Oregon Sand Dunes

Like many people, I don't think of sand dunes when I think of Oregon. I have visions of majestic mountain ranges, dense forests and rugged coast lines. That is why I was surprised to hear that Oregon has the largest area of sand dunes in the country. We're not just talking a nice little beach, here. These are huge dunes, 50 ft high in some parts with small lakes trapped inside some sand bowls and trees sprouting up sporadically.


After doing a little research, I discovered that you can rent sand rails (dune buggies) and either drive on the dunes or have a driver take you on an adventure tour. I was up to doing the driving myself, after all how often have you dreamed of driving on the dunes, but my family and I agreed it would be safer to let a trained driver take us out. We rented an eight passenger rail for a half hour and had the time of our lives.


You may be thinking thirty minutes isn't long enough, but you'd be wrong. First of all we made quick friends with the driver. At first he was a little stand offish. We softened him up and made him laugh and feel like he was part of our group. This is important because he is the decision maker of the ride. We told him we wanted the most adventurous ride he could give us. He did not disappoint.


We came out of a wooded area and the whole sand dune national park was out before us. It was amazing. Then he hit the gas and we were practically flying. He came up to the edge of a huge dune and we looked down to see a 30 ft drop. I thought, "Thank God we didn't go over the side". Then he drove us straight over the edge. We all screamed like we were little kids. He continued to rip through the sand going over the tops of the dunes, spitting sand in every direction and dropping over edges that did not seem safe at all. We loved it.


I have decided that every trip I take, I will search for a sand dune recreation area. If they offer sand rail rentals, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be there. I always knew it would be a blast, I just never imagined it could be that much fun.


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Wii Like to Play

Like many people across the country, I have fallen in love with the Nintendo Wii. Of the big three consoles, it is by far the simplest. It doesn't have the greatest graphics or the most power but it is the most addictive.


It comes boxed with Wii Sports, one wii-mote (remote) and one nunchuck. Most games only need the wii-mote to play and these are usually the most fun. The games that require the nunchuck added are usually because they have a more traditional game play mode. The whole purpose of the Wii is to swing your hands around to control the game.


I was hooked on Wii Sports right off the bat. It has five games available; boxing, bowling, tennis, baseball and golf. The least fun is baseball. It doesn't make you feel like you are in the game like the others do. Bowling has become the hottest thing in my neighborhood. We have friends over all the time to play in tournaments.


At first most people thought we were silly to invite them over to play a video game. We're adults for crying out loud. So what. Just give it a shot and you will be laughing out loud and cheering for your friends.

Another cool feature is the ability to create a Mii in your image. After carefully adjusting the features of your face and hair, you will be displayed on screen in a somewhat cartoon effect. It is hilarious. In fact, I have gone a step further and created Miis of all types. We have Mario, Luigi, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, Blade, Captain Jack Sparrow, V, the Power Puff Girls, Bart Simpson and his sister Lisa. We have also come up with some of our own creations. We have a male and female alien, a pair of giants and bug people.These creations can then be used in the Sports games. So not only are you enjoying a fun game, you are seeing a slightly skewed version of yourself in the game. How fun is that?


Of course their are a number of games available now. Tiger Woods Golf is great. It takes full advantage of the idea behind the system. Warioware is a fun title with multiple mini games built in. Legend of Zelda is great also.


In addition to playing all of the new Wii games available, you can play your Game Cube game as well. Just drop them in and plug you GC controller and memory card and enjoy. If you want to go really old school, go to the Nintendo store, accessed through your Wii via the internet, and download classic NES games. The fun seems endless.


If you haven't gotten a Wii yet, go down to your local Best Buy or Toys R Us and try it out. You'll get hooked immediately. It doesn't hurt that the price is much lower than anything else out there now.


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HUD Homes Are a Great Deal

Whether you are in the market for a new home, rental property or a quick flip, you should look into a HUD home. These homes are often sold at below market value because they have been essentially foreclosed.

