Two Things That Can Kill This Blog
Now that Santa Claus has made his annual visit and I have had some time to sit back and relax with the family, I have come to the realization that Santa left behind two things that have the potential to kill this blog along with all other hope of productivity on my part.
Wii, Wii, Wii…All The Way Home
I might have the dates a little off but I believe my kids started asking Santa for the Wii back in February. To their credit, it wasn’t too much after that that I wanted to go out and get one right away.
As you can see in the picture, we were very fortunate that Santa was able to deliver a Wii console, Guitar Hero III and Dance Dance Revolution. In addition to all of that, there were a few additional games and an extra set of controllers.
It wasn’t long after the last present was unwrapped on Christmas morning that the kids wanted to have the Wii setup on the television. We hooked everything up and created our Mii characters and started having some fun. For anyone that hasn’t played the Wii, I highly recommend it as a family activity as I know we all had a blast playing various games yesterday.
If anyone thinks they are good at Guitar Hero III, all I can say is BRING IT because I rock!
Smile and Say Cheese
Just in case the Wii wasn’t enough to completely destroy my desire to work and be productive…sorry, I just had to go and beat Tom Morello in a head-to-head battle on Guitar Hero…where was I again? Oh yeah, productivity or the lack thereof.
I’ve wanted a digital SLR for a long time and my wife completely surprised me with a Nikon D40X and a nice assortment of accessories. In addition to the camera, she got me a Nikkor 18-55mm lens and a Nikkor 55-200mm lens as well as a few filters and a nice camera bag.
Now I need to really learn how to use this camera and I am sure that will take me quite some time. The pictures in this post were taken with the new camera - using auto mode entirely - and I can see that I have some work to do here.
Giving Back To My Wife
As noted above with the gift from my wife, I am a very lucky man and have a terrific woman as a wife. Not only does she get me unbelievable gifts but she is the best mother I could have ever hoped for my kids to have and has been an absolute gem of a wife, as she puts up with all of the time I spend on my blogs and doesn’t mind my solo motorcycle rides either. 
I don’t quite understand it but apparently there are quite a few women that long for a little blue box from Tiffany & Co. and my wife is certainly part of that group. She has longed for something - anything - from Tiffany for a long time and I never followed through for her.
This year I decided to surprise her with a few boxes from Tiffany and needless to say she was completely blown away. She always hints around Christmas about the blue box and I always made a joke out of it - including this year. So when she unwrapped the package and saw the blue bag containing the blue boxes, she nearly fainted.
Thanks To All
While I battle with the desire to waste all of my time with two new toys, I wanted to say thanks to everyone and wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.
My kids, wife, and I all feel very fortunate this year to have our health and be in a position where we were able to enjoy the luxuries of a few toys. Over the coming days we will be doing our best to spread a little joy and good fortune to those that might not be so lucky.
Please be safe and enjoy the time you have with family, friends, and loved ones as we near the end of 2007.
How far have you gotten in Guitar Hero? I’m starting to struggle in Hard Mode… about 2/3 of the way through Career Mode.
You got a lot of cool stuff in your house dude! We got our boy a Gamecube. The best game for me is the one where you pick your opponent and fight. Just like one you might see in an old pizza arcade.
My brother-in-law got Guitar Hero and I watched him play most of the solos on there. He let me try it and I gave up after the 5th or 6th note. LOL. It has a cool look to it though and I really like the music interface with the kids. Make no mistake though, it doesn’t teach anything about real guitar soloing.
Best to you and yours man, you’ve had a year of hard online work and I’m glad to see it paying off for you. I’m thinking of trying those text-links on a new writing based blog I am starting. Be safe ’til New Years.
That blog brought a big smile on my face. That, as a family, all of you have had a wonderful Christmas and you seem to be content, despite being left handed, is great to read about.
Thanks for the kind words. Ditto to you too.
