With the holidays over, it's time to settle in for the long dreary drudge known as winter, with the snow, ice and general wetness. You need good durable footwear to get you through all of this. While Rocky Boots are more associated with military and law enforcement, there's literally no law that says you can't wear them. Which is a good thing, because they're such high quality, durable, and comfortable footwear that they're just the thing the help you in all seasons to help keep your feet warm, dry and comfortable while doing it. And not only do they have boots, they have shoes and footwear for women that can meet all needs and wants. And if you have any questions, they have people available to answer the phones from Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm Central time. And right now if you order any shoes from them if you select UPS ground shipping, they'll upgrade the shipping to 3 day at no additional cost. And if you order more than $100 the shipping is free. So if you're looking looking for shoes or boots that are comfortable enough to wear and good enough to do the job, then check out the selection of Rocky Boots today.

If any of you out there got a new TV, Blu-ray player or videogame system, please e-mail me your address and when you'll be away from home. Seriously, you don't have to buy those expensive cables to hook them up. There's some tips on where to go to get the cables you need without paying the higher price.
And if you're not sure if you need a converter box for the digital TV switch, here's a simple flowchart to help you.

Another Christmas has come and gone, and now comes the next part. No, I'm not talking about the Valentine's Day sales at the stores, I'm talking about the after Christmas sales. With holiday sales being down this year, not only are the stores looking to cut costs to entice customers, the customers are looking for the good sales and deals to save money. But here's a good way to save money but not cut back on quality.

Right now The Watchery is having a post-holiday sale offering up to 80% off of their line of watches. Their deal of the day is this Movado Gentry Ladies' Watch Stainless Steel Black Dial on Brown Leather Strap that's only $99. And they have plenty of luxury watches to choose from, with brands such as Cartier, Tag Heuer and more. Not only that, but they offer free shipping on orders over $100, a 30 day money back guarantee, a 2 year warranty, and more. They offer only authentic watches with serial numbers. And they're accredited by the Better Business Bureau and have been selling on eBay since 1999 with a 100% positive feedback rating. So if you're looking for great deals, and want to get a high quality watch, then see what The Watchery has on sale right now.

The legends have been there. The tales have been told, and grown. But Vanity Fair has an article that looks to me like the most complete and accurate telling of what happened on the making of The Star Wars Holiday Special. And I tracked down the posting I wrote about my experiences trying to watch the special.

..I mean love. For many people, one Christmas tradition is the watching of the Yule Log on TV. It started in the 60s with WPIX in New York, then went away for awhile, then came back. A lot of people were worried that the tradition would go away again, mainly due to parent company Tribune Company filing for bankruptcy, but it was on again today. And I don't know if it was shown on other Tribune Company stations, but they showed it on the one in Indianapolis. Kathy and I watched some of it, and we read the story about the history of the video in Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Christmas Collection, which is full of stories about all parts of Christmas and the celebration. Did you know the first video filmed ended up damaging a $4000 rug at Gracie Mansion? If you want to know more about the Yule Log video, or about the other videos like it available, there's an article about it here.

With the rise in gas prices and the economic downturn a lot of people are looking to alternative means of transport. Until mass transit can be developed back into a viable system a lot of people are turning to hybrid cars as an option. But they're not perfect yet, and there's a chance you'll need to car parts for your hybrid. I don't know about where you live, but I don't know where you can get them around here. If you're needing hyrid car parts then turn to the experts at JuicedHybrid.com.
They've got a great stock of Prius accessoires and Hybrid car and truck accesories at great prices. And you can save even more! Right now, they've got an after Christmas sale where you can save 10% off of everything. Just enter the coupon code GIFT at checkout. And even with a new kind of vehicle you've always got an eye out to make it better. They can help you with that by offering Fuel Saving products that improve efficiency and performance. Also lower emmisions.
So whether you need parts to replace, to improve the looks of your hybrid, or improve it's efficiency and performance JuicedHybrid.com has the parts and accessories you need at a great price. And don't forget their after Christmas sale. And if you want to read more about hybrids then check out their hybrid car blog.