To buy a HUD home, you must go through an authorized realtor. These homes are not listed in the MLS so not all realtors have access to them, not to mention many don't want to have anything to do with them. This is not because they are a problem for the buyer, it is more work for potentially less money on the realtor's part.

If you are interested in finding a HUD home in your area click on the link below.

http://www.hud.gov/

To the left of the page you will then click on "HUD Homes" and choose the state you are looking in. A notice advising you are going to an external link will be shown; click on "Go to Requested Page". Then simply choose the city, if available. The listings in the area you choose will then be displayed. If you see a property you are interested in, click on it and you will be given all of the pertinent information.

I live in a HUD home and have never had any problems with it. In fact, My home is worth more than twice what I paid for it just a few years ago. Don't be afraid of going this route. Many people are not familiar with the HUD process and therefore speak poorly of it. Trust me, this is a wise choice.

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Dane Cook

Some may not know the name Dane Cook, but they should. If you are a fan of laughing so hard you think you might puke, then this comedian is for you. His timing is perfect, his jokes are relatable to everyone. Sure he can be a bit obscene at times, but that makes it even more funny.

I first saw his act years ago on Comedy Central. You don't often see a stand-up routine on that channel that is very good. His act blew me away. I laughed until I cried. Then I forgot about him until I came upon a rerun of his show about a year later. I was hooked. I got my wife to watch it with me and she laughed as hard as I did. The next thing I knew, I owned two of his concert CD's and set my Tivo to record anything with him in it. I was hooked. He was like crack in the form of a comedian. His jokes were my X.

It's too bad that he had to try and make a film career. So far every movie he has been in has pretty much sucked. Even his Saturday Night Live appearances have not lived up to his potential. That is why I am glad to see he is currently on a stand-up tour.

His tour is called Rough Around the Edges and will be traveling across the country this Fall. You can bet that I will be at at least one of his concerts. If you get the chance, you should make it a point to go as well. Below is a list of his tour dates and a link to his home page:

Date City, St Venue
11/02 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre BUY TICKETS
11/03 Chicago, IL United Center BUY TICKETS
11/04 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center BUY TICKETS
11/07 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center BUY TICKETS
11/08 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Bobcats Arena BUY TICKETS
11/09 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse BUY TICKETS
11/10 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center at CSU BUY TICKETS
11/14 Orlando, FL Amway Arena BUY TICKETS
11/15 Atlanta, GA Arena at Gwinnett Center BUY TICKETS
11/16 Washington, DC Verizon Center BUY TICKETS
11/17 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden BUY TICKETS
11/18 New York, NY Madison Square Garden BUY TICKETS
11/21 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center BUY TICKETS
11/23 Minneapolis, MN Target Center BUY TICKETS
11/24 Auburn Hills, MI Palace of Auburn Hills BUY TICKETS
11/25 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center BUY TICKETS
11/29 Seattle, WA KeyArena BUY TICKETS
11/30 Boise, ID Taco Bell Center BUY TICKETS
12/01 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Resort BUY TICKETS
12/02 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center BUY TICKETS
12/05 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion BUY TICKETS
12/06 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena BUY TICKETS
12/07 Houston, TX Toyota Center BUY TICKETS
12/08 Denver, CO Wells Fargo Theatre BUY TICKETS
12/09 Anaheim, CA Honda Center BUY TICKETS

http://www.danecook.com/

I'll be there. Will you?

T

Hellboy 2 Site is Live

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is not due in theaters until July 11, 2008, but director Guillermo del Toro has launched the official website. You can watch a video message from Abe Sapien, browse the scrapbook gallery loaded with conceptual art from the movie, and get behind the scenes visits to the set. Obviously I have provided you with the video message from Abe, but don't let that stop you from visiting the site.

I for one am very excited about this project. The first movie was extremely entertaining. I enjoyed the action, dark undertones and comic relief. Even the romance was well done; hard to do for most comic book adaptations. Guillermo del Toro has a knack for creating vivid, fantastical yet realistic worlds. He is definitely a director with many more years in the industry. In fact, you will soon see a Director Spotlight on this site dedicated to him.

