Glow Stick

Check this out!! I don't know if it actually works, but hey, the video is cool!!

Pictures

Pictures taken at the right angle... (I got these from a friend through email)

Fall Back

Daylight Savings ReminderSunday, Nov. 4 at 2:00 AM --- Before you go to sleep this Saturday night, don't forget to set your clock back one hour! It's time to "Fall Behind"!

On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This Act changed the time change dates for Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. Beginning in 2007, DST will begin on the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November. The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of this change to Congress. Congress retains the right to resume the 2005 Daylight Saving Time schedule once the Department of Energy study is complete.

In the U.S., clocks change at 2:00 a.m. local time. In spring, clocks spring forward from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.; in fall, clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. In the EU, clocks change at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time. In spring, clocks spring forward from 12:59 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.; in fall, clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

In the U.S., 2:00 a.m. was originally chosen as the changeover time because it was practical and minimized disruption. Most people were at home and this was the time when the fewest trains were running. It is late enough to minimally affect bars and restaurants, and it prevents the day from switching to yesterday, which would be confusing. It is early enough that the entire continental U.S. switches by daybreak, and the changeover occurs before most early shift workers and early churchgoers are affected.

Cass Halloween

I have posted some of our group shots and individual shots from work today, but here are a couple high points:

Group shot in front of the office:

Jonna the Payroll Manager Football Player:

John the Purchasing Vampire:

Payroll Jocks:

Happy Halloween!!

I will be posting halloween office photos later, but wanted to say:



HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

The Twins

My parents have just recently had TWINS!! Okay, they aren't babies, but they are puppies. Ryan and I were luck enough to be there when they went to pick them up from Indiana. We got to play with them and all that fun stuff. I took a bunch of pictures, but wanted to post a couple of the best ones :).

Tucker (the wild child):


Quincy (he is the mellow, cuddle-bug):

Sleeping puppies on the car ride back to their new home:

Proud parents and the twins (Dad holding Tucker and Mom with Quincy):

Tucker giving Quincy kisses:

Sleeping together (Quincy laying on Tucker's back):

SNOWBALL FIGHT

I love the movie Elf, and I love wasting time on the computer. THIS SNOWBALL FIGHT GAME DOES BOTH!! Check it out!! But remember, don't hit Santa!!

Visitors

I just noticed that in less that 11 days my visitor counter has hit 300 people. I know that is probably my mom checking it about 15 times a day and then a couple other people stopping by, but still, I thought that was a lot.

I guess nothing much else to say about it other than - Thanks for stopping by!

The Griners

CONGRATS TO STACEY & BILLY!! I am sooooo excited for them both!! I took a TON of pictures at the wedding, but here are just a few (PS. I canNOT wait to see the Smith's pictures that will be up soon):
The couple at the altar:

Facing each other:

Kiss the bride:

The MARRIED Couple:

The beautiful bride & I:

The first dance:

Daddy Daughter Dance:

SD Register

With all of the wildfires and reverse 9-1-1 calls that were made to land lines, they have added the ability to have a call places to your cell phone or email address.

The County of San Diego, in partnership with Twenty First Century Communications, Inc., has instituted a regional notification system that will be able to send telephone notifications to residents and businesses within San Diego County impacted by, or in danger of being impacted by, an emergency or disaster. This system, called AlertSanDiego, will be used by emergency response personnel to notify those homes and businesses at risk with information on the event and/or actions (such as evacuation) we are asking them to take. The system utilizes the regions 9-1-1 database, provided by the local telephone company(ies), and thus is able to contact land-line telephones whether listed or unlisted. It is TTY/TDD capable. If the call is picked up by an answering machine, the system will leave a voice message. If the telephone called is busy or does not answer, the system will redial that number up to three times in an attempt to deliver the message.

Because the system uses the 9-1-1 database, only land-line numbers are in the system. If you have a Voice over IP (VoIP) or cellular telephone and would like to be notified over that device, or if you would like an email notification, you must register those telephone numbers and/or email address for use by the system.

Go to this website to register your cell phone number or email address:

http://www.alertsandiego.org

Fire Update

Fire Update. Check out this site. It seems as though while I was back in Michigan the firefighters have been able to really get a handle on everything - PRAISE GOD! There are only 3 wildfires still burning in San Diego County (which is much better than the 12 that were burning last week) - 2 of them are 90% contained and the other is 70% contained.

