The family just spent a little while together, watching a terrific DVD series called Drive Thru History. I’m a tremendous history buff, so I really like these. But the DVDs are not made for history buffs– the’re made for “average” people, people who would like to learn more about the amazing things that happened in the past but don’t have the time to study. I just LOVE Dave Stotts and his DVDs. The guy is just hilarious and he has made some really, really quality DVDs. They deserve a plug, they are just that good. And I think you and your kids would just love them.

Dave has made a bunch of DVDs. There are 4 of them where he travels Asia Minor and Greece, exploring ancient history. I love them! He also has a bunch of DVDs on American history, and these are just hilarious. He’s making more, too. We are really looking forward to getting more.

So check out these DVDs! You’ll get a great education, AND you’ll get a lot of belly laughs, too. Probably the only thing I can think of that I don’t like about the DVDs is that Dave has a lot of art showcased in his DVDs, and a small percentage is immodest stuff (like nude statues). Dave actually decided to cover some of the statutes with polka-dot boxer shorts, LOL. But believe me, the art is a far cry from all the ikky sexy lingerie that’s shoved in our faces every day. So, I think the DVDs are well done.

You can find the DVDs at Amazon, at CBD here, and at the main site, here. I very, very highly recommend them!

I’ve been lazy the last three days, not doing a whole lot except cooking, cleaning, and figuring out how to do more computer stuff. My new computer is a 64-bit machine with 64-bit Vista, and it’s taken some getting used to. One thing, not all software works with it, even software installed by Microsoft itself (duh!). One such problem that had me running maniacally around the house, foaming at the mouth, was a codec problem with Windows Media Player and Windows Movie Maker. The durn things just wouldn’t work, even though I tweaked til my brain hurt. I’d purchased a nice little Samsung camcorder a few months ago, and I was determined to make the thing work with my computer! You can read all the techhie details here at my geeky blog, if you are so inclined. Short and sweet version: I was getting 32-bit codecs when I really needed codecs for my 64-bit operating system. Don’t ask me why Microsoft makes you download all this loopy extraneous software when they could very simply include the package themselves! It’s not like they are terribly averse to bloatware and silly things like door hardware!

*insert wild, hysterical screaming*

ANYWAY. I got the Movie Maker to work! I was so happy when at 2am my baggy eyes finally saw success. Yeehaw! Today, I puttered around with the software to give it a test drive. It’s a silly little video of my kitten, Livvy. We had such fun putting this together!

So, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is over. Monday looms, and my work begins again. *sigh*

Well, kinda.

This was a really cute quiz. Mindless, too. The questions were niiiice and simple, perfect for the day after Thanksgiving, when all I want to do is snuggle in my blanket and surf the Net. :D

I hope you all had a really great Thanksgiving. I did! Mine was wonderfully quiet and very relaxing. I find that I really enjoy the holidays as the kids have gotten older. I no longer need to worry if the kids are going to run around and crash into tables, yank the tablecloths down with all the china, or barf all over Aunt Betty’s carpet because they ate a paper plate. And older kids can also serve themselves, keep themselves clean, and wash the dishes!! I love having teenagers!!

Oh my gosh, this video (link below) is so funny that I just HAD to try it!! I got to “virtually” sit on Santa’s lap! Think he’ll give me my request? ;)

I got it in writing; Santa had better follow through or he’ll be hearing from my lawyers. I saw Miracle on 34th Street, and my expectations are pretty high!

This is a sweepstakes sponsored by the friendly, generous folks at CEIVA Logic, Inc. It’s the CEIVA Digital Photo Frame Got a Wish Sweeepstakes. It’s really cute. The video is very well done. Even Santa’s lawyer chimes in! You can see the video here (opens in another window).

The CEIVA Digital Photo Frame is the latest in digital photo frame technology. It’s very, very impressive, actually. The video explains how it works (and I think they put the video together very well– it’s hilarious!). The photo frame connects with your family’s gadgets to deliver instant photos, anywhere in the world. It’s really amazing how it works. There’s even a photo of me in Santa’s workshop, rofl!

The sweepstakes are eligible to anyone over the age of 18 living in the 50 United States and D.C. Sorry– elves, reindeer, and their families are not eligible. There’s a daily prize of $500, chosen randomly every day until December 24th. What you do us upload a photo of yourself, enter your birthdate, and your personal information. You can enter once a day, every day. See the sweepstakes terms (go to the main page and click “Sweepstakes Rules” at the bottom) for more information about it. Belief in Santa is not mandatory to win. LOL!!

I hope you’ve been nice! ‘Cuz if you’re naughty, Santa will find out! :-p

I’m *hoping* I can stay away from the computer for the whooole day! We did all our house cleaning today (OMG, that was exhausting) and tomorrow I’m going to cook a big meal. Thanksgiving is our biggest holiday, when we exchange gifts and give thanks to Jesus Christ for life, for being so good to us, for everything! Have a blessed day to all of you, in America and in the world. :)

Here’s a nice short and entertaining video about the American Thanksgiving.

