My New Book

I'm working on a new book: "Common Sense Guide to not Getting Spit in your Food"

Hasn't anyone seen Waiting??






tag: just-my-life

My New Favicon

Thank you, Mert, for helping me with my favicon! I drew a picture of my toe-ring tattoo and put that up in the address bar, along with the name of my website. I feel smart! Since the favicon is so small, here is a picture of what I drew (using Josh's tablet and photoshop).

flower
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

tag: blogging; just-my-life

Star Wars Reenactment

Last night, we went to Cold Stone Creamery because they were giving away free ice cream for a Make a Wish Foundation fund raiser. When we got there, there were all kinds of Star Wars characters standing outside! It was a fun surprise. Night had fun talking to Darth Vader and R2D2. He kept telling us that they liked him.
Since we forgot all of our cameras (we have a camera phone, two digitals, a lomography camera, a camcorder, and a professional video camera-you'd think we would have had at least one!), Night decided to reenact it for us (he calls R2D2 RT2):




tag: family; video

Is it the Law?

Is it a law that you need to wear shoes while driving? If it is a law, which I've heard rumor that it is, then it is a stupid law. I wore boots with heals today, and it made driving very difficult. It would have been much safer if I didn't have those clunky things on while driving. Maybe I haven't noticed how cumbersome they are before since we had a manual transmission, but trying to manuver the clutch in those things was next to impossible. I even moved the seat back to make room. So, if it is a law, it is a dumb one.
I guess it isn't as dumb as the Connecticut law which prohibits walking backwards after sunset.
Here are some more dumb laws.






tags: just-my-life

It Just Makes Me Uncomfortable

Know what I hate? When I am standing alone with a stranger, and they talk to themselves aloud. Am I supposed to respond? I don't know what they are talking about! Either fill me in with the whole conversation that is going on in your head, or leave me out of it!

tag: just my life

It is WFMW Time!

Visit Shannon's blog for more helpful ideas this week.

I am being a rebel. Shannon said to resend your first WFMW hint for a "Classics" topic. I have two reasons for not following directions. The first is that I actually have an idea and I feel it should be shared... The second is that my first WFMW post wasn't very long ago, so I don't consider it to be a classic. I feel kind of bad because I am usually one to follow rules and I hate when people think they are above the rules. Rules are there for a reason, and the reason is not "to be broken!"

Anyway, a sad but important website that everyone should visit is: http://www.childsafenetwork.org//

It is kind of annoying because it takes a while to log in, but once you do get it, you can put in your address and find the sexual predators registered in your area. It includes a map with your address and little dots where they live. You can click on a dot and a picture comes up with a listing of the offense(s). It is called Child Safe Network, but it isn't only sexual predators of children, so everyone should take a look.

I'm not saying that you should go throw things in their yards or anything. I do believe that they deserve a second chance, and we don't know the circumstances that led to the arrest; however, I also think it is a good idea to take a look at your neighborhood and know if your children will be around them or even if you will be out for a walk by yourself. Just be safe!

I don't know any international sites, sorry! I hope this hint helps keep everyone safe!

Tag: works for me wednesday

1 hour 58 minutes

until Gilmore Girls!!!

I finished the 6th season last night. Oh! Now it is only 1 hour 56 minutes. I think we'll go out for dinner-that'll make the time pass faster...
As if time doesn't pass quickly enough when there are two little ones around... Oh to have their energy (that makes me sound old...I'm NOT old. just tired.)!




tag: just my life

At Least I Didn't Wake Up Like Josh Did

This is the story that was related to me when I was home for lunch:
Night's version-
"Keira took her diaper off all the time and she pooped."
Me- "Eww. I bet that was gross."
Night-"It was. It was a mess. She just kept taking it off."

Josh's version-
I wake up this morning, and take a moment, sitting on the edge of the bed, to clear the cobwebs from me head. Into this blissful state between the land of dreams and of accepting the reality of the coming day comes my son's voice.
"Josh, Keira is naked, and she pooped I think."
I stumbled into the kids room, Night is standing in front of his sister's crib, hands behind his back, telling her that she needs to take "vitamins and medicines to get big and strong so that you can poop and pee in the toilet like a big kid." He then turns his attention back toward me and proceeds to berate me for not giving her the vitamins that would make her a big kid. He caps his lecture off with: "Yeah, I'm sure she pooped now."
I love being a stay at home dad.

tags: Cute Keira Bryce Stories; Funny Connor Night Stories; Family

Guess What Time I Woke Up This Morning!

