very funny, considering I talked about thunder and lightening today in class, but said that it doesn't happen very often in Egypt!)

While typing this, it's turned into a full-on downpour...complete with 8 more pops of lightning (and counting) in about 5 minutes. Dogs are barking and people are waking up to pull their laundry in. I've just gone to battery power, on the off chance that there's a power surge.

I am officially one happy camper! I'm tempted to go out and play in the rain, but a) the streets are dirty and gross and b) with the pollution, the rain gets dirty as it falls *eww*

Now That's Scary!!!

2006-10-31T08:26:00.000-05:00

Today, someone in Egypt visited my Blog and spent 1 hour and 50 minutes reading through 57 different pages. What the heck? Even my Mom doesn't spend that much time reading my Blog!!! *grin*

From the stats, it also appears that the same person (?) also visited yesterday and poked around for nearly an hour.

Um...maybe I should be careful with what I write here b/c I think I'm being watched by "the man". *laugh*

Or if you were this mysterious visitor, please leave a comment! At the very least, I presume you weren't bored with what you read!

Climate Change from an Economist's point-of-view

2006-10-31T07:06:00.000-05:00

Today, from the BBC:

"A report by economist Sir Nicholas Stern suggests that global warming could shrink the global economy by 20%. But taking action now would cost just 1% global gross domestic product."

-- I guess the "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" idea is still true.

Read the full article: Climate change fight 'can't wait'

Best Halloween Card...ever!

2006-10-31T06:20:00.000-05:00

I just got this link from a student. Usually, they send junk but this one is really a treasure!

Make your own Jack-o'-Lantern!

(and yes, that's spelled correctly! Much to my surprise, you have an apostrophe and a hyphen there)

While searching for the correct spelling, I also checked Wikipedia to see if there was information about the source of the name. Of course, there's an explanation, even if it is without references.

A Halloween Card for you...

2006-10-31T05:20:00.000-05:00

Great holiday! I love it!

Yesterday, I talked with 1 of my groups about Halloween and showed them some spooky things I have. Today, I'll share things (including pictures of my nieces in costumes) with another group! On Wednesday, I'll pass my goodies on to one of the other teachers b/c she asked if she could use them to talk about Halloween! *grin*

There's a lesson in one of our books that talks about celebrations/holidays and the example in the conversation is Halloween! What fun!

Now...for your viewing pleasure, a Halloween Card! Enjoy!

Happy Halloween (part 1)

2006-10-31T05:08:00.000-05:00

It's now Halloween!!! This is one of my favorite holidays, so I'll be posting lots of stuff today.

For starters, you can watch a great video of someone telling the story of The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service. Have you ever heard of it? I was introduced to this tale at our recent MCC fall retreat and it's a good one!

It's interesting that the tone of this tale can be changed drastically from one teller to the next. When I heard it the first time, it was done in a sort of silly, goofy way. But with this guy's voice and sound effects, it's a bit spooky!

Find me on Technorati

2006-10-30T17:52:00.000-05:00

I was looking through the statistics for this Blog today and noticed some odd new locations for visitors -- Israel and "unknown country". So, I guessed that some website was linking to me.

Well, it seems that right now if you search on Technorati.com for "Ban the bulb" and "FotoTagger", you find a link to some of my Blog entries. That's how these new people were finding me! Funny! I hope they liked what they saw!

Teach for America!

2006-10-30T06:15:00.000-05:00

I just found an interesting program that I think I'll apply for. It's called Teach for America and essentially, they find qualified college grads to teach in rural or urban settings where it's difficult to find teachers.

No certificiation required! You take courses and tests while teaching to earn your certification. The program is for 2 years, during which time you get your regular salary from the school, plus possibly additional funding through Teach for America that goes toward future Graduate School costs.

From the timelines I see, it looks like I want to submit my application on November 6th. So...between now and then, I need to contact people who will be references and also people who will write letters of recommendation.

Fun, fun, fun!!!

Free-diving?

2006-10-29T19:19:00.000-05:00

Something new to me in Dahab this trip was seeing people practicing their free-diving. Wacky stuff! They caught my attention b/c one day when we were out snorkeling, I saw people wearing a mermaid-type tail, instead of normal flippers. Apparently, that's part of their gear!

As it turns out, there's a professional free-diver named Lotta Ericson who lives in Dahab, runs a few businesses and practices when she can.

Dang! This is one of the most amazing things I've ever encountered. The amount of time these people can hold their breath and how far down they can go is astonishing!!!!

Interesting people!

2006-10-29T18:49:00.000-05:00

I still don't have pictures, but I'm finally getting around to writing a bit more about things last week.

Of course, I did fun stuff...but as usual, my trip came down to people. And I met some great ones!