The Hellboy site will be updated periodically, so check back for more updates. Or you can register for updates sent directly to your email account. Let's all join together and support this upcoming movie. Good movies are hard enough to come by, much less one based on a comic book.

http://www.helboymovie.com/

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Top Secret Recipes

If you like to eat out but have a tight budget, or if you wish you could make your favorite restaurant meals at home then you should visit the Top Secret Recipes website. They offer a wide variety of free recipes that taste exactly like the food you love to eat out.

I have found some great recipes. The Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls turns out perfect every time and costs a fraction of what you pay at the restaurant. You can make two bottles of DiSaronno Amaretto for less than the cost of one at the store and it tastes great. Taco Bell may not be expensive, but you can still make their taco meat and sauce in your own kitchen.

The list goes on and on. And those are just the free recipes. For less than one dollar you can buy hundreds more. You can also sign up to receive emails detailing their latest recipes. Every week the site features a new recipe for you to sample. And if you didn't already know, their are also a number of best selling cookbooks that you can order on their site.

So what are you waiting for? Click on the link below to start cooking up your favorite foods.
http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/.

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Free Ringtones

I know that it may seem silly to write about free ringtones, but the fact is it is a huge industry. Every cell phone company offers them. There are hundreds of sights that will sell them to you and hundreds more that will take advantage of you.

Whenever you download something from any website, you want to be extra careful. There are too many ways to get burned to list here. I have found one sight that I can recommend using that will not cause problems for you. The best part is, it really is 100% free.

The site is simply named Free Ringtones. The address is http://www.free-ringtones.ie/. I have used it since my phone was polyphonic and now with my mp3 enabled phone as well. There are thousands of songs to choose from and searching is relatively easy.

There are a few ways to run your search. You can type in a title of a song or the musician you are looking for. You can choose between polyphonic and mp3. You can even search alphabetically. This last option is obviously the most time consuming, but you can come across some gems you weren't anticipating that way.

Once you have chosen the ringtone you want, there are a number of ways to download it as well. You can access the site on via your phone and enter the designated WAP code for that ringtone. You can download it to your computer and use a data cable to load it to your phone. Or you can enter the website designated for the ringtone into your phone and it downloads automatically.

I have used this site many times and have never had any problems with it. I feel confident that you will find plenty of great ringtones there. Download and enjoy.

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The Arrogant Worms

The Arrogant Worms are a comedy band from Canada that I recently discovered by accident. I was searching for a Happy Birthday song that would be humorous for my teenager's cell phone, and I came across a download of "The Happy, Happy Birthday Song". It was hilarious.

I decided to further explore their tunes and found that they have a wide variety of songs that are equally funny. "I Am Cow" is a loving anthem of the proud animal we love to eat and wear. "The Assumption Song" leads you to believe they are singing about often immoral goings on, when in fact it is about normal people in normal circumstances. "The Only Gay Eskimo" is a ballad of a figure we hear little about in the Inuit race.

There are scores of other songs that will bring you nearly to tears with laughter. With eleven CD's available, you can imagine the variety of topics they can cover. They are not only very funny, but their musical talent is also obvious. If they had the desire, I am sure they could succeed as a mainstream band. Thankfully for us they choose to make us laugh instead.

I highly suggest you sample their music on itunes, or go to their homepage and order a copy of one of their CD's. Just click on the link below to be directed to their homepage.

http://www.arrogant-worms.com/

Here is a link so you can hear the Happy Happy Birthday song in its entirety.

http://www.ilovewavs.com/Holidays/Bday/Arrogant%20Worms%20-%20The%20Happy%20Happy%20Birthday%20Song.wav

While you are listening, do not drink any liquid. You run the chance of spitting it out in laughter or having it come out of your nose. Otherwise, enjoy!

T

Harry Potter Theme Park

If you haven't already heard, there is going to be a Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, FL. It will be called "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter", and is opening in late 2009 to early 2010. Now to be fair, it isn't going to be an entire theme park dedicated to Harry Potter. It will be part of Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.

