Wordless Christmas Eve

Snowy McSnowerton

While I was getting ready for work this morning, Bill was shoveling snow and getting my car cleared off.

It snowed more than our usual high-desert dusting yesterday. Even though it almost doubled my commute time from 5 minutes to 8 minutes (yeah, I do revel in that fact), it was a beautiful morning as I slid on my totally-not-for-snow boots to my car.

Bill was heading out to finish up some shopping and we took a moment to enjoy the glory that is freshly fallen snow.




And the best part is that these beautiful snow storms are the exception and not the norm here in western Colorado. So I can enjoy it without fearing that I'll be shoveling snow for the rest of the winter.

Christmas suckers

I'm so full of Christmas candy and cookies, I could barf a gift basket right now. Oh man.

My fat ass is so jiggling like a bowl full of jelly right now. But it's Christmastime and that's how I roll.

So Bill got up earlyish today to finish off a little Christmas shopping even though we were done with all our gift buying.

What? Why would he have to go Christmas shopping when we're done Christmas shopping? Oh yeah, we're suckers.

See, invariably we find out after we're all done spending all our life savings (ha) on gifts that there is one thing that Margaret asked Santa for that didn't make it on to the Santa gift list.

This one thing is the one thing that she really wants. I think she tests Santa by not including it on her Santa gift list.

And to make sure that she gets her special present, we buy whatever it is (even if we're already done shopping) just in case Santa can't read our dear, precious daughter's mind.

It's bad enough that Margaret won't even look at the mall Santa, but instead puts her hand up to block the view and mutters under her breath "Fake Santa!" She understands that Santa can't sit around Mesa Mall and there needs to be some people to fill in.

But we're both suckers for Christmas and do our best to spread the magic — even if it means buying one more gift ... just in case.

Yet another Markel Farkel Emergency

Markel just forwarded me this picture of your family at the last holidays. I had to share immediately.

Happy Holidays to all of you. May you all have enough alcohol that you can happily swig and spit.

Markel Farkel Friday

Markel Farkel Friday: Bringing you the best absurdities the Internets has to offer!

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And on a non-Markel Farkel Friday note, yesterday afternoon I got a call from Margaret. I wrote a quick post about that call over here. She is an amazing kid. I'm lucky to get to call her my own.

Happy MFF everyone!

Hurray for the cookie season

Look at the Christmas cookies I baked.

Wha? OK, I'll give you time to quick choking on your morning coffee ... Yeah, I didn't bake the cookies, but Bill did and that's reason to celebrate.

My husband can bake a cookie, people.

I can make cookies, too, and they are fine. But Bill's are the best and I'm not just saying that because I like eating cookies more than baking them.

And we won't just be eating Bill's fabulous Christmas cookies, but my mom is baking, too.

This might just be the best Christmas ever.

On another sticky sweet note, I wrote a post over here, complete with pictures, about the kitty. Go on click it. Who doesn't want to see kitten pictures?

Today's boatload of holiday cheer is brought to you by the migraine in my head. I'm trying some postive thinking in hopes that it'll just go away. But just in case it doesn't, I'm practicing my ding-dong kicking as well.

Product Review: Nokia 6650

Participating in the Nokia Chronicles has been a fun and eye-opening exercise. I was selected along with 19 other bloggers across the country to participate.

The lovely folks at Nokia sent me a shiny, new Nokia 6650 to use for a couple of weeks and to record day-in-the-life pictures to their Web site.

The Phone:

Comparing the Nokia 6650 to my Motorola Razr, I found the Nokia to be smaller and more compact than my Razr. It's brushed aluminum exterior looks and feels nice (because, yes, the feel of my cell phone is important — I've had a skull-adorned cover on my Razr for two years even though it's broken and falls off just because I like how it feels).

Even though it's smaller than my Razr the screen is big and easy to read. The buttons are easy to use even for a clumsy-handed person such as myself.


The Features:

This phone is fat-packed with nifty features that are lacking on my Razr.

It has an easy-to-use music player (why carry a cell phone and an iPod when you can have it all in one handy device). AND it has a turn-by-turn GPS that will tell you where to turn when you're trying to find a good restaurant or a bathroom fast!

Those two things alone make this more than just a phone.

But as Ron Popeil would say, that's not all.

It also has G3 Web surfing ... people, this is awesome.