Did you see where Gary Sassaman offered to send a Christmas card to everyone who asked? Did you get yours? If no, this is what it looked like. Hope he got the card I sent back in response.
And Bully has 25 Christmas comic covers to look at.
Still a little groggy from the Christmas nap I just took. More later...

The Scooter Store is the place to go for electric scooters. They help people with limited mobility get around. They have locations nationwide and the website to help people get the scooter and start getting around again. And what's good about The Scooter Store is that they want to work with you to get you a scooter at little or no cost. Just call their toll-free number, receive a mobility evaluation from your doctor, and they'll work on the rest, like getting the paperwork together, submitting it to get your scooter at little or no cost. And they're experienced experts as 96% of the claims they submit are approved. And they deliver the chair to you. Ho cool is that? It can be overwhelming trying to submit paperwork to get something (especially to the government) and a lot of people don't want to deal with the hassle and the red tape, but they'll be glad to do it for you. And if you still have questions or concerns they'll be glad to answer them for you either at the website or at their toll-free number. I can understand how scary and apprehensive it is to do something new and brave like getting a scooter and getting to go out and about, but after you do this you'll look back and wonder what you were waiting for. If you or someone you know could benefit from having your own scooter chair, and be able to go out and enjoy things again, let them know about The Scooter Store and what all they can do for you.

I just got up this morning to see if anything was going on here on the internet, and there's all kinds of stuff.
Mark Evanier talks about how everyone is linking to his Mel Torme story, who am I not to join in the fun? The Rocky Mountain News even published a version of it.
Another Mark, Gibson, sends his best wishes for the holiday. Hopefully, his Christmas is going well.
And Bully's been talking about Love, Actually the past few blog entries. Haven't seen that movie, maybe I ought to check it out. Here's the index of the entries about his London trip back in 2006. And here's one of my favorite Christmas comics story, always worth reading.
And Ken Levine brings us Andy Williams singing with wife Claudine Longet, before their divorce and her gun accidentally went off.
And if the letdown after opening presents has set in, then check out all the stuff for sale in the latest Previews catalog. I actually got my books yesterday including the new Previews. It was only 3 things, but one of them is the new Knights of the Dinner Table. Hoody hoo!
And The Beat has some Christmas videos for your viewing pleasure. I liked that one of the videos was Blackadder's Christmas Carol featuring the German King who reminds me of my friend Chuck Stewart. And I just learned this year that he's played by Jim Broadbent of Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe fame.
And Geoffrey made it to Chicago! Yay!
And here's some more Christmas links from Mental Floss.
And if you're like me seeing if anything's going on online, hope these links have made it enjoyable for you.

Boy, those online videos are really something, aren't they? Somebody uploads a cool video and word spreads like wildfire. And thanks to embedding you can show the video on your blog or website. It's kind of like the old days when variety shows would say a band or singer was a guest on their show, and they'd show a music video. This was before MTV came on the air. Yes, MTV showed music videos. Yes, this was back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
Where was I?
Oh, yeah, internet videos. Aren't they cool? What could be better than the latest internet video you've heard about? Well, there's the ones where you type in your name and it shows up in the video and they act like they're talking about you. What could be better than that? How about a video that you're in? With Evolution Of Dance starring YOU!, PeopleJam.com the number one self-improvement resource on the web has partnered with Saveology.com the number one home comparison shopping site on the web to preview the sequel Evolution of Dance 2 with an interactive application where you can upload your picture and can join in all the dancing fun. You didn't think that you had those moves, didn't you? So get in on the next internet video sensation by putting yourself in the preview.

Gordon at Blog This Pal! notes a couple of birthdays celebrated today. As Fark puts it, no, the other one. Besides, the birthday that everyone associates with today is actually another day, in March or July? We're not sure, records were spotty back then. While it would be cheesy to say happy birthday to Him here on this blog, it would be worse to say nothing. I mean, He is the reason for the season, as Kathy wrote in our Christmas cards. Anywho, there's other birthdays today, head on over to Gordon's blog to find out.

Hope everybody is having a good Christmas, enjoying all the presents that Santa Claus brought you and your family. And that everyone enjoyed all the gifts that you got them. With the season fully upon you, you probably wish that you could do more to give to others and help make their holidays more joyous. Even I'm greedy, but I love it when I give something to someone else and know that they love it.

