One thing I’ve been doing in my spare time is filling out surveys for new products. Every once in a while I get samples of new stuff to try out at home … I’m hoping I get a few samples of these:

These are new “designer” CD-R’s that Maxell and Sony might be releasing. Last listed price I saw for these was $12.99 USD for a 20-pack. I submitted my feedback on the designs but did note that the price was a bit high. Other “specialty” CD-R’s have a problem being sold for that reason: the high price. (Remember the cute “vinyl” CD-R’s?) If they come down on the price a few bucks, I’d buy ‘em.

I read this on Michael’s blog today and it was so cute I just had to share it here!

A young Star Trek fan was suspended from school for reciting his own version of the Pledge of Allegiance, in which he pledged to the United Federation of Planets. His mom has posted the hilarious story:

“So, anyway. What did he do?” I picked at the hem of my sweatshirt, looked just to the right of her face. I couldn’t meet her eyes. I felt nervous. I felt underdressed. I wondered where 8 was.

So she told me what he did. And as she told me, I started to laugh. I didn’t laugh a little, either, but I belly-laughed and grabbed my stomach. My son stood with his class this morning, put small right hand over heart, faced the American flag, and recited his own personal pledge of allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Federation of Planets, and to the galaxy for which it stands, one universe, under everybody, with liberty and justice for all species.

“Mrs. Jaworski. This isn’t humorous. The Pledge is an extremely important and patriotic moment each morning in the classroom. I am ashamed of your son’s behavior, and I hope you are, too.”

I woke up this morning and to my dismay it’s Monday already!

Oh well, let’s get to it … had an OK weekend. Friday we left work right after lunch and got to goof off for most of the day. I went to work out that afternoon and am still a little sore today from it. (that’ll teach me for slacking the last coupla weeks!!)

Had to do some work-related stuff Saturday and wasn’t thrilled about that. But we did catch up with Captain Fantastic and his girlfriend Miranda to see the new Batman movie. I thought it was great!! It was a lot darker and more serious than the other campy Batman’s … and I thought Christian Bale has been the best Batman yet! He can pull off the handsome millionaire party boy role (ala Shaft … can you dig it?), but also can do the dark and tortured, brooding super hero bit as well.

Of course, I did enjoy the older campy Batman flicks … hey, who doesn’t want to see the governor of California as a walking Popsicle? But this Batman better explained and displayed the one we know and loved from the old comics.

I thought that Cillian Murphy did an excellent job as Dr. Crane, aka Scarecrow. Of course, it also starred Katie Holmes … and who doesn’t love her, right Tom?

Jessie’s mother is taking her to see it today. When I objected yesterday, she became really defensive saying that she had talked to Jim already and he OK’d it. Which I later found out that they didn’t exactly “talk” about it, she mentioned it off-handedly some time back. I dropped the issue, but did try to tell her to prepare herself for Jessie’s reaction to it.

There weren’t ANY kids in the theater when we went … and probably for a good reason. Bruce Wayne’s parents’ death is a heavy subject in the movie, and right now Jessie has a hard time dealing with that subject. She’s terrified of dying, and gets upset from time to time when she thinks about her mother or me or Jim dying. Hell, I spent an hour last night talking to her about the subject and trying to explain that death is a natural part of Life’s cycle. But I don’t think she fully understands … who does at that age?

Plus (back to the movie) there are some Scarecrow scenes that will most likely give Jessie nightmares. I tried to warn the woman … hell, I suggested taking her to one of the many “kid movies” out right now that Jessie’s dying to see.

Batman was awesome in my book … but not for my kid. But that’s just my $.02 … what do I know?

In my Neopets guild, my rank is Jester — an honorary title mostly, I liked it better than the regular Council ones! And so this month I won the “Member of the Month” award. Part of my prize is to organize a quest for all of the other members.

Seeing as how I’m the guild jester, I thought it fitting that I request they send me their best jokes. Here are two really cute ones I got this week:

Two women went out for ladies night out. They got a little tipsy and decided to walk home for the bar. On the way home they each had to use the bathroom. They were walking by a cemetery and decided to hide behind a grave marker and go. Neither having paper it was decided they would use their underwear and just throw them away. Well the first lady goes and throws hers away. When the other lady goes she has on some expensive underwear and does not care to lose them so she grabs a big ribbon of some flowers on a adjacent grave.

The next day the one husband calls the other and says “I dont think we should have girls night out anymore, my wife came home with no underwear.” Well the other husband says, “Is that all? My wife came home with a note attached to her butt that read ‘FROM ALL OF US AT THE FIRE STATION, THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!’”

Q: What has 75 balls and screws old ladies?
A: Bingo

A few days ago my buddy Jason had sent out an email asking that anyone who either had or could acquire a Boba Fett Star Wars toy from Burger King to get him one. The next day I came home from work to find a note he left on my door that morning letting me know that he found a BK (which happened to be near my house) that had Boba Fett’s! hehehe a very excited Jim wanted BK that night, LOL! So now I have 2 Boba Fett’s to add to my collection, as well as a C3PO, a coupla more Tie Fighter ships, and a Storm Trooper.

(Of course Jessie adopted one of the Boba’s as her new bath toy, LOL!)

Thanks Jas!