The Ugliest Shoes in the world...cost 5 bucks, at Walmart.

Spring is coming and I can't wait.

I need to some work on projects and yard work will start again.

Honestly I'm looking forward to it.

This year, I need to buy some sneakers or shoes that I can destroy.

I need to have them for the purpose of doing whatever. 

I usually don't give it much thought and will get out there and 

ruin my work shoes. Or,shoes I wear to work is probably a better way to look at it.

It's a business casual work place, so you can wear sneakers or loafers or whatever.

Provided your shirt is tucked in, and you're not wearing jeans. (except Fridays)

So today I was on the hunt for yard shoes, or project shoes. 

Think Mr. Rogers changing into his play shoes.

I am a CheapGeek by nature, and since the ultimate outcome of my shoes is ruining 

them, Cheap is what I was looking for.

Ha! I found cheap! These also happen to be some of the most ugly shoes I have ever 

seen. It's a win! 

Check these shoes- The X1's ---Carbon fiber, ventilation slots, high visibilty, low 

comfort, chrome accents and much, much more fake looking crap.

If these shoes we're a car, they would be a 2002 Hyundai Accent that's trying to be Fast and Furious with all the WalMart ricer/racer crap you can throw on it, while trying to be 

serious about it. (Hyundai owners. relax- I've owned 3 brand new Hyundai's and put 

over 150,000 miles on each, I think they are the best bang for the buck. If you're 

offended, I'm sorry. With a small amount of seriousness.) 

Got these shoes on Clearance and they are worth every penny.....

Here you go.

These things do look pretty...shitty.

I'll wear them out in the yard or in the garage. 

Or out in public- if my daughters or my girlfriend needs a good embarrassing.

Junk in the trunk 2

So before, in the previous junk in the trunk, I showed the Satellite radio.
I also mentioned the list. The list of Techno wizardry needed to make our adventures more
civilized. We're not animals and we aren't going all back to nature and sleeping in the dirt.
One of the minor things on my list- a set of cheesy camp lights.
Theses are the small strings of lights, with things like Hula girls, beach balls, flamingo's or tiki heads.
The possibilities of little lights are endless. Evidently a big market for these things.
I want a set of VW Buses in a light string set.
There's No way I could find those, not even sure if they exist.
During our adventure in the junk shop looking for camping stuff, I happened across these.
Behold- the next best thing to VW Bus lights.
That's right- Chili Peppers! I dig them-

I like them, I plan on stringing them around the side of the bus. 

Around the awning, and across the front maybe? I have 4 strings about thirty feet of soft rubber chili's.

The don't put off much light, they are more for ambiance any way. 

Add's a bit of festiveness to any camp out occasion. 

I've been pretty damn festive in my day, I'm not scared to string these up and have a good time.

At least that's part of the plan. 

Guess how much I paid? Nope WRONG.

 

I know they cost more than that. 

They should go well with the red and white bus color. 

Inappropriate Ad Images, again....

Found Another one.

Mortgage rates hit 3.62% and he will EFFIN kill you!

Seriously, do I look like I would do anything with this ad? 

Dude looks like a caveman or murder death killer..

Ha.

CheapGeek- Creative Vado HD 3rd generation review.

Creative VADO HD 3rd Generation  

Here's the deal.

This is a very small and portable HD camcorder. Smaller than most cell phones.

This is not a professional series anything.

It's a low cost HD camcorder. It's small, sleek and has a good build feel to it. Here's the most important part. The Video is very good for the type of camera that it is. 

I don't expect professional quality out of a $150.00 camera. 

The quality you do get is very good. 

This camera shoots at a much wider angle than other cameras in it's class. 

Landscapes, inside, rooms and shots where you want to see everything, that is a big selling point.

It has fairly accurate color representation, the video has a decent amount color, contrast and saturation. 

The video is not too over saturated, the sharpness is decent and the audio pick up is good, provided there's not too much ambient or background noise. 

The digital zoom is a little jerky, but manageable. 

The Electronic Image Stabilization works, slightly.

The controls on the back of the camera are a little touchy. 

The camera is small and accidental button presses can occur. 

However, press the power button once during filming and the controls lock. 

Very handy. 

This camera has TWO VERY important features to those wanting more than just a Flip style camera with the big red button. 

