Apple of My Eye -a poem

It has no eyes with color to compare,

just a small light to let me know it’s alive.

It is my thin and beautiful Mac Book Air.

It’s compact and light-weight, all I need to survive.

How I love thee, I have counted the ways.

You’re smart, you’re funny, always with me when I roam.

You can hold a charge for up to three days!

You’re amazing, you’re beautiful, you’re my iPhone.

But to say you’re the best, is a matter of debate.

There are contendors for my hand, trying to lure me away

You outshine the rest with the touch of an update.

So, new versions of everything I start to play.

You’re an Apple, fabulous shiny and new.

I’m happy, life is easy and that’s why Steve made you.

My Farm Stay -Timber Lake, SD

A month ago I found the perfect cowgirl boots -ankle height, low heel, adorned with rhinestones and chains. I thought of all the adorable outfits I could pair them with at parties and bars, but I ended up donning them in a place I thought they’d never see…a farm!

Eight hours from where I call home, there’s a lovely little town called Timber Lake in South Dakota. I was invited to stay at the Jacobs’ farm, eight miles out of town. Timber Lake is part of the Cheyenne River Reservation and once a year its residents celebrate the Days of 1910 -the year the town was founded. This occasion, for which I was invited, is a time when people return to their home town and join others from surrounding towns for a good time.

This beautiful, quaint town comes alive with rodeos, dances, beer gardens, and so much more. From sun up to sun down up, this town, where everybody knows your name, is buzzing with excitement and energy.

This being my second year back to “The Days” (as residents call it), I saw a lot of familiar faces. But the haze of last year’s celebration left me squinty eyed and searching my memory, when what seemed to be strangers would embrace me in a big hug and welcome  me back. A couple drinks in, and we’re old friends. Over the weekend I danced the nights away, met what felt like all of Timber Lake’s  443 residents, and had more than a few beers while cheering on brave bull riders. Sunday came all too quickly, but Monday was a welcome rest. While I was hydrating, returning emails and tending to an exhausted liver, the hard workers of Timber Lake were back to work, in fields and offices.

Later that night I caught a movie at my very first drive-in theater. About 30 minutes away in Mobridge I was introduced to my new favorite way to go to the movies -Cuddled up to a real live cowboy in a big pickup, with a cooler full of drinks, fresh cherries and a huge stary sky surrounding the big screen. They could have been playing infomercials on that screen for all I cared.

The town of Timber Lake is a lot of things, but sleepy ain’t one of ’em. The next few days were filled with fishing, swimming, berry picking, an impromptu fish fry at the Jacobs’ farm and long walks on their beautiful land with my camera. Next stop, Sturgis. These cowgirl boots got a lot more action than I ever expected.

I’m Keepin’ My Miles Under the Mattress! -Hackers take to stealing frequent flier miles

1) Family
2) Friends
3) Miles
We hold them near and dear to our hearts. We go on ridiculous trips and sign up for credit cards we don’t need just to get miles. And now, they’re in danger. As if we don’t have enough to worry about with identity fraud, credit card fraud and bank fraud –now they’re going after our precious frequent flier miles.

The problem very recently sprung up in Brazil and is spreading rapidly. Companies are bracing themselves for the problem to jump all around the globe. Once the miles are obtained by these criminals, they are used as currency to trade for stolen credit cards.

The scam is mainly run via email. The jackasses will send an email promising a prize, or “double the points” to get you to enter your frequent flier information. Bam, they got ya. The problem is, the emails can look pretty legitimate. Here’s an article from Security News Daily on how to tell a phishing scam from a real email.

 More from me on TBEX

My 3 Fave iPhone Apps -Photography

I am by no means a photographer, but I constantly have to take pictures of just about everything so that I have them in my arsenal for travel writing, food blogging, making people jealous on Facebook and all sorts of things. Given my track record with cameras, I am simply not to be trusted with one. Therefore, my iPhone is my little camera buddy, so I need to learn how to use it to it’s full potential. These apps allows me to take interesting and eye-catching pictures for my writing. And no, I’m not doing Instagram, cause I’m sick of it. We get it, sepia is cool.

360 Panorama by Occipital $.99

360 Panorama $.99 -It’s witchcraft I say! That’s the only explanation for how great this app works, and at only $.99, you can’t beat it.

As you’ve probably gathered from the title, you can take a complete 360 degree picture, taking panoramic apps to a whole new level. It’s extremely user friendly, and there are no more blurry lines! It takes a few tries, but if you get your technique down (match the lines) you can get a seamless panoramic shot. It even performs well in low-light.

You can email, tweet and Facebook your shots right from the app, and your panoramas go straight to your camera roll.

Tiltshift Generator by Art & Mobile Free

TiltShift Generator Free– I’ve been a big fan of this one for quite some time. TiltShift Generator adds a great hue and blur effect that creates colorful and unusual pictures. You can control saturation, blur, contrast and brightness. This app is my favorite for turning a so, so picture, into a rad shot.

I like to take the boring, straight forward shots of food, hotels and such, and transform them into artsy unique pics with TiltShift Generator.

Again, sharing via social media is very simple. Get creative and use this app on a panoramic from 360 Panorma.

Darkroom by Stepcase Free

Darkroom Free– This app helps with the two main problems I have with my iPhone camera. I’m workin’ with a 3GS, so low light is a big problem. Darkroom helps with this, but it obviously only does so much. It doesn’t replace flash by any means but it does help with picture clarity.

My favorite part of this app though, is that the shutter won’t go off until the camera is stable, thus reducing shaky hand blur. This is very useful when you’re taking pictures of yourself. You can click the shutter button and stabilize your camera, and then your phone will take the picture once it’s focused.