I'm just a regular, old cell phone user. I call people with my cell phone (I know, I'm so archaic) and I do some texting. That's pretty much it.

But man, was it nice to have Web access. I could check my e-mail and Facebook pages quickly and easily.

I really like that feature.



(Oh and when you have the phone flipped open, the lights on the keypad change colors which is an added coolness factor that I enjoyed ... oh, look bright lights ... shiny things.)

Overall, I found the phone easy to use and loaded with features.

The Nokia Chronicles (I'm in Chapter 2) and the Camera Phone:

When I was asked to participate in this project, I was told we'd be able to upload text and movies from the phone. Unfortunately, only the photos were used on the site.

I was asked to record photos that inspire me in my daily life. It was very interesting to start thinking about what inspired me on a day-to-day basis. But I found that I ended up with pictures of my kid, my kitten and myself ... and I'm sure as hell not inspired by myself — but really I was inspired by the assignment and the camera phone itself.

I did a series of self-portraits because I thought it was funny. I had them all wittily titled: Self-Portrait with Kitten and Self-Portrait of Myself Sleeping (which is hilarious in my own anxiety-addled brain).

That one is Self-Portrait with Kitten and Sleeping. Notice my green pallor, that is from the 6650's flash.

When I first found that the camera had a flash, I was excited. I never use the camera on my Razr simply because unless you have full sun, the pictures are dark and grainy.

Unfortunately, the flash on the 6650 is way too harsh ... that is unless you like your skin being seafoam in color (which I kinda do).

I also found that the flash did weird things to people's eyes in low light. Look at this picture of my daughter and son:

Those white shiny eyes make them look like robots — nicely smiling robots standing in front of our Christmas tree. It's just too weird.

Below is a picture taken in the bathroom of a club (What? You don't take pictures of your bandmates in bathrooms before shows?). I had turned the flash off and while the image is definitely grainy, I like this one simply because you can see me in the mirror taking the picture with my mouth open (spewing pearls of wisdom, no doubt).
Having said that, the 6650 takes really nice, full-sun, outdoor pictures. Look at this one I snapped while we were riding the hayride when we cut down our Christmas tree. We were moving and still the picture is crystal clear.
And then there's this picture of the 3rd grade from my daughter's school singing Christmas songs at the local Barnes & Nobel as a fundraiser for children in the hospital. It was a well-lit indoor shot without the flash and came out quite nice (my kid is there in the second row ... right there, the one with the head).

Overall, the camera phone is easy and quick and takes nice pictures in full light. But avoid situations that require the flash unless you like horror films and green skin.

So, again, thanks to Nokia for asking me to participate. I'm always game for telling people what I think.

Wordless Wednesday

Not enough to stop me

I feel guilty that Bill and I spent the day soaking in hot springs yesterday, while Margaret was at school. But not enough that I didn't have the best time ever.

I spent three continuous hours lying in hot mineral water. I think I'm part hot-water mermaid ... maybe that's why my feel are so big — they're supposed to be flippers.

Now if I could just learn to breath water, I'd be all set.

Markel Farkel Friday

Thank all things Internetty, it's MFF!



And here's a totally messed up MFF link for y'all. Click it. You'll love it in its most jacked-up-ed-ness.

The Christmas Season

I know that it's the Christmas season because there's a pine tree in my living room and I'm sick.

I always seem to get sick this time of year. What's up with that? Whatever it is can suck it.

It feels like I have the flu, but I had the flu shot and my doctors says that it's a bad sinus infection. Who gets fevers, chills, aches 'n' crap from a sinus infection? Whatever. I feel like shit and it doesn't matter what it is.

But because I missed Wordless Wednesday, I leave y'all with these pictures of us at the Christmas tree farm (and yes, the process of getting a Christmas tree starts at the minimart with a giant soda).

Merry Christmas to me

Santa came early to the Dearing-McCracken household.

Bill found me a brand-spanking-new Gibson Flying V and gave it to me early so I could play it at our show Saturday.


Oh yeah, baby. Watch out, I'm seriously rockin' now! I love this guitar is a way that just ain't right or natural.

The best part is that the Flying V fits me perfectly. It's balanced just right and my hand hits the strings in between the Humbuckers in the perfect spot. There was no transition time from my Daisy Rock to the V.

