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More good news on the eBook front: We'll soon accept Barnes & Noble gift cards as payment in our eBook store.This change — effective in mid-December — will allow customers to use physical gift cards and online gift certificates to purchase eBooks through our site, through nook, and through other devices using the B&N eReader software.We'll have full details (including the specific launch date) in mid-December.In the meantime, we want to say thanks for your suggestions and enthusiasm. We were able to accelerate this change due in part to the customer feedback.Thanks again for your support. And happy reading.

What is it about weird antelopes? Gerenuk, you are so adorable, yet so terrifying, like a Disney character that ends up torturing Bambi's mother while Bambi watches. You have a normal torso, but other than that I am creeped out by literally everything else about you. It's the head that really gets me, though. You could have weirdly long legs, a bushy mohawk tail, a weirdly thin, long neck, and ears with pitchfork marks inside of them, and if you had a normal-sized head, I would be like, "Touché." But your head basically makes me want to write my congressman about starting a government agency to monitor your movements and make sure you haven't started any international money laundering networks to pay for your secret takeover of my brain. So just keep eating from that tree, hold your hooves where I can see them, and don't appear in any movies where you can talk in a funny voice, Gerenuk. I wouldn't want to have to do anything we'd both regret.

This past weekend, along with all the other stuff I did, I also got a newER iPhone. We just bought our iPhones – at the end of July I believe – and we bought the 3G because we weren’t that picky. But then, after having the phones for awhile, I realized I AM picky and I wanted the 3GS (for the video).

The last two weeks – and this week is shaping up the same way – have been such whirlwinds. I started training last week and so the entire week before was crunch time to get the training manual created. It was frustrating because just when I felt like I had it done my team began to read it for the first time (not sure why they didn’t read it before…) and had A LOT of changes they wanted made. Every night I was able to, I was staying at least two hours later at work. In the end it all worked out, but it was stressful.

I started reading Peter Pan to Evy and BOY is that a tongue twister. You can tell, Barrie had a style that was very different from today’s style. Basically, every sentence is jumbled to be exactly opposite – or close – to what I would have written. With that said, it’s still a great book. The edition I have is slightly illustrated (every three pages has one illustration), it’s hardcover with textured pages. Very nice, very nice.

I haven’t posted in awhile because I’ve been SO busy at work.  I’m playing trainer again, once more for our Intranet, and it’s been exhausting. I decided to take on building the training manual, and 40 pages later I feel amazed at how many screen shots you can take for one process. BUT! I’m extremely happy with it – while I wasn’t happy with our “one-page cheat sheet” we gave last time. Yesterday was the first day of training and I think it went really well! Particularly because one of my team members who was gone is very vocal during training so I feel like I’m interrupted often and I cant follow the process I’d like to follow. But it’s a team effort and I’m part of a team We have five more training days, with two sessions each, to go – so I’ll be at this until the end of next week. I just hope that all my hard work – trying to retrain these people – isn’t pointless.

Someone passed along to me a website that showed me how to turn my songs into ringers for my phone, without having to pay extra for it. I was skeptical at first, thinking this is something that Apple would have prevented, but it worked!

Healthy Choice’s Fresh Mixers are really good – as long as they don’t have any rice in them. Today’s choice: Tuscan Style Chicken  – VERY good.It was really easy too – didn’t even have to heat up the sauce since it wasn’t frozen and I don’t like my food scalding anyhow.Two thumbs up for easy, cheap, and low in calories / high in protein!Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)5 Things Not to Say to an Italian Guy, by Antonio Sabato Jr.

Oh goodness, I’m reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and it is so good so far. I’ve just gotten past the first part and moving on the second and I just had one of those, “Oooooohhhhhh!” moments

I’m very frustrated with my body right now. We were shopping this weekend, and I did a bit of browsing for new jeans. The jeans I’m wearing now are still my one & only pair of maternity jeans with NO waist but instead a ultra wide band of elastic that goes from beneath my belly button to my bra. VERY comfortable, but not practical with you’re not pregnant. They’re starting to be too big on me and shift continually throughout the day given they have no waist to grip my hips.

Thanks for writing us an email regarding the “Record Breaking Fail”. Unfortunately, douchebaggy cyber-bullying emails will only bring upon you more shame on your house. I am also resisting the urge to write this email in ALL CAPS.

...This latest round of complaints came from /Film's Peter Sciretta, who grumbled about how the Twilight panel will be right after the Avatar panel. Apparently all the excited female fans will push out the "normal people": Anyone who attended last year's Comic-Con can attest to how much of a cluster-fuck was caused by Twilight's presentation in Hall H. Hundreds of tweens and Twilight Moms/Dads camped overnight to be the first ones into Hall H. By the time the "normal people" began to line up hours before doors were set to open, thousands of Twilighters were already in line. As Movieline notes: Sciretta then pretty much admits that actually the most anticipated film is the Twilight sequel New Moon, which doesn't count because girls. Sciretta goes on to say: By placing the Summit panel (AKA The Twilight Saga: New Moon panel) as the third panel of the day, they are forcing thousands of movie fanatics out of Hall H. Unless you're willing to brave the crowds and show up 4-5 hours before HALL-H opens, the seats will be taken by Twilight fans. Twilight fans who probably aren't interested in Avatar. Many of those people who want to see previews of A Christmas Carol, Alice In Wonderland, Tron 2 and Avatar will be left out. He worries that these Twilight girls will take ALL THE SEATS that should be saved for "movie fanatics" - because, apparently, people who like the Twilight movie don't count as movie fans. Nobody who likes that silly vampire movie New Moon, full of sparkly otherworldly creatures, would ever be sophisticated enough to like the silly space movie Avatar, full of sparkly otherworldly creatures. Imagine if this New Moon panel were replaced by a panel devoted to a new Star Wars movie. Would people be screaming about all those "fanatical" Star Wars fans who would undoubtedly line up all night long just to get a glimpse of George Lucas and pals? Would there be complaining that Star Wars fans were taking up space and driving out all the "normal people" who came to see Alice and A Christmas Carol? Would people be suggesting that the Star Wars panel should be moved to another place, or another day? No. Because Star Wars fans, even though they are more fanatical than Twilight fans, are mostly boys. And therefore they are tolerated as "normal people" at Comic-Con while hordes of girl fans are not.

I fell in the shower last night. I've fallen in the shower once before, and I felt pretty stupid then too - but I've never done it while be pregnant. Now I just feel dangerous...

Check out our list of the top baby names of 2008, and click on names to see baby name meanings, similar names, popularity over time, and more.

First of all, let me say that I support Mr. Obama in the upcoming election. But given my long history in the healthcare industry, I am bothered by part of his approach to healthcare reform. So I wrote the following letter, which I am about to send off to him. I welcome your comments. Dear Senator...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - With California's cash dwindling and legislators still debating a new budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated 22,000 part-time and temporary state positions Thursday and ordered that 200,000 state workers receive the federal minimum wage.

Cats are so smart.

Me and Midna from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Awesome costume I saw at the Con in Toronto (aug 25/07)