Is It Just Me?

Or does the Santa on the side of this page look a little creepy?  ------------------->

I'm trying to holiday up my blog and for some reason I'm just not finding a background I'm happy with and because I'm insane, I won't use the same one as last year.  I'll just keep looking and I'm sure I'll eventually come across something I like.  You would think this was a matter of life or death the way I get so involved.  Yeah.  I have issues.

I also realized that  by the time this is read by anyone, I will have already changed from the background in question and then no on will have any idea what the hell I'm prattling on about.  Issues, I gotz em.

So Very Cool!

I know this site has been around for quite some time but I'm only checking it out now so please excuse me for being a bit behind.  Anyway, I kept hearing people talk about the website Skype and how great it was to talk long distance (for free!) using your webcam.  I figured it had to be such a pain in the butt that it wouldn't be worth it but.....I was so very wrong.

I followed all the steps and installed Skype on my laptop and was impressed at how easy it was.  A friend of mine who also uses Skype called me via the webcam so we could try it out and it worked like a charm!  I just can't get over how cool and easy it is to use! I know it must sound like they have me on their payroll promoting the site but I'm truly impressed with it.  With that being said, I'm worried about running it with Vista.  I've learned even the simplest of programs can either freeze up or crash with Vista so fingers crossed this doesn't happen because I would be super bummed.

Now on to my plan!  I was thinking since my in-laws live in Florida and only see Big Boy but a few times a year, we could get them a webcam for Christmas and set up special times once or twice a week for them to "see" and talk to him.  I think it's a great idea but then again, I'm not sure if my in-laws will even be able to set up the account or the webcam.   I also think it will be fun For BB to be able to see his Nanny and Grandpa(my parents) through the computer.  Even though he sees them just about everyday, I think it would be a fun addition to his bedtime routine for him to say goodnight to them too.  I know they have a webcam, they just need to set it up and I'll be working on that tomorrow.

I'm wondering if the in-laws would think this is a good gift?  I think they will, right?  Anyway, this is my new project and let's all hope it all falls into place and goes smoothly...

Call Me Radio Shack

I've pretty much told this story to anyone who would listen but since this is my blog, I'll be telling it again. About two years ago we bought a new laptop that I just love. Unfortunately about six months after I bought it, Big Boy thought it would be a great idea to pop about twenty of the keys off. I decided the best way to handle the situation would be to lay a black cloth over the keys, plug in a keyboard and never think about it again...

I don't know why I let it go as long as I have but I've finally gotten around to having it fixed. I checked online to be sure I can get a replacement keyboard and luckily I found one right away. Not knowing much about this kind of thing, I was a little worried about how readily available a replacement keyboard would be and discovered it's a piece of cake to get one so I called a computer place my parents use and asked them what is would cost to take care of the laptop fiasco. They told me it would be about $45 for the keyboard and another $30-35 to remove the old one and install the new one. Interesting. Needless to say I was a little put off and I went online and ordered the keyboard myself and paid a total of $20.25 including shipping. I ordered on Sunday night and it was in my mailbox today. I mulled over taking it over to the computer shop just for the installation but decided to check out a site I found the other day on how to do it yourself. I figured since the computer shop couldn't guarantee they wouldn't damage the motherboard, what the hell did I have to lose? In all fairness though, the computer shop is really good. I know my parents have been using the same shop for years so I don't want to take anything away from it.

After a few minutes of going back and forth over what to do, I just went for it and after about fifteen minutes and a few choice words, my laptop is as beautiful as the day it was taken out of the box. I still can't believe it and I'm totally patting myself on the back for this one. What's really cool is I did a factory restore last week so it's like having a brand new computer! This is a really great site if you ever need to perform surgery on your laptop. Heck, he saved me over fifty bucks so he's my hero of the day!