Spring Musical

Kylee and Makenna's first grade spring musical, "We're Just Plain Silly," was tonight. Both of the girls had parts in the program telling jokes.

Kylee at the mic.

Landen's Bike

Landen is still racking up the miles on his new bike. He has had it for two weeks and has already ridden 20 miles. Here's a short video of his newest trick, riding off the edge of the sidewalk curb.

Makenna Knows Words

Kristi and Kylee went shopping tonight. After I put Landen to bed Makenna asked me to play a game. We decided on UpWords, a game at which I have been known to excel. As we began to play I told Makenna that she can't expect to be an expert at the game right away and that it would take her a while to learn how to play well.

Makenna is eight years old. She beat me. 163 to 148.


She made her best move with her last letter. Shortly after I told her that I didn't see anything she could do with her 'U" she came up with a double word move, forming both HUM and US.

And if anyone sees anywhere I could have played my leftover 'E' or 'O' please let me know. The 'G' in GARB was the only tower that was maxed out.

Good job Makenna. And maybe you're right - I might be the one who needs the practice.

Sporting News Today

The Sporting News recently launched a free daily online sports newspaper, Sporting News Today. It has the feel of an actual newspaper, is easy to navigate and covers every major sport. I love it and quickly added a tab to my Firefox start sequence just for Sporting News Today. Here are some points of interest from today's issue:

• How big the matchup between Blake Griffin Tyler Hansbrough is
• Possibilities for Kentucky's next basketball coach (of course)
• Sports owners on Forbe's list
• A profile of Cubs analyst, Bob Brenly
• 7 players sliding down the NFL draft boards
• Stories from the Sweet 16 games
• Previews for today's Elite 8 games
  
• "Inside Dish" notes from various leagues
  
• Brackets for the men's and women's NCAA tournament - in a format that's just like holding a piece of paper in front of your face
• Player interviews
  

You can get a free subscription here.
Then use this URL for daily reading. http://today.sportingnews.com/sportingnewstoday

Product Review: Sennheiser PX 100 Headphones

I hate earbud headphones. I just don't think they are comfortable, and they always seem to fall out while I run. I did some research and discovered that the Sennheiser PX 100 headphones were recommended by a number of runners.

After purchasing these headphones the first thing I did was plug them into my iPod Touch. I was immediately shocked at the sound such a small pair of headphones could deliver.

I had never owned a decent pair of headphones. We usually stick to pairs that are no more than $10. The PX100s run around $40, but they are worth every penny.

The sound is ultra crisp and full of bass. These headphones do this sort of amazing thing in which you can actually hear everything that is in the song. For example, I have heard the song Kiss by Prince hundreds of times over the years and never once realized that there is actually a kissing sound in part of the song. It's crystal clear with the Sennheisers. Also, being able to really hear the song with these headphones was solely responsible for marching Billie Jean up the list of My Top 10 Favorite Songs of All Time.

These headphones are incredibly comfortable to wear. They are very lightweight. The padding at the top of the phones provides perfect cushioning. They are adjustable and haven't moved an inch during the two mile runs I have taken with them. (Extra emphasis for runners - These headphones seriously stay put. I do not notice them the slightest bit while I run. They are comfortable and sound great!)

I read on another blog that these phones seem to have been designed to let external sound in. This is good for running - as a safety feature and also if you are trying to talk to a running partner while listening to your iPod. You can hear outside sounds better than some headphones, but if the sound is turned up loud enough, all I can hear is music and even struggle to hear the alerts emanating from my Garmin Forerunner.

Two minor weaknesses I have found with the PX100 headphones:

1. They are noisy when I run in windy conditions. When running into the wind, the breeze whistles quite loudly. (I really noticed this today when I ran into a 20 mph wind - which isn't very much fun anyway.)
   
   
2. They are not very easy to fold up to put back into the case. I did practice this procedure a bit, and got it down to about a one minute process. Tip: Pay attention when you take them out of the case in the first place. (The fold up feature in no way inhibits the sturdiness of the headphones.)

Overall, I highly recommend the Sennheiser PX 100 headphones (along with almost all of the 876 people who have reviewed this pair on Amazon.) They are perfect for runners who hate earbuds (or even those that don't - I can't imagine anyone liking a pair of earbuds better than these.) They are also fantastic headphones for just sitting around listening to your favorite songs.

