Jaguar Photos

Finally! Photos of My 2005 Jaguar S-Type 4.2L V8

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It’s Been a Long Day – Rosi Golan

This about sums it up…

I only planned on working a few hours today.  Since this week included a holiday and 4 hours of sick time used for eye exams for Josh and myself, I won’t be receiving overtime pay for the time I worked, but it’s still pay regardless.  I don’t know about every state, but in Colorado, you have to actually work more than 40 hours in one week to receive overtime for anything beyond that.  I ended up working just shy of a full eight hours today anyway, and my last case took over an hour to work through.  Ay, ay ay!  There certainly are some colorful birds in this world!  That’s all I’m sayin’ about that!

I had thought about heading out to Colorado Mills to play miniature golf at their indoor, black light lit course (Putting Edge), but everyone else was being very lazy.  Then it started raining and raining and raining, and it’s still raining.  So I logged into my Pandora account and listened to Coffeehouse music while I worked.  I heard the song above after clocking out, and it just resonated with me.

Maybe we’ll just go out for dinner tonight.  I checked Fandango for movies, and there’s nothing the whole family can see.  There are a lot of R-rated movies out right now!  So I’m thinking a late dinner after the crowds thin, but first a stop at Walmart to look for Coconut M&Ms.  I am determined to find these glorious sweets!

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince

I’m doing something I’ve never done before in my life.  I bought tickets in advance to see Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2009!  I originally planned on taking the kids to the 3:10 p.m. show that same day, but when one of my kids couldn’t switch his work schedule to join us, I opted for the midnight show.   Now we’re all pretty excited not only to see the movie, but also because we’re doing something out of the norm for us.  The girls and I are going in pajamas, too!

My boys (now 18) were just at the age where many of their friends were reading the first books when they came out.  They’ve never been avid readers by any stretch of the imagination, but at least one of them read the first four books.  He only reads when something captures and holds his attention, which Rowling does amazingly with these books.  I never read the books until after watching the fourth movie, Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire.  I had to know what happened next, so I bought the last two books the very next day and finished them in less than a month.  I would have finished sooner had I not had a job!

ABC Family channel is having a Harry Potter Weekend event and showing all five movies consecutively.  We’re having our own Harry Potter marathon this weekend (on DVD).  We watched the first two movies last night and will continue with the next three movies this afternoon.  I would skim through the Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince book before the movie, but I want to be surprised by whatever I may have forgotten since reading it over a year ago.

I’m doing something I’ve never done before in my life.  I bought tickets in advance to see Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 15, 2009!  I originally planned on taking the kids to the 3:10 p.m. show that same day, but when one of my kids couldn’t switch his work schedule to join us, I opted for the midnight show.   Now we’re all pretty excited not only to see the movie, but also because we’re doing something out of the norm for us.  The girls and I are going in pajamas, too!

My boys (now 18) were just at the age where many of their friends were reading the first books when they came out.  They’ve never been avid readers by any stretch of the imagination, but at least one of them read the first four books.  He only reads when something captures and holds his attention, which Rowling does amazingly with these books.  I never read the books until after watching the fourth movie, Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire.  I had to know what happened next, so I bought the last two books the very next day and finished them in less than a month.  I would have finished sooner had I not had a job!

ABC Family channel is having a Harry Potter Weekend event and showing all five movies consecutively.  We’re having our own Harry Potter marathon this weekend (on DVD).  We watched the first two movies last night and will continue with the next three movies this afternoon.  I would skim through the Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince book before the movie, but I want to be surprised by whatever I may have forgotten since reading it over a year ago.

Writing Book Reviews for Publishing Company

I’ve been hired by Atlantic Publishing Company to read and review three books for publication on several sites.  The books I received in .pdf form to review are:

1. The Secret Power of Blogging
2. Painting the Body Beautiful
3. eBay Income Advanced

I started with Painting the Body Beautiful first to get it out of the way.  It was only 122 pages with very little to read.  It included the steps taken and materials used to, as it says, paint bodies.  A few of the results were stunning, but many weren’t that interesting to me.  There were a few bodies that I think should not have been used as examples for the book, too!  Some bodies are better behind real clothes rather than clothes that have been painted on.  (The same is true for real clothes that look as if they’ve been painted on.)

I’m now reading The Secret Power of Blogging, which had a slow start with information about the definition and history of blogging.  By the fourth chapter, things get a little more interesting – at least for my personal use of blogs.  I have two blogs right now, both on WordPress.  In addition to the blog you are now reading, I have a blog attached to my business website, Sheila Karner Photography.

I will post my reviews of these books as separate entries on this blog before sending them to the publisher.

HomeAway (VRBO.com Parent Company) Press Release

Vacation Rentals Growing in Popularity Among Travelers Looking for Better Value

New HomeAway Report Reveals Travelers Choosing Vacation Rentals for More Family Vacations, Weekend Getaways and Even Business Trips

Story Highlights:

· Travelers are considering vacation rentals for everything from weekend getaways (65 percent) to business trips (20 percent)
· 66 percent of vacation rental property owners have offered special deals this year
· One in five owners new to the vacation rental market cited economic conditions as the reason why they started renting out their vacation home

AUSTIN, TEXAS, May 21, 2009 – Vacation rental homes and condominiums are becoming even more attractive to consumers looking for greater value from their travel dollar, according to HomeAway – the world’s leading online vacation rental marketplace – which today released the first edition of its new quarterly “HomeAway Vacation Rental Marketplace Report.”