I went with 2 Mennonite friends from Canada who are living in Egypt and I met them there. It was really fun to have people to travel with. Our plan was to have a double for my friend Ryan and I, then a single for April. However, when we got off the bus, we met a young woman who was staying at our hotel (Penguin Hotel and Dive Center), so she and April ended up sharing the room.

Christine was great fun! She hung out with us quite a bit and quite often became the center of attention at the Penguin restaurant in the evenings. Why? Well...she is a belly-dancer! *laugh* After studying for awhile in Canada, she decided that the next step was to check things out in Turkey and Egypt. This is the end of her time, so she wanted to hit the beach! Lucky us!

On top of that, we also met some teachers from 2 different international schools in Cairo. Fun folks! We were thrown together in a micro-bus to go on a big hiking trip and they definitely kept us laughing! *grin*

Now here's where it gets weird! 2 of them teach at the American International School in Cairo, the same place my bosses' older daughter goes! On top of that, 1 of the guys was from Charlotte, Michigan!

Strange Daze!

2006-10-29T17:52:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've been in a daze, ever since getting back from my trip. My sleeping schedule is all messed up -- even worse than it was before I left! *sigh* Hopefully this week, I can get it back to some degree of normalcy again!

Classes are going well. I might try to have an extra class with some of my groups on Thursday, to make up for the classes we missed last week.

Today, I had a day of prayer and fasting. A friend in Cairo suggested it last night and it seemed like a good idea, given all that I've been thinking of lately. I can't say that I got an "answer", but I got . . . something today. I'm just not sure yet what it was. Time will tell.

Still hoping to write out some stories from last week, but I don't have any pictures yet to go with them...

Just trying to get caught up

2006-10-29T06:39:00.000-05:00

Looking at homework today from my students and trying to get ready to teach tonight. Hopefully, I'll be able to get there early to put up some Halloween decorations!! *grin*

My first attempt at picture-tagging!

2006-10-28T19:12:00.000-04:00

Fun with adding tags to pictures! This one is from a trip on the Cairo Metro with friends last month. See the Tagged Photo or...

Learn more about FotoTagger.

Climbing Mt. Sinai

2006-10-28T18:42:00.000-04:00

Still waiting for pictures that show my actual experience in Sinai last week, me, and my friends...but I found some interesting Tagged pics of Mt. Sinai and the climb.

St. Catherine Monastery and the Climb up Mt. Sinai

Last Week's Trip!

2006-10-28T17:06:00.000-04:00

Just got back this morning and proceeded to sleep most of the day away to catch up on sleep. Took a night bus to Dahab on the Red Sea Sunday night -- didn't get much sleep
Climbed Mount Sinai (again) on Monday night -- didn't get much sleep
Went to a Belly-dance show on Tuesday night -- not much sleep
Recovered a bit Wed/Thursday, then a night bus to Cairo Friday night -- *yawn*

At least 1 or 2 readers out there know a bit of what a trip like this feels like!!! *grin*

I had a really amazing time. Perhaps my best trip yet to Dahab/Sinai. I had fun friends to hang out with, met some interesting people (more on that later), did awesome things, and had a lot of yummy food (including several Chocolate Double-Thick Milkshakes, curry, potato wedges and "American Breakfasts")!!!!

My friends took a ton of pictures and I'll get them on email soon, but for the time being, here are a few that I found to show you part of a hiking trip I went on to the Colored Canyon. Make sure you click for the full-size picture so that you can read descriptions of each pic.

The end of the game!

2006-10-22T07:01:00.000-04:00

Well...there have been some good guesses, but now it's time to show you all my car:

1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD diesel Station Wagon

*smile*

If all goes well, my mother and step-father will pick it up this weekend and then drive it around a bit before I get back.

Yeah!!!

$4 Generic Prescriptions at WalMart

2006-10-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

WalMart still has its bad reputation when it comes to wages and how they treat their employees, but at least they're making things a bit easier on the little guy.

They recently started $4 generic prescriptions on 25% of the medications they offer. Michigan isn't included, but Indiana is. I can imagine people making "a run for the border" and I'm not talking about Taco Bell!

A few days at the Red Sea (next week)

2006-10-18T21:37:00.000-04:00

In case I forget to post this later...

Sunday night, I'll be leaving for the Red Sea with a couple of friends. I'll be there through Thursday. This will be my last chance to go to Dahab, a very relaxing place.

Over the next few days, I'll try to post links, pics, and pictures to keep you occupied while I'm gone! Also, you can _always_ take the time that you would've spent reading the Blog and send me an email! *smile*

It's navy blue

2006-10-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

Well, 1 person was brave enough to take their 50/50 chance. Unfortunately, Mary was wrong...but at least now you all know my car is navy blue.

