Googling My Name

Have you ever done a Google search for your name? I am pleased to report that searching my name brings up several other Terry Morgans, but a site of mine was listed first (and that's without using quotes)! Ta-da! I am so proud. I also discovered that TerryMorgan.org is now open (it didn't used to be) so I grabbed it.

As a matter of fact, it looks like domain extensions are getting too numerous to track. Here's a list I found at RegisterFly.com. I figure the .uk are for Great Britain domains, .cn are for Canada, .us for the United States, .tw might be Taiwan and .mx might be Mexico. Gotta laugh at that the last one in the list to the right.

And some companies still have not caught on that these names go with e-mail addresses. I just went to a Barnes and Noble site (to sign up for e-mail notifications when a book by a certain author is released). I entered my regular e-mail address ending with .info. Barnes & Noble said that it was NOT a valid e-mail address! Apparently, they have yet to figure out that addresses do NOT ALL end in just two or three letters. Argh!

Eleven Miles

My sister is visiting. She's a physical fitness buff and enjoys walking the greenway when she comes. I walked the entire way (she joined me about a mile into it). Counting the walk to my other sister's house, my house and the entire stretch of the greenway including the Tennessee River Greenway, I think I put in nearly 11 miles this morning (instead of my usual 5 or 6). The weather was perfect - it was great!

Of course, afterwards, I gave my feet a good soaking. They are a little sore, but I am glad I had on my good Reebok walking shoes.

I have 3 best friends in my sisters and my daughter. The one visiting is the only red-headed child out of 7 children my mother had. The rest of us are blonde. Mom is a brunette, but Grandma was a red head. Funny how the genes can skip a generation.

On the other hand, my other sister is blonde. She married a red head. Her children definitely show the red genes.

It was Bound to Happen - iTunes

Playfair has written a free program to remove the iTunes copy protection from AAC songs, says Leo Laporte, leaving all of the other information. Guess this was bound to happen sooner or later.

Attempt at Making Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hadn't baked cookies in a long time so I tried to make some. Unfortunately, I got out the wrong sized measuring cup and measured too little flour into the mix. Oh well, the cookies came out too soft, but were otherwise edible. I really like cooking breakfasts, but that's about it. I am losing my touch with desserts.

I remember when Mom cooked every meal from scratch. TV dinners were a luxury when I was a child. Around here today, they are a basic necessity - maybe a food group all of their own.

But, since we are diet-conscious, a TV dinner has all the calories on it and we are not as tempted to take seconds as with a full-blown home-cooked meal. Even a "good-for-you-low-fat" home cooked meal still tempts us to take too many second helpings. On the other hand, we like to go to buffet restaurants -- we just have to be careful and not do it too often.

TV "Rewires" the Brain

I believe this. "Very young children who watch television face an increased risk of attention deficit problems by school age, a study has found, suggesting that TV might overstimulate and permanently "rewire" the developing brain." (More Information.)

On a similar note, a preacher said that even we adults have much stimulation and entertainment in society today. So much so, that we don't take time to ponder -- or think deeply about things like people used to. This is bad because a little meditation and prayer has many benefits. It's all too easy to leave the TV on all the time or radio - to have constant noise and distractions.

I used to be that way -- wanting a sound source going all the time. Lately, I've found contentment in listening to the sounds of the neighborhood - no TV or radio. While I still like to turn on the TV, music, etc., there is much to be said for stopping to think - and enjoying the quiet for a period of time every day (as long as it doesn't go on too long -- then I fall asleep!)

MSN Plans a Separate Blog Index

Internet News. Google has been thinking of doing this, too -- putting indexed blogs into a separate search category. I can see good and bad from it. Good in that folks who specifically want to find information in a blog can do so. But it sounds more bad than good if blogged entries will, by default, be left out of the main searches. Most folks are not aware of all the things Google can do now -- or of all the ways a search can be done. Because they tend to go for the default option, they will never see the separate search index for blogs.

So, I think this is good if blogs are also cataloged in the main search results. Otherwise, it leaves us out in the cold.

Stop the Insanity

It's not easy wading through this crazy time change stuff. We have three atomic wall clocks. The instructions say that they will automatically change their own time, but we have to press a button in the back that says we are now on daylight savings time. Okay, I pressed the button hours ago. Nothing has adjusted yet. We have to wait until the next atomic clock update. Who knows when that will be? Maybe not until tomorrow.

(Do you find it hard to hang a clock back on a wall? Trying to move it around until the right slot in the back catches on the nail is an exercise in frustration!)

