Last weekend, I made an appearance at the Goodwill store on Research Blvd. between Burnet and Metric. It’s always fun to go there before Halloween, because they have such a wide variety of costumes to pick out.

One of the things I get to take part in each year is a costume contest, and last weekend was a real hit. We gave Goodwill gift cards to two contestants, and they had nine minutes and fifty-five seconds to pick out their costume and come back to the contest. Everyone else throughout the store got to judge the best costume; one winner took first prize, the other second. They each received tickets to Zach Theatre, the annual Ghoulwill Ball, and Mansion of Terror, plus a T-shirt.

Tammy decided to dress up as a hippie, and Lynette decked herself out as a pirate. The pirate took first prize. I posed for some photos with the contestants. Check out this one featuring them both in costume.

happy Halloween!

I LOVE Halloween!!  One of my favorite things about it is the Candy Corn!  If you are a fan too I have a yummy recipe for you to try!  It is perfect for the children to take to school, or for you to bring to work for pot luck or just to have all to yourself as you celebrate Halloween!  It’s  called Candy Corn Bark and I found it on a wonderful website called “My Baking Addiction”, check it out for more fun recipes!    Happy Halloween!!

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/

Candy Corn Bark
adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients
10 Halloween-colored chocolate sandwich cookies, chopped (I used regular Oreos)
3/4 cup broken small pretzel sticks
12 ounce bag of white chocolate chips
1 cup candy corn
orange and brown sprinkles

Method
1. Line an 8×8 baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Spread the cookies and pretzels in the bottom of the pan.
3. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave, stirring frequently until melted. Remove from the heat while there are still a few chunks, and stir until smooth. White chocolate burns easily.
4. Drizzle chocolate with a spoon over the goodies in the pan, spreading the top flat to coat evenly.
5. Top with candy corn and sprinkles. Let cool until firm. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Lisa Starr was in today for today for Wet Nose Wednesday (your chance to adopt a dog or cat from the Austin Humane Society) and she brought along these great tips and I just wanted to pass them along!

Halloween Safety Tips for Your Pets
Halloween is a time of fun and excitement for children, adults and even pets. However, for many family pets it is also a time filled with stress, fear and anxiety. While dressing up is fun for people, sometimes dogs and cats can become scared by face make-up and costumes, causing them to react in a frightened manner. To ensure a safe and fun Halloween for your pets, family, and your trick-or-treaters, the Austin Humane Society recommends the following options for Halloween pet safety:
Prior to the arrival of trick-o-treaters:
Take Your Dog for a Walk: By doing so, your dog will burn off some extra energy and feel slightly more relaxed before the evening begins.

During and After Halloween events:
Contain the dog and cat inside the house. Crate the dog and put the cat/kitten is a safe place with the door closed: Dogs need to feel secure while also protecting their domain. To ensure a safe evening for your family and trick-or-treaters, consider crating your dog with his favorite blanket and soft chew toys. Place your cat in a separate room, with the door closed. With the front door opening and closing frequently to trick or treaters, a cat and/or small dog can easily run out the front door. Be sure to leave plenty of food, water and toys to keep your dog or cat occupied and re-assure them often by visiting the room.
Backyard: We strongly recommend your dog not be permitted to roam through the backyard as this may disturb or frighten trick-o-treaters approaching your home. Additionally, the dog may become highly frustrated and anxious as the number of individuals entering your premises and, unfortunately, in rare cases, the dog may suffer injury or harm as they may try to dig under or jump the fence.

Place All Candy Out of Reach: Because chocolate can be fatal to dogs and cats, move all candy out of their reach. Additionally, be sure all candy wrappers and foil are discarded properly as wrappers and foil can result in intestinal blockage or suffocation if your pet consumes it. If you suspect your pet ate any amount of candy or digested wrappers, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Decorations: Because dogs can be overly excitable during the Halloween events, it is highly recommended that all Halloween decorations be removed from any area in which the dog may come in contact. Of particular concern are items which the dog may hit with a wagging tail or candles which may have been lit through the night.

More Halloween Factors to Consider:
1. People in costumes. Even familiar friends and beloved family members can be frightening to a pet when in costume. Or, your pet may mistake a costume for a toy and tug or jump on you or a child.

