Month: August 2010

Spark Peoples Mobile Makeover

On By Michel McDonaldIn DietLeave a comment

Spark People has finally given their mobile site a long overdue makeover. I was having trouble with my slow computer so I turned my PSP on to log my dinner through their mobile site and found a cool new look.

As you can see they have added the ability to track your weight and water as well as being able to browse Restaurant foods. That is a nice addition for those on their mobile phones when they are out at the local Burger King so as they are eating their “salad” (yeah right) they can look up how many calories they are eating then track it.

Here are some more pictures.

Even though I’m not technically a huge mobile user, I do appreciate that they are finally working on their mobile version. I do use it occasionally because it loads much faster than it does in the browser on my slow computer.

Bob’s Big (Hippie) Boy

On By Michel McDonaldIn crafts, JewelryLeave a comment

I realize that on the dorkometer I am probably off the charts but I was bored earlier today so I made a necklace for my Bob’s Big Boy piggy bank lol.

It’s not an exact replica but it was the best I could do with what I have to work with. Of course I had to attach a picture of my necklace below his to show how the colors are the same, although they are spaced quite a bit apart and the hemp is smaller in mine but it’s basically the same thing. Who cares about semantics hehe.

It was fun to make, there were times I thought it might be too long with all the knots and the amount of beads but it worked out on the first try.

Now, I see 2 teddy bears who don’t have any jewelry on.

Smell-enhanced augmented reality food makes every meal a gourmet feast | DVICE

On By Michel McDonaldIn TechLeave a comment

via Smell-enhanced augmented reality food makes every meal a gourmet feast | DVICE.

Ok this is a little bit strange but could be useful if there is a shortage of food.  You could make crappy unflavored cookies with very little calories but it will make you think you are eating something very tasty filled with tons of calories like a chocolate cake or a Twinkie.  Or maybe if you want a pizza it will make you think you are eating a small round pizza lol.  I don’t know.

Blog Down, RSS Up

On By Michel McDonaldIn Blog, Daily BlogLeave a comment

Oh my goodness what a day I’ve had. Went to the doctor’s office, got praised for losing 2lbs the WHOLE MONTH which upsets me but the doctor seemed to be happy about it for some odd reason. We come home and I go on a tangent of trying to fix my RSS feed and screw the whole thing up.

I had this plug-in which was supposed to fix everything but it didn’t do anything and I went to their blog and posted a comment asking for help. I figured that if I just re-upload all the blog files it would fix it but it did the complete opposite. I couldn’t access anything at all. My blog was down for at least an hour.

I was floored that I might have lost my blog but I got it back and everything is fine. My RSS feed works again which was all I wanted to begin with and my blog is up again. WHEW! I really need a cocktail now lol.

My Funny Childhood Phrases

On By Michel McDonaldIn My ChildhoodLeave a comment

When I was growing up my parents and aunt said the funniest things to us kids. Like for example, when someone farted they would call it “stepping on a frog”. Have you ever heard anyone refer to it as that? The reason they said that was because back in the 70′s the word fart was a bad word. It was such a bad word that we would get slapped (or in my case beat) if we said it. So the nicest way of saying it was stepping on a frog.

Every night when we went to bed, my mother would tell us “Goodnight, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite, if they bite, bite them back.”

When I was in my late 20′s I said that to a friend of ours who lived right on the beach in Malibu just before she went to bed and I got a tongue lashing from it. ”HOW DARE YOU” and that wasn’t from the friend, that was from Darrin. How dare I accuse her of having bed bugs, she’s rich, she lives in a beach house in Malibu. How dare I even suggest that she has any bugs in her house.

It’s funny how despite my best intentions, something from my childhood isn’t quite accepted by anyone other than my family members.

And yes, that is me on the right, the girl on the left is my older sister. I don’t remember the occasion that picture was taken but I think it was when we lived on Holtby Road here in Bakersfield which is oddly enough on my exercise bike route. I pass that house every time I ride my bike to the bike trail.