What’s the “Taco Ride”? Grab a margarita and I’ll fill you in.

Pitchers of vodka soda water!

First off, get your head out of the gutter, the Taco Ride is a bicycle ride that takes place every Thursday. Most riders (including me) start at Lewis Central School and ride 10 miles on the Wabash Trail to Tobey Jack’s Steak House in Mineola, IA. That’s 10 miles there, and 10 miles back. I know what you’re thinking, “Who in the hell would ride 20 miles ‘for fun'”? It really is fun, I promise! Riders usually park in the Lewis Central parking lot starting as early as 4pm, but you can arrive whenever you like. Me and my crew usually start at around 6pm. The trail head isn’t super easy to find but you’ll without a doubt be able to follow other riders there. Since magical trolls don’t pop out at night and keep the trail in running condition, they ask a tiny fee of $1 to ride the trail, so be sure and bring singles.

The broseph-in-law and sister enjoying tacos and margs.

1) If you’re a first time rider, go with a pace that you can stick to for at least an hour. The trail has a slight uphill the way there. Don’t get scared! It really is a very slight uphill.

2) When passing people, always pass on the left and yell “On your left” to ensure that the riders know you’re coming.

3) Don’t forget your iPod, water, and a bike light. The last one is a MUST. By the time you get done gettin’ your party on at Tobey Jack’s, it will be night fall, or near it. The first time I did the Taco Ride, I didn’t know any better and didn’t have a light…it was a catastrophe. Please, please for your safety and those around you, invest in a bike light. I’ll save you the time price checking, they’re $20 at Wal-Mart and Target, and they’re usually more at bike stores. Kinda pricey, but they’re worth it.

Margaritaville!

Check out the nice tail...I mean trail 🙂

About 3/4 of the way to Tobey Jack’s you’ll run into a big group of people, fun music and some benches, this paradise is called “Margaritaville”. It’s just a fun little stop on the way, where you can socialize, have a few drinks and maybe grab a “smoke”. Margaritaville is byob.

Back on the trail from margaritaville, you’ll coast the whole way there. From here on, there is a slight downhill. Enjoy it! In no time at all you’ll hit the very small tiny minute town of Mineola, IA. You will probably see riders taking the turn up to Tobey Jack’s, but if you don’t, it’s really the only right hand turn you’ll run into. Follow the crowd, the live music, and the smell of fried food!

The common special at Tobey Jack’s is 6 tacos and a pitcher of margaritas for $18…hence the name “Taco Ride”. They also have a full menu and full bar. This is a really fun place that gets packed fast. They have indoor seating, two patios, live music, dance floor complete with DJ and the drinks are stiff!

Once you’ve had your fill, hop back on the trail and coast home. I would recommend that you not drink too much in order to be safe on the ride back…but that would make me a hypocrite. Have fun!

iPhone Screen Shot

Betchya didn’t know you could take a screen shot with your iPhone! It’s simple, just hold down the power button and the home button at the same time. Your phone will even make a little picture sound and the pic goes straight to your photo album. Cool little trick yeah, but what practical uses are there for this tech tidbit?

It has come in handy a few times. I travel frequently and I can’t always use my data plan. I like to Google map my locations while I have a wifi connection and take screen shots of the mapping. That way, when I need to find my way, I can simply look through my pictures instead of paying astronomical roaming charges. Secondly, my boyfriend somehow acquired Zach Morris’ cell phone. He doesn’t have internet access, so I’m able to send him info off the net via screenshot MMS. And finally, I was able to take dozens of screenshots of porn and text them one after another to my friend while he was on his date. I’m sure you’ll find tons more uses for this tech tidbit!

Yupa’s Going Away Party

Just a little video I put together to say farewell to our famous friend Yupa. She’s moving back to Thailand and she will be very missed 😦

Plato’s Closet -Better than Disney World

It goes without saying, I LOVE Plato’s Closet. For those of you that don’t know what it is, Plato’s Closet is a high-end thrift store, or consignment shop. If you’re willing to spend a little time, and do a lot of searching, you can find some pretty kick ass deals. I shop almost exclusively at Plato’s closet (with the exception of undies…that’s just gross).

They buy and sell name brand, lightly used clothing at seriously reduced prices. For example, I have snagged 3 pair of True Religion jeans there, each for under $55, my favorite Juicy Couture hoodie set me back $16, and my new favorite pair of cowboy boots were a mere $10. See what I mean? If you’re a name-brand whore like me, and cheap like me, you too will love Plato’s Closet!

While I highly recommend buying clothes there, I wouldn’t necessarily sell clothes there. They are extremely picky about what they will take and it’s simply annoying to haul all of your clothes to and from when they end up taking only a few items for a few bucks. Don’t get me wrong, I love how exclusive they are, but the low return and the hassle of schlepping bags of clothes hasn’t proven worth it.

Plato’s Closet in Omaha is located at 14528 W Center Road Omaha, NE 68144  (402) 330-0303. But they also have stores all across the U.S.. Stop in and see what deals you can snag. If you don’t enjoy “the hunt” though, I wouldn’t recommend shopping here. And PLEASE remember that tailoring is cheap and easy. Never pass up a good deal if it needs a small alteration! I’m a shorty, so I often take my jeans and dresses into my favorite tailor to get them just right.

When Good Bloggers Go Bad -Travvie

My boss lady, Kim Mance, created this hilarious masterpiece as a fun reminder to never take ourselves too seriously. This video is in no way a dig at ANYONE, but rather just a funny video that we hope you enjoy!

Holy Name Fish Fry Vid with the Familia

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