(or download the WMV file here, 1min 2secs, 2.7MB) 

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This sharpie marker is a challenge to wash off completely.

There is a slight delay in the posting of tonight's segment due to er, technical difficulties, if you will.

 

 (or download the YouTube-logo-less version here, WMV, 39secs, 2.2MB)

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There are few things I will cry about, and I am determined that the loss of my Rebel XT shall not be one of them. It is, after all, replaceable. I could upgrade to a Rebel XTi, but I have had the chance to play with one, and the miniscule differences don't convince me to get the newer model. Btw, I love the Japanese names of these cameras. :P

 

(or download the WMV file here, 1min 32secs, 5.6 MB)

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I can never arrive and leave Walmart in less than 15 minutes. I'm always thwarted by trying to find parking or waiting in long-azz checkout lines. Well, today I had it all planned out. Get there, go get my soymilk, go get two photos printed, check out AT the photo center because SURELY no one would be as smart as me and do that, and leave. Could I execute this on at Walmart on a weekend? [dun dun dun dunnnnnn]

Got to the parking lot. Parked in the first spot I saw, start timing. Walked briskly into the store. Dammit, couldn't find closer parking, 3 mins already. Beeline for the soymilk (2 mins). What, where's the soymilk at? It was HERE last time ... oh THERE it is (1.5 mins)! I confidently headed for the photo center (1 min) ... this shouldn't take more than 3 mins and then I'm outta here!

There was a lady already at the instant photo printout station, selecting photos. I helped her complete the checkout process - oh noooo - FORTY-ONE PHOTOS!!!!

Exasperation! Fine. So I waited, cursing all the while to myself. At least I was able to place my order while her photos were printing ("PRINT FASTER DAMMIT!!!!" as if visualizing this would speed up the per-print time). Her order took like 7 mins.

OK. "Gimme my photos you stupid machine ... I already placed my order ... what's taking so long?!" I wanted to bang on the machine but restrained myself. Nope, there's a 1 minute waiting time so that people's orders don't get mixed up. Oh how thoughtful. But not on this day when I was in a rush to get outta there!

Checkout. Three items (I picked up some batteries while waiting for the lady and they were right there in front of my face), I got my cash out to speed things up. She scanned item one - beep, scanned item two - beep, scanned item three (the photos) - no worky, scanned item three again, nope, scanned it again, still no luck, keyed in the code, code invalid, keyed it in again more carefully, nope, scanned it again while waving the barcode scanner around at different distances and angles - beep. 4 mins. AUGGGHHH!

Walking (almost running) back out. Darned slow people on their carts walking so slowly, soaking in all the Xmas marketing. Almost got run over by an old lady and her shopping cart by darting out from between the displays too fast. Made it back out to my car in 4 mins probably. Driving to destination. OK slowpokes outta my wayyyyyyyyyy ... got there just in time. Whew. Too stressful though. Will never do Walmart-on-a-limited-time-schedule again. Ugh. Cuz this was Walmart, the Two Weekends before Xmas edition. Yuck.

PS - "ISO HI" mode on my Canon SD600 is gross. SO noisy.

OK. In order to avoid having tons of Mr. Thumbheads screeching at you all at once, I'm succumbing to YouTube for playback here. But you may download my lovely file here if you wish. (WMV, 4.3 MB, 1min 10secs)

And I KNOW you didn't miss Days One and Two. :)

Heading out to a "company" party, so I'm posting this a little earlier today. Seems like this weekend is an unofficial national company party weekend. :P

(download the WMV, 2.8MB, 44 secs)

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Hey, geek feedback question: are the videos starting automatically when you load up your page? Cuz I don't want them to. I tried to turn "Autostart" off so I can post multiple videos on here without having them all come up screeching, "ON THE NTH DAY OF XMAS MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO MEEEEE!!!!" in nonharmonious rounds. Somehow I don't think that would go over well with co-workers of my working readers ... er, I don't think it could benefit anyone, really. Autostart was successfully suppressed in my FireFox 2 and IE 6, and I'm on WinXP Home. Please post your OS and browser version and let me know!

Just doing my part to prevent deafness and tinnitus (aka ringing in the ears) before you all come running to me for acupuncture treatment. :)

Update: succumbing to YouTube here.

(or download the WMV here, 50 secs, 3.3 MB)

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Now for some real holiday goodness:

Me: Your mom told me she was renewing her vows after 50 years of marriage, and that you kids were footing the bill for everything! How sweet and generous of you guys!
Daughter: Oh, it's really very little compared to how much they've given us.
Me: *Snif!*

Stuff like this truly warms me from the inside out.

Update: Succumbing to YouTube here.

T: "Ma, are you proud and/or happy to be my mum?"
T's Mum: "Yes, dear! I am! And I hope that in all of my future lives, I can continue to be your mum."
Me (to myself): "Aww snif!"
T: "Awww. But but but ... what if I end up being a dog?"
T's Mum: "Then I hope that I can be your doggy mum."
T: "Awwwww. But but but ... what if I end up being a pine tree?"
T's Mum: "Then I hope that I can be a pine tree first, years ahead of you, so I can drop the pine cone that will become you and have you grow up right next to me, under my branches, so I can shade and protect you."
Me (and I'm sure I was not alone): "*AWWW SNIF!!!!!!*"

T, 2 months ago, holding strong despite her body's protests.

T, 2 days ago, with her rightfully proud and loving mum, as she tells us of the above dialogue between them.

Welcome back, T.

1. When someone says something that is just totally ridiculous because they are clearly underinformed and thus making incorrect basic assumptions, but doesn't let you debate with them or explain anything at all, just repeating the same blatant BS over and over to you, and then swings a "I was once a Mensa* editor for xx years" at you like that means anything. Yeah, he's probably really smart, but that doesn't mean he knows EVERYTHING and is right about EVERYTHING ...
   
2. When you're hanging out with friends and a guy amongst them whom you hardly know takes excessive pictures of you thinking you're not looking. You already get the vibe that he's a closet perv, and during the course of hanging out you see him blatantly taking pictures of another dude's girlfriend's cleavage hoping that people are too drunk to notice. He continues to snap picture after picture of you ...**
   

* Before I knew what Mensa was, and heard the word, I thought, "What a dumb name for a club. It sounds like 'menses'. Geez."
** I was so creeped out I didn't even WANT to take ANY pictures all night. Ew.