Solavei - A Possible Future?

I was recently sent an email for an upstart cellular company from Bellevue called Solavei. The company was in search of MLM people to push their new social network of cellular users to the public. I blew it off until I got an email from another person that was into the system as well. So, I accepted the invite from the company and jumped on board.

The system is a great little deal with $49 cellular with unlimited talk, text and data. The cost is competitive and the coverage is good using the T-Mobile network. Overall, it seemed like a good program to get onboard with.

Then I started doing the math... For every 3 people I sign up, I get $20... For every 3 people they sign up, I get another $20. This means with a standard of 3 people per month, and those 3 bringing in the same, by the end of the first year, my monthly take would be over $3000 a month!

This isn't a pipedream or a get rich quick scheme, but a real, tangible goal that i could reach. Just looking around, I see people that I can help save money, and earn some at the same time. This could be the beginning of a new life, a life without crappy apartments, or living paycheck to paycheck... A real "dream life" for me and my family.

If you are reading this and want to check out the system and see how you can make the change, visit me online at http://tinyurl.com/solaveisignup and fill in your name and email. I'll get an invitation back to you as quickly as possible. Start making a difference in your future today.

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A Day At The Jetty

I managed to sneak out of the office for a three day weekend visit with the visitors from Kansas this weekend. It was nice to take a day away from the shop and not think too much about it. We decided to make it a fun day with a trip planned to Jetty Island in Everett.

We boarded the 3:00 ferry, which is really a two minute ride across the channel, and most of us made it. John, Joni and the kids were going to be late and Steve, Jeanie and the kids just flat out missed it from the parking lot. It was a bit funny, but a bummer all the same.

We got over to the Jetty and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of playing on the beach, having a little picnic lunch and making some Smores. Everyone else decided to head out early, but we stayed until the 8:30 boat back just to enjoy the quiet.

We're planning on another trip over this week as I'll be off Friday again with a 4 day weekend before our Disney Vacation next week!

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How To: Amazing Images From A Phone

If there is one thing that people still bring up as a failing point in their smartphone, it is usually a camera or the photos that that those cameras take. There's a bit of luck involved with photography, but a good photographer can take a great photo with a disposable camera.

Setting up your image is probably the most important step in getting a great image. Focus on your background as much as your subject. While the subject needs to be the focal point, there's nothing like a lamp post, book shelf or personal photo in the background. Color is also important. Make sure your colors don't clash, but also, that they stand out in your image.

If you plan on shooting in black and white, pay attention to shades of gray. Oranges aren't as dark as yellows, reds are darker than pinks. Its always a tough mix to shoot black and whites in a heavily saturated image, but it can be even more magical to convert those brilliant colors to blacks.

Now that you've set up a decent background and have the subject in focus, start by setting up the camera on the device. There are different settings on each manufacturers cameras, but the basics will set you up quickly.

White Balance: Auto usually works ok, but if you have time to set up the actual lighting conditions, the images colors will pop. You can do this by placing a sheet of white paper in the area you are shooting, then selecting the white balance that matches the white paper the closest in your particular setup.

Saturation: Usually a plus one or two will saturate the images very well. Take an image or two to see if the colors are saturated enough then set your levels.

Focus: Again, auto focus is the way to go. Some cameras call this Normal, which will take a sample of the image area and focus on as much as the lens allows. Simply set this up and you should be good to go.

Finally, you are ready to shoot a few images. Once you are all setup, shoot away and have some fun. Remember to shoot plenty of images and get down to your subjects level. If you are shooting kids, get low. You'll have much better results.

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Our Chickens?

There's something about adopting an animal that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. There's also something about having animals (yes plural) dumped on you that is very stressful. Our chickens are one of those "stressful" ones.

A few weeks back, we were lucky enough to have 10 chickens dumped at the farm for "us" by friends of the family. This was pretty cool, mainly because Ara had been talking about getting some chickens for awhile. Talk about great timing right? Well that was before all the medical problems and the fact that there was zero usable space for them.

So the journey began to make a little home for the 10 chicks. That wasn't too hard since they were so tiny, but then they began growing and doing it quickly. Plans for a pallet coup, pretty coups, affordable coups and even scanning Craigslist for coups was a daily thing.

We now have 10 very close to full grown chickens and finally have four walls to build our run around. We still have to get the roof on, but baby steps on our first project here. Today we finished the sweep out doors and let the chickens roam for the first time. That was a big step and the first in getting them ready for a run. Hopefully, we can get the run mapped out and ready to roll either before we leave for Disneyland or right when we get back.

Then we can get the roof on and make them a happy home instead of a cluttered cage.

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GdgtSea: A Night Of Fun

I've been trying to make it to the Gdgt Show in Seattle for a few years now. Fortunately, last night was finally my night to go. With many of the hottest vendors in Seattle scheduled to be there, it was going to be fun.

The evening started with a visit to the entry table and a few iPhone covers provided by @speckproducts. Next up was Chris from @Nokia and their Windows Phone table. I was happy to run into him as he will be getting back to me with good news soon. After that, the journey continued back to my new found Twitter pals @HTCUSA. There the ladies let me play with the Evo 4G LTE, the One S and the One X. All very impressive handsets to say the least.

