Jim and Lynnette's Fun Times Guide

Technology - A Generation's Greatest Contribution

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:06:09 -0600

About 20 years ago, ATMs put cash on every street corner and my hunger for convenience became insatiable.

The technology of the 21st century has now put a handheld computer in the palm of my hand and called it a cell phone.

Listening Room Cafe: Photos & Highlights From Nashville's Live Music Venue In Cummins Station

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:12:55 -0600

Jim and I went to the Grand Opening show at the new Listening Room Cafe in downtown Nashville a couple weeks ago. Jim's parents were in town, and they had a great time at the show with us.

You may recall, I've written about the Listening Room Cafe in Franklin, TN before. Well, they recently closed the Franklin Listening Room Cafe and moved everything to its new Nashville location.

Fortunately, Nashville is only a short drive from Franklin (where we live), so I'm sure we'll still be regular visitors at the Listening Room Cafe. Plus, it's also a great place to take guests who are in town visiting.

Following are photos and highlights from the first big show at Nashville's Listening Room Cafe featuring:

Tony Mullins

Bob DiPiero

Chris Wallin

Aaron Barker

FREE Ticket To Disney On Your Birthday... No Catch!

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:15:17 -0600

I've been seeing the TV commercials that the folks at Disney started airing on September 18, 2008.

So I looked up details about the Free Disney Ticket On Your Birthday special online.

Looks good to me! No catches that I can see... other than the fact that you'll be obligated to buy a full-price ticket for anyone who accompanies you on your visit to either Disney World in Orlando or Disneyland in California. But that's to be expected. Plus, it's only good on your actual birthday in 2009.

Jim and I both signed up for a free ticket at each of the different parks on each of our birthdays. Who knows if we'll actually be able to get away when the time comes (Mar 2 and Nov 14), but it's worth considering, if you ask me.

You're allowed to sign up all your kids. May as well encourage your closest friends and relatives to sign up too! It's only 3 very simple steps. And no, you don't have to sign up for their optional "birthday club". We didn't.

The Coolest Halloween Pumpkins I've Ever Seen!

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:32:56 -0600

I've been writing about Halloween for years now. And I've seen some pretty cool Halloween stuff.

These jack-o-lanterns are the coolest pumpkins I've ever seen!...

Blog World Expo: A Review

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:45:07 -0600

Jim and I have been to a handful of blogging and "new media" conferences since we started The Fun Times Guide in 2004.

Our first was Blog Nashville, which was held on the Belmont campus here in Nashville. Our most recent was Blog World Expo which which took place last week in Las Vegas. In case you're wondering, this year we also attended SES Toronto in June, and we'll be at PubCon in November.

I thought I'd share some highlights of our trip to Vegas for Blog World Expo 2008.

Shawn Mullins, Chuck Cannon & Mac Davis At The Bluebird Cafe... What A Treat!

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:29:12 -0600

We've been fortunate to see Shawn Mullins perform numerous times -- mostly at very small venues like 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville. He's definitely one of our all-time favorite artists of all time. He's just a down-to-earth guy with an incredible voice and amazing guitar skills, and remarkable storytelling abilities.

Last night we got to see Shawn Mullins perform "in the round" at the Bluebird Cafe. What a treat! There's nothing better than seeing your favorite performers in small settings like such small, intimate places.

Along with Shawn Mullins were Chuck Cannon and Mac Davis. I know... what a group! And we had great seats.

Here are some photos and highlights from last night...

Group Halloween Costumes: Hundreds Of Group Costume Ideas To Buy Or Make Yourself!

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:19:27 -0600

When I was a kid, my friends and I used to like to dress up as a group for Halloween. We'd pick a theme such as a favorite cartoon or movie, and then pick characters from it that we would all dress up as and go out trick-or-treating -- as a group.

These days, lots of adults have fun dressing up as group for Halloween, as well. And since many people participate in at least one Halloween party where it's required to dress up, finding group Halloween costumes is one way to make the evening even more exciting.

Here are some ideas for group Halloween costumes for adults and kids that you can buy... or make yourself!

