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Ask Me Weekend #9.1
Feb 11, 2010 Ask Me Weekend Comments
(Yes, I’m behind on American Idol posts. Yes, I plan to do at least one tonight. Yes, this is a blatant attempt to get a Project52 post in before midnight just in case.)
I haven’t done this in a while, and the last one met with a resounding thud, but we’re gonna try it again.
Ask me a question (or several) in the comments. I’ll answer them either all together in one entry later on in the next few days, or possibly in their own entries if they need that depth of answer.
American Idol 9 – Dallas auditions
Feb 1, 2010 That's Hot Comments
The DVR ate this one, too, but I was able to view it later on elsewhere. Good thing, as I was looking forward to seeing Neil Patrick Harris as guest judge. 
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American Idol 9 – Los Angeles auditions (LIVEBLOGGED!)
Jan 26, 2010 That's Hot Comments Off
Ryan Seacrest announces the start of the show from, well, his show. LA, here we go!
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American Idol 9 – Orlando auditions
Jan 21, 2010 That's Hot Comments Off
The same day as a space shuttle launch, Idol’s next set of auditions took place in Orlando. How many standouts did we get?
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American Idol 9 – Chicago auditions (LIVEBLOGGED!)
Jan 19, 2010 That's Hot Comments Off
Looks like a… *ahem* warm welcome to start off the Chicago auditions. Heeeeeeeere we go!
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American Idol 9 – Atlanta auditions
Jan 18, 2010 That's Hot Comments Off
Due to technical difficulties (my DVR either failed to record it, or it ate it), last Wednesday’s American Idol episode will not be blogged. I should have coverage of tomorrow’s episode, likely liveblogged.
Having seen it on YouTube, though, let me just say: General Larry Platt’s “Pants On The Ground” is equal parts hilariously funny and distubingly catchy. 
American Idol 9 – Boston auditions (Liveblogged!)
Jan 12, 2010 That's Hot Comments Off
It’s that time of year again, for commentary on American Idol. Let’s get the show on the road with tonight’s episode of auditions from Boston!
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Resolutions
Jan 5, 2010 Blog News, Brainwaves, Photos Comments
The question is always asked this time of year: “What’re your new near’s resolutions?”
I don’t usually have many, if any. Like many people, they’re forgotten about within a few weeks, and there’s no real accountability in the whole deal.
This year, though, between a gift and a project, I’ve got two.
First up is the project, and this post is part of it. One week ago, I posted about Project52, an effort to post at least once per week for the calendar year of 2010. My first resolution, therefore, is to write more here on my blog. Being, now, the first week of the year, I’ve got this week covered.
The gift is a “new” camera, by which I mean “new to me.” As a Christmas gift, my wife Yvonne gave me her Nikon Coolpix 5400. It may not be brand new, but it’s an upgrade over my existing Olympus Camedia C3000, and has 100% fewer dead pixels to boot! So, my second resolution (camera resolution, get it? Ha ha! Heh… ok, never mind) is to shoot more photos.
Yeah, there are a few other things I’d like to do, too, but these are a couple that I know are easily within reach. Nothing wrong with starting with the low-hanging fruit, no?
How about you, humble reader? What are your new year’s resolutions?
Project52 in 2010
Dec 29, 2009 Blog News, Cool Links Comments
A couple of times in the last few years, I’ve participated in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo), an alternative to National Novel Writing Month. Last year, I “won” (basically, I did succeed in posting every day), but this year things were so busy in November that I knew I wasn’t going to finish so I didn’t start.
Committing to writing every day is pretty tough, and it’s hard to do when you have a lot of other things going on. As it is, I’ve only posted 9 times since the end of American Idol back in May (for which I blog on each episode). Posting once a week, on the other hand, is a much more reasonable effort to squeeze in to an otherwise hectic schedule, which is what made a blog post I saw two weeks ago catch my eye.
Christina Warren gets the hat tip for pointing me to Project52: “a personal challenge geared toward getting fresh content on your website. The goal is to write at least 1 new article per week for 1 year.” Pretty straightforward, and easy to keep up. The project’s web site is also working on a way of gathering RSS feeds and making participants publicly accountable if they screw up, and no one wants to be “that guy.”
As part of the “refresh” of the new writing commitment, I’m also looking at new WordPress themes to give this place a new look. Keep an eye out shortly after the first of the year.
I hope I’m able to come up with interesting enough writings to keep you coming back this year. I look forward to hearing from readers!
Democrat and Chronicle interviews election inspectors
Nov 2, 2009 In The News, Politics, Rochester Comments Off
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle has a neat article about election inspectors working the polls this year. It’s a quick look into what goes on in the polling places each election, and the people who are working there to make sure voting goes smoothly.
I found it particularly interesting to see what inspectors had to say about their duties in part because I’m also an inspector. I’ll be traveling to a number of districts in east Webster this Tuesday. You can see a little bit about what we do in the article.
This year may not feature a presidential election, but voting is still important. Even more important than voting, though, is voting smart. Be sure to be educated about the races in your district before you go to the polls this Tuesday.
