Archive - December, 2009

What’s in My Wallet

December 30, 2009 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

What's in Your Wallet?

What's in Your Wallet?

I recently posted an article about the importance of “backing up” the content in your wallet (or purse).  Knowing what is in your wallet, and maintaining a copy of that information could save a ton of headaches should it get lost or stolen.  Thinking about that for a moment, it popped in my head, “What is in my wallet anyway?”  So I’m gonna take a look now, and share what I find with you.  When I’m done, I’ll save a file with those contents just in case.

First off, my wallet is slim and sleek.  I have a bi-fold wallet that three card slots and an I.D. window in addition to two money areas.  I have seen some dude’s that have wallets that are an inch and a half thick and full of God knows what.   I think to myself, “What in the hell do you keep in there?  Is it really that hard to clean it out ever so often?”  I, in contrast, try to keep only what I need in my wallet so that I am not sitting with a rock up my butt everywhere I go.

In this electronic age, we as a society are become ever closer to using paperless money for every transaction.  We are not there quite yet, so I do keep a few dollars in my wallet as much as I can.  I use the secondary money area for receipts, notes or things that I accumulate while I am out.  I try to clean that out as often as possible.

In the first of the the three card areas, I keep my debit card, storage membership card, and my Social Security Card.  Then in the I.D. window is of course my driver’s license.

The second card area stores my insurance card, and my Craftsman Club Card. Finally, the third card area holds my Heat Saver CPR registration and a Toys R Us rewards card.

That’s it. That’s what is in my wallet.  I know, exciting stuff right?!  Or, maybe not.

Share the contents of your wallet. Leave a comment bellow.  Happy blogging!

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-29

December 29, 2009 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

  • Dad is on his way home right now, should be here in the morning. Looks like this will be a Merry Christmas after all :0) #
  • Merry Festivus!! #
  • Hey Hey! Dad is home!! Now let us enjoy the "Airing of Grievances" Happy Festivus!!! #
  • Christmas Eve. YAY! Working until noon, then off until Monday. Still have to finish wrapping presents, I died yesterday and was lazy. :0( #
  • Hanging out after a half day at work. Mom & Dad are already cooking ham for tomorrow. Still have presents to wrap. joy. Glad to be relaxing. #
  • Finished wrapping presents…. FINALLY! Thanks for the help Dad! Merry Christmas everyone! #
  • ok kids, time for bed… Santa is on his way! Merry Christmas! #
  • It's Christmas morning… All is quiet…. For now. Merry Christmas. #
  • Unwrapped presents! I got a lot of Gators stuff, including a 2 Snuggies! Also got a nice razor, which I really wanted. Yay! More to come #
  • I got Gator garb, a razor and a 42 inch HDTV. Dad got a Buck Knife, clothes, a Jupiter Jack and DVDs. Mom got Ginsu Knives, HP Hard Drive #
  • A truly Merry Christmas. Everyone really likes their gifts, and is enjoying the food. Now to eat dinner number 2 and watch some movies!! #
  • @bytemonkey Great tradition. Might I suggest a Fire Fly Marathon the day after Christmas as part of the tradition. I may partake. :0P in reply to bytemonkey #
  • Taking Victoria out on a shopping adventure today. This is gonna be fun. #
  • Mmmm! Buffalo Wild Wings! Now with a full belly we are going to do more shopping. #
  • Victoria got her monies worth out of her gift cards for clothes. We spent all day shopping. She said she is happy, and I hope she is. :0) #
  • Today was another great day. Went shopping with Victoria, and watched 4 Christmas' and The Hangover. Tomorrow I'm gonna try to relax a bit #
  • Today is my day. Don't know what I am doing, but I'm definitely going to do it for me. Cleaning my room & watching TWiT are on the list. #
  • Off to Lowe's/ The Home Depot to get a new faucet for the kitchen sink to go with Mom's new water PUR filter. — Improving our water! #
  • @levarburton Had a REALLY odd dream last nite. You Sir, was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints dressed your TNG uniform. Odd? in reply to levarburton #
  • Dad installed new faucet and PUR water system. Doesn't work. Calling PUR tomorrow. Now – Watching podcasts, tinkering & cleaning up. #
  • Watched the movie Julia & Julie. Not bad, kinda funny. Back to the "grind" tomorrow. Life is Good. 4 Days Until 2010. Good Night Everyone. #
  • Not being able to stand up or use your iPod during the last hour of your flight = Over doing it! Terrorists will terrorize reguardless. #
  • Dad called PUR about the faulty water filter system. They are sending us a coupon for new one. Now, laundry… later relaxation. #
  • Only a few days left in 2009. Packing away decorations today and preparing my New Year's resolutions. But first, work. Have a good day! #
  • I learned today that I'm working with one of the men that saved the USS Forestal from sinking after the 1966 flightdeck fire. A true hero. #
  • Now, grocery shopping – later packing away Christmas, then project work and maybe TWiT. #

