New feature added

In case you haven't noticed before, or you're using an RSS reader to read my blog updates, on the right side bar of my blog I've had a little widget that allows you to Instant Message me directly from the page.  

Now I've gone one step further and added a mini chatroom for everyone to post messages to.  I believe these messages are stored on the web so even if nobody is in the room, they can be seen by people joining the room later similar to a discussion board or forum.  I just thought I'd try it out for awhile so check it out & tell me what you think.  Is it worthwhile or should it be removed because it's pointless?  I'm interested in your opinions on this one.

You'll notice it will automatically assign you a guest name but you can change it by clicking on "edit nickname", how clever.  Looking forward to hearing from anyone that reads this.  Thanks, enjoy.

Growing Up

In finding old friends on Facebook it's hard not to reminisce about the times spent together during those days long ago from past periods of our lives.  Of course one of the first things we do when we discover a friend we haven't had communication with for quite some time is to attempt to make up for lost time and catch up with the current status of our lives since then.  

I find myself now communicating with people that I haven't seen in 10-15 years or so and it makes me think what's changed in my life over the last decade.  This is a good thing to because it reminds me that I celebrate my 10 year anniversarry with my wife this year and that while I haven't planned a single thing, I've got until May 1st to figure it out.

I think about the schooling I've done, the kids I've had, the places I've lived, the jobs I've had, and the friends I've made in the last 10 years.  As I recall these things with people that knew me during the earlier pre-marriage years, I still feel hesitant to accept a title my kids might bestow upon me as "grown up".  

When we were younger, we asked each other and thought about what you want to be when you grow up.  Part of me is still trying to figure that out.  I enjoy some of the benefits of "adulthood" like having a home & family of my own but there are times when I wish I could also enjoy some of the things I did when I was younger.  To some degree I haven't stopped some of those activities from my younger years like video games & cartoons but even those types of things have changed and decreased.  

Recently I had to have the discussion with my wife about "an allowance" for our kids if they accomplished certain household chores and what-not.  She initiated the conversation and I initially told her I didn't want to have that conversation because doing so meant that I had to take another step closer to assuming the role of an "adult" with "responsibilities" and making decisions for these young lives I'm in charge of.  Even though I'm 33, I'd like to believe that there's still a care free kid inside me and having this conversation mean admitting to myself that I am a grown-up and I am responsible.  

I never answered the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" with the answer, "I want to be a responsible adult with a wife, 3 kids, and a mortgage."  But now I find that it comes with the package called "The American Dream" and apparently I'm living it and I wouldn't change it for the world.  (Though I would like to travel with my family more.)     ;)

drutherford | Twitter Grader

drutherford | Twitter Grader
So I was graded 92 out of 100 on Twitter Grader.  Woo Hoo!
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Internet Hotel Amenities

First of all I want to say that I rarely stay in hotels. When I go on vacation someplace, it's usually somewhere where I can stay at one of the units that's part of Trendwest membership because I know what to expect as far as quality and because since I'm usually on vacation with my family, having a full kitchen & washer / dryer with dining room & living room along with separate bedrooms is very nice. However the few times I have stayed at a hotel, I'm usually too frugal to get anything more than a non-smoking room that's just going to be a bed for the night. I stayed at a couple different hotels on my road trip to & from Yellowstone last September and again it was on my way to or from one of the resorts I mentioned.

Having said that, staying at the less expensive hotels must have spoiled me. I guess I've come to expect certain things from hotels. I don't expect much, if there's a continental breakfast included in the morning, bonus. But even the less expensive hotels I stayed at had free internet like it was just as standard as water, electricity, & toilet paper. So I was unpleasantly suprised to find that places like the Hyatt or the Sheraton in downtown Seattle didn't offer such fancy things. Oh sure you can get it for a daily fee, but I'm not sure I understand how / why the smaller hotels I've stayed at can offer such a simple thing and the larger chains still charge for it even after the room rates they charge you.

For example, a sample room rate per night at the Sheraton where I'm staying is $140. A local hotel near my home has room rates ranging from $50-70. Now of course the quality of rooms is substantially different but I think I'd rather have a lower quality room with internet access than a higher quality room without. Heck, even the public library has free internet for its patrons.

Hear me now downtown city hotel chain establishments, it's time to step up and get with the program. You may be convenient as a downtown location for events and such, but if you're going to charge me an additional fee on top of the room rate you already charge me, so long as I have options, I'll be sleeping elsewhere.