When I was a kid, anytime the grass was covered with snow, you could bet your ass that my friends and I were out sledding down hills and running back up them. That wasn’t all that long ago. Now that I’m older, I live in a town with a huge park that has a lot of really steep hills! They’re perfect for sledding! This morning, I took my daughter to the park to go sledding. There was not one set of tracks ANYWHERE! I thought, “okay, the snow fell yesterday, I’m sure by the end of the day there will be more tracks.” Nope. I went past the park and the only set of tracks were the ones we made this morning. I was disgusted! I mean, we had video games when I was a kid. I played video games all the time. But I also played outside so much that my mom would have to yell for me to come in. Get outside and go friggin’ play.

On a side note, I heard a guy on the radio today saying that frostbite is less common in the United States these days due to “better winter clothing,” and “increased awareness about the dangers of cold weather.” How about, “because kids won’t get off their lazy asses and go play outside.”

Disturbing.

For Christmas, I got a video of my daughter made from URStar.com. You upload a photo of your child, and they put his or her face in the video. It’s just like the elfyourself.com concept, except it’s 35 minutes long, and the kid’s mouth doesn’t move.  There is no plot and the voices are quite horrible, but she loves it and it is super cute. What a great idea!

My little girl and I built a snow fort! I haven’t done that since 5th grade! What a bunch of fun!!!!

What a great batch of snow we got, too. Not too heavy… not too powdery. Ha!

My grades are in from UWM. This semester I got one A and three B+’s. That equates to a 3.498… but perfectionist me doesn’t like that so much. Of course, the semester before I received a 3.333 (1 A, 2 B+’s, and a B-)… so this is better than that, right?

One more semester to go for my BBA and then I’ll start working on my MBA.  Wish me luck! Ack… screw it… wish me patience.

Even though I am a Verizon Wireless customer, and they posted this notice a couple of months ago, I didn’t see that good old VZW is selling my intimate personal information to marketing firms.

CPNI stands for Customer Proprietary Network Information. This information includes: how many minutes you buy and use, where you use these minutes, where you’re from, what kind of phone you have, what kind of information you use, where you’re calling, and what other services you purchase from Verizon. Basically, these data allow marketing firms to have information that rivals only that of a stalker ex-girlfriend in order to better serve their purposes.

The opt-out clause came in the form of a mailer (if you get the paper bill) or a simple part of their website that you would have never read (if it wasn’t for me, of course). In the clause, which came out in October, it states that they’re going to sell your information in 30 days, unless you opt out. My favorite sentences, “You have a right to keep your CPNI private by ‘opting out.’ Unless you provide us with notice that you wish to opt out with in 30 days of receiving this letter, we will assume that you give the Verizon Companies the right to share your CPNI with the authorized companies as described above.”

There is good news, however. You can opt out right now by calling 1-800-333-9956. It’s a pretty simple process. You’ll enter your telephone number, your zip code, and the last four digits of your social security number. After that, you actually have to confirm that you don’t want them selling your information. They kind of make it sound like they’re doing you a favor by selling your information, but trust me, they’re not.

Seriously, if you’re a Verizon Wireless customer, call and opt out right now!

This morning I heard about the Ferrari Vertu Ascent phone, valued at $25,000, and I thought… “I wonder how good the reception is on that bad boy?” I’m guessing it would still suck in Mayville.

Photo from Engadget.

Pretty good mock up… save for the piss poor voiceover.

Christmas morning. My daughter slept till 7:15 (a blissful anomaly), she woke up, we opened presents, we got ready, packed up the presents, and left for my sister’s house. Along Highway 33 there was a beautiful, perfect frost on the trees. In the horizon, the Doppler radar was gorgeously lit with the frosty trees below.

And I forgot my camera.

Doh!

Okay… I’m done with my FM.com vacation. Now back to my regularly unscheduled ramblings.

Here’s to a wonderful Christmas for you all! Thank you for visiting.

I’ve been toying around with becoming an iStock illustrator to compliment my photography portfolio. Over the last few weeks I have been practicing with the pen tool, and I finally think that I am getting the hang of it. On Sunday night, I finally submitted my illustrator application. Wish me luck.

And now… a tracing of my beautiful mug.

Original:

In Process:

Finished Product:

I am in my fantasy football championship today and Brett Favre isn’t helpin’ a brother out AT ALL. There’s money to be made, here… and you’re just not playing up to par. WTF! Seriously, Favre, you have a ZERO QB rating… Kyle freakin’ Orten is in the hundreds. Play friggin’ football, okay! GRRRRR!

Human body parts scattered across 1/4 mile of highway.

In the soap opera life that is the Spears family, Britney’s 16 year old sister, and star of Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, Jamie Lynn Spears has told OK Magazine that she is 12 weeks pregnant.

CHOO-CHOO! Here comes the train-wreck.

Complete story from CNN.com

I love this…

Okay okay okay… these are too fun!

 Scrooge Yourself

Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer.

~Charles Caleb Colton

22

Thanks to Jay for the link.

*UPDATE: Sorry for the bad link, I have fixed it.

Holy shnikeys!  It was 10 years ago, today, that Chris Farley died. 

Everyone go out and watch Tommy Boy and remember this Madison, WI native in your hearts.

Hahahahahahaha…

This is silly!!!

Go Elf Yourself

Post yours in the comments!!!