It's in the name of helping others and making sure they have a good holiday that Sears sponsors the heroes at home promotion where the families of those serving in our armed forces and those serving themselves are able to have the gifts that they not only enjoy, but the gifts of the necessities to go through life. Many who answer the call to serve our country involve their loved ones as well. They also move with them, sometimes frequently, and at best they have enough to get by. Yes, Scrooge, we do pay taxes that support the military, and it is quite a bite out of your money (as you'll learn when doing your taxes next year) and while donating to Heroes At Home isn't tax deductable, how many of us itemize our deductions in the first place? A lot of us donate to do good, not to it taken out of our taxes. And doesn't it make you feel good to know you did something good for someone else, especially at this time of year? A lot better than wondering if you could've done more.

After Kathy got home from work, we rested for a little bit and then went to her sister's. The weather was a lot better than it was this morning, there wasn't anything on the roads. Better than what Laura went through travelling. We ate and got together. My cousin Kim brought her grandson over. At Thanksgiving he slept through it, but I was able to hold him for awhile. We gave our gifts to the family and they loved them. And we got to play a couple of games of "Apples To Apples" before leaving. My brother in law and his fiancee played it for the first time, and realized how weird we can get. Then we went to my parent's house and exhcanged gifts there.
That's going to be it for a while. I'm going to take some time off for the holidays. Everybody have a good Christmas, and hope it goes great for all of you.

If you're looking for a good business opportunity have you considered investing in a franchise? While there may be more money invested initially than if you started a business from scratch, and there may be a percentage you need to pay to continue in the franchise, the advantage is that you are getting the rights to an already recognized name and goodwill associated with said name, plus the know-how and how-to ability to run your business.
And the good thing about franchise opportunities is that they can help you decide which franchise to go into. You can select industry and/or investment level and/or state and they will give a list of available franchises to you, all from the home page. Or if you have a better idea of what kind of franchise you want to invest in you can look for that as well. And they have a "fire your boss" newsletter with tips for finding the right business, new franchise alerts, business success stories, and more, all by giving them your e-mail address. So if you're looking to go into business for yourself, why not check out the franchise opportunities available to you? You could be on the way to a new life.

Hey Kids! Want to see a gallery of comic book panels? Missed any bits of snarky out of context panels that's been covered by the comic book blogs, or want to visit them again? Miss the old days when the mainstream media looked down on comics? Want to see a picture of Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons twice? No caption, no quotes, just 2 pictures? Then take a look at this gallery of Comic Book Nerd's photos.

Hey, guys, if you're looking for a place to meet and talk to BBWs, or if you're a big beautiful woman yourself, then head on over to Free BBW Chat. All you've got to do to sign up is answer 3 questions and you're all set. You don't have to worry if you're the only one who appreciates and wants to meet this special type of woman, there's plenty of people to meet here.

I had to get up to take Kathy to work. It looked like the big puddle across the street hadn't froze, so it looked okay. But when we got up to the front steps, it looked like there was a little bit of ice. Unlike the front steps, which were solid ice. Which I didn't find out until I slid into the puddle in front of those steps.
WHAM!
Got my pants, shoes and socks soaked. Went back in to change clothes, and got some salt to put on the steps. Carefully made our way to the car, and the windshield was froze up. Slick around the car. Managed to scrape off the ice (wasn't on their that bad) and slowly made my way there and back. Had a police car follow me the last mile or so. Could've used him when I was coming off the porch. I'm glad he didn't try to pull me over for a busted taillight or something. I don't have anything out, but sometimes it seems like things like that happen.
I scraped my back and Kathy put some ointment on before we left. I put on some more when I got back and took some medicine for the pain. It feels a little better, but want it to feel a little more better before going back to bed.
That's what I'm doing up this morning. From what I hear, it's like this just about everywhere, so if you have to go out today, even if it doesn't look as bad as you think, be extra careful. That goes for you too, Geoffrey.