Our VCR and cable box change automatically, but not at the right moment. They will change sometime during the day. I don't understand why precise electronic devices like this can not change at the exact right moment. Obviously, they are not so precise.

Another VCR does not change. The internal TV clock does not change automatically, either, so we have to figure out how to set those again. It's been 6 months - we forget how to do it. At least the caller I.D. changed with the first phone call. Now, all we need to do is change the cell phone, bathroom clock, kitchen clocks on the stove, wall and microwave. Then, there's our watches. Those little knobs are a pain to deal with. Also, we've got to change the clock radio and the little digital clock I stick by my side of the bed.

After that, we have to change the car radio clocks. I never remember how to do those. Thank goodness my husband can dig up the instructions.

Do you know how many other devices have clocks? The video camera, other cameras, cute little jewelry that came with clocks, PDAs, pen clocks and heaven knows what else I have to change. Stop the insanity! Please, can't we stay on one time all year round?!!

Costco & Sams

We belong to Sams and we visit Costco now and then. I like those stores, but rarely need to make a bulk purchase personally although we do purchase church supplies once in a while making the membership worthwhile - and gas up at Sams when we are in the area. Half the fun is the free food samples. Costco is better in that regard -- you can almost eat lunch there.

One of my 4 sisters works at Costco. She does food sampling but was recently promoted to be a warehouse manager and works in an office there. We stopped by to chat with her. I found it interesting that Costco does not give her a free membership. While she does not work directly for Costco, but for a company that supplies to Costco, she spends all of her working time inside Costco anyway, promoting food that Costco profits from. Costco should give a membership to these hard-working folks inside their store. Shame on them.

Changing Time is Nonsense

Paul Harvey calls it "twice-a-year nonsense." I agree. It's a pain to change clocks and takes longer to adjust to than people say it does. I hate changing time. So do others.

We live in a 24-hour world. Work shifts can be running in the middle of the night. When I enter a room, I turn on a light no matter how bright it is outside. Other folks run the air conditioner more since they have more heat and daylight when they get home from school or work. It's not saving energy at my house. Stop this ridiculous time changing! I don't care if we stay on Daylight Savings Time all year around or stay off, but let's stop having to change our clocks every 6 months!

Leo Laporte Leaves TechTV

I am a big fan of the shows, Call for Help and The Screen Savers. It was sad to read Leo's posting today that he has left TechTV due to one point in a contract dispute. I started this blog after reading his and realizing that a blog does not have to be a personal invasion of privacy. He kept his blog light-hearted and not any more personal than he wanted it to be.

He was extremely knowledgeable. I can't imagine replacements knowing as much as he does or having the personality to carry the shows as far as he did. My husband said that Call for Help made the most money for TechTV last year.

I guess its nice to have the leverage to be able to walk away like that -- from either side, but the fans are the ones who lose out when two stubborn parties refuse to compromise.

Comcast has purchased TechTV and plans to merge it with their boring gaming channel so maybe they don't really care. It's too bad. I think they will ruin it. I am not that interested in gaming.

Went to Opry Mills

Drove about 125 miles to Opry Mills yesterday with my daughter. I love the Rainforest Cafe! It's like being inside Disney World with all the animation, decor, sounds and detailed interior. Having lunch there is worth the drive alone, but I went in search of good quality cheaper shoes and walking clothes for the summer -- and found them thanks to the Reebok and Nike outlet stores.

I like the Apple Barn, a large store dedicated to apples. Apple smells, syrup, candies, breads, shirts, lamps, dishes, etc., fill the place. I got a laugh from the apple stand. They offered many kinds of apples: Braeburn, Red Delicious, Fuji, Granny Smith (my husband's favorite) and Plastic. (That last variety is calorie-free!)

Opry Mills seemed better this year than before. More kiosks and stores were around. It was fun.

What was not fun was coming home in heavy Nashville traffic. I also learned something else about myself. It's official now: I do not enjoy driving unlighted roads at night. In fact, both my husband and I would rather not drive at night at all -- must be a sign of old age.

What Movie to Rent

This is very well done. Mentioned on Call for Help, is a program that advises you on what movies to rent depending on a very interesting personality questionnaire. To use the site, you only need to invent a name (no password or other login required). I enjoyed taking the questionnaire, if nothing else. It made me laugh, but I could see how insightful it was. There is even a small additional quiz to determine your immediate mood for that day. The first movie it recommended was "My Best Friend's Wedding." (This week, I've been watching the Lord of the Rings-Two Towers. I wanted my next movie to be light and funny.)

WhattoRent.com

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