Powered by Twitter Tools

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-22

December 22, 2009 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

  • I did nothing today. It was great. Now, bed. Tomorrow – payday. Life is Great. #
  • Planning on watching @diggnation and wrapping Christmas gifts tonight. Maybe work on the blog a little. what's up in your world? #
  • THIS YOUNGIN' IS THE APP FOR THAT >> RT @MoJoMaDe: . . .iPhone Pro – http://bit.ly/638Vq1 #
  • Morning all. Christmas is just around the corner, yay! Wrapped some gifts last night, will tonight too. Making last gift shopping run too. #
  • TIS THE SEASON, I passed a fairly big wreck today. Please drive safe people >> RT @cgrassscientist: Lot of crazy people on 98 tonight! #
  • I am so glad to be done Christmas shopping. Now to get everything wrapped; I am about a third of the way there. #
  • Raaaaiiiiinnnn!!!!!! Rain in Pensacola. #
  • Very Great Day! Great marks on progress report at work, started training on a lathe and got a rebate check from USAA Insurance for $86.00 :) #
  • Getting lunch at Famous Dave's with Victoria and the kids. #
  • Today was fun. Did some Christmas shopping with Victoria, had a great lunch at Famous Dave's, went to the park, and watched a movie too. #
  • Merry Christmas! @MojoMade (Mom) and Dad have gone halvsies on a 42" Vizo HDTV. It's Huge!!! Thanks :0) Now to get Cox HD service hooked up. #
  • It's Monday. Back to the grind… grinding metal that is. Aside from being a little tired I'm ready for work. Christmas is T-5 days :0) #
  • Today had some challenges at work, but in the end turned out to be productive. Now to eat dinner, get clean and wrap more presents. #
  • Dad should be home NOW, his dickhead employers have him truckin a load to Tampa. He MIGHT be home for X-Mas. He is seeking new employers. #
  • Hoping to hear that Dad is headed this way today. Any of you know a truck driver with a good company? Looking for info. #

