romej dot com - the feed still burns

Another reason to love her

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:09:07 -0700

She's not afraid to buy me gifts that make me laugh , then act hurt when I do.

Last night in Edgefield

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:42:52 -0700

Last night we helped Joe and Rebecca load their U-Haul as they make their move to Augusta. Charlie, Erin, and Arden brought extra muscle and hearty attitudes.

Fitz made his city slicker demeanor evident when, after being put in the dog run, he got a bunch of green burrs stuck to him. One joined the hair below his eye with the hair above it, giving him a permanent stink eye. He looked pitiful and his friends cried when I removed him.

I let him out to stay with us, though we worried he'd be in the way. He only tripped someone up once.

After awhile he was asking to go back to see his friends. Michelle put him in and we left him there while we moved bulky items.

She asked me to check on him and as I walked back to the pen I noticed he was sitting sideways on a board right against the fence. It's like he doesn't know how to use a yard.

The dogs got the best of me and slipped out as I tried to get him. While he seemed eager to come out to see me he quickly forgot and ended up dashing away into the dark with his buds.

Michelle flipped out, her voice echoing across the neighborhood. I don't think Fitz could zero in on her location and I found him slinking around through the trees.

So ends the Edgefield times. It'll be nice to have everyone closer.

A nice surprise

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:14:27 -0700

Michelle asked me to check and verify the contents of an Amazon order she placed. The package arrived and the box seemed too small to contain textbooks, which is what she told me this was. As I handled the box, Fitz sitting below me expectantly, I caught a flash of red and realized it was Super Mario Galaxy 2. It was a great surprise and I immediately left work and made the 40-foot commute to the TV.

I like to think back on how much fun we had playing games like this when we were kids, and then to imagine what it must be like to grow up playing the new ones (not to mention the realistic ones on the 360 and PS3...)

Protecting your desk from scratches

Tue, 11 May 2010 10:16:17 -0700

Michelle loves her desk, but the white surface is prone to damage that stands out. She usually writes on a big desk calendar but finally came to the last month.

When we ordered the desk we had the option of buying a clear protective sheet cut to fit the desk's surface. The problem was that it cost nearly as much as the desk itself.

She really just wanted to protect her immediate writing area, so a desk pad or blotter would work.

Wanting something transparent, we bought a perfectly sized sheet of plexi-glass (look for Plaskolite or Lexan).

They come in many sizes and you can buy a cutting tool if the standard size isn't what you need.

Kids counting money

Sun, 02 May 2010 17:33:37 -0700

I released my first iPad app a couple weeks ago. It's called MakeChange and it's intended to help kids learn basic addition skills through money counting. It works as you might expect: slide coins below the line until you think you have the amount indicated on the register. You can tap coins to flip them over. It's fun to manipulate the virtual currency and impossible to swallow anything.

Learn money math with MakeChange.

Air conditioner efficiency, not cool

Sun, 02 May 2010 17:24:31 -0700

I noticed bits of blown insulation around the AC vent in our kitchen when we moved in. I brushed it away but noticed that more was slowly appearing as the months passed.

A few days ago I indulged my curiosity and shined a flashlight into the AC vent in the kitchen. To my horror I saw wood. As in the backside of the roof itself.

The air never felt strong out of that vent, but it was also hard to get close to due to the refrigerator. The duct had come loose and was blowing into the attic. For nearly a year we were running like this!

I called the landlord, knowing the weather was going to go from the low 70's to high 80's over the next few days. He's a nice guy but forgetful. I pushed for a fix before the weekend so that we wouldn't be losing any more money over the weekend (highs of 93 on Sunday).

Vent cover removed, revealing things as they were

We can probably cool the house an extra degree or two for the same cost. If your house doesn't feel cool enough it's worth checking your ducts in the attic for leaks as well as any issues around the vents.

Fitz's BFF heads north

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:28:57 -0700

Tomorrow the neighbors and their schnauzer are heading north for the summer. Fitz has been playing with Henry for months and spends a good part of his day looking out the window, neck resting over the arm rest (sometimes causing him to choke himself a little), waiting for Henry to appear. It'll be interesting to see how they react to seeing each other again in October (!).

iPhone writing

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:06:51 -0700

Chronicle helps you write on the iPhone. Write about your day, or pick from writing prompts. One advantage over paper, besides always having your phone with you, is that you can quickly search everything you've ever written.

iPhone journal or secret diary

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:44:18 -0700

To many, a pencil in hand feels more foreign than the device they text all day long with. Thoughts flow easier through thumbs than the pen.

While bound paper journals aren't going anywhere, there are plenty of people looking for a way to write on their iPhone or iPod.

If you're in this camp, try Chronicle.

You can write in portrait or landscape mode. Searching previous entries is fast and the app will show you the words you're looking for within the paragraph they occur. It's like having a little Google in your pocket.

If you want to add a picture (or two, or three) to your journal entry, you can. Tap your pictures to see them at normal size.

Customize your diary to your tastes by changing the background color or fonts. If you have a hard time reading small text, adjust the font size.

You can leave your diary unlocked, but if you need privacy, lock it. Anyone that tries to access your secret diary will have to enter the passcode to unlock it. You can record private thoughts.

It's also great for practicing writing. Take a look at some prompts, then open the journal and write. Review your prior work easily.

Remember special days, take notes.

Everything you write can be exported to Google Docs. Only you can view your documents, and you can download them as text files, Word documents, or PDFs.

If you've played My Secret Diary DS but need a little more for your iPod Touch, try this.

If you're looking for electronic diary software or a free online diary, try this. It costs less than an Auntie Annie's pretzel, and you can take it anywhere.

Fitz and his Easter eggs

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:07:17 -0700

We like watching Fitz play. We especially like things that make his ears go up in confusion or wonder. That's why most of his toys make noise or move. He doesn't accept anything less at this point.

Michelle bought some plastic Easter eggs to fill and give to friends. She had a few left over and started putting Waggin Train chicken jerky pieces in them.

The first time she gave an egg to Fitz he could smell the chicken through the small holes, but he knew what he was seeing was not a piece of chicken. He nudged it with his nose and pawed it.

It took a few minutes but he eventually broke it open and got the jerky out.

We put a few more eggs together and watched as his ears perked up each time he broken one open. I made a couple without anything in them; he seemed surprised and kept looking around after he opened them.

He's very skilled at handling them now. If we lose him one day, hopefully he will be able to forage and survive off eggs.