July 2011 – Concert Katie

Book Review: It Couldn't Just Happen

Katie July 31, 2011 2 Comments

It Couldn’t Just Happen – Knowing The Truth about God’s Awesome Creation is a book by Lawrence O Richards.

This four-color, Gold Medallion Book Award winner is a perfect tool that offers solid, biblical answers to some of the tough questions kids ask about evolution and our world.

“Did Earth begin with a ‘Big Bang’ cosmic explosion?”

“Does science contradict the Bible?”

“What happened to dinosaurs?”

“Is there life on other planets?”

“Did we evolve from apes?”

“What makes my body work on its own?”

Kids are daily exposed to the theory of evolution by the media and public schools. It’s not safe to assume that your kids will reject that theory. It’s up to us as parents and Christian leaders to make sure our children know the truth about the creation of the world. With thousands of evidences to prove He created and sustains the universe, It Couldn’t Just Happen will fascinate kids with fun activities and examples of God’s marvelous works.

This book was interesting to me because having read Inherit The Wind in High School we had a big discussion about how Science and God and the Bible can maybe all be telling the same story when it comes to evolution. I was interested to see what theories this book would put forward to “disprove” science (or maybe further prove)

At the end of each chapter there is a “just for fun” section with some questions and activities for you to further look into what was presented in each chapter. These were all very interesting things, even though the book is geared towards Children I still found myself learning a lot. (And even though I have taken a LOT of science classes and have had an interest in space and the solar system since I was a kid I still found myself learning a lot)

The book also presents a lot of interesting theories that I had never heard before. Some are really out there, some make some sense, but all made me think.

Even though this book is geared ore towards children I think it is a great read for children and adults a like. You don’t need to have kids to enjoy this book and be interested in the information that it presents. And, since it is geared towards children, everything is explained in simple terms – something that often lacks when science gets involved!

To be honest I thought this book was going to leave me rolling my eyes at ridiculous claims that God created everything and there is no science and stuff like that, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much this book was NOT like that and how much I actually enjoyed reading it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Giveaway Product Review

Ergonomic pen – Uglee Pen Review & Giveaway

Katie July 30, 2011 14 Comments

UPrinting.com Giveaway!

Katie July 29, 2011 15 Comments

One lucky winner is going to receive 250 stickers from UPrinting.com! These stickers are 2″ by 3.5″ 70lb Label Matte, Front only printing with a 4 business day turnaround!

UPrinting.com makes it really simple to create your own designs for your stickers and make them uniquely you! You can use their label templates or you can create something on your own for your sheet labels. I have used UPrinting in the past for postcards and the quality is great – whoever wins this will not be disappointed with their stickers!

Contest Ends August 5, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST. Contest is limited to USA Residents Only that are 18 years of age or older. Please leave your email address in your first comment so you can be notified if you win! Winner can only win from UPrinting once in a six-month period. If you have already won a prize from UPrinting in the past 6 months, please do not enter. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning notification email (This is shorter than our usual time frame but we have a deadline to get the winners information to the sponsor)

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Uncategorized

Net10 Unlimited!

Katie July 29, 2011 0 Comments

This post brought to you by Net10. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Net10 Unlimited plan is a great deal! You get nationwide coverage and unlimited talk, text and data for only $50 a month! There are no contracts to sign, no surprise bills and no credit checks! Net10 has great nationwide coverage and excellent reception/connectivity. Net 10 only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung.

see the Light and see how Net10 could be great for your business of even in your everyday life!

There are several monthly plans to choose from:

• The Easy Minutes Plus plan is an automatic minutes plan that starts at $15.00 for 200 minutes.

• With Pay-As-You-Go Plans, your minutes carry over with active service.

• Unlimited Minutes, Text and Web for $50.00/month.

You can switch between plans each month depending on what you think you will need at no extra charge! You can purchase airtime online, at stores or even directly from your phone so you will never be without minutes!

Long Distance Service is available to over 75 countries for about 15 cents per minute on calls originated in the US. International Neighbors Program is available to Canada and Mexico. This program gives you a special phone number that your friends and family can use to reach you at your NET10 number.

Net10 offers a large phone selection with simple phones for under $15, camera and blue tooth phones for under $40 and full QWERTY keyboard phones with touch screen, web access etc for under $60!

Check out Net10 on Social Networking sites:
• http://twitter.com/#!/Net10_Wi…
• https://www.facebook.com/NET10…

real NET10 customer

cute NET10 commercial

what Rob has to say

real NET10 customer

Uncategorized

Net10: No Bills, No Contracts, No Evil.

Katie July 28, 2011 0 Comments

This post brought to you by Net10. All opinions are 100% mine.

Looking for an unlimited phone plan? see the Light & look no further than Net10. With Net10, you get nationwide coverage and unlimited talk, text and data for just $50 a month! You don’t have to sign a contract which means there are no surprise bills and you don’t even have to pass a credit check. There is just great nationwide coverage and excellent reception & connectivity. Net10 uses trusted telephone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung!

