We Joined The Jitterbug Network--Hope It's For The Best

We got Sprint cell phones for Christmas of 2007 and had a two-year contract. $70 a month seemed like a lot to me for the little bit we use it. We do not text or use the Internet access on it. All we use it for is phone calls, mostly to each other and our pizza place on a regular basis. Gerard found an ad for a Jitterbug phone that sounded perfect for us and would be cheaper, so Saturday I took the plunge and called. I don't like change or doing anything that rocks the boat; however, I figured if we could save some money switching over it would be worth the little inconvenience of doing so.

We got our new phones last night and I spent two hours fussing around with them, calling Sprint to get my PIN which was necessary to keep our same numbers. After three attempts, I got it right. Our new phones don't have anything to flip up like our old ones did. The buttons are actually smaller than what we had before. There are several options to choose and I was asked when I signed up what features were important to us. The cost and reliable service is what was most important. They did ask about the size of buttons and I said it didn't matter. I hope I made the right choice.

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Our Favorite Reads For November: "DogTown" and "Beautiful Lies"

Gerard's Favorite:

DogTown by Stefan Bechtel

DogTown is my kind of town! DogTown by Stefan Bechtel is just a wonderful book! It's about Dog Town--a no-kill sanctuary for dogs in Utah. All the stories in DogTown are excellent! I had a hard time deciding which was more amazing, the people or the dogs! You will smile, laugh and cry as you read these stories. They touched my heart and will probably touch yours too. It also includes tips on how to handle dogs. I hated to see this book end. I really, really enjoyed DogTown a lot--it made me want to got there! I did visit online at www.bestfriends.org and sponsored Cabby. I highly recommend DogTown to anyone who likes dogs.



Karen's Favorite:

Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

What a remarkable and gripping story Lisa Unger presents in Beautiful Lies. She spins a tale that is both heartbreaking and fascinating as she wrote in such a way that made me feel as though Ridley, the main character, was speaking right to me, explaining what she was feeling and thinking during her incredible experience of sorting through the family secrets. Ridley is a free lance writer who had a happy childhood and grew up in a nice home. One day she gets a photo which turns her whole life upside down and takes her on a dangerous journey to find the truth. She gets to the point of not knowing who she can trust but makes some good decisions that help her discover truth and happiness.

One example of an insight Lisa Unger shares through a section where Ridley is speaking directly to the reader that really stood out to me is this from p. 98-99:

And we stood like that. The joining of hands is highly underrated in the acts of intimacy. You kiss acquaintances or colleagues, casually to say hello or good-bye. You might even kiss a close friend chastely on the lips. You might quickly hug anyone you knew. You might even meet someone at a party, take him home and sleep with him, never to see him or hear from him again. But to join hands and stand holding each other that way, with the electricity of possibilities flowing between you? The tenderness of it, the promise of it, is only something you share with a few people in your life.

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Does This Sound Sick To You?

Does this sound appealing to you? We get a 20% discount from work, but it seems too gross to me. I think it's sick, what do you think? A lot of people went because originally they had planned to only have it open through the end of October but they are extending it to January 2, 2011.  Here is a close up of the basketball player pictured on the building:

BODIES...The Exhibition is a must-see during its limited engagement in Cleveland. This striking Exhibition showcases real human bodies, dissected and preserved through a revolutionary process allowing visitors to see themselves in a fascinating way like never before.

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I Figured Out How To Get My Blog Header The Way I Want It!

I really like my blog layout here which was customized for me, except I would have liked to be able to change my header and colors sometimes. Now, after three years of blogging, I finally figured out how to do it! I figured out to change the color of my layout background, I have to use HTML color codes and just replace the code for yellow with a code for a different color. The only problem was the I didn't know how to change the header to match. Now, I think I just may have found a solution.

First, I finally discovered how to make a collage in Photobucket so now I can change my pictures from time to time if I want, and the color of the grid as well! I am so excited about this!

Second, by resizing it to the widest with, it fits perfectly across the top of my blog. I can add my blog title and any other text right to the collage. Then, just save it to me computer so I can upload it into Blogger.  (To save it to your computer, just right click on the collage and choose "save image as.")

Third, to get it as my header, all I had to do was go into the "design" tab in Blogger, choose edit header, pick the option to use picture instead of blog title and description, choose the shrink to fit box and upload my collage photo. It worked! I am so happy about this that I decided to make a video to let others know how to do it. The key is to find the "create collage" tab which is located under "Home" - "tools" - "image editor (click on "try it now"). I took notes on this for future use.

Our Thanksgiving Day: Rainy, Eating, Reading, Football, Blogging (Writer's Workshop)

We are both so thankful to have four days off together!  Since it was a cold rainy day, we pretty much stayed inside except to go to Hometown Buffet to eat. I spent the morning on the computer while Gerard walked the dog in the rain.  We went at 11:40 a.m. and didn't have to wait in line, although the place was pretty full.  Everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

The salad bard was decorated nicely but I skipped that.  I do like Waldorf salad, but I decided I wanted to save room for more desserts today.  No one was at the salad bar so I bet I'm not the only one who was thinking that way.

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