Merry Christmas!

Christmas Greetings from Michelle

Michelle's JibJab Christmas Card is here.

Amazing Christmas Light Display

This is amazing! You can see the displays from previous years by visiting his site here.

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

I spoke to soon

It snowed this morning. I think the accumulation of less than an inch streak continues.

"As of this past Sunday, it had been 278 days since an inch of fallen snow had been recorded at Syracuse Hancock Airport by the National Weather Service, breaking the old record of 276 days, set in 1946. The snowless streak in Syracuse, which is usually the snowiest major city in the nation, reached the equivalent of nine months and five days, or about 76 percent of a calendar year." (from the Post Standard)

That puts us at 280 days with less than an inch of accumulation.

No Snow Yet

I'm pretty sure that we broke a record here in Syracuse. November is coming to a close and we still have not had any snow. No complaints from me. It is a bit colder tonight and the rain on the car has turned to ice. I'm guessing it would be a safe bet to predict snow in December.

Compaq Laptop Screen Replacement

Thanks to Jenn, I had an opportunity to try my hand at replacing a laptop screen. She came to me just over a week ago and let me know that her laptop, on the way from her table, to her bed, came in contact with the floor, aggressively. Not her exact words but close.

I've always heard that replacing the screen is as costly as buying a new laptop. Though the screen was expensive, it was not nearly as expensive as I imagined and it was a relatively easy project.

I found a brand new laptop screen on eBay for about $100. It would have been nice to find a how-to video on YouTube specific to the Compaq CQ50-215NR which is the model we own but I didn't. I did find one for a Dell. Not exactly the same (the Dell looked easier) but close enough.

How-To Video here.

Watching the video gave me the courage to dive in. On a Compaq, you need to remove the hinges. To do this, remove the battery. There are a couple of screws that hold the keyboard in. You remove these screws and pop the keyboard off. This gives you access to the hinges. From here on, it's similar to the video. You remove two more screws and pop the bezel off. Replace the screen and put it all back together.

I held my breath as I pushed the power button and unlike most projects, the laptop screen came to life perfectly. Jenn's happy and I can now say that I know how to replace a laptop screen.

Quick Animoto for Rob and Sara's Wedding

Short yet I hope you enjoy! Sara, keep on smiling!

Congratulations Sara and Rob!!!

Fantastic weather for an outdoor wedding. We wish Rob and Sara all the best as they enjoy each others company full time!

I just finished sorting through the pictures and you can get to them on-line at Rob and Sara's Wedding by clicking here. You can also get to them by clicking on the flickr link on the right and looking for the Wedding Album. I'll be putting the pictures on a CD (might need to use a DVD) for everyone soon.

Prom Night

Jenn and her friends rode a Limo to the West Genesee Prom. Renee, our in house hair stylist, did the hair and make up. The weather was beautiful and it should be a fun night. The full set of pictures are already up on Flickr.

Jenn Hits the Road

As Jennifer's birthday approached, she made it clear that she was going to get her learner's permit as soon as she could. Well she kept her word. The day she turned 16, she went to DMV, took and passed her test and walked away with her Learner's Permit. She sent me a text to let me know and asked if I could take her out on the road when I got home from work.

On her birthday, Jenn sat behind the wheel of our van and began the process of learning how to drive. It was a little tougher than she thought it would be (ask her about the boulders in the driveway) but she did pretty good. She's got several hours under her belt and she's learning quickly. At this pace, she'll have her license in no time.

I just uploaded a bunch of pictures of Jennifer from back in the late 90's. These are pictures of her from when we lived in Buffalo. The pictures are on Flickr.

You're my best friend, Queen on ukulele

My second favorite music related YouTube subscription. Entertaining! Jaaaaaaa.

STS9 Collab - Using their drums to jam with!! FUN!

This guy is awesome. One of my favorite YouTube subscriptions. Amazing! Ronaldjenkees.

Renee's Slippy Car Accident

It was snowing today and the roads were slick. On the way home from work Renee did some slipping and sliding. The car has some front end damage, but she is fine. I was going to tell you the details about Renee's accident but she does such a great job telling it herself. Enjoy!

Real Baby II

I walked in the door last night and I was greeted by Jenn. Jenn promptly asked me if I wanted to hold her baby. Jenn's baby was birthed by Realityworks inc. and this computerized infant simulator tracks how well Jenn cares for it. It needs to be fed, changed, burped and rocked. If you fail to figure out what the baby needs it has a wail that can be heard from any location in the house.
One of the objectives of this lesson is to demonstrate the impact babies have on a person’s lifestyle, extended family and future. This is a lesson that engages students in a way that is genuine and applicable to real life. The baby will be a part of Jenn's life until Monday.
Though the Real Baby II is the most advanced simulator on the market, there are a few changes I'd make. In order to truly enjoy the joys of motherhood the baby should be designed to projectile vomit. The current model comes with an obvious sound when the baby is pooping. I'd add in the ability to have an actual diaper overflow and a realistic accompanying odor.
Jenn is actively engaged in the experience and I'm sure she'll get some extra attention from our friends at church tomorrow (just like a real Mom would). This should be an interesting weekend.

Dreamcatcher

I've done some rock climbing in my lifetime but Chris Sharma is by far the most incredible climber of our generation. He literally jumps from hold to hold. His unorthodox style makes him one of the best climbers alive. Incredible!

What Your Cat Does When Your Sleeping

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Heavy Snow

It's early in the morning and kind of dark but you get the idea. I took this video on December 31st. Lot's of snow. This will be my last post about snow for a while. That is unless it snows again.....

WTVH Blizzard of 1966 Ron Curtis Syracuse, NY

We have had quite a bit of snow this year but nothing compared to storm in this short video which tells about the Blizzard of 1966 here in Syracuse, NY.

Scraping Away the Snow

Wesley was caught in the act of scraping snow off the van this morning. We were heading out to get some lunch but before we could go we (Wes) needed to clear away some of the overnight snowfall. We got another 4 or 5 inches, that on top of about a foot we already had. Our winters have been relatively mild these past few years but this winter we have had several big storms. Although we have had over 2 - 3 feet of snow, it melts fairly quick. I'm not going to complain,it could be worse.
The snow was cleared and we ate too much food at Tully's.

Hulu.com

If you miss your favorite TV show there's a good chance that you can see it for free at Hulu.com. They even have some older shows in there line-up. I have Kitchen Nightmares, Crusoe, and The Land of the Giants (1968-69) in my queue. Jennifer checked out the site tonight and she was happy to find all the episodes of Roswell.
In most cases you would need to watch the shows on your PC. If you are a bit more tech savvy, there is a way to hack your Apple TV and upload Boxee. This will allow you to watch Hulu on your TV over the internet. Either way it's a great way to catch up on any shows you may have missed.