Tag: matt

Getting to back to basics

One sentence that can be used to describe my life right now: following my heart these days. Seriously. I may not be making the most money right now, but I will not trade a high flying job for the wonderful man I married, the wonderful family I married into and the incredible support & love I’m getting from my family & relatives. In other words, I have my own personal slice of heaven right here in Georgia. I’ve made unbelievable personal strides in my life and personal struggles & I’m frankly amazed at myself because I almost didn’t think I had it in me.

As a matter of fact, 2009 is shaping up to be a life-changing year for Matt & I. Let’s count our blessings, shall me:

  1. I’ve quit biting my nails and I’ve been “sober” since the 8th of June, 2009. My nails are growing out beautifully and Matt’s amazed at how ‘quickly’ they seem to have recovered. It’s a huge confidence booster for me because I’m always hiding my fingers when in public and it’s a new & fascinating feeling to be able to simply stretch my hand and not worry if I’m displaying my “good” side or not. 🙂
  2. Matt is kicking butt in his GIS classes. Since he started taking classes in the summer of 2008, he has had solid As in all the courses he has taken! I can’t say how proud I am of him especially considering the grueling nature of his schedule (working at Wally world and on his free days, he’s at school or doing homework). He’s quite the trooper and I draw inspiration from him daily.
  3. I’ve become mentally stronger about myself and I have to say that leaving grad. school was the best decision I ever made, despite the heartwrenching sadness I felt at the time i.e. I felt like a quitter. However, like I tell Matt, sometimes you have to do things that hurt to protect yourself and nurture yourself. I’m not 100% out of the woods, but it’s the little things that indicate to me that I’ve come a long way. I’m learning to not be afraid to let things go, especially things that do not contribute positively to your life.
  4. My family and I are much closer now that they have internet access at home and just the past Saturday, I spent over 1.5 hrs chatting via Yahoo messenger (webcam and talking via the PC-to-PC connection) with them!
  5. I’m actively pursuing other avenues of interest to me i.e. photography, computer science, social service/activism, etc. For instance, I purchased a Nikon D90 early this year and as God would have it, I attended the Flagpole Music Awards and introduced myself to a man who would turn out to be a key figure in my quest to learn more about photography. As it turned out, I kept in touch with this man and he has introduced me to several important people in the community and has taken me under his wing (informally) in teaching me the ropes of photography! On the social service front, I’m a new volunteer for an organization that advocates for children and it is a very humbling task that renews my faith in social service workers and those who serve communities.
  6. My 2 new websites went up this year and are  going strong. They are: (i) Jane Ullah Photography (ii) Jane Talks Tech! so please support me and check out my sites! 🙂

I could go on, but you get the point. I am just incredibly thankful to God for bringing me this far on my journey and the people He has brought into my life. As LG slogan says, Life’s Good(tm). 😀

My official HP giveaway declaration. :)

So, I’ve thought long & hard about this and I’ll write it on this personal blog. Currently, HP, Microsoft and BuzzCorps LLC are running a promotion (the HP Magic Giveaway) where they are giving away ~ $6 000 worth of computer goodness. They gave 50 sites this same prize package to give to 50 different winners and each site has their set of rules. Some of those sites participating in the giveaway are Moosh in Indy, Down-to-earth Mama.  🙂 The items that are up for grabs include:

  1. Electronics:- HP TouchSmart IQ816 PC, HP HDX 18 series Premium Notebook PC, HP MediaSmart Connect, HP Pavilion dv4 series Entertainment Notebook PC (with Windows Live) and the HP Mini 1000 (with XP), HP Photosmart C6380 Wireless AIO (printer) + HP 564 Photo Series Value Pack
  2. Software:- Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate/Home Premium or Microsoft Windows XP pre-installed on all units (Mini 1000 runs XP), Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 (Student-Teacher Edition) – 1 DVD with 3 licenses, Microsoft Windows Live and Corel VideoStudio X2.
  3. Entertainment:- Kung Fu Panda (2 widescreen DVDs; 1 widescreen Blu-ray disc)

As you can see, that’s a lot of stuff and 50 lucky people are going to each get these items. Of course, lots of people will bring out all sorts of things they’ll do if they win and I can’t possibly hope to top any fantastic stories. However, a lot of these sites are (thankfully) leaving the decision making to a random draw provided all entrants followed the rules to a Tee.

