one a week

I was reading the Cincinnati Enquirer at lunch today and they had their big full page "upcoming events" calendar for April, so I decided to take a look. The first thing I noticed that Wednesday, April 4th listed the O.A.R. concert that I am going to with my friend Mitchell. I always get very excited when I see something that I am doing in the paper, it makes me feel like I'm really "in the know" I guess. So then I scanned down to the bottom of the page and saw that the Over The Rhine concert is also listed. I'm planning on going since my good friends Ellery will be opening for them! So since I already had two things on my calendar, I decided that I should start trying to do one thing each week that I find on the Enquirer's upcoming events. I'll have to talk to Sarah about what else we can do, but I have a couple of fun things in mind.
I guess this year is all about doing new things for me, but I LOVE it!!!

By the way, let me know if you might like to go see OTR and Ellery with me, I'm getting tickets soon...

The Write Stuff

I've never written a restaurant review before, unless you count the one I did in college for Southeast Ohio magazine where the restaurant owner knew I was coming and comped my meal. A few weeks ago, I took my first stab at a much more legitimate culinary critique of Rondo's for Cin Weekly, the Cincinnati Enquirer's free weekly entertainment guide.

Also, I worked on some articles last summer for a new website called Revolution Health. The site is up and running if you want to check out my contributions:
Busy Couples Reconnect: 12 Ways to Have More Fun
Prenatal Vitamins: The Right Plan for Every Mom
Safe Exercises During Every Stage of Pregnancy
A Prenatal Testing Decision Guide
Navigating Dangerous Waters: What Foods Are Safe To Eat?

Next up is a Cin Weekly review of a bar in Clifton. I could get used to being paid to eat and drink!

Whitman's Sampler Update!

Check out our recently updated sidebar with new "STUFF WE LIKE" and a brand new feature, "ON KEVIN'S IPOD" that includes some of the bands I've been listening to lately.
Enjoy!

Shower the People You Love

I know it's a bit overdue, but I finally posted the photos from Katie's baby shower on Flicker. You can see them here. I included some that Katie sent me from her camera, so they may not all be new to you. Unfortunately, we didn't really get any posed shots because things were chaotic before the shower started and then it ran pretty late. But here's a glimpse of the very fun day.

per the pregnant lady's request

try not to get too enamoured by my beautiful simulated children...
she is working that side ponytail.

at least they're not having a girl...

is this my new nephew?

Sarah told me that her sister Katie is due one month from today. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to submit my estimation of what our newest member of the family is going to look like. This "composite sketch" comes to us courtesy of the Dave and Buster's Photo Morph booth circa 2005. We'll see how accurate it is next month!

Say Hello to My Little Friend

I recently joined a gym that I actually like. And although I love my 30GB video iPod, it's a bit cumbersome to tote around while lifting weights. So I decided I deserved a tiny treat in the form of an iPod shuffle. I really had no idea how small they were until I popped into the Apple store yesterday. Bryn had commented that a shuffle was smaller than the the clip alone on my video iPod case, but I thought that was a slight exaggeration. It wasn't. This thing is miniscule. And the device functions as a clip, so there's no need for a case or an armband or a pocket to tuck it into. Plus, it holds 240 songs, which is just crazy. I'm not usually a gadget freak, but I'm pretty smitten by my little blue friend.

Help Hannah Help the Homeless

My friend Keith recently launched a nonprofit organization along with his mom and his little sister. Called "Hannah's Socks," it's a Toledo-based charity that provides socks for the homeless. For the next few weeks, a nice woman has volunteered to donate one pair of socks for every new member that signs up for "Hannah's Sole Patrol." Keith said there's no catch; they just capture your name and email in their database and will send you a newsletter (eventually), if you opt in. Please consider checking out this great charity and signing up.

You can read the very heartwarming story about how Hannah's Socks started here: www.hannahssocks.org/hannahs-story

And you can join Hannah's Sole Patrol here: www.hannahssocks.org/user/register

Unfortunate Web Addresses

File this under "slightly inappropriate," but it cracked me up. Megan sent this to me today: All of these are legitimate companies that didn't spend quite enough time considering how their online names might appear ... and be misread.

1. Who Represents is where you can find the name of the agent that
represents any celebrity. Their Web site is www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at www.therapistfinder.com

5. There's the Italian Power Generator company, www.powergenitalia.com

6. And don't forget the Mole Station Native Nursery in New South Wales, www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you're looking for IP computer software, there's always www.ipanywhere.com

8. The First Cumming Methodist Church web site is www.cummingfirst.com

9. And the designers at Speed of Art await you at their wacky Web site, www.speedofart.com

What were they thinking? A dash or an underscore would have made ALL the difference!