Powered by Twitter Tools

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-15

December 15, 2009 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

  • It's hump day, and payday! Look toward a good middle of the week day at work. Please donate to toys4tots http://www.toysfortots.org #
  • Ah, home from work. Gonna cook some steaks and enjoy the evening. Don't forget to help out #Toys4Tots http://www.toysfortots.org #
  • Tired after a good day at work, and an evening of Christmas shopping. Almost done, gotta be almost done, please be almost done. #
  • TGIF! Pensacola Christmas Parade on Saturday, downtown; 5 pm. Happy Holidays! #
  • Home… Have a headache, & am tired. Glad it's Friday. Looking forward to taking the kids to the Christmas Parade Saturday. Happy Holidays! #
  • Feeling rather blah. Headache is pretty much gone, but I am zapped. So glad it's the weekend, and I can relax! #
  • ugg. the headache is back. #
  • It figures the weather would rain on my parade. I hope that the rain is gone by the time of the Christmas Parade downtown. #
  • the weather is raining on my parade. wanted to go to the Pensacola Christmas Parade, but… rain. yeah. boo. #
  • My plan: watch Window Weekly then wrap Christmas presents. no parade = sad face. Have you donated to #toys4tots yet? hurry, please! #
  • ugg, the headache is back AGAIN! I'm gonna go wrap presents. #toystots #
  • Hulu Watching Time. Just finished Flash Forward, and now watching Stargate Universe. Headache a tad better. #toys4tots #
  • Good day everyone! Looking forward to getting those presents wrapped, and relaxing. #
  • Just finished doing a little cleaning in my room. Didn't wrap presents, but it will get done. Getting ready for TWiT, and tinkering. #
  • yummy. Eating some pasta for dinner. Watching East Meets West on #TWiT and enjoying the evening. Life is Good. #
  • Off to bed. I hope that my week is better than this past lackluster weekend. New blog post >> http://bit.ly/danielvining #
  • I made the mistake of opening up my Windows laptop tonight, ugg. I hate Windows. #
  • Talked to my Dad tonight. He hopes to be home by Monday to spend the Christmas Holiday here at home with us. That is good news. :) #
  • Start to yet another soggy day here in Pensacola. Good thing I work indoors…. where it is dry. Feel better fast Victoria! (@_Just_Tori_) #
  • @bytemonkey lol. I have had Linux, I like it. I need windows for Photoshop at the moment. Too expensive to buy new copies for my Mac. in reply to bytemonkey #

Powered by Twitter Tools

Lackluster Weekend

December 14, 2009 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

This weekend proved to be rather dull.  I had high hopes for it, but things just didn’t go right.  Not to say that it was all bad, just not what I had planed.

Rain was the first short coming.  I had planed on taking Victoria and the kids to the Pensacola Christmas Parade, but it was cancelled due to rain.  On top of that, Victoria was suffering from a bit of a head cold, and wasn’t really feeling like being out in the cold weather.

On top of the weather raining on my parade, I have been battling a bad, nagging headache all weekend long.  It’s late Sunday evening and I still have a bit of a headache.  The headache problem caused me to waste away my Saturday more than anything else.

Like I mentioned above, not all was bad this weekend.  I got some more shopping done for Christmas.  I did a lot of cleaning, and put more pictures on my wall.  On Sunday, I cooked pasta for dinner and enjoyed a ton of podcasts and watched a lot of shows on Hulu.

Not every weekend will be the best ever, but this weekend was lackluster.  I hope the week ahead, and the weekend to come make up for it.  Cheers.

Site Updates:

For those that follow me or this blog, here are some things to look forward to in the coming days and weeks.

  • What’s in My Wallet #2 – Explore the things in my wallet. Why? Just cause.
  • What’s in My Dock – A brief tour of my Macbook Applications and Setup.
  • This is My Day Job – Take a look at what I do during the day to pay my bills.
  • 2009 Christmas Blog – Pictures, stories and more from Christmas with the Vining/Westbrook brood.
  • Geek Update – Starting in January, I will be sharing a monthly update of the geeky side of my life.
  • New Year’s Resolutions – Everyone does it, but how many follow through?  I’m putting myself to the test this year.

If you have an idea for a post or theme you would like to see me write about, post a comment bellow or shoot me an email (dan@danielvining.com).  Happy Holidays, and Happy Blogging!

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-08

December 8, 2009 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

Powered by Twitter Tools

Toys for Tots

December 8, 2009 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

Toys for Tots

Toys for Tots

Tis the season for giving, sharing, loving and caring. We give Christmas presents to each other, going to great lengths at times to make sure that everyone gets just what they wanted.  We spend way too much money.  Wait forever in lines after going to ten different stores looking for one thing.  Yet, while we go through this strange, but now traditional ritual, thousands of kids look forward to knowing that when they wake up on Christmas morning it will be just another day.  There will be no gifts under the tree, assuming that there is a tree to begin with.  Maybe Mom, or Dad, or both will have to work that morning so the parents of other boys and girls can get the batteries to the new toys found under their trees.  With all the commercialism, and the often times lost meaning of what Christmas truly is, it saddens me to think of all the boys and girls that will not smile on Christmas morning.  I know that there is more to life than materialistic things, but that doesn’t change that a kid should have a reason to smile, something fun and exciting waiting for them, something to bring a little joy to their day.  If you want to help extend the smiles, extend the sharing, and so you care, donate a new, unwrapped toy to Toys 4 Tots.  Donate a few toys. Get others involved.  As someone who has been the little boy that had Christmas donated to him by others, I know how great it feels to know that others do care, and want to see kids smile on Christmas morning.  My family had a year where if it wasn’t for the kindness of others, there would not have been a Christmas.  Don’t let this be just another day, help make it truly special.