Hemp Choker

On By Michel McDonaldIn crafts, JewelryLeave a comment

I finally made my beaded hemp necklace, or choker as you would call it. I didn’t really want a choker but I guess I ended up with one since I didn’t plan the pattern out right. I was winging it since nobody had this particular pattern for the size hemp that I have which is the #40.

I was thinking about trying again by adding more knots to each end but when I hold it down a little bit as if it had more length it doesn’t look great. Also, as I lose weight my neck will get thinner and the necklace will end up going down on its own so I think I’ll leave it alone.

My carpal tunnel’d hands hate my guts right now. I kind of hate me too for doing this knowing how bad my hands are but I really, really wanted a beaded hemp necklace lol.

The package of beads I got had 3 different sizes with 3 different wood colors so what I think I’ll do is remake the bracelet with the medium size beads since the necklace has the larger beads and the rings have the smaller beads, this way I’ll have a set lol. I don’t know if I’m going to take it further with earrings though, I think that would be too much.

Well, that solves my reward for losing my first 27lbs. I wanted jewelry. I didn’t care if it was handmade or store-bought as long as I had jewelry. I got my dragon and vine ring that I bought a couple of years ago that was too small that I could only wear it as a pinky ring. Now I have 2 hemp rings with 1 more in the works, a hemp bracelet and now hemp choker.

Oh I also have that eagle necklace I talked about last month when I made up the reward thing. Remember it was too small? Well, it just so happens that I found a bracelet (that belonged to Opal) that Darrin was going to give to one of our friends children but her parents said no, she’d lose it. Darrin didn’t care because he said it was costume jewelry so no big deal. He told me to just toss it but I kept it and guess what? It makes the perfect extension for my necklace.

It’s a gold chain that doesn’t exactly match the chain that my eagle necklace is on but it’s pretty close and they are both the same gold color. Who is gonna notice it? I don’t know if or when I will wear it but it’s low enough that I have that option now. I could wear it right now if I wanted to but I don’t know if a hemp choker and gold eagle necklaces go together lol.

So, I got my jewelry and I’m happy. I went years without jewelry and never really cared one way or the other and now I feel naked without it.

Hobby Lobby

On By Michel McDonaldIn craftsLeave a comment

If you live in the US you might have been to a Hobby Lobby some time in your life.  I have been there once or twice with my aunts when I visited them in Texas at Christmas time in 2006.  My aunt Louise brought me there before Christmas to buy herself some jewelry supplies then on Christmas morning my Aunt Joyce gave me a Hobby Lobby gift card which I had to spend before I came back to California because we don’t have the wonderful warehouse.

If you have never been to one, I can only describe it as a cross between Wal*mart and Michael’s.  They probably aren’t as big as a Wal*mart store but they are bigger than Michael’s and they carry more merchandise than Michael’s.

The reason this came to mind today is because last night I was watching these tutorial videos from ehow.com on how to make hemp necklaces.  The woman doing the tutorials showed all the 4 different sizes of hemp and said to get them from Hobby Lobby.  Well, Michael’s only had 2 sizes but she had all the sizes which means Hobby Lobby must carry everything when Michael’s only carries half.

I looked at the map on the Hobby Lobby website to see how many states away we are from Hobby Lobby and I was shocked to see that California and Oregon are the only 2 states on the west coast who does not have a Hobby Lobby.  That sucks big time.  I think that they need to bless California with their presence starting with Bakersfield lol.  If not, at least sell merchandise on your website!

Thicker Hemp

On By Michel McDonaldIn craftsLeave a comment

We went to Michael’s to buy some thicker hemp today.  The hemp that Erik “the Hippie” was using in his tutorial was much thicker and is what I wanted to buy but Michael’s didn’t have it.  They had the #20 and #48 but no thicker.  They actually had a thicker one but it wasn’t the same stuff and it was extremely itchy.  I’m not going to get an itchy cord to wrap around my neck and constantly be irritated from it.

The #20 is good for rings and for smaller projects but not very good for making necklaces.  I don’t know how the #48 is going to look yet so I’ll find out when I start working with it.

