Melinda Musil dot Com

Posts Tagged ‘favs’

When I started writing about my new Blackberry Bold, the CEO of CMO America invited me to review a few of his products.  I gladly accepted and am here to tell you about my own tangle-free life.

Anyone who owns a handful of computer and/or electronic equipment knows the challenge of the cords.  If you keep your computer at home, this isn’t a huge problem.  But if you want to take things like your cell phone, mp3 player, or even a laptop computer on the road, dealing with cords is just a hassle.  You have to deal with power cords, USB cords, earphones- it turns into a big, tangly mess.

ZipKord is working to untangle that mess.  ZipKord makes every type of retractable cord imaginable.  Probably the most useful of their cords (at least for me) is the retractable earbuds.  They came with a nice carrying pouch, and will be a wonderful tool to have when I am listening to music at work or any other place where I can’t make a lot of noise. (Hint: You have to snap the earbuds into the Bold really hard.  But once they are in, they will never fall out accidentally!)  Plus as a side note… I found the quality of the music to be outstanding with these earbuds!

I also received a retractable USB cable (it is mini-USB to regular USB) and a 3-in-1 Blackberry Bold charger.  That charger can be used to charge your Blackberry through a standard 110 volt wall socket, through a car socket, or through the computer.  As I’ve learned more about the Blackberry Bold and li-on batteries in general, I’ve learned that it is actually good for the battery to give it a little more juice here and there.  Those ten minutes in the car can make all the difference!  So I’m thankful to have this extra charger, which works just as well as the OEM charger.  Now I usually plug in my Berry when I am in the car and get a little more juice every day.

[Show as slideshow]

BUY IT!  Detangle your life by going to Zipkord.com!

I couldn’t let this day pass without observing a moment of remembrance of Dr. King. His work has, without a doubt, changed our nation and our world for the better. His sacrifice was not in vain.

I was tagged by T. Sterling to write six all-new random facts about me.  I am honestly not sure what to write- I am a pretty open person, and not a very random person, so I’m struggling to think of six things about me that I haven’t blogged about before!

1. Schizophrenia meets careers…
When I was in sixth grade, I was determined to be a veterinarian, regardless of the fact that I’m allergic to cats. I began college as a mass communications major and graduated with a degree in elementary education. I then went on to pursue certification in high school english, high school social studies, and middle school math. After teaching 7-12 students for a few months, I began studying website design and search engine optimization. Today I am a substitute teacher and a writer, among other things.

2. She’s so crafty…
I love crafts. It seems like I never have enough time for it, but I love sewing, crocheting, knitting, counted cross stitch, you name it. Basically anything that lets me be creative.

3. …and sneaky too!
I was a remarkably non troublemaking child. Once, I prank-called a classmate. I never toilet papered anyone’s house or car. I did, however, maintain straight As in high school and graduated at the top of my class.

4. Salmon swim upstream…
As I’ve grown and discovered myself, I realized that I am totally different from anyone I know. I hate makeup (though I tolerate it for my job). I hate skirts and hosiery (and I virtually never wear those!). If I had a choice, I would wear blue jeans every day. I love to have super-short hair, but I’m too lazy to get it cut on a regular basis (my last haircut was in Dec. 2006.) so I have pretty long hair. I like being an oddball.

5. Flying the friendly skies, or, a mini terrorist
I love to travel and have flown or driven to many other cities, states, and nations. My first flight was on Brenuff Airlines in 1988. I was five years old and we were visiting an uncle in Boston. I was the only small child on that flight. The pilot let me visit him in the cockpit for what felt like a really long time. He explained to me what all the different buttons and knobs did, though I understood none of it. But I stll credit him with giving me a love of flying.

6.The Accident
This one is not so lighthearted, but it’s a big part of who I am. When I was 17 years old and a senior in high school, I was involved in a very serious car accident and almost died. I was driving on the interstate at about 10:30pm in icy weather, lost control of the car, and slid under a semi. I was in a coma for eleven days and on life support that whole time. I was in the hospital for 21 days, in rehab for six weeks, out of school for nearly four months, and left with health challenges that will last for the rest of my life.

Here are the rules:
1. LINK TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU
2. POST THE RULES ON YOUR BLOG
3. WRITE SIX RANDOM THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF
4. TAG SIX PEOPLE AT THE END OF YOUR POST AND LINK TO THEM
5. LET EACH PERSON KNOW THEY ARE TAGGED AND LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR BLOG
6. LET THE TAGGER KNOW WHEN YOUR ENTRY IS UP

…and here’s my tags.

Jacklyn
Shauna
Becca
Bobbi
Krista
Katelyn

I love this movie.

There are so many things that I love about this movie – I’m sure you will all agree that it’s a wonderful, classic movie.  Even though it’s “just” a Christmas movie, it’s one of my favorite movies.  Jimmy Stewart is a fantastic actor, for starters – I also love “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”!

But perhaps my favorite thing about this movie is the way it shows how connected we are.  As a child, George Bailey saves his brother’s life.  His brother goes on to rescue dozens of other soldiers in the military.  That simple connection shows how much we owe the people around us.  It’s the “butterfly effect” – the brush of a butterfly’s wing halfway around the world can cause or prevent a storm right here.  If one person simply turns his head at a slightly different angle, it can change the world.  Furthermore, I am sure we can all think of our “close calls” – the times when we narrowly escaped death or injury.  Maybe it was getting pulled back onto the sidewalk as a speeding car raced by.  Maybe it was a friend who extinguished a spark that landed on your shirt.  Maybe it was any of a thousand things that we’ll never know – the lightening bolt that struck just a few feet from your house, but didn’t set it on fire, or the time you stumbled and narrowly avoided destroying your kneecap.