http://www.toysfortots.org/

MXL Fail

December 7, 2009 in Uncategorized with 2 Comments

I am so frustrated.  I’d like to think that I know enough about enough that I can troubleshoot most of my own technical issues.  This time, however, I am stumped on what to do.
I own a Macbook, early 2009 generation, and have had no problems with it.  I also cashed in on the great deals of the Mac Hiest 3 Bundle in Spring of 2009 and got a copy of the video production application BoinxTV.  I was planning on using that, along with my webcam and an MXL Audio Studio 1 USB microphone to record and produce a Christmas video this year.
My problem is with the microphone.  For reasons that I cannot figure out, my Mac does not recognize the MXL microphone. I have tried it in Wire Tap Studio, BoinxTV, and of course in the sound preferences panel within Mac OS X.  Thinking that it may be the mic itself, I tried it on a Vista machine, and it worked fine.  I decided that perhaps I needed a driver, so I searched for one, and have so far came up short.  I have also tried updating the operating system and restarting the machine.
Does anyone out there have any ideas to what my problem is? This is a really nice microphone, and I would hate to have to find a different one.  If you can help me, please leave a comment, send me a tweet (@danielvining) or shoot me an email (dan@danielvining.com)
MXL Studio 1 USB Microphone

MXL Studio 1 USB Microphone

I am so frustrated.  I’d like to think that I know enough about enough that I can troubleshoot most of my own technical issues.  This time, however, I am stumped on what to do.

I own a Macbook, early 2009 generation, and have had no problems with it.  I also cashed in on the great deals of the Mac Hiest 3 Bundle in Spring of 2009 and got a copy of the video production application BoinxTV.  I was planning on using that, along with my webcam and an MXL Audio Studio 1 USB microphone to record and produce a Christmas video this year.

My problem is with the microphone.  For reasons that I cannot figure out, my Mac does not recognize the MXL microphone. I have tried it in Wire Tap Studio, BoinxTV, and of course in the sound preferences panel within Mac OS X.  Thinking that it may be the mic itself, I tried it on a Vista machine, and it worked fine.  I decided that perhaps I needed a driver, so I searched for one, and have so far came up short.  I have also tried updating the operating system and restarting the machine.

Does anyone out there have any ideas to what my problem is? This is a really nice microphone, and I would hate to have to find a different one.  If you can help me, please leave a comment, send me a tweet (@danielvining) or shoot me an email (dan@danielvining.com)

Many thanks in advance.

What’s in Your Wallet?

December 2, 2009 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

What's in Your Wallet?

What's in Your Wallet?

This may sound a bit odd, but go with me on this.

Without looking, do you know what is in your wallet? I mean everything?  I bet most of you don’t.  I don’t.  So, when and if your wallet is lost or stolen, you won’t be able to figure out, remember or just plain know what all is missing.

Here is a tip.  Take the time to record the contents of your wallet. Take that inventory and put it in a safe place where only you, or someone you trust has access. That way, should you ever loose your wallet you can make quick work of recovering important business card numbers, friends numbers, locker combinations, membership cards or whatever else may slip from your mind and normally be classified as not important enough to remember.

My Daily Tweet Digest 2009-12-01

December 1, 2009 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

  • It's Tuesday and looks like more rain headed this way (Pensacola, FL). Then it should be cooling off. #
  • Alright. Now it's starting to feel like it should in December. (it's 46 degrees) Happy Holidays! #
  • No outdoor X-mas lites 2nite; it's raining. Making spaghetti for dinner & relaxing for a bit. It's finally getting colder. Happy Holidays! #

Powered by Twitter Tools