Thus far, you've managed to figure out that it's:

Mercedes
Navy Blue
--older than 1990s
--diesel

Here's another choice to help you:

Sedan, coupe, or wagon?

Google goes Solar

2006-10-17T20:23:00.000-04:00

This is the kind of news I like reading! Google just announced that they're outfitting their California HQ with solar panels!

Another car post

2006-10-17T10:29:00.000-04:00

*laugh* It looks like people are getting a bit...playful with their guesses! Good!

Well, Mike's one smart cookie! He's right by saying that my car is a Mercedes, but a bit off on its age.

So...we're still trying to guess:

Year
Model
Color (you have a 50/50 chance on this, based on a previous guess)

The end is in sight! At the conclusion of the game, I'll provide a link to a page that has information/pictures about my car.

It rained!!!

2006-10-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

Wow! It just rained...for maybe 2 whole minutes!!!!

Hey, this is the first rain I've seen or heard in about 6 months, so I'll take what I can get! *grin*

Good thing I was still awake to experience it...but now I'm off to bed!

My talented friends

2006-10-15T20:12:00.000-04:00

This weekend, I learned a great new song that was written by my friend Barrette. Fortunately, he has a Flash Animation of "Upside Down Kingdom" from when he was at a camp a year or so ago!

Also, here's a picture of Barrette and his wife Sandy teaching us the song this weekend:

A few new pictures

2006-10-15T19:51:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures from MCC Fall Retreat this past weekend. I'll type out a story or 2 later!

MCC Fall Retreat

2006-10-15T19:35:00.000-04:00

2 pictures, taken several seconds apart...

Great Guesses!

2006-10-15T17:04:00.000-04:00

*smile*

I like this game! (of having people try to guess what my car is) Apparently, some of you do, too!

I'm impressed by how good the guesses are b/c most are very, very close. Below is a list of guesses from oldest to newest, with my comments to help you with future guesses:

1. David -- Saab
I say -- warm, but I could never do it b/c "saab" sounds like the Arabic word for "difficult" *laugh*

2. Lisa -- Volkswagen, grey or navy.
I say -- Almost! My 2nd choice while vehicle-hunting was a VW of some type. However, one of your color guesses is right!!!

3. Mara -- Volvo and you wouldn't drive a Hummer.
I say -- You're warm! Plus, you're right that I wouldn't drive a Hummer. It might be in the realm of possibility if it ran on Waste Vegetable Oil, but I'd feel guilty supporting that company since their vehicles waste so much fuel.

4. Mike -- early 1990's Volvo 760T
I say -- Wow! That's the winner for most specific guess! *grin* Unfortunately, it's wrong (see my previous note about Mara's guess). I would say my car is somewhat similar in style, but you're a few years off on when it was manufactured.

5. Erik -- Saturn three-door coupe
I say -- Sorry, I haven't been converted into the Cult of Saturn just yet...

6. Sarah -- Jeep, Toledo-built
I say -- Swing and a Miss! Oh, she wasn't even close on that one, folks! *laugh* Well, that's not completely true. I guess my car is related to a Jeep, through marriage. (That's a HINT, if you missed it)

More about my car!

2006-10-12T08:08:00.000-04:00

Things are getting finalized. The check for the deposit will be mailed on Friday. *smile* I can't believe I'm doing this from Egypt (with assistance from my wonderful mother in Michigan, of course!)

See below for the contest that I started to see if you can guess what kind of car it is. David put in an incorrect guess by saying that it's a Saab, but "He's warm."

Big news -- I'm buying a car!

2006-10-11T20:38:00.000-04:00

That's my exciting news for the day! And no, it's _not_ in Egypt! That would go against "the rules" and would also be completely unnecessary!

Nope...this car is in Michigan. Currently, it's somewhere in "northern Michigan" but I'm not sure exactly where. It doesn't matter really, b/c it'll be making its way south in a couple of weeks and shortly thereafter, my mom will do some paperwork to make it "mine".

I guess I shouldn't "count my chickens before they're hatched", but it's pretty well a done deal. The current owner and I seem to have come to an agreement and once he sends his address, then I'll be able to get him a deposit.

What kind of car is it? Well...I think I'll keep that a secret right now and be a bit playful. Maybe you'll just have to see me in person once I'm back in the US to find out!

Actually, let's try another little game to see if people will write comments!

What kinds of cars can you picture me driving? What kinds of cars would _not_ be right for me? To help you, my 2 previous vehicles were:

1993 Chevy Lumina, Electric Blue (former Albion Admissions car) that I owned from 1997-2002
1987 Chrysler LeBaron, Tan that I drove in high school, while at Albion, and until it blew up in the fast lane of I-94 on the way to a job interview in Kalamazoo