Chips bracelet keeps falling off of his wrist so I’m going to make him another one because I bought some barrel clasps that I’m going to put on his new one and my new one too.  I don’t mind using a pony bead as a clasp but if they are going to keep falling off then it’s not worth it.  I also wanted the barrel clasp for making a necklace because I don’t want extra hemp cord tickling the back of my neck.

I didn’t get any extra beads because I have plenty for now.  Also, I’m still a beginner so I don’t want to have all these extra craft supplies if I burn out on it you know what I mean?

So, off I go to remake our bracelets to find out if this new stuff is thick enough for a necklace.

Justin Timberlake Goes Gay For Pay

On By Michel McDonaldIn Celebrities, Humor, Movies, TVLeave a comment

Justin Timberlake Will Play Gay for Upcoming TV Series – Source PopEater.com

I love Justin Timberlake and I was thrilled to read that he is going to be doing the voice of a gay character in the animated Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show. He will be playing Paul who will be the love interest of Terry.

Terry Kimple?  The guy with the mustache?  Seriously?  I never would have taken him for gay.  That surprises me and is hilarious at the same time.

I have mixed feelings about this because on one hand I think it’s awesome that he is going to play any role on a show that I watch but at the same time, a lot of straight people who act gay for a tv series or movie tend to overact the part because they or the director think that is how a typical gay person acts. And yes, sometimes they are spot on certain gay people but that’s not how all gay people act and it comes off as condescending to me sometimes.

When Will and Grace was on the air I didn’t know that Eric McCormack was actually Straight but I thought he portrayed the typical gay man perfect. He couldn’t be more perfect for the role of Will Truman. He wasn’t overly feminine in the show, although he had his moments but don’t we all?

It will be interesting to see how Justin plays a gay character in The Cleveland show when it airs. Either way, my opinion of him most likely won’t change because he is just so funny to me. I loved his SNL music video skit of D*** in a box, that was hilarious lol.

Oh, he’s not only playing Paul but he’s also playing a singing booger.  Rallo’s booger in fact.  That is hilarious and something I would’ve expected him to do.

My Dell DJ Battery

On By Michel McDonaldIn Gadgets, Music, Products I LikeLeave a comment

On July 2nd I bought a battery for my Dell DJ on eBay from the seller battery.search who has a feedback score of 9122 with 98.9% positive feedback which is a pretty good.  That’s the only reason I bought my battery from them.

They told me in the confirmation email that it would take anywhere from 7 to 20 business days which means I could wait a month for the battery to come.  It has clearly been over a month and still no battery.

I contacted that seller yesterday telling them that I am still waiting.  The only thing I can think of is that the shipment was taken from Customs and never released because it shipped from Hong Kong.  But why would customs take the battery and never release it?  It’s a harmless battery that isn’t even charged when it ships out.  When it arrives I have to charge it fully because it won’t work right out of the box.

So the sellers response to me is “can I refund to you???”  My response was NO, I don’t want a refund, I want my battery.  I’m afraid that if they give me a refund then my battery shows up tomorrow and they are out $15 but on the other hand if it never shows up then I’m out $15.  So, after they asked me a 3rd time I responded with a yes, I would like a refund.  But if it shows up then I will issue them a refund lol.

Whatever…

So now I’m back at square one where I was a month and a week ago, with no battery for my Dell DJ and now I don’t want to buy another one because they are all coming from freakin’Hong Kong.  Aren’t there any sellers in the US who sell batteries for the 2nd gen Dell DJ?

I guess the only thing I can do is if I ever want to ride my bike with tunes, bring my PSP with me.  It really sucks because I’m so paranoid I’m going to break it.  The Dell DJ is old enough that even though I don’t want it to break I would feel worse if my PSP broke.  I’m sure the Dell DJ is tougher than a PSP is so I never worry about it.

The Dell DJ battery was my reward for losing my first 27lbs and I never got my reward which sucks.  So since I’ve decided to start wearing jewelry early which would’ve been my 2nd reward for losing another 25lbs, I guess my rewards have switched.  Although now I have to change my 2nd reward to something else, I think a Kindle would be something I can change that to.