The @Rokuplayer booth was next. We have had our Roku for 3+ years and use it daily. The streaming box is amazing and we will probably upgrade to a new one someday. From there, @Twonky made a great presentation about streaming media from your iPhone/iPad or Android device to your TV. Cool stuff happening there.

Then buried in the back corner I found more Twitter pals from @Tmobile. Not only did T-Mobile have a fun booth setup with the "My4GLife" photobooth, but they had plenty of phones and reps for answering questions. Well played T-Mobile. Oh, and thanks for the MyTouch Q!

From there it was wandering time. I picked up a few water bottles, some free online storage coupons, some little fun stuff for Evie and a few more useless giveaways that will probably end up broken, but it was still awesome.

I hope to put the next one on the schedule as soon as I hear the dates. The event was a blast and I can't wait to do it again.

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One More Project Done

Last night we were able to get out to the farm to knock out one more project. Getting the old willow tree out of the yard and all stacked up. After Jan hit the 3 foot tall grass with the mower and laid down some anti-weed cloth, two pallets were thrown down and the stacking began.

We anchored the pile with 4 T-Posts that a tarp could be mounted to for keeping the wood dry. Overall, a very successful plan came together beautifully on this one. Plus, there's room for more lumber if they have any other trees let go in the meantime.

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The Coop Gets A Coat Of Paint

Sunday, our little "pallet" coop got itself a coat of that clearance paint we picked up at Lowe's for $5. The cool part is, the light gray color is pretty far good for it. It definitely needs some trim and accents, but the base color is looking good.

Next up on the agenda, getting the upper and lower doors hung and then, getting the run built.

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The Coop Gets A Coat Of Paint

Sunday, our little "pallet" coop got itself a coat of that clearance paint we picked up at Lowe's for $5. The cool part is, the light gray color is pretty far good for it. It definitely needs some trim and accents, but the base color is looking good.

Next up on the agenda, getting the upper and lower doors hung and then, getting the run built.

Sent from my HTC Titan Windows Phone powered by GetSmartphones.Info

Turning 37...

Thursday was my birthday. It started off normal enough, working in the morning and having to close up the shop since nobody else showed up. Yep, pretty normal. From there, the day got much more fun.

Ara picked me up at 4:30 from work where we dropped Evie off at a friends house to play for a few hours. We then headed south to Bellevue to hit Sushi Maru for dinner. It was delicious as usual, and then time to head over to Redmond Town Center to catch a movie at the iPics Theater there.

iPics is far from a "movie theater" as it is more like a living room with a giant TV and waiters. Since we had just had dinner, we walked the mall and relaxed a bit before settling on for our movie. We chose Safety Not Guaranteed and loved it. Quirky, funny and entertaining. A perfect mix.

Now, the theater was where the real fun was. For $22 you get a wonderful experience including popcorn, and tableside service throughout the flick. We ordered a cucumber soda, a blackberry mojito and a piece of Chocolate Cake that was quite good. Overall, the wonderful night with the wife was perfect. Mostly due to the company, but the places we went were fun too.

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The Start Of The Chicken Coop

Today was the hottest day of the summer so far in the Seattle area. Temperatures topped 90 degrees across the Puget Sound area and we picked today to go stand outside and build something. Crazy, yes... Needed, of course...

With the news of some rather large predators lurking around the farm, getting the chickens a bit more protection is pretty high on the priority list. So construction began today.

We started with a basic 48x48 pallet for the flooring, then raised it 39" off the ground. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a bit high, but we will see how it works. Then we through a few plywood walls together and attached them to the base. With the three walls in place and the floor ready to go, we gave the parts lists to the parental for approval.

It sounds like the wire will be there Monday for installation and the roofing should be laying out back. Hopefully, we should be able to make this house a home for the chickens within a week or two.

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Movies At The Park: Week One

We didn't have high hopes for the first week of Movies at the Park. After the last few weekends had been anything but great weather wise and the fact that the movie of the week was The Muppets, we were just hoping for decent. Fortunately, we were pleasantly surprised by both.

The weather was gorgeous and we couldn't have had a better day to start the series. It was dry all day, which is good since the field they host it in is a sponge. The sun went down about 9 is and the movie ran until 11. Overall, an A+ for the weather and timing.

As for the movie itself? I don't see it winning any Oscars or even being a highlight for anyone's career, but it wasn't the worst movie I've seen by a long shot. The plot was simple enough: The Muppets haven't done anything in a long time and have gone their separate ways. An oil tycoon wants the land the Muppet Theater is sitting on and the Muppets need to reunite to save the day. That's the long and the short of it. I wouldn't call it a buy it on DVD, but it is worth a RedBox visit in my opinion. 

Best of all, we had a pretty good night out at the park. The weather was stellar, the movie was good and the time together was wonderful. Next Friday is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides if anyone wants to join us. It will be a fun night. I wonder if Evie is old enough for that one yet?

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