SAME TIME AS YESTERDAY!! Blah.

I berated and called myself weak each time that I reset the alarm, which was no less than 3 times. Notice I RESET the alarm, I didn't even snooze. I needed more than 9 minutes rest!

I did, however, rush through my shower in order to do pilates, so that did take away one of my insults. I guess that is progress, right??

Why Does it Have to Be So Hard?

I don't understand why I can't just make myself get up early! There are many benefits to being an early-riser. I am just incapable of reaping the benefits because I CAN'T WAKE UP.

Last night, I set my alarm for 6am. I wrote out a list of what I wanted to do in the morning before work. I wrote the list because the previous morning, as I hit the snooze, I told myself I was crazy and had no reason to get up early. This time, no excuse-I have a list.
At 4:30 when I got up to give Keira a bottle, I told myself to reset the alarm for 6:30 because I had trouble falling asleep due to allergies and I needed my rest. So, as long as I didn't hit snooze, I could get up at 6:30.
At 6:30, I reset the alarm to 7:15. As I was resetting the alarm, I went over my list, deemed it dumb, called myself weak, and slipped back into bed.

I couldn't talk myself into getting up. I thought of Rachael Ray, my hero, and how she says she sleeps less than 4 hours a night. I thought of how much happier I'd be if I got my pilates in; I considered the nice quiet time I'd have with nobody else awake in the house-a rarity. I even thought of Rory Gilmore and how productive she is when she wakes up before her boyfriend in season six, which I was watching as I tried to fall asleep. (I love Gilmore Girls) I need help. Someone teach me how to make myself wake up early!!

Overprotective Mothers

There is a time when you need to let your baby grow up! I'm at the work (dentist), and there is a 20 year old here getting her wisdom teeth extracted. At TWENTY YEARS OLD you should be able to fill out the check in form yourself! This mother has called in to the office no less than five times getting ready for this appointment. I would think that a twenty year old would be old enough to set up her own appointment.
This happens even more often with adult sons. I've had more than one mother call in to make appointments for the children-the "children" being over 30 years old!! One mother kept going back into the operatory when her 25 year old son was having his teeth extracted.
Don't these mothers realize that they are just making their kids weaker by not letting them deal with the everyday tasks of life?
It kind of makes me want to let Night fly from the nest now... He's three. It's time to toughen up.

Keira's Check Up

For KB's birthday, we went to the doctor and got her 4 immunization shots! Lucky girl...

Here are her stats:
Height: 30.5 inches, 86 percentile
Weight: 23 1/2 lb; 83 percentile
Head Circumference: 48.1 cm: 99 percentile (or more-I don't think it goes over 99!)

Dr. Heil said that she was progressing wonderfully and that she's normal. If she doesn't start walking by 15 months, we are to let him know. He said that according to statistics, babies with larger heads walk later in life. He commented on her large cranium no less than 3 times, which made me start to develop a bit of a complex. Finally, I asked him if there was any significance to a big head. Nope. She just has a big head.

Okay then. Thanks.

Quality, not Quantity

We went to TARGET-the best place in the world (according to Night) and bought two transformers. Night knew that he could only get one item, so he picked the package that had two small transformers rather than the one that I tried talking him into getting, which was a little more expensive but had a bigger transformer. He insisted that the two little ones would be better.
I kid you not-less than a minute after getting them out of the package, they broke-both of them! So, after 10 minutes of constant screaming, I decided to take them back to Target and let the poor man behind the customer service desk deal with the unruly child if he wouldn't give my money back. Fortunately, he did let us return it, and now we have bigger transformer. Now, we need a new one because the bigger transformer needs a friend...

Why My Boss Is Better Than Yours

I've been working for my dentist for 6 months now. Let me go over the list of perks:

3-1 week vacations since starting (two of them paid, one of them only 2 weeks after starting)

Free coffee (and donuts when I let him go to the shop) every day

$200 per month insurance allowance (given to me just 3 months after starting work)

$50 gift certificate for scrubs and $35 gift certificate for The Body Shop

A thank you card and expensive chocolates (b/c I came in during our week off and got the mail)

Fresh flowers from his garden each week (season is ending though...)