Congratulations on the D40! Of course Nikon means you’ve gone over to the dark side, but … those VR lenses are magic. I’ve been using a couple Canon IS ones for close to a decade, and it’s nothing short of amazing to watch the viewfinder freeze, just stop shaking while you compose your photo.
I want a pair of stabilized binoculars now…! Anyway, enjoy the SLR!
Wow, cool gifts there. We should get used to fewer posts from you now. And btw, tiffany was a great idea on your part. I totally belong to that group myself, and would so love to receive those blue boxes.
Someone got some DSLR love too! I gave myself DSLR love too this year, but I think I went a little overboard
Are you feeling the GH Cramps yet? I couldn’t open my left hand for a couple days after playing GHIII for a couple hours.
Stephen - which body did you get? And with which lenses?
I got a Nikon D200 and a D80. Replacing a D50, which is still a wicked camera. I’ll be using my old lens collection and added a f/2.8 60mm Micro Nikkor. A Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 DX is also on the way to replace the abysmal 18-200VR.
Wii and GH??? YES!!!! looks good man.
:O)
@Michael :: So far I am only half-way through on the medium mode and have been helping my son with the easy mode. I’m sure the hard mode will be where I really get challenged.
@Damien :: Thanks! It is funny because my youngest son who can play the real guitar better than anyone else in our house has struggled the most with GH. He usually puts the game down and grabs his real guitar to crank out a few tunes of his own. I took a video of his guitar recital and may try posting it eventually.
@HRS :: I am more than content with being left handed.
@Forrest :: This is the first Nikon that I have ever had and have favored the Canon line in the smaller point and shoot digitals. But with the DSLR I had heard so many good things about the Nikons I felt it was worth it. My wife is already sick of me snapping pics in the house as I experiment with the camera, lol.
@Nicole :: I’ve said to my wife that I should start a business/service where men can buy empty Tiffany boxes and then put a knock-off piece of jewelry inside.
@Stephen :: Damn, you really went all out with the DSLR love. I’ve got so much to learn with this camera though as I don’t want to always be shooting on Auto. As for the GH, yes I experienced the cramps in the hand. It was funny but after the first day of everyone playing the Wii, we all had some sore muscles.
@Les Miles :: Thanks but I have to say…go Ohio State!
Mind if I ask what things you’ve heard about Nikon single lens reflexes? I bought a Canon D60, back in 2001 (?) for the same - or maybe the opposite, depending on your point of view - reasons. And then a 5D a few years ago.
It’s interesting that a lot of the ’superiority’ Canon had in the SLR realm at the time, they’re loosing ground on. It used to be that if you wanted a stabilized and ultrasonic lens, Nikon didn’t have any. Then, four years ago, give or take, they put AF-S and VR into their 70-200, and a few more since then.
Do yourself a favour and take a course. You’ll receive a lot more enjoyment out of a DSLR once you start moving away from the “AutoMagic” switch. Coincidentally, my D200 has no “Auto” setting. I’ve actually enrolled in a couple courses for 2008. I found the ones through colleges very affordable and they can be transferred to a certificate if you like later.
I’m actually planning to take a few courses, as the camera store where my wife purchased the camera runs a handful of classes and she purchased a package deal that included a few free classes.
Once I take those, I will decide if I need further education and look at the community college. I took a course when I was in college but that was about 10 years ago and I don’t remember too much about it, although I loved developing the black and white film.
Thanks for the recommendation.
those were some nice presents
i had my first experience with guitar hero on christmas night. i was boo’d off the stage twice. i don’t think i’ll be trying it again any time soon. my sister wants one of those cameras, she calls it a “mamarazzi” camera.
Hey derek, a very sweet post !
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family. Hope you guys always have fun ………
That’s why video games aren’t allowed in the house
But, I suppose it’s for the best.
Matt
Five months down the line, does the Wii still come out of it’s box every so often?
Absolutely, we limit the time the kids can play video games but when they are permitted to play, we are usually playing the Wii.
It really is a fun gaming system.
Wish X-mas would come more often. Amazing bag of goodies.
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