Photo Overload

So I was trying to add pictures of Stacey & Billy's wedding to my blog and I got an error message that said:

We're sorry, but you have exceeded your photo upload quota.

I went to look at it and YEP, my Picasa page is at it's max (and when I load photos on my blog it keeps it under My Photos). I wanted to see what my options were. It looks like I could either buy more storage or stop posting pictures (both on my blog and to My Photo link with Google). I bought some more storage (I think it was $20 a year for 4 GB, which is 4 times what I have right now). It takes about 24 hours to process my order, so I won't be posting pictures until tomorrow (unless it comes through sooner) - just wanted to give you a heads up!!

FREE TACO!!

As Barry pointed out last week, Taco Bell -- my favorite arm of the Yum! Brands empire -- introduced a "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" gimmick wherein free crunchy beef tacos (one per customer) would be handed out if a base was stolen in the 2007 World Series. Thanks to a speedy move from Boston Red Sox rookie center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, free tacos are on the table.

There are, of course, some catches. The offer must be redeemed between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time tomorrow, October 30. And the deal is valid at participating locations only.

More of the article here.


EVERYONE THAT WANTS A FREE CRUNCHY BEEF TACO, HEAD TO YOUR LOCAL TACO BELL BETWEEN 2 AND 5!! WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!

Fall Fotos

Since San Diego doesn't really have seasons, I thought I would take a ton of 'fall' pictures when I was back in Michigan this past weekend. Here are a few of them:

Pumpkin Carving

Ryan and I had a pumpkin carving contest while we were back in Michigan this weekend. I did the San Diego logo and he did a Woodsman. We already know he won (I accepted my loss), but what do you think?



There are a lot more pictures of our process under My Photos, if you want to check them all out.

Back

Lots of pictures, many great times, but no time to post about it... Check out the 250+ pics here. I will also be updating the captions of the pics soon, but am swamped in the office right now :)

Lack of Posts

Just a heads up to everyone that has been checking in on my blog, I will be out of town starting tonight, and therefore will not be posting until after I return Monday afternoon. This goes for my photo blog as well.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend everyone!!

The Office

Although I will be flying to Denver when The Office is on tonight, I am sure I will catch it on nbc.com when I get back (or maybe even at the airport if Ryan brings his computer). Here is what will be happening on tonight's show:

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ADVERTISING - When the Scranton branch is asked to participate in a Dunder Mifflin ad, Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) seizes his chance to exhibit his creativity. Meanwhile, Dwight (Rainn Wilson) explores the online world of Second Life.

Foil

Someone that was evacuated from the fires was driving to a evacuee center and they saw this house and just had to smile. Does tin foil prevent the fires to come through? I mean, I guess it works for chicken on the grill, right? San Diegians are so ingenious, huh?

Air Quality

AIR QUALITY ALERT
Local air quality will range from moderate to hazardous, according to the County Air Pollution Control District. Particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels will be unhealthy for Chula Vista, Del Mar, Downtown San Diego, El Cajon, Escondido, Otay Mesa, Kearny Mesa and Oceanside.

I know that air quality will be a big problem in the week or so to come, but I would rather have ash in the air than fire.

Fire Status

With the winds dying down over night, there has been progress made on the Southern California Wild Fires. I found a site that gives you the status of all of the fires. Check it out. I am hoping that when I get back from Michigan the containment percentage will be higher than 15% (crossing my fingers it will be in the 70% or so by Monday morning).

Thank you for your prayers and please continue to lift up all of those helping out in this disaster (we have support coming from all across the country). Also, please keep those who have lost their homes, stuff, etc in your prayers.

Insult to Injury

Adding insult to injury, it is currently 97 degrees outside at the office. Pray for the safety of the firefighters out there. This heat is NOT helping the fighting efforts.

Veggie Restaurant Week

Look at what I found out (off of the VegBlog I have linked):

October is Vegetarian Awareness Month

Whether you're a seasoned vegetarian, just starting out, or an adventurous omnivore, you're invited to explore the diversity of plant-based cuisine.

Whether you're interested in comfort food favorites, ethnic-inspired dishes or health-supportive fare, you're bound to discover new ways of eating that are sure to
please the senses!

Participating Cities

Atlanta, GA
Brooklyn, NY
Dallas, TX
Harlem, NY
Philly, PA
Raleigh, NC

It isn't in San Diego (or in any Michigan cities), but I thought it was a cool idea. Check out the full site here.