somewhat easy E-ZPass...

I was entertained after my recent interest in an "E-ZPass" vehicle transponder to pay the tolls on the West Virginia turnpike that I travel on I-77 when going to/from Charlotte and Columbus.  I've seen E-ZPass for many toll roads in various states so I assumed it was a pretty sophisticated system.  Then I read this on their website under E-Z Pass FAQ.  First of all, the name "E-ZPass" is their own registered trademark yet the web page misspells it by putting a space between Z and P.

Q.        Can I sign up for West Virginia E-ZPass® on the West Virginia Turnpike website?

A.        Unfortunately, we do not yet have this capability.  However, an upgrade to our Toll Collection System is due to be complete in 2010 and at that time, customers will be able to sign up for West Virginia E-ZPass® online and have the ability to check their accounts and receive statements online.

 Wow...they hope to have online capabilities sometime in 2010.  Exciting.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I actually got my package in the mail and the following directions were enclosed:

Look at the car illustration!  instead of finding a new picture or editing it there is a hand drawn arrow and text explaining why the picture is irrelevant.

I Am T-Pain? lolz video

Here's some funny video's I wanted to make sure everyone knew about.

The iPhone application "I Am T-Pain" hosted a contest for a video that showcases the app and encouraged leveraging the popularity of I'm On A Boat.  It's actually a really creative and funny, I like it except for it hating on BlackBerrys...

I'm On A Phone

As a nod to I'm On A Boat, this doesn't seem to get old...


The three guys: Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone make up the band/comedy group called The Lonely Island.  Their CD "Incredibad" came out earlier this year and is amazing.  Another video that is recent:  "Like A Boss"


And of course, the SNL favorite "Jizz In My Pants"

BlackBerry App Sale

Hey y'all! (as said like Bruce/Tobi from Family Guy)

CrackBerry's software store (mobihand) is having a 50% off sale on their top 10 applications through January 1, 2010.


The absolute best program that is certainly worth $2.49 is QuickLaunch.  Another program that is probably worth $3 is BerryBuzz.  Check them out:  "New BlackBerry for Christmas?  Save 50% on Top Ten BlackBerry Apps With Out End of Year Sale!"


Video demo of QuickLaunch


 

Holiday Travels

I had a small adventure traveling from Charlotte to Columbus for Christmas this year...  Tiffani and I have decided to be more serious about our relationship and are dating and officially boyfriend/girlfriend...clearly demonstrated by our Facebook status:


lol, nice job variable object coding facebook.  Tiffani and I went to a couple Christmas parties and looked fabulous:



anyways, Tiffani had bought a plane ticket to come home for Christmas a few months ago before we really knew each other.  I planned to drive becuase it was cheaper so she looked into canceling her flight, she was able to get an account credit that can be used anytime within 12 months from the purchase date--so we were having our second Charlotte/Columbus road trip, yay!


seriously, we were actually excited.  We really enjoyed the trip at Thanksgiving and looked forward to spending time with each other and then seeing our families.  We got on the road around 12:45pm on Friday, 12/18/09.  The weather forecast did call for winter weather but not until later that evening in VA/WV.  As we started driving North on I-77 flurries started and traffic began to move a little slower.


We stopped to get gas and food in Virginia where I-81 and I-77 run together for about eight miles.  After we got back on the freeway things started to go even slower and we had just gotten back on I-77 exclusively when we came to a crawl.  five minutes later we came to a stop, just past the on-ramp from exit 41, Pepper's Ferry Road in Wytheville, VA--that is where we sat from around 4:00pm until 10:30pm.  at that time we knew we weren't making it home that night and had been checking nearby hotels for availability--all were booked.  Turned around and drove on the shoulder and successfully got to the on ramp and drove up it to get on I-77 South.  our plan was just to try and get back to Charlotte and attempt our journey sometime on Saturday or Sunday.  we slowly drove about 20 miles South and ran into another traffic jam.  This time we didn't want to sit and wait on the freeway so we turned around and drove to an exit we had just passed.  we luckily made it up a hill and into a "lovely" gas station -- a Citgo Kangaroo Express.




This is where we spent the night and stayed until Saturday morning, 12/19/09.  Around 7:30am the freeway looked like it was moving southbound.  Once we got moving it was slow, around 45 mph.  we eventually got home around 10:30am -- about 22 hours after we left.  I suppose we learned a lesson about attempting travel during an incoming winter storm but you just never know.  We were just glad to be safe throughout the whole expedition.  We safely made the trip on Sunday 12/20/09 in about eight hours.

Chris Henry

Bengals' Henry suffers 'life-threatening injuries'

"CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry is "battling for his life" after falling out of the back of a pickup truck Wednesday during what police described as a domestic dispute with his fiancée.

Sources told ESPN on Thursday that Henry is on life support. The 26-year-old Henry was found in the road about eight miles north of downtown Charlotte "apparently suffering life-threatening injuries," according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Police spokesman Robert Fey said officers were stationed near Henry's hospital room. He had no information on Henry's condition, but said Henry was alive."

Henry

My original intent was to post that article with the title "Please pray for Chris Henry"  even though he's had his laundry list of off-the-field problems his health should deserve our condolences.

However, soon after I read the morning article about him he could no longer fight his injuries. 

Bengals' Henry dies at 26

Rest In Peace.

Funny Christmas Decoration

one of those email forwards... thanks Fletus.

“Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations.  The bad news is that I had to take him down after two days.  I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever.  Great stories.  But two things made me take it down.

First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost crashed when they drove by.

Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn’t realize that it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy).  By the way, she was one of the many people who attempted to do that.  My yard couldn’t take it either.  I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard.”

Christmastime

Props to Patrick for showing me the Charlie Brown "Lonely Tree" Christmas Tree last year.  I really liked it and was lucky enough to find it on sale after Christmas.  So, this is my first year to enjoy the little guy:

30 Seconds to Mudvayne

A couple new compact discs that i've been enjoying are "This Is War" by 30 Seconds To Mars and "Mudvayne" (self-titled?) by Mudvayne.

This is War Album Cover:


Jared Leto is the lead singer and his brother Shannon Leto is the drummer.  I think Jared is definitely one of the best people to successfully pull off being a famous actor and rock star.  This came out on 12/8/09.

Mudvayne Album Cover:


Not really sure why this album is self titled since it's their fifth release but A7X just did this so maybe it's the cool new thing to do?  regardless, I know most of y'all don't like metal or stuff this heavy but I wanted to mention it because the artwork and physical presentation of the album.  The album is completely white unless exposed under a black-light.  I know it's not the first time for something like this to be marketed but it's cool and I like it!  Way to be original and position yourself to sell a physical product in an era of digital music :).  It's not officially released but those who pre-ordered the album got a digital download link for the album on 12/7/09.

Rap Chop!?

Shoopy saw this on TV and thought there was something wrong with her cable or TV, I would have thought the same thing...

"Rap Chop" featuring DJ Steve Porter mixing Vince Offer's infomercial for slap chop.


I liked it so much I downloaded the mp3...lol