Not only are we now lacking in snow but we are lacking in heat. I’m all for keeping it colder to make snow but six degrees is a little cold. It wouldn’t be bad if we had snow, but so far this season we’ve had about an inch of snow. And that didn’t last long. I keep watching the news and hoping but it doesn’t show. Can someone send us some snow? A foot would be nice. At this rate we’ll have a brown Christmas but I’m still holding out for hope. Please.

Well today begins a new journey. After five years at Artropolis I have moved on. Today I start with Misukanis & Odden and Top Rank Results. Over time I’ll be learning all about search engine optimization while still getting to use some of my web designs skills. I’m excited and nervous for the new move but I know it’s in the right direction.

The birthday went off pretty good. First we had breakfast at the Nicollet Island Inn with her parents. It was a fancier place however the service was slow and the food was ok. Good atmosphere though. Then we went to the New World Market just to look around that was a pretty neat place. We picked up some horrible energy Jolt Cola mints and some Jelly Bellies. After that it was off to Dairy Queen to get a DQ Cake. Mmmm. Then, that evening, we went to Howie G’s Signature Steakhouse in Plymouth. Here you get to cook your own steaks if you want and, they have an unlimited potato bar. Mmm fires, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes and more. The wait was very long but we waited anyways. Once in, the service was pretty good and the food was ok too. Nothing too great but it could have been. The only downfall was the fact that the UPS man didn’t come on Saturday so we’ll have to wait until Monday evening before Christi gets her gift.

Happy Birthday Christi! I have made some plans for today but I can’t say what they are in case she reads this. Should be a great day though and hopefully the UPS man brings her present soon! According to the tracking it should be here today. And don’t forget the cake. We are having Dairy Queen ice cream cake. Mmmm good stuff!

Apple has released the top 100 albums and songs sold on iTunes in 2004. Check them out and download your favorite tracks today!

Who is on the cover of January’s edition of Mac Fan Magazine? It’s Godzilla. However on page 21, half way down and on your left is me! They did a section on holiday stuff for your Mac and they put in my TwistMas theme! Just so you know, Mac Fan is a Japanese magazine so it may be hard to find over here. This also isn’t the first time I’ve had a theme in a Japanese Mac magazine. Back in 1999 or so I had an OS9 theme for Garth Brooks in a different magazine. I think it’s just fun to be in the magazines. Even if it’s just a two inch by two inch square.

Today Mozilla announced the availability of Thunderbird 1.0. This standalone email application is a great alternative to Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Apple’s Mail.app or Eudora. Thunderbird is a free download and comes packed with many features including labels, junk mail filters, HTML mail composition, smart folders, message encryption, digital signing, message grouping (threading), great search features, IMAP/POP support, RSS reader and more. Plus you can add themes and extensions to Thunderbird to customize the email application even more. Check out Thunderbird for yourself and see how great email can be.
Thunderbird Discussion

Well the rumors are flying. IBM is looking to get rid of their PC division some claim that they may the buy Apple. I don’t think anyone buys Apple. If anything they’ll partner but I doubt that happen as Apple has high standards and I think Steve Jobs is a control freak. In a good way.

The Register, columnist Cormac O’Reilly
Once publicly free of the PC division IBM will either buy, or form a close joint venture with Apple to sell its PCs, which coincidentally are now built around IBM’s PowerPC chip.

Every year when Christmas comes around I love hearing the new music. However it’s hard to hear everything and find the good stuff. Now I’m a fan of the traditional Let It Snow and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas but they’ve been done over and over again. What I really like to hear is Christmas music with energy and fun. Have you heard Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag [listen] or Deck The Halls [listen] by SheDaisy? Their Brand New Year Christmas album has to be one of the best Christmas albums I have. Also, Garth Brooks has some fun Christmas songs with Call Me Claus and ‘Zat You, Santa Claus. So, if you have any recommendations that you think I’d like please let me know as I’m always looking for fun and energetic Christmas music.

Have you ever stopped to think that the best gifts could be on eBay for cheap? You can find anything there. From Christmas presents to birthday, anniversary, or other special occasions. And since an eBay account is free you can sign up and start finding great bargains today!

We shopped for wedding accessories on eBay and found some great deals on wedding tiaras. I know people who shop for computer equipment, like servers, and my friend checks out rare and autographed musical equipment all the time. I even know one person who buys things at garage sales for basically free and then sells it on eBay for a few dollars. From $.50 to $4.00 is a good turnaround.