There are a variety of plans available so you can pick what is best for your family or business. The Easy Minutes plan is an automatic minutes plan that starts at $15 for 200 minutes. Pay-As-You-Go Plans can carry over minutes with active service. If you’d prefer unlimited minutes, text and web – that is available for $50 a month.

If you think one month you’ll be busier than others you can switch plans to suit your budget and airtime neds. There are no penalties or fees to switch plans! If you need additional airtime it can be purchased online, at a store or from your phone directly! 10 Good Reasons

Long distance service is available to voer 75 countries, for about 15 cents per minute on calls originated in the US. This is great for anyone with business contacts or family members outside of the USA.

There are a variety of phones to choose from – simple phones for $15 or less, web capable phones for $40 or less and QWERTY keyboard phones available for $60 or less.

Net10 is a great plan to keep you connected with friends, family and colleagues without breaking the bank!

Other Event Random

I miss Shea Stadium

Katie July 28, 2011 0 Comments

Last Tuesday night I headed out to Citi Field with my family for my birthday to see the Mets take on the Cardinals. It was also Ike Davis Bobblehead night – but Ike has been sidelined with an ankle injury for a while so he was not in the lineup. Neither was my favorite player, David Wright. Jose Reyes had just been activated off the DL though – so at least there was one familiar face in the line up! (I exaggerate, there was more than just Jose)

The game was great and the Mets won 4-2. It was incredibly hot though, even for us just sitting in the stands. I spotted Ike Davis in the dug out during the game – and he was wearing a JACKET! Not sure how he could do that, but maybe the clubhouse was cold and he kept going in and out of the dugout.

When the game was over and we got back to the car – the family was talking about how much we missed Shea Stadium – the old home of the Mets. But more importantly, we miss the box seats! Before you would have 4 tickets and you’d be “boxed in” with 2 seats in one row and the other 2 seats behind. There was a rail to the right or left with another box and then on the other side a staircase. You never needed to get up to let someone out unless it was the person sitting next to you, so those people who feel the need to get up and out of their seats over and over during games don’t bother you. Also for me, it was a lot easier to get up out of my seat when there was the rail in front of me to pull up on.

Now at Citi Field, all of the sections are rows so you are force to get up to let other people through and back and forth… It is also harder to have a conversation with everyone in a row. I was sitting next to my Dad, so if I said anything and my Mom wanted to know what my Dad would repeat it and my brother was on the end so it sometimes got repeated to him too. With the box seats, I usually sat in front with my brother and then could just turn around to talk to my parents without a problem.

Otherwise, for the most part, I like the “modern” upgrades to Citi Field. Although the other thing I would change is the fact that if you take the elevator down because you can’t or don’t want to navigate the stairs – there is pretty much no way to get to the team store in the rotunda. You have to go to another entrance to be let back in. What I didn’t realize was that besides showing your ticket again, you also needed to get patted down again. I of course realized this once the woman there grabbed me and completely caught me off guard and therefore ended up with me being off balance. It would have been nice if she was like “I need to pat you down” and didn’t just grab at me. Fortunately I was able to keep my balance and not fall – but seriously if you see someone with a leg brace on it might be a good idea to give them a heads up if you are going to grab them. Actually, it might be a good idea to give ANYONE a heads up that you need to grab them…

Random

Thoughts: Apple iPhones Block Recording at Concerts

Katie July 27, 2011 0 Comments

(Original post: http://www.redmondpie.com/apple-wants-to-block-you-from-using-your-iphone-camera-at-live-eventsconcerts/)

The latest news in the world of Apple seems to be that they filed a patent that soon might disable your iPhone from being able to take photos or record video while at a concert (or other event). This will be done by using some form of infared radiation – which kind of makes me nervous. Isn’t radiation what a lot of studies have been linking back to possibly causing cancer?

Another issue with this is – will Droids and Blackberry jump on the bandwagon? If not – any iPhone user who is really dead set on taking videos or photos with their phone while at events can just jump ship to one of the competitor phones.

And, really – how good are photos and videos taken on your phone anyway? Is this being done so that low quality photo and video will not be circulating? Or is it just to try and appease copyright holders who are getting upset over their content getting out over the internet?

In theory – sharing of photos and videos from concerts can be used to help build interest. Someone may not be sure if they want to check out the show – see some photos and videos and then become interested in purchasing a ticket. I’m not sure I will agree with this if it does ever end up being put in place. (The article notes Apple often gets patents and nothing ever comes of them) The only place I would say that I’d agree with this would be at the movie theater and pirating movies by recording them off the movie screen. I can’t see this being beneficial for concerts or sporting events. (At least not from a fans perspective)

Television

Platinum Hit – Episode 8

Katie July 25, 2011 0 Comments

And then there were 5. Jes, Nick, Brian, Scotty and Sonyae.

The theme was “Kiss the Flame” and that had to be incorporated in to the hook in some way. As expected, we ended up hearing 5 very different hooks – but the winners of the challenge were: Scotty & Brian!