401K investment-he's giving me a 7% raise AND contributing 4% to my 401K fund

I sit here and search the internet pretty much all day long, while he continues to tell me how wonderful I am

He gave me $100 when the fair came to town-he wants us to enjoy Franklin so we will stay here for a long time-I'm prone to running...

He is just really, really nice and I like working for him!

The Ghost No Longer Finds Me Attractive

He turned the light OFF this time...

Okay, Now You Can Tell Her...

HPIM0117
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

Keira Bryce!! Even though it is a few days late, we finally had the chance to celebrate Keira's first birthday! We woke her up by singing.

The Mole

Did anyone watch SMITH on Tuesday night? I love Ray Liotta (Identity rocks) and Amy Smart.
I also love me a good action show. It was a really enjoyable movie. Ray Liotta is a big time thief, but his family (wife and two kids) know nothing about it, which I think is a shame. If Josh wanted to be a big time thief, I wouldn't try to stop him-I would just enjoy the rewards...

SMITH didn't have any real commercials, just clips from the movie The Departed. Wow. That looks good! From what I could tell, it is Mafia/cop movie, and it looks like there is a mole on each side. Intriguing.

I think I would be a good mole. Nobody would expect me because I am sweet and quiet (usually), but I really think I could pull it off. It'd be fun. Didn't there used to be a reality show about that? I could do it. Of course, now that I've told ya'll this, I couldn't...Or could I??

I'm Not Cleaning Anymore!

It doesn't do any good-it just gets really messy again. I'm not cleaning anymore. By the way, you might not want to stop by my house. If it is this messy when I do clean, imagine what it'll be when I stop, which I am doing. I won't clean anymore.

Works For Me Wednesday

My hint for today is about saving money by finding deals on-line. With the internet, there are so many ways to get free coupons and free samples that it is hard to keep track of everything. DealofDay is a forum where people post different money saving ideas and links. There are a lot of coupons and links, even some phone numbers to call, but I haven't tried that before. It is worth a look if you are the kind of person that enjoys saving some money! I grew up on "no name brand" food, and I hated it, so I want to buy "the good stuff" but still not have to pay too much. DealofDay helps!

By the way, my son Night told me last night that I had a good idea, so I maybe I should've posted that one instead... He and Josh (my husband) were having a little tiff (okay-Night was screaming) because Night wanted to lift the whole dog food bag to pour it into the bowl. Josh said it would be better to put the bowl in the bag because the bag was too heavy. Since the bowl is glass and Night is three, he needed help. Night did NOT want help, so he ran out to "tell on" his dad. I told him that I had an idea-put a cup in the bag so he could scoop it out whenever he wanted to feed the dog. He did and then he ran out and told me, "That was a great idea, Mari."

For more helpful hints, take a look at Shannon's blog. She has heaps of new ideas posted every Wednesday, thus the name: Works for Me Wednesday (brilliant).

Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls (season 6) is coming out on DVD today! I'll be at Target 3 minutes after work today. I missed season six on tv, so I've been waiting for it to come out, and the best part is: season 7 starts next Tuesday! So, I can catch up on the season this week and start fresh next week. Of course, the problems with that are having to wait a whole week in between episodes and sitting through commercials. I like TV on DVD!

Ghosts!

We have a ghost in our house! I'm not even kidding. This morning, when I was taking my shower, I didn't turn on any lights. I know-weird, but sometimes I just feel like showering in the dark-that's how fat I am... Actually, it is more calming, and we have a window in the bathroom, so there is still some light-providing I sleep in (until 7am-woohoo). This is NOT about my showering in the dark habit-I don't have to explain it to you...
Anyway, we have a lamp in the bathroom as well as an overhead light. I didn't turn on either one of these forms of illumination this morning. So, there I was taking my shower and the overhead light turns on! At first, I thought that Josh had come in, so I look, and there is Orson (cat), just sitting on the counter, by himself. Scully (dog) was lying on the floor (see why I have the lights off-I like to at least feel like I am alone). She just looked at me and wagged her tail.
Josh was asleep-I checked not 5 minutes later. BUT the really weird part? The light switch was turned off, but the light was on! I even took a picture (I'm at work now, so I can't post it, but I will) to prove it. I left the light on without touching the switch. If the ghost wants to be able to see me naked, by all means, let him look. It boosts my self confidence!

