I'm it!

My brother Kevin (http://itskev.blogspot.com) had tagged me. Of course, like him, I don't know why I am doing this. If it give me a reason to post in my blog, then it can't be bad.

A- Available or Single?
Huh? Strange question. I am neither, I guess.

B- Best Friend.
In this world, Glyn and my buddy Jeff are currently on top. I have been blessed with many good friends in this life.

C- Cake or Pie.
Cake. German Chocolate cake is my favorite.

D- Drink of Choice.
I usually drink water, but I also enjoy a beer, a glass of bourbon, or a martini..

E- Essential Item.
Toughest one. I don't think anything in this world is essential. However, right now, it has to be my computer. I spend a good part of my day on it. Mostly chatting with Glyn almost every morning and every night. Having a computer is essential to a long distance relationship these days.

F- Favorite Color.
Blue... It brings out Kevin's eyes. (hehehehe)

G- Gummi Bears or Worms.
I really hate them both.

H- Hometown.
This is a tough question. I was born in Annapolis, MD, and lived most of my childhood (8 years) in Stafford, VA.

I- Indulgence.
Baseball...and smoking a nice cigar. Also, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. (Don't ask me why, I just love them.)

J- January or February.
January. The beginning of the year, usually some snow, and there is my birthday and my mom's and brother Steve's too.

K- Kids.
None yet. A special prayer goes out to April and Angelo...two children that we lost to ectopic pregnancies.

L- Life is incomplete without…
Baseball.

M- Marriage Date.
My first marriage was 5/20/95. It was the greatest day of my life. We will see what God has in store for me for another one.

N- Number of Siblings?
3. All brothers!

O- Oranges or Apples?
I think I enjoy apples more. Less messy than an orange. Plus nothing rhymes with orange. :)

P- Phobias/Fears.
I used to be afraid of a few things. I am working with God with most of these. The one that has been around the longest is the fear of falling. I used to think it was the fear of heights, but I have been at the top of some of the tallest structures in the world (Sears Tower and the Empire State Building) and was not afraid. Also, I enjoy sitting in the window seat in an airplane. However, get me on a pair of skates, and I am terrified.

Q- Favorite Quote.
"I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside me." - Abraham Lincoln. I think this is a great philosophy on life. It is important to be true to yourself.

In second place is: "If you don't live what you believe, you will soon believe what you live" - Father Bill LaFratta. Fr. Bill was my priest in college. This viewpoint on life has been so true.

R- Reasons to smile.
Waking up to a new day.
The start of baseball season. (See indulgences.)
Being in love.
Knowing that God loves me, no matter what.

S- Season(ing).
I like winter, because of Christmas, my birthday, and the snow.
I love basil, because it makes pesto...yum! I also enjoy cayenne pepper in my chili! Spicy!

T- Tag Three.
Arjean (I am too hoping she will blog again).
Joy (I'd like to compare husband and wife).
Steve (I would love to see him blog again).

U- Unknown Fact About Me.
If I tell you, it would not be unknown, would it?

V– Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals.
Definitely not a vegetarian, so I must be the other one. ;)

W- Worst Habit.
I can be very messy. I can clean up my place, and in a day, it looks like a hurricane went through it!

X– X-rays or Ultrasounds.
I have had both. Ultrasounds are cool because you can usually see what they are doing when they do it.

Y- Your Favorite Foods.
Pizza and Mac and Cheese. These were my favorite foods when I was 5, and they have since remained my favorites. I have also grown to love creme brulee, baklava, apple crisp, and a good steak.

Z- Zodiac.
Capricorn. I don't really follow it too much.

Slingbox

I have to tell you about the coolest product I have ever bought. A buddy of mine told me about it and after reading about it, I just had to get it. What is it? A Slingbox. What is a Slingbox? Well, it really is an amazing product. It allows you to watch your TV from anywhere you have internet access. That's right. I said ANYWHERE!

The product itself is rather small. It sits on the top of the TV and hooks up to your cable or satellite receiver. Then you plug it in to your router, Ethernet bridge, or Ethernet port. I happen to have my router in my TV entertainment center, so it was simple for me. I just plugged it in to my satellite DVR too and downloaded the software, and voila! I was all set up.



It was very simple to set up. You do not have to know much about audio-visual equipment or port forwarding to get going. They had an easy guide and the software was very simple to install.

I can now watch my TV on my laptop from anywhere where I live. I only have a TV in my living area, so this allows me to watch the TV from my bedroom or even outside. (I am currently sitting outside with my laptop and watching ESPN Sportscenter.) They have a great interface that even includes a remote...the exact remote that I currently use for my DVR...every button! So I can change channels, look at the program guide, pause live TV...all just like I was sitting in front of my TV.

Pretty cool, huh? Wait, it gets better.

Not only can I watch my TV from any spot in my place. I can watch my TV from anyplace in the world! I had Glyn in the Philippines download the software and plug in my finder ID (that is all you need to hook up to it). Before you knew it, she was watching my TV from halfway around the world! She said the picture and sound were good. She does not have the fastest internet connection, but it works good for her too! I was sitting in my living room watching her change the channels. She even paused the TV after I showed her how to do this.

They have software that works too on Macs, Palm Treos and other handhelds, Pocket PCs, and Smartphones. This means you can watch your TV from your handheld...as long as you have internet connection.

I have seen some amazing products lately. Apple has done a nice job with their iPods, Apple TV, and the upcoming iPhone. This tops them, in my opinion. If you have not seen Apple TV, it allows you to stream all of your media (pictures, music, and videos) from your home computers to your TV. You could use the Slingbox in conjunction with Apple TV to access your music, video, and pictures anywhere in the world!

I was able to get mine because I had some Amazon.com gift certificates lying around (including one from my former employer...thank you very much). The version that I bought was $149 online at Amazon.com.

I can't wait to go to the Philippines to see it in action myself. (Like I need an excuse to go to the Philippines.)