It has some video controls and an external microphone jack! 

That is one of the reason's I went with it. 

If you want to use the external microphone jack and and record in stereo, 

it needs to be a stereo microphone. 

The camera has some other quirks. 

Great looking Camera, but- the glossy camera body is a fingerprint magnet.

 The size, good and bad- It really needs some extra grip or maybe a textured area on the front of camera for better feel and stability.  

The camera only holds 4 gb of video before you need to transfer it a computer.

Built in USB dongle for transfer and charging the camera can be good or bad. 

I have to use the USB extension cable to be able to use my computers front USB ports.

Uploading movies for editing can be a little tricky. 

Here's the caveat-

Remember, it's high definition. If your 4 year old computer can't handle the amount of digital information that gets transferred during the upload process, it's NOT the camera.

If your videos are herky-jerky, NOT  the camera- it's your computer.

You need a dual core processor at least, a decent video card along with a couple gigs of ram and a large hard drive to store the video in. 

Here's an analogy- Standard definition is like watering your grass with a garden hose, high definition is like watering your grass with a fire hose!

If you're using Windows Vista or Windows 7, download Windows Live Movie Maker.

It can handle the H.264 .mov files and has the codecs needed to sync the audio and video to give it the correct playback. The video quality is not bad after rendering, and the price is right. Free. 

It's a pretty easy to use a video editor as well. Easy, cheesy movies, no problem!

Mac users can get away with using Imovie 7 and the computer requirements are about the same. 

INTEL based Mac with dual core processor, good video and ram, and the big hard drive. 

I think IMovie makes better movies than Windows Live Movie Maker and the finished result looks more polished.

BUT- it really is the one of the 2 best handheld flash based HD camcorders out there. 

The other is the Kodak Zi8 (I have that one too) 

You really do get your money's worth with this camera.  

It's cheap. (I really want any of the new Canon Vixia series, that's for the future)

Overall, I like the size, the wide angle, the external microphone jack, the video quality, it's cost. 

The 3rd Generation Creative Vado HD 4gb camera is a really good camera and a really good price.
The Technical specifications and details are below, as well as the link to Creative's web site.

Creative Vado HD (3rd Gen)

Bundled Software

• Creative Vado Central for PC and Mac

Technical Specifications

Feature Description Weight: 93g (with battery) Dimension (H x W x D): 3.9" x 2.2" x 0.6" (98.8 mm x 57.6 mm x 15.8 mm) Memory size: 4GB1 Sensor: HD CMOS (1280 x 720) Video resolution: HD (1280 x 720p), VGA (640 x 480) Low light performance: Extremely high sensitivity at 3.3V/lux-sec LCD: 50.8 mm (2") diagonal, 16 million colors Screen resolution (pixels): 640 x 240 Zoom: 2x Digital Zoom Recording capacity: Up to: 1 hour (HD+ quality), 2 hours (HD quality), 4 hours (VGA quality) Digital video file format: *.mp4 (H.264, AAC) Video frame rate: 30 frames per second Speaker and microphone: Built-in Software: Pre-loaded Vado Central 3.0 TV out: RCA, HDMI (HDMI cable included) 4 Exposure Adjustment: Auto or Manual Picture Resolution: HD still picture at 1280 x 720 Digital Picture File Format: *.JPEG Wide-angle lens: Yes Multiple connectivity earphone jack: Yes (for external microphone, AV cable and earphones) Tripod mount: Yes Power saver: Yes Delete all, Play all: Yes Set Date/Time: Yes Set frequency: Yes (50Hz or 60Hz) PC connection: Built-in flexi USB connector Battery life: 2 hours2 3 Online sharing: YouTube™, Photobucket™, Box.net, Facebook, KinKast

¹ 4GB memory includes built-in software. ² Actual battery life will vary with use. Battery has limited recharge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. 

³ Vado battery and battery charger will not work with the Vado HD (3^rd Gen).
⁴ Bundled HDMI cable is only for certain regions. Please check with your local representatives or offices for package content.
System Requirements

Minimum PC Requirements Minimum Mac Requirements Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz or faster Microsoft® Windows® 7, Windows Vista® or Windows XP(SP 2) Apple Mac OS® X 10.4 or later 512MB RAM Vado Central™ for Mac OS® X USB Port

Package Contents

• Vado HD (3^rd Gen) Pocket Video Cam
• Rechargeable Li-Ion battery
• HDMI cable*
• USB Extension cable*
• Quick start guide
• * Available in certain regions.

