The New Coupon Booklets Are Here!

The Summer Reading Program (SRP) is a huge deal for the Library each year. It was developed to provide incentives for kids to read over the summer, when school is out. We also have special programs like animal shows, science entertainment programs and even a drawing program
(yes, that one is mine).

The coupon booklet is a key component in this because it is given to those who sign up for the SRP and read 10 books (for teens) or 15 books for those 12 and below. It sounds like a lot, but it isn't. Any book will do. You can even read to your kid if they can't and that counts as well. We read two books each night before bed each night, so I will make the quota pretty quick.

The coupon booklet has coupons for a free ice cream cone, $5 off at any Book sale, Coupon for Borders Books, Free tickets to a DC United and Potomac Nats game and many more.

I made the coupon booklet and the Calendar as well and we printed at least 45,000 copies this year and another 35,000 of the booklet.We also had to create and print the book logs I am just glad that the printing part is over and now I can concentrate on something else at work.

Polaroid Picture

A girl I work with stopped me today and said that they just found an old Polaroid camera in one of the closets at work and there was a packet of film as well. She said since I was a "techie/artsy" guy that I might be interested in it.

I jumped at it! How cool is that - like going back in time with my first camera, a Polaroid One Step. When I got home I took a picture of Jack with it and then had an idea. What if I record the picture as it develops and then fast-motion the movie.

So here is the movie, complete with a snippet of Jack saying how he wanted to see it:

Um, Ma'am, You Dropped Something...

We went to Noodle for dinner tonight because Jack and me loooooove to go there, its fairly economical and its relatively healthy food (The magic food trifecta)

After that we stopped by Starbucks so Kate could get her fix. As we were walking out we crossed the parking lot and a woman was walking from the Walgreens toward us. She dropped a wadded up piece of paper, I thought it was a napkin, but it was a receipt. We both spotted it and said, almost in unison, "you dropped something", to which she stopped, looked down and then kept walking. She walked past us and said "Oh, that's OK", dismissingly.

Kate said, "but that's littering", but by this time the lady was several steps away and she turned and said something belligerent but I couldn't really make out what it was, but it was like, .."really, who cares"?

I said I would just keep it, it probably has some interesting financial information on it to which did make her stop for a second.

People are Ass-Hats, sometimes.

I read the receipt and it did make some interesting reading. The first two products she purchased were 3 "W PRM DIAP SZ5 26S 1A" (Womens Adult Diapers) and 1 bottle of "LSTRN GOLD 8.5OZ (Listerine Mouthwash).

This woman was approximately 40-45, Brunette with shoulder-length hair and maybe 150 pounds. She also has bad breath and a weak bladder, but maybe I just read too much into this.

Happy 3rd Birthday Celebration

Jack's birthday was today so we celebrated this weekend by having a party over at Reet and Jims since Kathleen and Tino were in town and our house is small. Reet made the cake (actually, two cakes) and they cooked hot dogs on the grill.

Joe, Lisa, Joe Jr. and Beckett attended as well. Little Joe had lots of advice for his cousin on what to open first. Apparently, he wanted the gift that they got him so he was anxious for Jack to open it so he could see it. I think I know what to get him for his birthday.

Jack started unwrapping his presents and loved everything he got. We got Lego's and racecars and a baseball stand which holds the baseball while you hit it, complete with sound. Lots of cool stuff. Did I mention the lego's?

Opening presents

Little Joe giving Jack a few pointers

Blowing out the candles

Jack and his Birthday Hat, sent from GG and Papa John

Yeah, That's What I'm Talkin About

Out of the mouths of babes...



People have been warning me about how they pick up stuff, one day they will repeat something you say out of the blue and you just do a double-take. This was one of those occasions. I just figured it would be, "C'mon Grandma, the gas pedal is on the right".

Another Sign

I was driving home from work yesterday and stopped at a light and spotted this gem. Its an offer that just seems too good to be true. Apparently you can make a minimum of $120,000 a year and maybe as much as $240,000 as a Sales Rep.

This is why I took the picture, so I could remember that magic phone number scrawled onto the sign half-hazardly, trying to make it seem like it really isn't the magic number that will free me of my financial burdens and fulfill every dream I have ever had.

This is art; how else could you explain the psychology of this; the hand lettering and poor layout, daring you to look past this golden opportunity and dismiss it as just another scam, or fly-by-night operation that just wants your money and is so willing to fill you with thoughts of financial freedom. The undersell on this opportunity is absolutely genius. Only this could appeal to that special person who can see that one special opportunity and that person was me.

No, this one seems real, almost too good to be true, but it isn't. I was so sure, I called my boss when I got home and left a message that I had quit and decided to pursue this opportunity that would bring me riches. Adios, so long suckers, I was off to make my millions! Kiss my ass!

...or I just drove past the light, got home and made some dinner.

1 out of 537

Every day we get an email that is sent out by the PIO department, PIO standing for Public Information Office. Governments LOVE the acronyms. I overheard a guy saying just the other day he was needed to go take a WIZ.

Anyway, we get these emails that run down everywhere that Fairfax County was mentioned in the local papers or online. I read the police blotters because its always interesting stuff. A few days ago I found out my former next door neighbor was picked up for shoplifting at the local K-mart. You can learn a lot about your neighborhood when you read these things.

Again, I digress. I was reading this email and one story I came across was how the Fairfax County Police had initiated a sobriety checkpoint in McLean, a well-to-do neighborhood in the northern part of the county. The story says that, according to police, they set the checkpoint up from 11:30 pm until 2:30 am and had 537 motorists pass through. They netted one arrest for driving while intoxicated. (Another was given a summons for a miscellaneous traffic offense).

That's 536 to 1.

I reread the quick article looking for some lost piece of information. Maybe I missed something. I didn't, the first time I read it it was correct, 537/1. The article did also state that eight Police Officers and six auxiliary Officers participated in this exercise, for three hours.

I am not a fan of a police dragnets where they stop perfectly innocent citizens, even for a brief moment, so that they can get that one person off the street that has no business being on the road. I think its lazy police work. Its not like fishing and waiting for a fish to bite onto the hook, its like throwing out a very wide net and catching 536 eels and one fish. I would be all for it if they were trying to catch eels, but they aren't.

Now I am not without a solution, or at least a better idea. Next time, split up the eight Officers and park them outside eight different bars spread geographically across all eight districts within the county. I bet that they could net more than one measly arrest for a DWI. At the least, they wouldn't be disturbing 536 innocent citizens.

Here's a link to the original article if your interested: SunGazette.net