Sshhhh!

Don 't tell Keira, but today is her birthday!! My little baby is one year old!
We can't tell her yet because we are celebrating it on Thursday. I have to work at both the dentists office today and the restaurant tonight, so we are waiting until my day off. We have this little tradition where we (meaning ME) make muffins then put a candle in it and wake up whoever's birthday it is by singing happy birthday. I thought it'd be kind of mean to do that to Josh this morning, since we would have to wake her up at 7:00 to get it all in before I leave for work. Anyone who wakes up a sleeping baby when it isn't necessary is just being cruel-to themselves!!

Memories of Down Under

I can't seem to put my thoughts into words. I really miss Australia. I really miss the people that I know there, but it is so much more. I just can't describe it.
Even if I weren't able to see my friends there, I still feel like I belong back in Oz. I wonder if my desire to return (permanently) is because of the memories I have with my friends, if it is because I have kind of set Australia up on a pedestal, or if the gods of fate are telling me that I am meant to be there and I won't feel "complete" until I am back.
oh my god, this sounds stupid and cheesy.
I just picture living there with my family, and although I realize moving there wouldn't make everything perfect, I feel like we "fit in" better there than here. Josh and I have discussed moving and we are both up for it-we just can't get a visa worked out. Know anyone who wants to hire a dental assistant? or anyone want to sponsor Josh so he can make a film there?
**I've been conteplating this post for a few days now, and I still don't feel like I can get my thoughts out accurately, so I'm just going to stop here because I have spent more time typing and deleting than you could imagine!**

Huh?

Okay, this might not make sense to you depending on what my blog page looks like right now, but I'm going to say this anyway...
Why is my book in the corner?

In the top left corner, I have a link to a Family Guy clock (very very funny show, btw). In a previous post, I have a link to an Amazon book that I am selling. Currently, the Amazon book link is where the clock is supposed to be. The book is still where IT is supposed to be too, so what happened to Brian (the clock)?

I looked at my template, and it looks correct in there, but even after I refreshed and republished or whatever it is, BRIAN IS MISSING. Should the authorities be alerted?

What NOT to do to Increase your Self Confidence...

Last night, Connor and I were drawing on his little magna doodle thing, and he asked me to draw Pooh Bear. Okay. I can't draw well, but he didn't seem too disappointed with the horse I attempted, so I felt fairly confident I could draw a bear, maybe not Pooh Bear, but I could at least draw a bear... When I finished, Night smiled at me and said, "Oh! Thank you! But did you decide to draw Piglet instead?"

Don't Eat the Spinach

Normally, when there are big scares all over the country about E. Coli, germs etc, it doesn't phase me, but this latest spinach recall was a little too close. I guess it really isn't a recall since they aren't asking for it back, but anyway... We eat a lot of spinach at our house. I put it in EVERYTHING. We try to be healthy, and what does it get us?!
Guess we'll be heading to McDonalds tonight. We just won't let Night eat any fries! But then again, it might make us rich...

Old Boy

Last night, I watched Old Boy, a Korean film. It has subtitles and some of the scenes are a little drawn out, but other than that, it is a great movie, and I am dying to talk to someone about it, so please watch it then let me know what you think. I enjoy a good subtitle movie, but I don't suggest watching it when you have a distracting baby around. With Korean, it is hard to tell if you missed something or not when you looked away because the words aren't distinctive (in my opinion, of course). So, this makes the movie a bit longer...
The main character, Oh Dae-su, is abducted and imprisioned (not in jail-in a hotel like room) for 15 years, but nobody will tell him why he was taken. Then, they let him go and give him 5 days to figure out who did it and why.
Great movie!!

Right Now

Right now, the only dirty clothes in my house are two pairs of socks. All of the clothes are put away and everything. For those of you who don't think that is a big deal, shut up. You are stupid. For all of the other normal people, you understand this feat. Even when we moved we had dirty clothes that we put in bags and brought to the house to wash.
Oh! Damn him-Josh is taking a shower. Now I have more dirty clothes... It never ends...

