file under "couldn't care less"...

i have ranted before about the "news" msn dishes out from their default home page. i couldn't pass up the couple of hot items that i saw tonight (no, i don't use msn as my default hompepage but it is set up that way on one of our home computers).

did star jones-reynolds quit "the view"? or was she fired?

"eddie" the dog from frasier dies

michael jackson moving

britney poses nude on cover of harpers bazaar

(ok, maybe i checked this out in curious disgust)

what? where's my tom cruise coverage? what about bradgelina??

so you think you can dance?

all week the kids had been looking forward to the arden hills summer festival, so yesterday, i took the kids for a couple hours as allie was not feeling well. we climbed on the fire trucks, rode some ponies, did the moon walk, and then the main event, the splatter sisters show at one of the picnic pavillions. they ran through the usual setlist of childeren's favorites (the name game, there was an old lady who swallowed a fly, take me out to the ballgame, etc.) then came the adult participation segment of the show. they asked for kids to volunteer their dads to come up and dance, and of course all three of my kids hands shot up. despite the fact that i tried to will myself invisible, i was co-erced to come to the stage. the singers continued to implore more dads to the stage, but none took the bait, despite my frantic waving for more dads to come foreward. "i guess you will do" says the lead vocalist, and before i knew what was going on, i was told to follow her lead and copy her dance moves to some song i can't even remember. being the good sport and talented rug-cutter that i am, i pretty much nailed the moves (including a couple of rather complex shakira-style rump shakes) much to the delight of the audience and my kids.
i left the stage after the number completely embarrassed and hoping that no one had recorded or taken any pictures.

CANCEL THE ACCOUNT...

aol is a company i have avoided my entire technical career. you've seen the free cd's in the supermarket & no doubt received them in the mail at your home promising you 1000 free minutes (or whatever) if you sell your soul to them. my advice: don't do it. for a time, receiving the cd's in the mail was fine because i would promptly insert the cd in the garbage and use the free cd jewel case, (because hey, free jewel case) but they finally wised up to that and now no longer provide the free cases. if you don't know, aol basically tries to encapsulate their interpretation of the www and pretty much makes you live in that world while simultaneously taking over your computer. no thanks. recently a guy named vincent ferrari called aol and tried to cancel his account with aol. he was aware of their notorious shoddy customer service and recorded the conversation. the transcript and audio can be played
here. it's actually quite humorous and anybody that has received poor customer service can relate.

boston bound...

it's official. price summer vacation '06 is on the books (finally). we fretted and sweated the airline tickets but in the end, we decided to bite the bullet, get the non-stop flights (vs. the cheaper lay-over ones). travelling with 3 kids, our sanity is worth something. we leave for boston in mid-august for a wednesday-wednesday deal. things i hope to do:

visit with allie's brother, and sister-in-law (& family) for a few days

log some beach time

hit a water park

spend time with my sister and brother-in-law AND meet danny in person

catch a sox game (if possible)

spend a couple of days at the ocean edge resort

it's been four years since i've been to boston, ma, but it really is one of my favorite places. it is SO totally what i think of when i think back to my early childhood years.

life goes on...

after a series of rapid fire posts last week i have sort of slipped out of blog-mode. much of what has happened between now and then is hardly what would be deemed blogging material, so instead of making up a bunch of lies about how i scaled mt. everest, swam with the dolphins, played pebble beach, and ran with the bulls in spain, i've decided to just lay low. i did decide to take last friday off, spur of the moment, for a much needed mental health day. had plans to paint the bathroom that went unrealized. instead, i ran a few errands and spent some time with the kids. had father's day with allie's dad and brother yesterday, having my parents over tonight for part 2. more soon...

"slam dunks sox"...

being a boston redsox fan as well as a twins (& cardinals)fan, one of the websites i enjoy reading is the hardcore, redsox nation approved, boston dirt dogs site. let's just say the dirt dogs take their redsox very seriously, say like england takes their soccer. when their boys faulter, you will hear about it here. when they do well, likewise. let's be honest, the twins aren't going anywhere this year & the redsox probably will play in october, but last night was a magical game in the metrodome. both squads had their ace's pitching last night as johann santana battled curt schilling for 8 innings. the game ended in the bottom of the twelfth when twins rookie jason kubel hit a grand slam just over the baggie in right. it was as an exciting game as i've seen\heard in a long time. the dirt dogs are calling this one "the worst loss of the season".
i'll be going to the game tonight but i know there's no way it can be as exciting as last night's game was. in a way it's a win-win for me anyway.
more later...

save the 'net...

thirdthoughts does not normally endorse grass roots campaigns of any sort, however, in case you haven't been paying attention, you may not have heard of something called, "network neutrality", the First Amendment of the Internet, which ensure that the internet public can view the smallest blog (such as thirthoughts!) just as easily as the largest corporate website. here is a short description:

"Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the Internet's First Amendment -- a principle called Network Neutrality that prevents companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from deciding which Web sites work best for you -- based on what site pays them the most. If the public doesn't speak up now, our elected officials will cave to a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign".

Basically it comes down to large internet service providers such as AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Time Warner, and others who want to play "gatekeeper" on the web and decide for you, the paying customers, which sites load fast (the ones in their best interest!) slow, or not at all. this is just wrong on so many levels. but don't just take my word for it, take a moment to sign the petition or at least go read the faq's. call your senators and write you representatives. tell congress they can't hand over control of the internet to AT&T and Verizon.
end rant.

"dance the night away"...

was the theme to this years recital. due to the fact that once again no flash photography or recording of the actual events were allowed, (the recitals are professionally recorded for purchase) i have no footage of the actual event.
alaina's numbers were as follows:

tap - "get ready"

ballet - "from a distance"

jazz - "our lips are sealed"

noelle's numbers were:

tap - "nine to five"

ballet - "my girl"

jazz - "move your body"

as un unbiased outside observer i can honestly say that my girls were the best of their groups. 'nuff said.

dancing queens...

another year of dance is drawing to a close but not before the big shows this weekend at slp high school. this year, alaina and noelle perform on different nights which means not one, but two seperate shows! double the fun & excitement!! ok, your sarcasm meter may be getting a slight reading, but i do enjoy seeing the girls perform. they've worked hard, put in the practice, and i wouldn't miss it for the world (or softball).

birthday weekend recap...

we have enjoyed a couple of spectacular summer-like days this weekend. friday, noelles' birthday, we took the kids to como town, a mini-amusement park where we let them ride some rides. after that we headed to TGIFridays (noelle's choice) where noelle was treated to a rousing rendition of the "happy, happy birthday" song by 4 members of the marginally talented but enthusiastic serving staff. then we went home and let noelle rip into some presents. saturday the birthday madness continued as we had grandparents over for a cookout and more gift-giving. see the pics here. today, it's a lazy sunday afternoon and we're recharging our batteries a bit before the week starts. kids last day of school is wednesday. last day of work is nowhere in site. more soon...

Happy Birthday Noelle!

noelle turns 7 today. friday birthdays rule. this is one of my all-time favorite pictures of noelle - the only thing missing is the halo. much love from mom & dad!