If you get some, you won't regret it.

What I Am Reading

To Kylee and Makenna: We recently finished The Organic God by Margaret Feinberg. We have now resumed reading The Incredible Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

To My Class: I finished reading Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor last week. Today I started reading Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls to them. I let them choose between Monkeys and My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. The vote was 17 to 5 in favor of Monkeys.

To Myself: I'm still reading The Next 100 Years by George Friedman.

Spring Is in the Air

Taken today.
(Makenna is actually running from a bee.)

Slumdog Millionaire and Bagels

Kristi and I ran over to Goshen after work to see the 5:00 showing of Slumdog Millionaire. If you haven't seen it yet, don't miss going before it is out of theaters. It definitely lives up to all the hype. It's fantastic.

On the way to the show, Kristi and I decided to get a snack so we wouldn't be so hungry for all the tempting movie theater fare. Thinking they had bagels, we went to the drive thru at Dunkin Donuts. I pull up to the speaker and am greated by a friendly girl inside Dunkin Donuts.

Dunking Donuts Girl: Welcome to Dunkin Dounts. May I take your order?

Me: You have bagels?

Dunkin Donuts Girl: You have bagels?

American Idol Odds and Order of Elimination Prediction

I was surprised Alexis made such an early exit. I thought Alexis deserved to stick around longer, although I did not think she had much of a shot to win (I had her odds at 50:1 last week.) I was glad the judges didn't use their save.

Week 3 Odds of Winning and Order of Elimination:

• Michael Sarver (500:1)
• Kris Allen (100:1)
• Anoop Desai (50:1)
• Scott MacIntyre (50:1)
• Allison Iraheta (15:1)
• Matt Giraud (20:1)
• Megan Joy (20:1)
• Lil Rounds (10:1)
• Adam Lambert (3:1)

My predicted winner for American Idol 2009:

• Danny Gokey (3:1)

My Top 10 Favorite Novels of All Time

My top 10 favorite novels of all time list is filled with "children's" novels. That's most of what I read - some of these I've read over ten times.

10. Poppy by Avi
9. Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
8. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
7. Call of the Wild by Jock London
6. Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
5. Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar
4. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
3. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
2. Holes by Louis Sachar
1. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

When I read #1 and #3 aloud, I have to concentrate on breathing to be able keep on reading and not completely choke up. #2 is an amazingly woven story.

Miles Biked in 2009

Steve 0.0 miles
Kristi 0.0 miles
Kylee 4.6 miles
Kenna 6.1 miles
Landen 9.3 miles

Landen is leading the pack! He got a new bike and a new bike computer for his birthday on Sunday, so he has put all of these 9.3 miles on in just the past 36 hours. Stunned at how many miles he has racked up, I check his computer for accuracy and it is exactly right.

Where to Find Us On Nice Spring Days. . .

in our driveway.

• Kristi and Makenna are roller blading.
• Makenna and I are coloring with sidewalk chalk.
• Landen is trying out the Razor scooter he got for his birthday.
  

Landen's Birthday, My Birthday

Landen was born 3 years ago today, on my 35th birthday. We had a great day (see the slide show for a glimpse.) The whole day was a lot of fun, but I think the best part was when I tucked Landen into bed and he sweetly whispered, "Thank you for the new bike."

Updated American Idol Odds and Order of Elimination Prediction

These are my updated predictions for the order of elimination for the rest of season 8 on American Idol. I also updated my own odds of winning for each of the contestants.

My Pre Round 1 predictions and odds are here.

The update has both Anoop and Scott with much longer odds than last week. I am now predicting Scott to only make the Top 8, instead of the Top 2 and Anoop to make it to the Top 10 instead of the Top 6. I moved Matt Giraud up three spots.

Week 2 Odds of Winning and Order of Elimination,
Kris is the next to go:

• Kris Allen (500:1)
• Anoop Desai (250:1)
  
• Michael Sarver (500:1)
• Scott MacIntyre (250:1)
• Megan Joy (100:1)
• Matt Giraud (200:1)
• Alexis Grace (50:1)
• Allison Iraheta (10:1)
• Lil Rounds (5:1)
• Adam Lambert (3:1)

My predicted winner for American Idol 2009:

• Danny Gokey (3:1)

My Top 10 Favorite Songs of All Time

These are my current top 10 favorite songs of all time.