Works For Me Wednesday

My WFMW tip this week is something I've never actually used, so I guess it technically doesn't work for me, yet... It is very facinating, and I do plan on using it someday...
Freecycle.org matches people who want to give away stuff with people who need the same stuff. It is a great idea to cut down on waste and save money. It has many different branches and is in many different countries. You just sign into your area and read what is offered, contact the person, and pick it up. Conversely, if you have something that you no longer want, you post it to Freecycle and wait for someone who wants it. They will pick it up-so you don't even have to worry about delivery.
Since I'm breaking the "rules" and giving a tip that hasn't actually worked for me, I might as well go all out and break another one. I am ASKING for a WFMW tip: can someone please help me survive all the pet hair that is overtaking our home? We have two cats and a dog, all with dark hair that has infiltrated every nook and cranny: our bedspread, our carpet, our hardwood floors, tile floors, bathroom counters, the washing machine, you name it, there is hair. I'm ready to give them away. Any suggestions?

Check out Shannon's site Rocks In My Dryer for more helpful hints!!

Watching the Wheels Turn

It is so easy to forget that kids take things so literally. It was cute today when Night got out of the bathtub and wanted to get dressed RIGHT AWAY. When I told him that he needed to dry off first, he asked where the towels were. I told him they were under the sink. Instead of opening up the cupboard, he kept staring at the sink, standing on his tippy-toes. He was trying to figure out how to get under the sink through the drain!

Book for Sale

I've finished my Joseph Finder book and have put it up for sale on Amazon. It is a good mystery with just a tinge of romance.



My new bedside book is One Shot by Lee Child. I've just started it, so you'll have to wait for a review!

Yay!

I just have to tell everyone that my ass is shrinking! Slowly but surely, it'll get smaller. You know that I had a week of vacation, so I didn't wear my scrubs. I didn't wear my new pink scrubs the week before that either because they were just a little too small.
Here's the story on that: Dr. gave me a gift certificate to get some new scrubs, so I went to the store to get some. The ones I had been wearing were generic ones from school-large: the size I wore right after Keira was born. They were big, but they had drawstrings, and they are scrubs, so they aren't supposed to be fitted, right? Well, when it came time to get some more, I picked out a cute pair of pink ones with a black stripe down the side of the pants. I picked a medium, figuring I could easily fit into a size smaller than my old ones. Well, the cute pink ones are cut very differently and ended up being a little tight, but there are no exchanges at the scrub store, so I just kept them. Now, to look at them, they don't look too tight, but the problem comes in when I sit down. They aren't self-rising when I stand up... (I'll let you think about that sentence for a minute)... When I stand up, I have to pull the back elastic up with me, otherwise, my ass hangs out.
Well, today I put my new pink scrubs on, hoping my healthy eating and sporadic pilates workouts have helped, and they have! I still have to worry a little about pulling them up, but not all the time. Pretty soon, these new scrubs will fit me just fine. It is a nice feeling: you know, having clothes that fit...

WE BRING YOU THIS VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE

My new name is BumbleBee. We are Transformers now. Please try to keep up.

I Have a New Name!

Dianna. Maybe it is Diana. I don't know, but that is what I'm called now. Why won't my son call me Mom???
Night's new show is Martin Mystery. Never trust a three year old to tell you the plot of a show... This is what I know: Martin fights monsters with his slime watch and saves the girls. Diana is not one of the girls that Martin saves. She fights too, along with Java (not Jabba-he's from Star Wars). Keira has become Java in our household, and Josh is Martin too (or maybe Martin 2, like Spiderman 2).
Oh, and there is a little green alien guy. I can't remember his name, but Scully (the dog) has become the little alien guy.
Tune into Martin Mystery. Highly recommended by the boys in my life...as an added bonus, Yours Truly is one of the main characters! Can't resist, can you??

Superman Flies Up, Up, and Away!

Little Drummer Girl

Ouch!

Keira said her first word today. "Ouch!" She said it over and over and over again, sitting in the middle of the den, playing in the clothes basket, and rolling on the floor. Here's my theory as to why it is such a familiar word to her- SHE PINCHES! She hears the word "ouch" probably ten times a day because when someone picks her up, she pinches whatever she can find to pinch. Anything.

Actually, it wasn't her first word since she's been saying, "mom, dad, cat, dog, night, hi, and cheese," but "ouch" is the first one that she wouldn't stop saying!

It's the Little Things....

