Halloween Report

I think I got home too late (but still before 6pm) and missed most of the Trick-or-Treaters walking past our house. They are still showing up, but only one group every 10 to 15 minutes or so. Costumes aren't fancy this year, but everyone is at least wearing something resembling a costume so far. Age range is mixed, including small children carried by parents and teenagers helping take their younger siblings around the neighborhood. We give out toys, which I love doing because none of the kids are expecting it and I get great reactions. I can get a gross of bouncy balls for cheap from Oriental Trading company, plus activity books, glow-in-the-dark stickers, and other fun items. Any leftovers get stored for next year.

I had my Halloween dress-up fun last night by pretending to be a rock star at Live Band Karaoke. Yes, I've been there every week for the past four weeks, and it is still fun. There are only two more weeks for the band to make a good impression on the nightclub and not get canceled!

Fight Poverty by Donating Light

A while back I got a link from a friend to the website of the Freeplay Foundation, and today is Blog Action Day 2008 so it seemed like a good time to write about it. This charity fights poverty by designing and delivering electronic equipment to communities in need. But, nothing as glamorous as a laptop. They make radios and lights. There are still places in the world where artificial light is rare and dangerous! I'll be donating a $30 Lifelight in a few minutes here, and I encourage you to think about giving the gift of Blinky Lights as well.

Multi-Generational Photo

Thanks to the gaming equipment museum that exists behind the TV at pikafoop's apartment, I was able to get this classic multi-generational photo. Nintendo Power Glove holding Nintendo Wiimote. (Power Glove modeled by pikafoop.)

Lessons from the Past Few Weeks

Mini-golf = fun. Mini-golf at dusk = mosquitoes = less fun.

There is a wind farm in Indiana. If you take 41 between Kentland and Boswell you will drive through it. Those windmills are enormous!

Live Band Karaoke is now happening every Thursday night at Heat Nightclub in Schaumburg. October 9th was the first night, and we went early enough that they let us in free. Despite what the marketing material says, you don't need to call anyone or register ahead of time. Almost no one else was there to sing, so I got to do five songs in about one and a half hours. Having a live band, rather than an unforgiving recording, to sing along with, made it a better experience. The Karaoke Dokies are fun and supportive.

Not-fun things happened too. Our prayers and thoughts are with Amanda, Tony, and Olivia.

I showed Hannah, the three-year-old daughter of friends, how to use my point-and-shoot digital camera while she was visiting our house for a cookout. It made me think about how much benefit we are getting from photos now being, basically, "free". Rechargeable batteries, unlimited exposures on giant memory cards, and inexpensive high-quality compact cameras are a major change from when we were younger. I used a lot of my family's money on film developing and equipment as a budding photographer. Hannah will always be able to take as many pictures as she wants. Eventually, she may learn that she does not need to tell all of her subjects to "say cheese".

Yarn and Pictures

I've gotten more into crochet recently, especially since finding projects that are shorter-term and wearable. Learning the foundation-extended crochet stitch so I no longer work into the dreaded chain is a big help, too. If you care about this paragraph, my Ravelry user name is prismglass, find me and friend me!

Realizing that the only content I'd be sorry to lose on my laptop hard drive (in case of loss or damage) is my thousands of photos, I now have a pro account on Flickr. Unlimited uploads and storage for 2 years for $48, plus I got three months free. Most of the photos I've uploaded are viewable by "friends and family" only. (Not everything is online yet.) You can get a free account to view the pictures, then let me know so I can add you as a contact. Again, my user name is prismglass.

Sense a pattern? I came up with the name in High School to play Yahoo! games. It seemed both professional (optics) and feminine at the same time. There are a few places where I couldn't use prismglass, because it was already taken. Amusingly, the LEGO forum rejected it because it contained the word "ass." Ooops.