If I should win this giveaway, I’ll give the bulk of these items to the following people:

  1. Athens Area Homeless Shelter: I briefly volunteered before work issues forced me to quit doing that. You can tell what their mission is from their title and I would like to give them the HP wireless printer, the photo pack as well as the KungFu panda dvds. During the time I volunteered there, there wasn’t much by way of entertainment and I think the families housed there (particularly the children) would appreciate these gifts.
  2. UGA Center for Teaching & Learning: They will be getting the Touchsmart PC to further their mission. I am big fan of using technology to educate and enlighten students & administrators. This will help introduce the university community to cutting edge technology.
  3. My nuclear family: the HP dv4000 series laptop, Microsoft Office 2007 software and Corel VideoStudio X2. My family has been my rock and I would be nothing without their prayers & support.
  4. My father-in-law (Bill) will get the HP mini 1000 netbook because it will be the perfect starter computer tool to introduce him to the digital world. lol. He’s running an ancient computer and I fear it’s on its last legs:)
  5. My husband (Matt) & I will be keeping the HDX laptop & the MediaSmart items. He will “inherit” my dv9700t laptop and I’ll assume ownership of the HDX beast. 🙂 The MediaSmart will be mostly for his use because he is a big music buff and I’m frankly tired of all his CDs laying haphazardly all over the house/apartment. This kickass MediaSmart Connect will be the music & video repository in order to free up space in the house. 🙂 You bet I’ll be having a CD burning party if I win this contest!

Even if the actual order of giving may change, I know for sure that the only things that will remain in my possession will be the HDX and the MediaSmart. 🙂

Update: Just in case this blog goes down, I’ll be cross-posting to my tech blog at Jane Talks Tech!

In a Shania Twain kinda mood

Today started out on a nice note. I got up in a hurry although I kept my smile. I did what I had to do at work and when it was time for me to return home, trouble came knocking on my door. However, this is where my darling came through for me. I decided to quit being Mrs. Capable and I reached out to him. Without even hesitating, he offered his services and to him, I’m dedicating Shania Twain’s “Forever and Always”. 😀 I’m looking forward to celebrating our second anniversary and a stronger & healthier marriage. 🙂 I’m currently at my favorite watering hole (think a certain franchise at Wally World) and I just caught myself thinking about how blessed I’ve been. My dad’s birthday is coming up and I am planning on being one of the first on the phone to be with him. I miss them (my family in Nigeria) so much & I’m looking forward to my visit next year. Not very sure about the details, but I know I will make it there by the special grace of God. My tech blog has gotten off to a neat little start. I’ve got a vision for the site and hopefully, it’ll crystallize soon. That’s about it!

Cheers!

A night of debauchery

Kidding. 🙂 So, I typically veg out at home on Friday nights with my husband watching TruTV‘s Forensic Files or shows about Prison gangs on National Geographic Channel or the History Channel. You get the drift. So yesterday, a coworker of his invited him to check out his dance band (Seven 7) performing at Foxz Tavern. I haven’t danced in a long while so I jumped at the chance. I went there and I had a blast. Right away, I felt the vibe from the performers and they simply infected me. I went from dancing by my hubby’s side to actually dragging him to the dance floor! He was too cute doing his famous side-to-side booty dance (at least that’s what I think it is). 😀 The lead man was simply awesome (he’s got that rich R & B voice) and the guitarists got me doing my best air guitar impressions. They do covers and I loved nearly all of their covers save for a cover of Usher’s “Yeah” they did. Some songs do not translate well into covers so I’m sure they are constantly tweaking their play list to suit the audience.

If you didn’t know, I’ve had a post (an oldie but a goodie) way back in 2007 which has the song about the Electric Slide (Electric Boogie) attached. Well, you guessed it, they played that song. It was a pity I didn’t know how to do the electric slide. That has to be a thing all Americans seem to know how to do! Like a rite of passage or something. I am going to learn that slide and bust out my moves whenever I hear the song again. The tavern was laid back and I definitely see myself checking it out on Karaoke nights. I’ll have to have M in tow because I’ve got little alcohol tolerance. Two Miller Lite cans did me in last night although that wasn’t enough to let me sleep in. I hate that about myself. I’ll have to be really tired before I can do the sleeping-till-noon thing. I can fall asleep pretty easily, but M needs to prepare himself to fall asleep. He’s a light sleeper whereas I am a heavy sleeper. I guess it’s only fair that I am accursed to waking up early while he can keep sleeping on. *sigh* It’s all love though. I won’t hate on my man.

The countdown continues for Mrs. J. I hope I get the call when she’s experiencing. Hanging out with J & J is always fun. 🙂 See, Mrs. J has a green thumb and she keeps us stocked with fresh-from-the-garden produce. Just the other day, we came away with a haul of string beans (not from her garden, but her neighbor’s whose garden is even bigger) and some humongous squash that would have cost us $5 at Wally world. She’s grown (and growing) herbs and spices & I’ve also benefited from having those too. I hope to have a garden also when M & I are ready to be homeowners. I’m the unofficial PC consultant even though I mostly stumble on the answers to their questions. Shhhhh. Google and smart searching are my best friends when it comes to PC issues. Well, I’ve got some news browsing to do. Have a great Saturday!