And I swear that I play better.

Plus the Flying V is the coolest guitar ever designed. Fer reals.

Our show Saturday night was at Fast Eddie's which was our first time playing there. And it was so much fun — such a smooth and great night.

I think I say that after every show, but that's how it is. Playing kick-ass rock 'n' roll is way beyond fun ... doing so with two uber-awesome chicks, a genius dude and my long-suffering husband is more fun than a girl deserves.

Nokia Chronicles

As I mentioned here and here, the lovely folks at Nokia sent me their Nokia 6650 uber-cell phone to demo for a couple of weeks.

They are hosting content on their microsite, Nokia Chronicles, that 19 other bloggers and myself have uploaded using these cell phones.

So click over the the Nokia Chronicles and check out my photos so far. You can see my stuff on Chapter Two.

There is supposed to be text and video as well, but they are having trouble with their site, so it's just pictures. Regardless, this has been a fun project for me and am excited that Nokia asked me to participate.

Monday morning quick shot

Of all the activity that went on over the weekend, this moment was the most precious. Mar in her pajamas working in an educational workbook, doing math and spelling for fun, with her tiny kitten curled beside her.

This makes my cold, mean heart melt.

Markel Farkel Emergency

I had to create a Markel Farkel addendum because he just sent me this and I wanted to warn y'all that you're all going to hell:

Whose left?

Markel Farkel Friday

I love Markel Farkel Friday so much. Markel sends me so many brilliant things from the Internets and I love sharing them with you here. Plus it means that it's Friday and I need this to be Friday more than I've ever needed a day to be Friday.

And the best part of today's MFF is that I get to start it by introducing y'all to KANCHO! — which is pictured in the sculpture below. And if you e-mail me a picture of yourself giving or receiving a Kancho! I will send you an autographed Riveter CD because you're so awesome.

Now onward with the rest of today's most awesome Markel Farkel Friday!


This could be the next Riveter CD cover.

Rockin' it Fast Eddy's style

This morning I jetted out of the office so I could meet Kelley at 95Rock a local rock 'n' roll radio station. We were going to be interviewed by their new morning guy.

After wandering around out front like the idiot that I am, Kelley navigated me inside (how many Riveter girls does it take to get to a radio interview on time? All of them ... doh!).

We had a really good time on air and gave a fun interview promoting our show Saturday night at Fast Eddy's bar. And the best part was that we neither swore nor encourage the DJ to play any of our songs that have swear words in them ... so double bonus score!

We have so much fun music now and we have such a blast playing, we can't wait for this show.

Wordless Wednesday

Holy crap, I'm gonna have to bring my A game

Real quick like, click over to this guy's blog. The lovely folks at WOM World sent him a Nokia 6650 gps, camera, music player cell phone to use and then blog about using their microsite.

Oh yeah and they sent me one, too.

No shit.

So for the next couple of weeks, I'll be uploading photos, video and text to Nokia's site using this sweet phone. (I'll provide the link when it's all functional. They will be featuring my content the week of Dec. 8.)

Did you click over to that guy's blog? Because if you did, you saw this photo that he took with the Nokia 6650:

Here's a picture I took with the cameraphone:
Yeah, I'm going to have to be a whole lot more creative, eh?

Does she fit? Kelley's sweater pocket

Because we weren't satisfied with the FAIL of Benji's pocket, we tried Kelley's sweater pocket. Does she fit?



Oh yeah, Nastia DOES fit in Kelley's sweater pocket. Woot!

Does she fit? Pocket edition

Because I'm all about new content on this here bloggy thing, I've come up with a new feature. It's called "Does she fit?"

And by "she" I certainly don't mean me (because the answer to that question is "no, she doesn't fit"), but Nastia our dear, new, sweet, cuddly kitten.

After Friday's Markel Farkel Friday addendum, where I tried to shove her tiny kitty self into Markel's giant beer stein, I've become obsessed with trying to shove her into things. (When I shared this idea with La-La-Laurena, her reply was "And to think Nastia could've gone to a normal family." — where's the fun in that?)


See? She's all sweet and liddow (that 's baby cat talk for "little"). And she fits into Margaret's dollhouse.

But does she fit into Benji's pants pocket? Let's see:



According to Nastia, she does not fit. I repeat, Nastia DOES NOT FIT into Benji's pants pocket.