Even though it will be limited to one "Island" in the theme park, it still promises to totally immerse the visitor in the world of Harry Potter. You will be able to walk the streets of Hogsmeade, venture into the Forbidden Forest and even tour Hogwarts itself.

There will be more than just site seeing though. You will enjoy exciting rides and interactive attractions, as well as shops and restaurants from the wizarding world. In addition, Universal promises a state of the art attraction that will bring the magic and characters to life in a way never before experienced.

To visit the official website click below. You will find downloads and videos describing the progress of the park as well as the press release. There are also conceptual pictures of the park that look amazing.

http://media.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/

I for one am pretty excited about this new adventure. I am planning a visit as soon as possible. Hope to see you there.

T

Are the Saints Becoming the Aints?

OR

The New Orleans Saints have started off the 2007 - 2008 NFL season with miserable results. They have not been able to recapture the glory they had last season. With 3 losses and no wins, this is the worst season to date in the franchise history.

Everyone wondered why Deuce was not running more often in the first three games. He averages 4-6 yards per carry and has proven that he is the go to player. Instead of giving him the ball and gaining the necessary yardage, they went for the impossible passes. Drew Breese is not getting the coverage he needs to find an open receiver, if he even has one. Reggie Bush is still too young a player to lean on as heavily as they needed to on Deuce.

Now, with Deuce out for the season, the horizon is even darker for everyone. We all still want the team to make a comeback, but I don't think anyone truly anticipates them making it o the playoffs much less the chamionship games.

This Sunday they will be going up against the Carolina Panthers. While this shouldn't be a hard game for them, they may surprise us again and lose this one as well. Every Saints fan will be praying for a miracle. If they can't win this one, the morale of the team and the fans will be at an all time low.

Should we give up on them? No way! Part of being a Saints fan is accepting the disappointment. The happy times are much more exhilarating that way. I have always been a Saints fan and will continue to support them, even in their darkest hour.

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Latex Mattress

The newest trend in mattresses today is all foam or no coil. The best known of these is the Tempurpedic brand of memory foam. Lesser known but equally as supportive is the latex mattress. Many of the larger manufacturers are making latex mattresses now. They give all of the support that a memory foam mattress does yet retain a more traditional mattress feel. If you have ever laid on a memory foam mattress, you will understand what I mean. Memory foam has a dense feel to it. Once you get in and it conforms to your body, it feels great. However, it still has an unusual feel to it.

The latex mattress also offers a extremely reduced motion transfer due to the lack of any coils in the body. All of your support comes from a thick layer of latex foam. Some companies use the Talalay process which have a mixture of natural latex and synthetic. Other companies are using the Dunlop process which is 100% synthetic. Both offer the excellent support needed to get a superior night of sleep.

For those with latex allergies, never fear. The latex is completely covered with luxurious fabrics ranging from cashmere, silk, wool, alpaca and more. The latex will only affect you if you come in direct contact with it.

Some are concerned with the durability of an all foam mattress. This is no concern at all. The latex mattresses should last 20 years or more. They are high grade foams that are tested with hundreds of thousands of compressions to ensure your mattress will stand the test of time.

If you have a sore back or achy joints in the morning, or you arm fall asleep in the middle of the night and you can no longer even feel it, or if you toss and turn all night long, an all foam mattress is the answer to your problems. Now don't buy the cheapest one on the market. You will still need to shop for quality. This means you will probably pay $1700 or more for your new mattress, but it will be the last one you get for at least 20 years.

I have been sleeping on a latex mattress for a few months now and even topped it off with a memory foam pillow. I have never felt better. No moaning or groaning when I get up. No irritability. Just pleasant thoughts and a happy body. Do yourself a favor; drop the cash and invest in a latex mattress. You won't regret it.