2. Costumes for pets. Nothing is cuter than a pup or kitty in costume, but be sure the costumes are safe! Tight fitting costumes (with or without elastic) can be a choking hazard. Loose pieces can be chewed off or swallowed, causing an intestinal obstruction that needs expensive surgery to correct.

3. Open doors. Don’t open the door if your pet is nearby and can escape. Even the best behaved pet can become confused or agitated with a lot of children coming and going on Halloween. Make sure your pets are wearing collars with ID tags and current rabies tags — just in case they make a break for it through an open door.

4. Unusual noises. Laughing trick-or-treaters, people screaming when they get scared — these can make your pet anxious and unsettled. A frightened dog can snarl or snap at strangers or friends.

5. Candles. Keep an eye on lit candles, especially when your pets are around. A curious cat can burn a paw or tail on a lit candle.

6. Mischief makers. Local troublemakers may be out in full force smashing pumpkins, wrapping houses in toilet paper, tossing eggs at cars or even taunting pets.

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• 7 Tips for Trick or Treating Safety  halloweenforkids.blogspot.com)

Here it is, the Official Movie trailer for Michael Jackson ‘This Is It’. Movie will be in theaters everywhere Tomorrow, Wednesday October 28.

 

 

Last Thursday our radio family at Entercom participated in our annual “Make A Difference Day” .  Every year we volunteer to help out our local community and it is always rewarding.  This year was no different and did make a big difference in the future of wildlife in our area!  This year we helped The Hill Country Conservancy plant trees to save the lovely Golden Cheeked Warbler!  This bird only nests in the Central Texas area and has become endangered because the Juniper and Oak trees needed to sustain it have been taken down as land is cleared for building.

As a group this year Entercom was able to plant 125 trees!!  We had so much fun and had a blast hanging out with Cheyenne and other Hill Country Conservancy volunteers!  We got a bit muddy and bug bitten but it was all worth it!!

Check out some of the photos of me and my green thumb and the Golden Cheek Warbler , we hope to be seeing more of him in the near future.  If you would like to volunteer or make a donation to this wonderful organization, just click on the link below.  Their 3rd  Annual Hill Country Nights Gala is Friday October 3oth!!  If you would like to attend you can purchase tickets through their website!  Hurry tickets are going fast!!

http://www.hillcountryconservancy.org/hcn3/

Kim is cool!  Thanks for the 50th birthday cake–and red velvet too.

 Let’s me just say right off that I love technology. 

I paid $350 for a 300 baud modem and sold it 2 years later for $10 (and was lucky to get that).  I paid about the same for my first hard drive back in 1988 and it was a whopping 20 megs!  This past weekend I got an 8 gig memory stick (thumbdrive) for $14 at Walmart.

When it comes to technology the only thing that stays the same is the fact that nothing does.  So with that in mind here are some fearless predictions: 

8 Common Computer Technologies That Will Be Surprisingly Replaced in 10 Years
From Tech Radar September 30, 2009

A lot has changed over the last 10 years. What computer technology of today will become redundant over the next decade?
1. Keyboard and mouse

The keyboard and mouse you use every day will not exist in 10 years, replaced by highly-detailed touch interfaces — multi-touch systems that support highly complex gestures, such as circling a group of photos, tossing them around, and clicking to remove smudges.

2. Public Wi-Fi

WiMax networks that run in major cities will negate the need for a local hotspot. And as cities develop smart grids that allow citizens to see their power usage in real-time, electric cars report mileage and traffic info over wireless, and streaming video systems replace telephone networks, a widespread wireless network won’t just be an emerging tech idea — it will be a requirement.

3. Landline phone

In 10 years they won’t exist anymore, mostly because smartphones will finally take over. Companies have already switched almost entirely to IP-based telephony.

4. Optical discs

In the future, more ubiquitous fiber networks will make broadband faster. Software video distribution networks will finally negate the need for optical discs.

5. Standard game controllers

Game controllers will morph into something more radical, a combination of the Nintendo Wiimote with accelerometer sensors, video systems that scan your body movements and various hardware add-ons.

