This week I have not 1 but 2 fantastic and delicious deals with My Austin Perks!!  Check them out below, they go on sale at noon today!!  Get yours while they last!

Frutti Frogurt has a flavor to please everyone!!

Check out my visit to Frutti Frogurt, so delicious!!  Check out their website here! 

Buy 5 $10 coupons for just $25 here!!

Mesa Ranch is a True Texas dining experience!!! You will feel right at home here!!

Mesa Ranch is a true Texas Grill and an Austin treasure!   The owners Steve and Lane Ray have put together a restaurant that is both unique and charming with live music to boot!!   Regional favorites can be found here and of course when you visit you have to try the “fried cactus”, it’s sooo good!  Check out my fun dining experience at Mesa Ranch below and their website here!  Make sure to get your $50 gift certificates for just $25!  Buy them here now!!  They won’t last long!

Shuffle Through History allows us to take a trip back in time and speculate what famous people may have had on their ipod…if they had ipods. This week we go back to 1492. Christopher Columbus needs some tunes for a long boat ride he’s taking. Here’s what he’s come up with so far. What would you add to his list?

America- Neil Diamond

Sailing- Christopher Cross

Come Sail Away- Styx

Closer To Home- Grand Funk Railroad

Ride Captain Ride- Blues Image

The Last Farewell- Roger Whitaker

All Around The World- Lisa Stansfield

Sailing- Rod Stewart

Ships- Barry Manilow

Scenes From an Italian Restaurant- Billy Joel

Calypso- John Denver

Son of a Son of a Sailor- Jimmy Buffett

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald- Gordon Lightfoot

Sea Cruise- Frankie Ford

Beyond the Sea-Bobby Darin

No so Smart when driving!!!

Yesterday I could not find my cell phone!  I would not even call it a cell phone anymore, I mean I can get my email, twitter, facebook, maps, banking, everything is in my phone!  It took me a long time to get a smartphone, I have only had one for 6 weeks and already it has become glued to my arm.  I honestly did not think this was possible, a phone addiction.   The worst part is, I have found myself checking it while driving!!!  Yes, something I know I should not do, has almost gotten me in a few fender benders in the last 2 weeks!!!!   Self Magazine has a great article about the dangers of texting calling it the newest threat to America’s health!!   Check it out here!

Yesterday on my drive home up 360 for the first time in 6 weeks, I had no phone to check, it was upsetting, but you know what, it made me relax more and my life did not come to a halt because I was without my phone for the better part of my workday!!   It was a lesson I won’t forget, and I know if I can go 8 hours without my smartphone, I can go 20 minutes without it for the drive home. By the way my cell phone had been with me the whole time, it had slipped down to the side of my seat, I think someone upstairs was trying to tell me something!!

I plan on doing this tomorrow! Time to break this bad habit for good!

Tomorrow Oprah is having her national No Phone Zone Day, I have resisted signing her petition, but after the events of yesterday I think it is a step in the right direction for me and everyone!  Here is the link for all the details!!  Texting is not just a teen issue, we all have become more dependent on this technology. Take the No Phone Zone challenge, it’s the SMART thing to do!

I love the Internet. No question. It has opened doors to so many things and more information than we could only dream about years ago. Facebook is one of the sites I find myself logging onto more and more each day; I’ve even been able to connect with friends I haven’t seen since high school (no, I won’t tell how long ago that’s been).

But the following news item is a reminder of how careful we need to be about what we share on the Web, whether it’s Facebook or an online store. We also need to stay in the know about where our personal information is going, and what we can do about it.

Here’s a story I came across concerning Facebook’s sharing of information with other sites, and some lawmakers who are concerned about it.
 http://www.kxan.com/dpps/entertainment/c…

One of the best parts, it surprised me! That rarely happens anymore!

When I woke up this morning  and logged into my computer, the first thing I saw was the beautiful picture of Sandra Bullock, with the look of love an adoration directed at her beautiful new son!!   I know that we all have that look when we see our children, and it was wonderful to see Austin’s own Sandra looking happy again!   While this is big news today, People magazine has long been putting celebrities and their babies on the cover of their magazine! Brad and Angie have done it several times!  Here are a few you may remember and a link to some more courtesy of People magazine!  Enjoy! 

You can also win tickets to our Majic 95.5 exclusive screening of the new movie “Babies” , by registering here now! Hurry the deadline is tomorrow at midnight!

The first of several baby cover's for this super couple!

People Magazine's Most Beautiful Person this year and her twins!!

Jennifer Lopez and her twins! She's never looked better!!

From the Associated Press

BARNSTEAD, N.H. – A diminutive horse born in New Hampshire could lay claim to the world record for lightweight foal. The pinto stallion named Einstein weighed just 6 pounds and measured 14 inches tall when he was born Friday in Barnstead, N.H. Those proportions fit a human baby just about right but are downright tiny for horse, even a miniature breed like Einstein.

Dr. Rachel Wagner, Einstein’s co-owner, says the Guinness Book of Records lists the smallest newborn horse as weighing in at 9 pounds.

Breeders say that unlike the current record holder, Thumbelina, Einstein shows no signs of dwarfism. He’s just a tiny horse.

Betty White is a national treasure.   If there was ever proof that a women can be vibrant and beautiful at any age it’s our girl Betty!!  She is my hero!!  Check out the latest promo for her hosting  SNL on Mother’s Day weekend, Saturday May 8th!  Priceless!!

You can vote for up to three shows. If your favorite is not listed you can write it in.

This past weekend, I decided to catch a movie while relaxing at home after dinner.

Nothing unusual about that on the surface, but this movie had an element not many people know about. It was an “audio-described” movie. Audio description, also called Descriptive Video, is used by people who are blind to follow movies, television shows, plays, and other events. A narrator, or describer, gives a verbal picture of visual elements that a blind person like myself would not be able to see: costumes, facial expressions, scene changes, gestures, etc. The extra audio narration is placed so as not to interfere with the dialogue or action of what you’re watching.

The movie I watched (yes, I do use the word “watch” just like anyone else) was the action thriller “Behind Enemy Lines” which came out in 2001. It’s a fictional story of the Bosnian Civil War during the 1990’s, starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman.

The plot centers around an American Naval flight officer (Wilson) whose plane is shot down during a recon mission after entering a no-fly zone to check out some suspicious activity. What he discovers are mass graves from a secret genocidal operation by the Bosnian Serb Army against the local Muslim population. A trailer of the film (minus the audio description) can be found here:

Thanks to the audio describer, I was able to know as much detail as a sighted person about what was happening visually. For example: “The Admiral took a handful of documents and flung them across the room.” Usually, I would have to guess what is going on, figure it out later, or have a sighted person quickly whisper it to me. What a wonderful experience I had with the audio description! I not only “heard” the movie, but “saw it” through this great innovation.

For more information about audio described events, visit:
 http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag/serv…

I think we all have one of these, or two or three or more!!

 

This past weekend I tried to do a bit of spring cleaning!  Not an easy task when you have a beautiful weekend awaiting you!   If you like me tend to hang on to things longer than you should,  I found a great , and short and to the point article on how to get rid of the things you no longer need without guilt!!  Check it out here!

Ahhh, now that's more like it!!