According to the report, approximately 66 percent of vacation rental property owners are offering or have offered special deals or incentives at some point this year in response to the current economic climate.

· 27% discount rental rates by a specific dollar amount
· 24% offer a set percent off the normal rental rate
· 16% offer a free night with the purchase of a specific number of nights
· 15% offer free cleaning services
· 11% do not require a minimum stay
· 7% offer a complimentary product or service, such as tickets to a local attraction

While travelers may come across some unique deals this summer including pre-arrival grocery shopping services and complimentary meals or gift  askets upon arrival, 34 percent of  owners surveyed did not offer special deals or incentives. By way of explanation, one of those owners said, “I didn’t offer anything but a great house, in a great location, at a very reasonable price.”

“With or without deals or special offers, there is an underlying value to vacation rentals,” said Mike Butler, chief commercial officer of HomeAway.  Vacation rental homes enable you to rent a whole home for less than the cost of a hotel room and then even stretch your travel budget further by taking advantage of the full kitchens and extra amenities.”

Looking to a Vacation Home for Extra Income

While a vacation rental affords travelers many benefits, it can also provide a steady stream of revenue for the owners. In fact, Butler said more and  ore owners are renting out their properties to generate extra income. The HomeAway report found that the economy played an important role among owners who began to rent their vacation homes to travelers in the past 12 months.  One in five owners (21 percent) new to the vacation rental market  ited economic conditions, including the need to generate additional income, a recent job loss, the inability to sell the home or the risk of foreclosure,  as the reason why they started renting out their vacation home. In addition to citing economic conditions as a factor, many owners new to renting their vacation homes are entering the market to generate a profit.

“The research suggests that in the past, many second home owners entered the rental market with a desire to cover all their expenses, but now listing their properties to cover expenses is an economic necessity,” said Butler.

About HomeAway, Inc.

HomeAway is the worldwide leader of online vacation rentals, representing nearly 400,000 vacation rental home listings across more than 120 countries. The company has contributed significantly to the popularity of the vacation rental industry, making it easier than ever for both owners to advertise and profit from their second homes and for millions of travelers to find the perfect vacation rental. The HomeAway sites include HomeAway.com, VRBO.com, VacationRentals.com, Holiday-Rentals.co.uk, OwnersDirect.co.uk, FeWodirekt. de, Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com.

HomeAway is funded by Austin Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Technology Crossover Ventures and Trident Capital. The company is based in Austin, Texas and has offices in London and Ashtead in England; Kassel, Germany; and Marseille and Paris, France.

Jeff Dunham & Peanut

D.U.H. ~ Defying Ugly Habits

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Olympics: USA Won the Most Medals Overall

I know I’m a little slow, but I lost interest after Women’s Gymnastics was over.  I finally checked the medals page and saw that although China won the most gold medals, USA won the most medals in total!

That’s really all I have to say right now!

Wait!  I lied.  I also wanted to say that I completely and totally HATE the look & feel of the Comcast template-based website I slapped together.  So I’m working with other software to come up with something much better.  My goal is to have it completed and uploaded by the end of the month.  Stay tuned…

Mama Mia!

You HAVE to see this movie!

I took the girls to see Mama Mia tonight, and it was FANTASTIC!  And my kids thought I was nuts for acting like a child now and then… There’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying life and having fun.  Where is it written that people must act certain ways at certain ages?  Nowhere!  I’m simply “having the time of my life” when I act like a nut.  Who cares?

This movie has been out for two weeks, and the usher had to come in and have people stand and move to the center to make room for everyone.  It’s currently #3 at the box office!

I surprised the girls because I told them we were going shoe shopping.  Once we were in the area, I made a quick right turn into the cinema’s parking lot and said, “Nah!  Let’s go see Mama Mia instead!”  We all laughed!

American Idol – Top 7

I’m not a Mariah Carey fan, especially her high notes.  I’m all for high notes in opera but in pop songs, I call it screeching.  So when I saw that she was this week’s mentor, I was reluctant to watch.  Of course, I couldn’t help myself – curiosity got the best of me, and I caved.

David A. started it all off and had people thinking he’d be a tough act to follow … except for his less-than-confident lift up into his falsetto.

Kudos to Brooke and Jason for not taking Mariah’s advise on how high to take the songs they each chose.  Jason did a bit of falsetto, but it worked for him.  I don’t think it would have worked for Brooke because it’s not her style.

Carley was okay until the end for me.  I don’t like when she forces the sound.  It really does sound like she’s shouting the music.

Syesha impressed me!  She did a good job.  So did Kristy.  She keeps stepping it up each week.  I really liked what she did tonight.

Then there’s David C.  This boy has amazing talent.  I love how he changes up songs and really takes them to a whole other place.  Hands down, a winner – no matter how American couch potatoes vote in the end.

My top 3 for this week: David C., Jason, and Brooke (in that order).