10. Wanna Be Startin' Something by Michael Jackson
9. Jack and Diane by John Cougar Mellencamp
8. West End Girls by The Pet Shop Boys
7. Bad Day by Daniel Powter
6. I'm Yours by Jason Mraz
5. Viva la Vida by Coldplay
4. Pop Muzic by M
3. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
2. Centerfold by J. Geils Band
1. Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners

Feed the Children on NBC Nightly News

My family got to help pack some of these boxes Thursday evening. It's such a blessing that the ministry of Feed the Children is making an impact for families in need.

My Top 10 Favorite Web Sites

10. www.gridirondigest.com - I lurk on the message boards of the Indiana high school football forum here.

9. www.slickdeals.net - I watch for good deals here.

8. www.facebook.com - It's fun to keep up with people. Since I type better than I talk, it suites me well as a form of communication.

7. www.oldgoldfreepress.com/forums - I lurk on the Purdue sports forums here too.

6. nikeplus.nike.com - I think this site is going to be a lot of fun this year.

5. www.cnn.com - I like to read the news.

4. www.msnbc.msn.com - I like to read the news here too. (I like plain msn.com too.)

3. www.wndu.com/weather - I like a lot of weather sites. This one has a great local radar and I like the 16 day forecast too.

2. www.espn.com - I especially like the SportsNation poll maps.

1. my.yahoo.com - I monitor incoming e-mail, browse news headlines, check sports scores, etc. here.

Defriended On Facebook

Last fall, one of my Facebook "friends" wrote on her status that she got to shake John McCain's hand at a campaign rally. I commented that I thought that was cool and that Kylee, Makenna and I had been to a Barack Obama rally in August, but we didn't get anywhere near close enough to shake his hand.

My friend commented back that she thought that was a good thing (that we didn't get close enough to shake his hand.)

I didn't comment back.

On Wednesday, January 7, as I sat down to enjoy a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats for breakfast, I got to witness this beautiful exchange between Matt Lower and Ann Coulter on the Today Show.

It about made me gag on a Mini Wheat.

Later, my friend's Facebook status said that she wondered if anyone else is reading Ann Coulter's new book, Guilty.

I commented on her status that, "No I'm not reading it, but I WISH the Today Show would have banned her for life."

The next day I discovered that my friend and I were no longer "friends." I had been defriended on Facebook.

Three Brothers

There is good stuff right here from all three of the Prenkert brothers.

American Idol Odds and Order of Elimination Prediction

These are my predictions for the order of elimination for season 8 of American Idol. I also did my own odds of winning for each of the contestants. My early favorites (odds wise) are Danny and Adam, followed closely by Scott, Allison and Lil.

• Michael Sarver (500:1)
• Kris Allen (500:1)
  
• Jorge Nunez (500:1)
  
• Megan Joy (75:1)
• Matt Giraud (200:1)
• Jasmine Murray (50:1)
• Alexis Grace (25:1)
• Anoop Desai (75:1)
• Lil Rounds (8:1)
• Adam Lambert (4:1)
• Allison Iraheta (6:1)
• Scott MacIntyre (5:1)

My predicted winner for American Idol 2009:

• Danny Gokey (3:1)

What I Am Reading - The Next 100 Years

I heard Michael Medved mention this book on his radio show. I thought it sounded interesting, so I bought it. It has definitely kept my interest.

I like forecasts. Whether they are preseason football polls, NBA draft predictions, weather outlooks, oil price prognostics or election results guesses - I like them all. So, The Next 100 Years - A Forecast for the 21st Century by George Friedman is right up my ally. It is the book I am reading right now. I have read through about two-thirds of it.

The book delves deeply into the history of geopolitical relations. Friedman uses this history to predict how future events may unfold. The book reads much like a history book for events that haven't happened.

Friedman does not claim to be a prophet.

"I have no crystal ball. I do, however have a method that has served me well, imperfect though it might be, in understanding the past and anticipating the future."