6. Desktop PCs

Desktops will still be useful for engineers, developers, and video production artists for some time to come. But for most computer users, the desktop already is dead — netbook and notebook sales are rising fast. Processors and graphics chipsets in notebooks can now compete with desktop equivalents. And portability is no longer just a market segment; every computer user has realized the benefits.

7. Operating systems

An OS will have to exist to manage memory and core functions. But the bloatware of today will be replaced by an extremely thin OS that may not even have a name.

8. Blogging

One reason blogging has become so popular has to do with the one-way nature of web communications. You post your thoughts, and people read them. In 10 years, the web will become much more interactive, leading to better overall information sharing.

My blindness has never altered my vocabulary, particularly when it comes to “seeing” things or people.

Let me explain. When a person is talking to someone they know, he or she often says, “hey, nice to see you”. When referring to a movie or hot new TV show, you might say, “did you see that”? “I saw her at the party last weekend” is another example.

When I or any blind person says that, it often leads to some rather interesting reactions. Some people think we’re being funny or clever when we say we “saw” someone. If I tell someone, “nice to see you”, the other person often responds with, “but you’re blind. How can you see me”?

What many people don’t realize is we’re not trying to be cute or make a joke about our blindness. Obviously, I can’t “see” anyone or anything, but I don’t feel the need to change my wording to fit my disability. I want to be able to have normal conversations just as a sighted person would. Can you imagine the reactions I would get if i said, “hey, nice to hear you” or “good to smell you today”?

So, the next time a blind person says to you, “good seeing you”, just remember they may not really be “seeing” you with their eyes, but with their other senses. It’s all a matter of perspective.

See you next time.

Ever since I learned to read Braille at the age of six, I have been fascinated with reading. I remember sitting in class listening to the older kids read aloud and thinking, “wow, I wish I could do that.”

I don’t remember the first book or passage I ever read, but I do remember the thrill that went through me when I finished. I began reading anything I could get my hands on, literally. My parents signed me up to receive Braille and recorded books from a national library service that provides books, magazines, and other periodicals for the blind.

I haven’t stopped since. I would go outside and play like other kids, but I would also spend hours reading everything from classics like Tom Sawyer and Charlotte’s Web to magazines like Newsweek and Reader’s Digest. I especially remember my third-grade teacher getting after me because, instead of looking up definitions for the words assigned to me, I would just sit and read the dictionary all day, as if it were a book. I probably did three words the whole day. (How many kids do you know who would do such a thing)?

Even now, with my busy life, I look for every opportunity I can to just sit back in my recliner and read a good book. It’s therapeutic for me in a number of ways. It relaxes me when I’ve had an especially difficult day. It keeps the mind sharp, and even in fiction reading, you can learn some very interesting things. John Grisham, Louis L’Amour, and espionage writer Clive Cussler are probably my three favorite authors. I also enjoy reading about famous people, particularly athletes and singers.

It saddens me that many kids today are more concerned with playing computer games or chatting on the Internet than reading. I strongly believe the reason I do so well at my job is because of all the time I spent as a kid reading, since a broadcaster needs good reading skills to be successful. Like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get.

By the way, I got the idea for this post from a dream I had this morning. I dreamed I was on the air talking about my blog, and announced that my next posting would be about my passion for reading. Sometimes, dreams can give you real inspiration. But that’s a whole different topic, and I may leave that one to the dream interpreters.

Here’s the final list of the top selling costumes for 2009:

 

 

 

 

Top Adult Costumes

1. Witch
2. Vampire
3. Pirate
4. Clown
5. Wench/Tart/Vixon
6. Cat
7. Devil
8. Scary Costume/Mask
9. Athlete
10. Police Officer

Top Kids Costumes

1. Princess
2. Witch
3. Spider-Man
4. Pirate
5. Pumpkin
6. Vampire
7. Disney Princess
8. Star Wars Character
9. Tinker Bell
10. Batman

Top Pet Costumes

1. Pumpkin
2. Devil
3. Bowties/Fancy Collars
4. Witch
5. Superdog/Supercat
6. Princess
7. Bat
8. Dog
9. Angel
10. Bee