5 Great Places To Find A Free Or Cheap Bike

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:18:47 -0600

Ginger, a fellow 40-something female who (like me) was eager to start biking again after many years away from the sport, recently emailed me:

I am really, really interested in buying a new (used) bike and getting into biking. I think it would be a great activity for me and my daughter to do together, as well as much needed, non-weight bearing exercise for me. All of that said, can you recommend some good places to seek out a decent used bike? I'm a single mom who doesn't have a large budget.

Personalized Sharpie Markers Are FUN!

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:28:58 -0600

Check it out... You can get Sharpie markers in a variety of different colors with your own personalized message on them!

I think this is a cool business move, especially if you're working in a field where things are frequently autographed, or organized, or otherwise written upon with permanent markers.

Even if you don't work in a field where you use permanent markers a lot, there are dozens of times when only permanent markers will do for us Average Joe's as well.

Here are some ideas & reasons you might want to splurge on a couple of personalized Sharpie pens... (besides the fact that IT'S FUN!!!)

Bike Training: Hills

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:05:13 -0600

When cycling, my theory on hills is: Don't fear them.

That said, every single "newbie" cyclist I've ridden with (including myself when I was just getting into biking) has gotten so nervous and psyched out as they were approaching a hill that they usually weren't able to pedal efficiently through the hill.

That's how someone explained it to me once (Joe, was that you?). When you see a hill in the distance, prepare to pedal through it -- as if the hill isn't even there and you're just tunneling through the hill to the other side.

How do you do that?...

I have two hill-climbing strategies that get me through most every type of hill on a bike:

1. Focus on your pedaling motion, find a groove
2. Switch gears a lot when pedaling up hills

The Day I Met Isaac Hayes

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:51:09 -0600

Isaac Hayes came to the Tennessee Senate one day.

I used to work there. (That's me in the red shirt.)

Bike Gear & Fun Tips For Newbie Cyclists

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:08:31 -0600

Generally speaking, the following tips are for those who know that they will be biking more than once a month or [gasp] a year.

These tips are for newbies in training (for say, a triathlon), as well as those who are looking for a fun new way to get fit (cycling is about the only way I can shed pounds fast, easily... and healthfully!), and cyclists who've been away from the sport for awhile (like me).

Whether you'll be doing short- or long-distance rides, doesn't matter. But if you'll be riding on the road (rather than a bike path or offroad), then these tips will come in handy. They should save you some money, and could even save your life!

My Best Tips For New (or Returning) Cyclists:

VIDEO: Wild African Lion Reunited With The Two Men Who Raised It As A Cub

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:07:46 -0600

I saw this on The View yesterday.

Not a particularly great show, but this is a particularly great video...

Want To Go On Some Biking Trips? Bike Tours? Long Training Rides? Me Too!

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:00:54 -0600

I used to be a long-distance cyclist. Not a great one. Nor a fast one. Just an average one -- who had a ball every time my wheels were spinning.

When I lived in Florida, I would ride 20 to 60 miles several times a week, a few Century rides (100 miles) each year, and on many weekends I would pack up my lightweight camping gear and participate in 2-day cycling events.

In one of my last bike logs (where I logged by cycling habits for years), I jotted: "20,000 miles on my car this year, and 4,000 miles on my bike." That's in one year. I was a diehard cyclist, that's for sure.

I did several bike tours and biking trips. My most challenging cycling event was a 3-day 300-mile bike ride from Orlando to Miami. I did it 2 years in a row and had the time of my life. (And made a lot of great friends.)

Truth is, I've never enjoyed life quite as much as those days when I was cycling regularly.

Fast-forward to today. And even though I've biked a bit around here since we moved to Tennessee, as I kept getting busier and busier, I kept pushing my bike farther and farther into the corner of our garage.

Try An Online Typing Test To Test Your Typing Speed

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:59:23 -0600

According to a couple of online typing tests I tried, I type in the 100 words per minute range. (That's with no errors.)

When I used to work in administrative jobs, my typing speed was "really good" (according to my employers). I went from 60 wpm to 80 wpm in no time from all the time spent at the computer. Now, after all these years of being self-employed as a full-time writer and editor, I'm at 100 wpm.

That's pretty good, but still not great. If you try out your own typing speed at the following online typing sites, you'll see that the fastest typists tend to type in the 120-150 range.

Try 'em out... they're FUN!