Have you ever had a phone number that called you, but didn't leave a message? And do they keep calling you all the time? Even with caller ID sometimes all you have is a phone number, but no idea who it is. But if that's all you have that's enough as you can Trace Phone Numbers with this directory of numbers. Just put in the phone number and you'll find out who's there.

A lot of people say this Christmas song is bad. I didn't think it's that's bad, but if it's a competition between this and "Merry Xmas (War Is Over)", hey, I'll go with most everybody else's choice. But what can be done about it? No, I can't wipe it off the face of the Earth, but I can give you a version performed by Henchman 21 and 24 of The Venture Bros fame. You can check out other free holiday offerings from Quick Stop Entertainment here. You're welcome.
Thanks to Alex Robinson for the link.

Doesn't that sound like a great program to have? Unless you can type as fast as you can think (and as accurately) this is a program that will come in handy, especially if you work at writing on the computer.

And with $50 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred, imagine having whatever you say show up on your computer monitor, just like you typed it. I remember before my dad got his computer, he was wanting a program like that to use on the computer. But for him, it was a novelty. But Dragon Naturally Speaking is more than a novelty program. You can improve your productivity, and it'll be easier to do it. And until the end of the year there's a special where you can save money by buying this program:

• $50 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred


• $25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Standard


• $25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -MacSpeech Dictate

Remember, not only do you need to click on the link when you order it, but to get the discount, you need to enter the code as well. And to get the discount, you need to click on the specific link here to get the savings.
And if you're buying it for your business, you can save even more money. If you buy it by the end of the year you can write it off on your 2008 taxes.

The Consumerist has the top 17 useful posts this year. I'm new to the Consumerist party, and if you are as well, it's a chance to pick up some useful information. Information like top 9 good habits for a deep recession, 10 things you might not know about your credit card, and more. And today's listings aren't anything to sneeze at: shoplifting is going up as the economy is sinking, which a lot of it comes from employees, following the examples of their higher-ups.

If you're looking to chat with Asians from all around the world, then check out Asian Chat Rooms. All you need to do is create a username and password, give them your e-mail address, and you're all set. And it's 100% free. So what are you waiting for? You're just a short registration away from making new friends.

I don't know if it's the holidays that's got me down. But I suspect a lot of it has to do with the fact that even though we voted for change, the old guard is still in power. And they're getting more brazen, whether it's admitting their role in the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame, or admitting telling Sen. Leahy something unprintable and claiming that if the President does something during wartime then it's legal, and in the ultimate in irony mocking Joe Biden. And then there's the IT expert who was directly implicated in the rigging of the 2000 and 2004 elections who was "accidentally" killed in a plane crash. How much you want to bet it won't be investigated nearly as much as Vince Foster's suicide, if investigated at all?
Even if anything's done about any of this, they'll get pardoned within the next month. Hell, some are counting on it.
*SIGH*
Does anybody have a cup of Christmas cheer? Or a gallon?

We're getting to the end of the year, and with the year we've been having a lot of people are looking forward to ring in the New Year. Whether they're anxious for that fresh start, or want an excuse to let off steam I don't know. But a lot of people are looking to do more than just invite a bunch of people over and buy a bunch of drinks and snacks. They're looking for some good new years eve ideas and not just get drunk. You can do that anytime, but ringing in the new year? They want to do it with some style or panache, or they want a memorable theme that people will enjoy, or money's a little tight but they want to celebrate and have a little fun. If you're looking for some new years eve party ideas they can help you out with all aspects of throwing a new year's eve party, from selecting the theme, to what you'll serve, to the fun and games you'll plan out for your guests to enjoy, and more. With these tips and tricks you can ensure a good time will be had by all, and they'll remember that great new year's eve party that you threw. So don't be stuck wondering what to do, and don't just sit around watching TV counting down, plan something fun and memorable for all your guests. It's just a mouse click away.

A man handing out something to people in front of Wal-Mart was asked to stop by management. What was he handing out? Wal-Mart gift cards. The story says that Target swapped out those gift cards for Target gift cards and let him hand them out in front of the store. Some of the commenters in the story thought Wal-Mart came out ahead of the deal, but I don't think so. If you disagree, then read this article again. As another commenter said "People go to Wal-Mart because they have to. People go to Target because they want to."