Creative's store for reviews and more information...
Home Shopping Network has the camera for $149.99.. good Price.

Phil Harris and Deadliest Catch

Deadliest Catch is one of my favorite shows.

I really don't know why. The show follows Alaskan King Crab crews on their efforts to fish for enough crab to fill their holds and turn it in for a huge profit. The weather always sucks, the crews are alway wore out, beat down and the show's plot never changes. You'd think it would get old. It doesn't for me. 

The personal interactions of the Captains and Crews, is the draw of the show. 

There's family relationships there. You see them too, good or bad. 

You get to sit your cozy living room and watch them get the hell beat out of them. 

After everything is done, you get to watch them reap the reward of all that hell they went through. 

Big money for the crab. You don't begrudge them that big fat paycheck either. 

They earned it. Really Earned it.

I watch the marathons and I watch every time I see it on the boob tube.

I have my favorite Captains and Crews. One of my favorites was Phil Harris skipper of the Cornelia Marie. 

As the owner operator of the Cornelia Marie everything, success or failure, for him, his boat and his crew rides on him. He didn't have much time for bullshit.

 He did have time for pranks and practical jokes. His sense of humor was why he is one of my favorites. 

I enjoyed seeing the interactions Phil and his two sons had. 

Father and Son's the Sibling rivalry, the fights and scuffles. It was just real and often funny. 

Phil didn't take much shit from his boys.

He was pretty diplomatic over all, he'd let them bitch, moan and fight. 

He worried about them and their futures. When they'd come to him, he'd hear them out. 

Then he'd chew their asses, and get them back to work. 

He'd ride them pretty good, and rightfully so. He didn't show favorites and he was proud of both his sons.

Sadly he passed away on February 9th after complications  from a major stroke on January 29, 2010.

He was 53.

He was a Crusty, Pirate, Crab Captain, Dad, and I liked him.

Fair winds and Following Seas, Captain Phil.

You are Missed....

Photo Credit-
Discovery Channel
"The Deadliest Catch"

Cheap First Aid Kit.

There's something to be said about being prepared.
Having that little "something," that can make things better.
I used to carry a little first aid kit.
It consisted mainly of a Ziploc bag with a couple of band aids and some other minor things.
They were items that we're needed occasionally and it was good to have them.
Anyone who has kids, knows the value of a Sesame Street band aid.
(or insert kid's favorite cartoon character )
Slap a goofy band aid on a skinned knee and life can resume.
With the crisis over, you can get back to whatever...
When I was at the store over the weekend, my girlfriend cut her finger and I thought about that First Aid kit.
I didn't have one, or anything for that matter.Why didn't I have it?
My guess is, that since my kids are older, I stopped carrying the first aid kit.
That shouldn't really have been a factor, having older kids.
My state of preparedness has obviously lowered over time.
I don't even carry a pocket knife half the time anymore.
What kind of man doesn't carry a knife, or pocket knife or pen knife?
An unprepared man, evidently.
My Dad always carries his, and he uses it too.
I made a decision.
It wouldn't hurt to go back to the some of the ways I used to do things.
Some of the things I used to do was stupid, so I'll leave those ways alone.
I picked up some stuff at the good Ole Dollar Tree.
I needed to make a Cheap First Aid kit.
I needed to customize it with the things I need.
Here's a slideshow to make things easier-

I'll make a list of the contents, uses, and why I carry what I carry..later

Hitopbus.com

I'm going to start updating Hitopbus.com.
It's about a VW Hitop Bus I'm working on...
I put a couple of pictures up.
Theres some older entries relating to my other bus.
I have two, and eventually I should have one for camping and one for not camping.
I have a bunch of posts, I've been working on to document the process. (hitop bus)
It'll improve over time. Check it out. If you want...
HitopBus.com

Stormageddon is done...

So it's over.
The snow is starting to melt.
The schools are closed for today. They should be open the next day.
Big snow over the weekend and gone by Monday. Not bad....
Sadly, it's back to work....
I took some pictures of stuff with snow on it.