My dog Scully and one of my cats Orson (also called Boo and Cosmo...) go to bed with me every night. Usually, I am working the next day, so I go to bed before Night and Josh. My boys tuck me in and my animals plop on the bed. This week, I've noticed that when it gets to be when I would normally go to bed, Scully and Orson congregate around me. They sleep near my feet and head while I sit on the couch. I thought it was just a coincidence when it happened once, but since they have done it pretty much every night that I have stayed up past my "bedtime," I think it has to do with ME, not my bed like I had thought. That was just one little thing that made me feel loved. I know-dumb, but oh well!

Night's New Table

Night's New Table
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

We have a washing machine in the middle of our kitchen floor. Nope-not a euphemism. We have a stackable that has been in our den, but we are trying to move it down to the basement, where there are also hook ups. It isn't going so well. The refrigerator is in the way. We can't get the unit apart, and I'm not strong enough to lift it the way it needs to be lifted to get it down the stairs, so right now, we have a washing machine in the middle of our kitchen floor.
Last night when I asked Night where he wanted to eat (we don't have a dining room table, but he has his own table), he said he wanted to eat on his new table in the kitchen...

Works For Me Wednesday

My wfmw hint today is all about my son Connor Night. He is 3 1/2 and doesn't like hot food (spicy hot, okay; temperature hot, very bad), so when I make dinner, I set out his portion first then put his plate in the freezer until everyone else's is ready. This way, he doesn't have to wait for it to cool down before he gets to eat. We have a side-by-side freezer/refridgerator, so he can get the food out of the freezer himself.

Having a Boy

Know what is great about having a son who is potty trained? Well, that is obvious-no diapers!
Know what is NOT great about having a son who is potty trained? You never know where the pee will be when you go in the bathroom. His little aimer doesn't work so well...

I'm on Vacation!!

Yay! I can't remember the last time that I didn't have to work at one job that I didn't decide to pick up at the other one to make some cash. It is very nice not having to set that alarm clock!
What's on the agenda? Nothing for today!
So, I played with my website. I'm trying to figure out how to have two sidebars. Any help, anyone?? I did add some games to the bottom of my current sidebar, so take a look-they are fun!
I anticipate adding a lot more stuff to my blog, including more pictures from my new camera. Of course, I AM on vacation, so I might not get to it. We'll just have to see...

I'm a New Blogging Chick!

Check out our carnivals each week.

Pictures from my New Camera

Josh and Keira Bryce
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

Mari and Connor Night
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

My New Hair Cut
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

Quoting Night

Josh says that I quote Night too much. I should quote Keira more often. Well...she said "cheese" today, but that was only after Night said it repeatedly as we played with my new camera. Does that mean I quoted Night again?? I'm not trying to show favoritism. Keira just doesn't say amusing things yet. She does amusing things, though!
Anyway, I'm going to quote Connor Night again. :)
Yesterday when I came home from work, he asked me if I wanted to play with his Tato Heads with him. I said sure. He said that I could play with the butts while he plays with the feet.

Happy September

Yay! It is a new month-Keira's month. Last year at this time, I was MISERABLY sitting on the couch with the air conditioning turned on FULL POWER, waiting for the baby to come! I had been kicked out of work-they didn't even want me sitting on a chair running the register because I was sooooo big; yet, KB wouldn't be born for another TWO AND A HALF WEEKS.

Today is my last day of work (at the dentist's office) for a week! So much free time-what to do? I'll clean the house, that's what I'll do. I know it doesn't sound like much fun, but that's what I want to do! I am also kind of hoping to pick up a day of work at the restaurant to pay for the new toy I bought last night!

I got a new camera!! Our old camera had the USB connection bent (I think a kid or an animal did it...), so we had to use a card reader, and the card reader hasn't been working, but I'm not sure why. Anyway, I have been frustrated because I haven't been able to print off pictures. So, there was one on sale at Target, and I snatched it up, along with a printer that will allow me to print without hooking up to the computer. The jury is still out on whether or not I'm going to keep it, though, because we have a perfectly good printer. This new one is just easier and nicer for printing off standard photos. We'll see...

I haven't had a chance to play with it much yet, but it does take video and audio, so expect to see something from me soon-especially since I have a week off. Since I am at work now, though, I won't be playing with my new toy, so you'll have to wait for the update!