Brian got to choose first for his team and chose Jes. Scotty picked Sonyae. Surprise, surprise, Nick was left as not being chosen. Brian could choose to pick Nick or pass him to Scotty. He decided to pass Nick off to Scotty’s team.

Jes opens up about an experience she had with assault to try and bring her sense of empowerment to the song. Nick dibs the week “gay week” due to the subject matter of Scotty’s song.

Colbie Caillat is the guest judge this week. Nick likes.

To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of either of the songs – singing wise. Jes sang Brian’s song and Sonyae sang Scotty’s. But, this is a lyrics competition… and both were strong in that aspect, though I think I preferred Brian’s.

The person on the winning team that the judges believe are most responsible for the song’s success will win a spread in Spin magazine.

Scotty, Nick and Sonyae won the challenge. Brian or Jes will be going home. Nick won the special prize since he was most responsible for the success of the song – as decided by the judges.

Jes has a bit of a meltdown back at the studio… but for nothing because it was Brian who was ultimately sent packing!

Book Review

Book Review: Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door

Katie July 24, 2011 0 Comments

Don’t Check Your Brains At The Door by Josh McDowell & Bob Hostetler is a book geared at teens and helping them know what the believe and why when it comes to God. It is broken down to sections:

Myths About God

Myths About Jesus

Myths About The Bible

Myths About The Resurrection

Myths About Religion and Christianity

Myths About Life and Happiness

Each section then breaks down different myths relating situations in a way that teenagers and younger readers can understand and relate to. At the end of each chapter is “Brain Food” which notes parts of the Bibles to read and has some thought provoking questions for each of the passages that relate to the chapter.

I think this book is a good read for teenagers and even young adults and adults who question what they believe in. It makes things more relate-able and easy to understand. I kind of wish something like this was out when I was a teen – because a lot of the questions I had could not be answered (at least not to my liking) by religious teachers or others. Yet many of them are touched upon and explained in this book. Whether or not the answers in this book which I believe to be satisfactory now would have satisfied my wonder several years ago, we’ll never know.

About The Book

“Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30—both evangelical and mainline—who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23, according to the survey by LifeWay Research.” (USA Today)

Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door gives teens answers that make sense, even for the toughest of questions. Internationally known defender of the faith Josh McDowell and co-author Bob Hostetler offer clarity laced with humor to expose common myths about God, the Bible, religion, and life to show how Christianity stands up to the test of fact and reason. Teens will be better equipped to stick with their faith as they begin to understand why they believe and why it’s important to make a lifetime commitment to Christ and the church.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Concert Media Photos

Jonny Lang at the Ridgefield Playhouse July 21

Katie July 23, 2011 0 Comments

Thursday night, Jonny Lang played at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT. Tickets were a bit on the pricey side ($95 after fees) but I had a feeling it would be worth it. I have been wanting to see Jonny live for YEARS now, so when I stumbled upon the listing on the Playhouse’s site, I new that I had to splurge as a bit of a late birthday gift for myself.

The opening act was Christopher Robin – originally from Connecticut but recently moved out to Arizona. He said it was his first time back in roughly 6 months and so he was spending more time with family than picking out a setlist so he decided to just wing it. After the first song he said he decided to try to do songs acoustically that he had only done before with his full band. Personally, I thought all of the songs sounded great (having never heard him before and having nothing to compare it to) but a couple of songs he said he would definitely not be doing that way again. He ended his set with a sing a long to “The Weight” – although he was about to start another song when he was told that his time was up. It worked out nice that way – the sing a long got everyone a bit loose and ready for Jonny to hit the stage! (You can check out Christopher Robin at http://www.christopherrobinband.com/)

What I thought was interesting was Jonny’s setlist was on the stage even during the opening act. Of course, I didn’t get a chance to see it – but I did attempt to keep track of my own setlist which will be at the end of this post. I’m not sure how accurate it is – but all the songs were l-o-n-g. At one point I think we were 3 songs in and I looked at my watch and Jonny had been on stage 25 minutes. All the songs just turned in to these jams and were just awesome. It is really hard to put in to words how amazing this performance was. And when the crowd stood after songs and clapped for an extended period of time (Jonny deserved all it and more) it almost looked like he was embarrassed everyone was cheering for him!

After playing for an hour and a half, he left the stage – but everyone stood and cheered and then Jonny came out and did 3 more songs. At the end of the 3rd song each of the band members did a (long) solo and then they jammed even more after that. I have to say that this concert is probably in my Top 5 ever – and I am kind of frustrated that I really can not articulate how great it was. As a blogger, that is never a good thing!

Jonny’s sister was also his backup singer – for those of you who are also American Idol fans, you may remember that she auditioned on Season 8 and made it to I believe the top 36!

Setlist:
Don’t Stop (For Anything)
A Quitter Never wins
Turn Around
Red Light
Living For The City
That Great Day
Breakin’ Me
Lie to Me

40 Days and 40 Nights
Rack ‘Em Up
I Am