In the book, Friedman does, however make specific predictions for the 2100s.

• ". . . in 2030 advanced countries will be competing for immigrants."
• "And, by the mid-2040s the Turks will indeed be a major regional power."
• By 2015-2020, it (Russia) will have a military that will pose a challenge to any power trying to project force into the region, even the United States.

The forecasts presented in The Next 100 Years are well thought out and presented in a manner that is easy to understand. There isn't a hint of "fear the future" kookiness present.

The Next 100 Years is one of the more interesting books I have read in a long while. It should be read from the perspective that the book is simply the author's ideas of how events could unfold rather than his ideas of how events will certainly unfold. I am eager to finish The Next 100 Years and recommend it to anyone who enjoys world history, geopolitics or forecasts.

I Have Small Feet and Zappos.com is Amazing

The Culp side of my family is known for their height. (Their lack of it.) I definitely fit right in. The funny thing is, while I don't have much trouble finding clothes that fit me, (well my wife has become an expert at shortening pants) I do have trouble finding shoes that fit me. I carry my 5 foot, 4 inch frame around on size 6.5 feet. Shoe manufacturers must not make many shoes my size, because they are about impossible to find in stores.

I realize I have abnormally small feet. But, all those guys who have regular size feet HAVE to wear my size at some point on their journey toward having regular size feet. What do all those guys (mostly kids, I know) wear when they go through my size? Not kids sizes. They just do not fit. They are way too tight.

Since I have a hard time finding shoes that fit, I am just a little obsessive about finding shoes (that I like) that fit. I troll eBay for shoes quite a bit. . . buying and then selling when they don't work. Did I mention I like GOOD shoes? At cheap prices? That fit?

I've been trolling eBay for probably the past couple of years and skimming every shoe store I enter for a decent pair of shoes to wear to work in the warmer months. (I'm all set right now for winter with a pair of Merrell winter mocs, which actually fit me in a 7.5.)

With warmer weather approaching, I knew I needed to do something about shoes to wear to work this spring. Enter Zappos.com

Zappos has GOOD shoes. They don't tend to have cheap prices. They have shoes that fit me.

Zappos ships shoe orders for free. They also offer this great return policy in which you can return any shoes you order from them for a full refund and they pay the return shipping!

I ordered four pairs of shoes from them that I thought I might like for work.

• Order the shoes.
• Try them on.
• Keep the pair I like the best (if any.)
• Return the other three (or all four) pairs.
  
• It would be cheaper than driving to Elkhart.

Here are the shoes I ordered.

I think I figured out the "free return shipping" aspect of Zappos' business plan, because instead of keeping "the pair I like best," I ended up keeping three of the four pairs. They were nice shoes, they weren't cheap, but it was easy shopping and they fit!

The pair I did not keep were the Ecco shoes in the bottom picture. They were exorbitantly expensive and a little too big anyway.

I had no problem returning the Eccos to Zappos for a refund. I simply logged onto their site. Clicked that I wanted to return that pair and printed a prepaid UPS label. I boxed them up and Kristi dropped the box off at the UPS Store. About a week later Zappos refunded the full amount of the Ecco shoes to my credit card.

This next part of the story is so amazing that you may not even believe it. It is true. I ordered the shoes from Zappos on "2009-01-24 20:02:51."

That's SATURDAY night, January 24th at 10:02 PM with their standard free shipping.

The shoes were delivered on MONDAY, January 26th at 12:47 PM.

Amazing!

Searches for February

There were 207 different searches that brought people to this blog in February. Here are a few of them.

• steve gall newspapers
• steven see gall
• rose city rollers pictures of sump pump
• elkhart indiana pepsi truck photo february 10 2009
• hiding places in megachurches
• 80s music who sang pop muzic
• homemade wheel of wow
• old glasses that came with cheese
• teacher embarrassing costume fundraiser
• steve gall christmas love letter to wife
• the red fern grows what did billy put over his ax blades (It was a leather pouch. His mother made him cover the blades with it.)
• what did billy drink for the first time at the general store?answer the question.from the book where the red fern grows (It was soda pop. He didn't know what kind to choose, so the sheriff suggested strawberry. The sheriff bought it for him.)