We are so dependant on each other.  We owe our lives to each other.  Thank you.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been swimming- you guys all know that.  No surprise.  Since I started subbing, I’m almost always working during the hours that the pool is open.  I’ve thought about getting a membership at the Y, since they have a pool, but that is farther away than the pool I’ve been using, plus this pool is one that I’m allowed to use for free. (it’s owned by the same school district I work for, so I get a free membership.)  Anyway, the only other time I could swim would be during the pool’s early hours- between 6am and 7am.

Of course, that would mean I would have to go to bed early- between 9 and 10pm.  Problem?  As of late, I’ve become a huge fan of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  Really, my favorite part is the monologue at the very beginning.  That is between 10:30 and 11pm.

Now that Leno has announced his retirement, I have this strange feeling that time is short and I can’t miss another Leno.  IMO, Conan O’Brian stinks, so when he takes over I will have no trouble going to bed early.  But right now?  I can’t bear to go to bed before Leno.

That means, no early morning swimming.  No swimming at all.  Flabby muscles.  Buhbye weight loss.  *sigh*

This afternoon, my parents and I went to a production of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at the Kansas City Repertory Theater.  My dad got the tickets for free through some kind of deal at his job, although they regularly run from $25-$45, I think.  The show was excellent, though of course I can’t exactly say I was surprised by teh way it ended.  It was a pleasant afternoon, though, and fun to see a play for the first time in quite awhile.

We ate dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen on the Country Club Plaza.  A student gave my mom a gift card to CPK, and honestly that’s the only way we could afford it- that place is PRICY!  But the food is EXCELLENT and it was a wonderful dinner.

On another note, I made a huge dent in my unread feeds tonight- big triumph!

This was the inspiration behind this theme.

Most of my friends know that I am a total history nut.  I love learning about the people and events of history.  That is why I consider this song to be one of my favorite Christmas carols.

This song was written by a man who had every reason not to write this song.  It was first written as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, on Christmas day, 1864.  This was, on the one hand, near the end of the American Civil War, and on the other hand, after nearly four long years of bloodshed and death.

Two years earlier, Longfellow’s wife, Fanny, died after suffering fatal burns.  His journals were filled with his despair.  Just as he was starting to put his life back together, he received word that his oldest son, a lieutenant in the Army of the Potomac, had been severely injured by a bullet that passed below his shoulder blade and through his spine.  If Charles survived, he would be crippled for life.

Out of that despair, Longfellow penned these inspiring words.  Five of these stanzas were set to music and became the beloved carol.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said:
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

May your Christmas seasons be blessed!

When I was a teenager, I NEVER wore makeup.  I hated the way it felt, and I wasn’t a huge fan of how it looked either.  Maybe once or twice a year, I would get a particularly vicious pimple and use a touch of coverup- that was it!

When I went to college, I continued my boycott of all things cosmetic.  College was a time for wearing pajama pants to class, getting dressed in fifteen minutes or less, and forgetting to brush my hair occasionally.

After college, when I started working professionally, I started using the bare minimum of makeup- a little foundation with mascara.  I could brush it on quickly but it didn’t take too long.

When I moved overseas, I left my makeup behind.  It was hot, I sweated a lot, no point in wearing makeup!

I came back to the US and returned to my bare minimum of makeup.

This weekend I finally broke down.  I started adding eyeliner, eyeshadow, and blush.  The scary part is… I think I liked how it looked.  I think I will now be wearing a full mask every day.

The fun part now is the learning curve.  Seriously… I never really “learned” how to put on makeup, so I’m just learning the whole thing now.  It’s crazy.  I have to figure out what colors I like and what looks good on me.  It’s a real adventure- I’m not good with colors AT ALL, so like I said it’s a learning curve.

A blog is many things, including a diary and a daily record.  For me, a blog is also a handy place to “store” all the facts and random stuff I don’t want to forget.

So, let me tell you about the absolute world’s greatest pasta sauces- or at least the best sauces I have ever tasted!

The first sauce is called Monjuni’s.  This is a sauce that was actually given to us by a friend, a parent at my mother’s school.  These particular parents are very financially blessed and very generous, and often will buy bottles of this sauce for all their friends.  Taste it and you’ll understand why- it is amazingly wonderful stuff!  (You can order their sauce through their website.) (We love you, Mr. and Mrs. Poe!!!)

Only one problem with Monjuni’s- it is NOT cheap stuff!  $7 a bottle, plus shipping, and we are not wealthy people.  Luckily we discovered Scimeca’s- also a fantastic sauce, maybe not quite as good as Monjuni’s but pretty doggone good in its own right, and it is MUCH more reasonably priced.

I’m kind of a carbohydrate junkie, and I especially love pasta, so I never want to forget about these wonderful sauces!

Today my parents and I went out to lunch with a friend from our church.  We went to Chick-Fil-A, which was delicious, of course.  Our friend is an older lady who doesn’t drive anymore, and who doesn’t get out a whole lot, so she always appreciates our visits.  I enjoy talking with her because she is very knowledgeable on community activities and local politics.

Originally my mom was just going to take her out, but we wound up taking the whole family along because we are out of bread at home… and therefore we had could not make sandwiches for our Saturday lunches.   I certainly did not complain… even if we were out of bread, it was worthwhile for the visit to Chick-Fil-A, which is new to our area and absolutely delictious.