So we went and saw Live Free or Die Hard today at one of our local replay cheap theaters. It was well worth it! Good movie!  If you liked any of the other Die Hard movies, you will like this one.  It has a similar feel to The Last Boy Scout that Bruce Willis did.  His entire family basically hates him, but they know they can count on him.  Good stuff.

I also liked the part played by the Mac guy Justin Long. First time I have ever seen a hacker part not played like a complete idiot.  Ok, maybe not the first, but one of the first.  Anyways, was a cool flick. I would recommend it to anyone for a good action movie.

So we went back to Captain Jack’s for Bleys’ birthday today. We went there once before and I said how good the Mango BBQ shrimp we got there was.. Well, tonight it was horrible. I sent mine back. It was completely horrible. I guess they have a new cook, and they totally lack consistency. Won’t be in a hurry to go back there, but we have decided we are going to try and figure out how to make our own Mango BBQ shrimp ourselves.

So Roth and Van Halen are getting back together, sans Michael Anthony.  Hopefully Eddie has quit drinking so they have a chance of staying together.  I grew up on these guys and 80′s rock.  My brother was huge on VH.  So we listened to it a lot.  I was always a bigger Ozzy fan honestly, but I like a LOT of the Van Halen stuff.  However, it was no surprise to me that they fell apart with their drinking habits.  Drunks are not exactly stable. I look forward to that changing!

Should be interesting, Eddies son Wolfgang is going to be playing Bass, and according to the CNN story is choosing most of the music to help bring Van Halen back to a younger feel and audience.  Should be interesting!

So our old TV must have taken one to many brown outs.  It had about 3-5 inches of white lines showing across the top blotting out most of the upper portion of the picture.  Was really annoying.  So we finally got sick of it and went out and bought a new one. It is a nice TV.   My first new one of my adult life.  Always bought used TV’s in the past.  Figured if it worked, who cared?

I wanted to get a TV that would be good for the 2009 standards.(They do have a popup at the link). Since that is coming up pretty quick, it only made sense.. But we did have to spend more then I would have liked on a freaking TV.. Of course, I guess it will make a really nice monitor if it does not work out as a TV.

Tomorrow, we will be buying a nice UPS system for the Stereo/TV setup. Maybe this one will last a bit.. The last one did last us like 5 years.and my grandparents about 4 years I think… and our TV before that was a used one that we got from Rent a Center for like $125.  Good deal.. and it lasted like 8 years or so..

So Emmy sent me this cool link. I think she said she got it from her Dad. It is really cool. It is not exactly accurate, but like they said on the page, the exact numbers are not what is important, it is the rate of change, which they do have correct which is interesting. Enjoy! I suggest trying the life expectancy link.

Had a really nice day today. We all went and watched the new Harry Potter Movie. Order of the Phoenix. It was a great movie! Best Wizards Duel I have EVER seen, bar none! It was awesome! I have read a lot of reviews slamming the newest movie for being to dark and so on and so forth. It was exactly what I would expect at this point in Harry’s life! It was great. He started out a bit moody and dark, but by the end his friends had gotten through to him and the gang was kicking butt. I highly recommend the movie! I loved it!

We then went out for dinner with my mother. We went to a place called Captain Jack’s. Had some awesome Mango BBQ Shrimp! Woo! Was great! Actually, I got scallops. Emmy got the shrimp and we shared. The shrimp was the stuff.

Saw this cool article with cool ideas for cheap dates. Decided I would like to post it here so I could make sure I have it to check out closer when looking for affordable ideas.

Sarah Pierce www.hitchedmag.com Updated: Jul 19, 2007
hitchedmag.com

With great weather and a desire to be adventurous, there’s no excuse for you and your partner not to go on a date. Don’t have enough money, you say? Here are 20 ideas for memorable dates that won’t set you back more than $20.
1. Find the best happy hour in town. Look through your newspaper or search online for local restaurants and bars with happy hours. Most places offer half-price food and drink specials, allowing you to get two drinks and share an appetizer for less than $20.
2. Go to a museum. Most museums either have free admission or offer free entry on certain days of the month.
3. Visit your local zoo. Most zoos offer adult tickets for less than $10. Pack your own snacks and bottled water and have a mini picnic while you’re there.
4. Go on a romantic hike. Bring a backpack and surprise your partner with a bottle of champagne, glasses and fresh strawberries.
5. Go swimming at your local pool, lake or beach. Bring some water toys and have more fun than the kids.
6. Beat the heat with an ice cream date. Take two scoops to the park, or take a walk downtown and go people watching.
7. Hit the dollar movie theater. Lots of cities have discount movie theaters showing second-run features. Pick a rainy day and have a movie marathon.
8. Take a downtown walking tour. Discover things and places you never knew existed. While you’re there, pick up a free visitors guide for more date ideas.
9. Plan a cheap picnic. Go on a picnic at the beach, mountains or in your own backyard. Grab a blanket, pack a deli sandwich and a bottle of $5 wine.
10. Take a blanket to the beach. Split your budget between a bottle of wine and cheese, then enjoy the sunset while you snuggle on a blanket.
11. Stroll through the botanical gardens. Spend the day
“walking hand in hand through rose gardens and tropical rainforests”
walking hand in hand through rose gardens and tropical rainforests, for less than $10 a ticket.
12. Be a kid again. Go bowling, play miniature golf, ride go-carts or play laser tag.
13. Build a bonfire. All you need is some firewood, snacks and a drink of your choice. This is also a great opportunity to make ‘smores.
14. Rent something. Go roller- or ice-skating, rent a two-seater bike and pedal through the park, or paddle a boat on a pond.
15. Paint pottery together. Lots of studios let you get creative for around $6 an hour.
16. Pitch a tent. Park fees are usually less than $10, which leaves money for food and firewood. Go camping and roast hot dogs as you gaze at the stars.
17. Go wine tasting. Most wineries charge around $5 for a tasting of five different wines — plus,
“you’ll get to keep the glass as a souvenir of your date”
you’ll get to keep the glass as a souvenir of your date.
18. Take a scenic drive. Pull over to have coffee and dessert at a nice cafe.
19. Explore local galleries and artists. Many cities have art walks one night a month during the summer, with the bonus of a free glass of wine.
20. Rack ‘em up at your local pool joint. With pool games costing less than $2, you might even have money left over to share a pitcher of beer.

  So every month, or so, I donate platelets.  I do this through Apheresis. It takes around 2 hours or so, but it helps someone out, so I am more then happy to do it.  And the great people at Life South are just great!  I recommend that anyone who can give blood, try it out if your local Blood Donation place offers the option.  I get to go once a month instead of nearly every 3 months or so.  I get to watch a movie and get a shirt if I want one, and have any snack I like.. I usually pass on the snacks as they are all High Fructose Corn Syrup and Hydrogenated oils.. And I only take one of any type of shirt they get.  But they have a great movie selection, and we get to sit and finish watching if we finish with the donation before the movie finishes.. All and all, not a bad way to kill some time on a Sunday afternoon, and you are helping someone by doing it!

Remember, they always need blood, and it is not like you lose something by donating it!  So donate today! It could be a family member or friend of yours who ends up needing it!