I found this video and thought you’d like it. Beaker the Muppet sings “Ode to Joy.” ROFL

That’s the name of a store– Hello Gorgeous. Love it! They sell beauty items, particularly beautiful nail polish in some very nice colors. I love the blue here. Isn’t that eye-catching? LOL, I’ll say it is! When I was a teen, waaay back in the 80s, that color blue was very popular: for clothing, those rubbery neon bracelets, hair dye, eye shadow, even mascara. I had that color blue mascara. I loved it so much! My eyes are brown so the blue lashes looked really wild. Now that I am, ahem, more mature, I suppose I’d have to forego the blue mascara, and perhaps opt for the blue nail polish.

Hello Gorgeous, at Store.Hello-Gorgeous.net, is a nice place to get discounted beauty care and beauty aids. They have stuff for the hair, makeup, home, bath, and body products and accessories, and of course, all sorts of beautiful colors nail polish. The bright blue in the photo is from the Jessica collection, and it’s on sale for only $$4.95 a bottle. It would make a very nice stocking stuffer. Check out the site- there’s a huge variety of things we women like, all at great prices. Hello Gorgeous says they have the largest online inventory of nail polish colors, too– over 3,000 shades! Just think, if you chose one color nail polish to wear every day of the year, you’d have enough colors to last you 8.22 years!

I found this cool Windows Error Message generator, thanks to Cromely’s World. Yah, I see error messages a LOT, lol. It’s about time I get to design my own! Here’s one that I made, in light of my ranting today:

I also have this “thing” about HAL (from 2001: A Space Odyssey; that was a really dumb movie, ya know that?! But the idea of HAL taking over the ship was so creepy). So I made this:

(I can just hear Daffy Duck’s malicious cackle behind it.)

Oh, and I made this!

I could waste a lot of time here, folks.

OMG, they have a Chinese Restaurant sign generator, too!

LOL! This is so much fun! It made me remember my post, English to Chinese in 10 EZ Lessons, rofl!!

Must…. pull…. away….     gack!!!          …..need to wash dishes………….!

Whoa! I went to the MEGA Brands website for the first time today. (My sons are very familiar with the site, lol). I caught my youngest trying to make a wishlist… uh, a wishlist for things to get his cousins, that is! He was having a bit of a hard time. See why.

MEGA Brands has been in our home since the kids were babies. We love the toys! They have stuff for babies all the way up to teens, from the cute catapillar play set to the Struxx Robotrixx popular with the older kids. Check out the MEGA Brands website for a huge online catalog of toys galore. Plus, the site is filled with activities for the kids– games, tips, activity center, and more. My boys love the games and the matching toys (the King Arthur set is a favorite and the MagNext is a close second). Time for me to make MY wishlist for them!

Is it just me? (I don’t think so). I am so frustrated with Microsoft. GRRR! I could clonk those goofs on the head, let me tell you!

I have the Vista 64-bit operating system. It comes installed with the Windows Media Player and Windows Movie Maker. I have a video I took with my Samsung camcorder, and it took me HOURS to get it to play in the Media Player. But I still cannot figure out how to play it in the Windows Movie Maker. I have spent the last 3 hours trying to figure it out, downloading codecs, looking for this and that. I’m going CRAZZYY!!!! GRRR!

My beef with Microsoft is:

1) Why make a 64-bit operating system when so little software works with it? At least have your own software that you packaged with it work!!! GRRR

2) Why don’t you just INCLUDE all the codecs with the software?

3) Why don’t you just have one easy website where we can simply and easily download the codecs we need? Why have a huge list of links leading to all these other sites, and on the same page warn us of downloading codecs from other sites? GRRRR!

Do any geek readers have any help for me? Here’s my problem:

I have a Samsung camcorder. It takes video in the .avi/.mpeg-1 format.

I have installed Samsung’s codec software.

I have downloaded DivX’s codec software.

I have set Windows Media Player to automatically download codec files.

I have rebooted five times.

So far, I’ve progressed to the point where I can now see the videos in Windows Media Player. But Windows Movie Maker won’t show the video– it will only play the audio. I can’t figure this out!! GRRRR Microsoft!!

ooooooooo. Look what I found! Aren’t they absolutely stunning? They are citrine gemstone earrings– ever hear of citrine? I never heard of such a gem, so I looked it up:

Many people have come to know and love this stone under the name gold topaz, or Madeira or Spanish topaz, although in actual fact it has very little in common with the higher-quality gemstone topaz …the citrine is a member of the large quartz family, a family which, with its multitude of colours and very various structures, offers gemstone lovers almost everything their hearts desire in terms of adornment and decoration, from absolutely clear rock crystal to black onyx. And it does so at prices which are by no means unaffordable.

The earrings are at Gemz N Gold, a premier jewelry store based in California. If you’re looking for the perfect gift to knock your lady’s socks off, believe me– you’ll find it at Gemz N Gold. I found myself oohing and aahing. I think I’ll have to slip a few hints to certain members of the family. ;)

And don’t worry! Your purchases won’t break the bank! The prices at Gemz N Gold are very affordable. The citrine gemstone earrings I like are $85, not too bad! And there are a wide variety of prices on the most beautiful sets (rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, so much beautiful shiny stuff!). I spotted these green peridot earrings– guess how much these are? Would you believe they are on sale for under $40?

Gentlemen, you really can’t go wrong with a unique piece of jewelry for your special lady. Gemz N Gold has some really one-of-a-kind pieces. Every piece is made in the U.S.A. and Gemz N Gold offers all kind of shipping plans (including overnight, for you procrastinators). Check out their website at GemzNGold.com, or call their California store at (213) 624-8812.