Boy, I wish I was going to London. There's something about England at Christmastime that would be really fun to see. And there's somebody I know who's been before and I loved reading their travelogue of all their adventures. And I could watch the Doctor Who Christmas special on the BBC if I was there. But there's still plenty of reasons to go to London for a holiday.
And with money being tighter than ever, you have to keep an eye out for good deals to save. This is a good site to look for good deals on London hotels, with direct to client rates. And you don't have to worry about what kind of lodging you'll get if you look for cheap London hotels as they offer all sorts of useful information to make sure you get the best room at the best price, and close to everything you want to see there. They offer street guides with in-depth info on the city of London so you can pick a convenient location for lodging.
So don't think that you'll never get to go to London, that you'll never afford it. You can find a good deal on a London hotel and finally get the trip you've been dreaming of.

If you're wondering when Spectacular Spider-Man will be back on TV, there is a second season coming, but there's some changes. First, it won't be Kid's WB, CW4Kids, or whatever it's calling itself this week. It's moving over to Disney XD in March. If you haven't heard of Disney XD, it's now called Toon Disney, but they're changing the name and network to reel in the young boy audience, the way the Disney Channel seems to have the girl audience sewn up. If you're up in Canada you'll get the show sooner, as it'll be on Teletoon starting January 11, 2009. There'll be 13 more episodes and you can find the summaries here.

With the recent economic downturn a lot of people on the edge are starting to teeter over. They were just barely making it, and if it isn't a change in employment, it's the credit card companies changing the terms with interest hikes, finance charges, or something else. If you could barely pay the bills before, how are you going to pay them now?
You're not stuck: there is a way out. With the help of debt consolidation you won't have to teeter over into the financial abyss, or worry about what's going to happen in the future. There are many alternatives to default and bankruptcy available to you such as credit card counseling, debt loans, or something else.
This isn't the time of year to spend sleepless nights worrying about what you're going to do to pay your bills. In fact, there isn't a good time to do that at all. Don't spend another minute worrying about it, start taking action to get this problem solved. It certainly isn't going to go away by itself.

One of the highlights of our trip to the Chicago Comicon was the Babylon 5 presentation. You'd get lots of good information and previews, the first couple of years we got to see an episode before it aired, and the bloopers and music videos. Before now, you could only see them at conventions or other less scrupulous means. And now they have their own YouTube channel and you can watch them all.
Some of you might wonder about my allegience to another science fiction show that's been mentioned here and elsewhere. To that I say watch this:

I especially like the response to a certain cable channel's mishandling of the promotion and the follow up Crusade about 17 seconds into the video.

You're probably looking to get rid of your clutter and extra stuff, especially after you get all your gifts. But if you go to that online auction place with all the fees and percentages that they charge, even if you do sell your stuff are you going to have anything to show for it? If only there were a better way...

The Good Yard Sale is a new site that will allow you to host a virtual yard sale without the hard work, setting stuff up, and having to spend hours selling it. Not to mention all those fees and charges. But if you want to have an actual yard sale, you can advertise it on the site to let people know. People can look for items or sales by area, and if you make a sale you don't have to worry about shipping and handling, packaging the merchandise for shipping, etc. And if helping charities is your thing, you can coordinate a sale by yourself or with others to make sure that you get the most for your items for the charity. Much better than just donating it to them when they might not know the full potential of what they have. And if you have something you'd throw out, instead of adding to the trash but instead recycling items they can be put to good use in a good home, and you'll feel good for not letting something go to waste.
So if you want to clean up your clutter, whether you want to make a little money for yourself or your charity, or you don't want it to go to waste, sign up at the Good Yard Sale and be ready when they go live in January 2009, and it'll be free if you do.

Restaurant.com is running another sale on their certificates. The current coupon code that's good until Christmas Day is HOLIDAY. Put that in at the checkout and you get 80% off your certificate. You can buy more than one. And you can get a $25 certificate not for $10, but for $2. Great for those last minute stocking stuffers. You don't even have to wait for the mail. Just buy them and print them.
Thanks to Mighty Bargain Hunter for the tip.