T

Army Strong Overture

If you have been to the movies in the past year, then you have seen the ad for the Army that features the wonderful music that I have come to find is titled Army Strong Overture. I have not, however, been able to find a download for this song. I searched itunes, Limewire, AOL, Yahoo!, the Army website, youtube, and even just a generic search of the internet. Nothing!

The closest I have come is on youtube. They have all of the commercials featuring this song. It is strong, passionate, touching and uplifting. I am amazed every time I hear it. It is one of the greatest musical compositions of recent history. I know that is saying a lot, but it is how I feel.

If you are unfamiliar with this song, click on the video below. You will then witness a terrific ad that draws you in at holds you until the end. If I were young and dumb, it would probably prompt me to check into enlisting. That is how powerful it is.

You can see variations of this ad by going to youtube and typing in Army Strong. I will continue to search for the music only download. If you know of where to get this song, let us know by leaving a comment to this post.




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Online Banking

Online banking has got to be one of the greatest services offered on the internet. It makes paying bills easier than ever before. I admit, I was a little hesitant when I first heard of it. I thought, who would want to trust a computer to take care of their finances. As it turns out, I would.

I have been using my bank's online service for over 3 years now and have had far fewer mistakes than when I was tracking everything myself. At first, I would sign in to my bank's website a few times a month and put in the payments required. Now I do it once a month, and that is only because some of my payments are not able to be directly drafted from my account.

In addition to the ease of check writing; you just choose which bill to pay and enter the amount; I have also applied for loans, credit cards, and account transfers. My favorite thing is still that I no longer write checks, stamp them, put them in the mailbox and hope they get there in time.

Every major bank offers this service. If you are not using your bank's online services, then you are missing out on one of the reasons the internet is so great. Just log on to their site, take the time to enter all of your monthly payees and you will not regret it. Sure it takes a while the first time, but you will soon find that it was worth every second.

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Director Spotlight: The Cohen Brothers

The title of this post is a little misleading. The Cohen Brothers are not directors, they are a film making team. They co-write and produce their own films, then Joel Cohen directs them. I am sure that Ethan has some say in the look of the movie, though.


The Cohen Brothers have been making movies since 1984 with "Blood Simple". A thriller made in the film noir style; a style they have revisited on many occasions. It went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.


Their success continued, and even improved on their notoriety, in 1987 with "Raising Arizona". This was a critical and box office success and may be their best known piece of work. It is funny, touching and beautiful. It, like most of their work, has gone on to become a cult favorite on DVD.


They went on to film a variety of well received movies including:
"Miller's Crossing" 1990
"Barton Fink" 1991
"Hudsucker Proxy" 1994


In 1996, they struck hard again with "Fargo". This film was a crime thriller, but with the signature quirkiness that all Cohen Brothers films have. William H. Macy was perfect as the dweebish husband who hired some thugs to murder his wife. Frances McDormand was equally perfect as the pregnant sheriff. This film was their biggest success thus far and was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and went on to win 2 of them; Best Supporting Actress for Frances McDormand, and Best Original Screenplay.


The brothers followed this with "The Big Lebowski"in 1998. While it wasn't the best received film of their career, I believe that it had been overlooked mainly because it followed the highly successful "Fargo".

They struck gold again in 2000 with O Brother, Where Art Thou?" A hilarious retelling of Homer's Odyssey. Told from the perspective of depression era Mississippi, it is by far one of the most beautifully filmed movies ever. It also won 2 Academy Awards; Best Cinematography and Best Adapted Screenplay.


Over the next few years, they continued to create wonderfully strange films including:

"The Man Who Wasn't There" 2001
"The Ladykillers" 2004


This fall, they are returning to their roots with a crime drama/thriller that is getting a lot of attention; "No Country for Old Men" This is an all star movie that has already won over most critics and was nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes. Every fan of the Cohen Brothers is anticipating this to be one of their best. Check out the trailer in my archive.




The Cohen Brothers are 2 of the brightest stars in Hollywood. They continue to follow their passion to make films that are true to their vision, not what executives expect of them. I can hardly wait to see what they dream up next.



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