I absolutely love my Xstream speeds! I know I've said it before, but something I discovered recently just validated it for me, yet again.

In the past, I watched an Australian dance show with my niece and got hooked on the series. The new episodes aren't available in the U.S., so we were watching reruns. But, when I discovered the reruns only went so far into the season, I was frustrated…and that was only season one. So I used my Internet magic and found that not only season one, but also all of season two was available on YouTube. Well, yes, anyone with lower Internet streaming speeds could probably watch them, but the amazing thing for me was that I could not only watch hours and hours of this show, but I could watch them without missing any of the other things I had to do.

Yes, I do have an advantage because I run dual monitors. But, without my Xstream download and upload speeds, I would never have been able to watch this entire series while downloading supplies to complete the challenges for my Paint Shop Pro groups and also uploading my finished products to my photo server. Again, all while watching one of my new favorite shows on YouTube without a single hiccup.

I couldn't believe how flawlessly everything worked. Not only could I enjoy my hobby, but I could also check my e-mail, pay my bills online, and do some shopping while my shows continued to play. I am positive that without my MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband none of that would have been possible.

Anyone who hasn't experienced these great speeds should give them a try. They are truly amazing and make my life 100% easier!
 

I have used Midcontinent's technical support many times in the past. From trying to figure out why my audio suddenly went out or why my video was a weird size when I turned on the TV (both easy fixes that they walked me through) but the last time is the most memorable for me because it was the most frustrating!

My husband bought me a notebook computer, and, of course, I wanted to set up my e-mail on it. I knew how to do it (I thought) but it just wouldn't work. I called the first time at about 9 or 10 at night and was told that they couldn't help after I told him what the settings were. He said I had to call the company that made the computer and talk to their tech support which took me forever to get through and then was told by them that the settings have to come from my server and that they couldn't help me!

It was very late by then so I went to sleep frustrated and phone tired. But the next morning I called Midcontinent and I got the best tech ever. She knew exactly what I was talking about and fixed it in less than 5 seconds...just enough for me to type one thing in.

That taught me a huge lesson. People are fallible, not everyone knows the answer to every question, but there are some really smart people at Midcontinent that can help you just need to look. Any other issue I have had, they have been courteous and knowledgeable and willing to explore all avenues to fix the problem.

I feel very confident that if something goes wrong I can call them and the issue will be resolved as it always has been in the past!
 

Fall is here again…yeah! It's my favorite season of the year. I absolutely love the warm days and crisp nights, the smells of baking goodies wafting through the neighborhood, and the smells of the last bonfires of the summer.

But I have more than just these reasons for my love of fall. Not only do I have all the wonderful seasonal things here at home, I also still have a last taste of full-on summer as we do our yearly trek to Cabo San Lucas.

Thanks to my Midcontinent Internet, I am able to go on line, book the airline tickets and also book our activities in advance so we are guaranteed we get the boats we want at the times we want them. There are also new activities added every year and it's nice to see what new things have been added around Cabo that we might be interested in doing. This year there's a tequila factory tour with free samples of different flavors that might prove interesting to some of the group. There is also an excursion to a small town on the Pacific coast that is now an upcoming artsy tourist spot. Years ago when I traveled through there regularly, there were only a few houses and a gas station, but not anymore. It's amazing how things change!

Yesterday we did two of our favorite “fall” activities. One of them is the Fall Parade of Homes! We love going to look at what the builders have to offer. Since trends in building and decor change every year it's nice to know what's new and innovative. I always get on my Internet and check the dates and where to pick up my books so I can be prepared to go ahead of time and mark the houses I really want to see. We always end the day by taking our pups for a walk through the neighborhood to see the changing colors and watch everyone getting their houses and yards ready for winter.

However when we get back from Mexico it will be close to Halloween and we will need to get our pumpkin carved (plenty of ideas on the Internet for that activity) and, if the weather is nice enough get our pups in their costumes so we can walk around the neighborhood looking at all the fun things going on, then come home and eat our baked pumpkin seeds and have a glass of warm cider. Maybe this year we will be back in time to actually go to Haunted Fort Lincoln. I hear it's a real scream! I can't wait!
 

Ok, I admit it. I am a total TV junkie! I have 3 DVRs in my house and it still isn't enough to record all the things I need recorded some nights. Imagine my stress when I think of all the new shows starting this fall!

Granted, I don't want to see them all, but there are some I am interested in pursuing. Arrow, a playboy in the daytime and a vigilante at night trying to get revenge for his family; Beauty and the Beast...pretty self-explanatory but with some different twists. Elementary, a modern Sherlock Holmes crime solver with a former female surgeon as a companion; the Major Crimes spin-off of The Closer, with most of the same characters and a bit different crime solving techniques; Last Resort, a submarine crew who defied an order to fire nuclear weapons and are now on the run; Revolution, a post-apocalyptic future with survivors wondering how technology vanished; Vegas, not your typical Vegas but a rancher against gangsters...it looks intriguing! Abby Lee’s ultimate dance competition, of course, with Abby Lee from Dance Moms (I love to watch those girls dance, they are amazing! Though I could do without all their mama drama).

That's a short list. There are far too many to actually list them all!

The problem is my list of returning fall shows that I have already fallen in love with is huge and I might not be able to fit in many of those new ones. Some of my oldies-but-still-goodies include: The Big Bang Theory (Hilarious!); CSI; Law and Order SVU; Grimm (one of my favorites); Hart of Dixie; Hawaii Five-0 (if only to see the scenery and laugh at the characters); and Game of Thrones (I never miss this). I could go on but my space is running out. My poor DVRs are going to get quite a work-out.

I do a lot of work on my computer and my TV is always on when I am working. Thanks to Midcontinent I have the ability to record everything I need to watch and save them for the times when I can fit them in. I just hope they don't come out with too many more shows or I will have to get another DVR to be able to watch them!

I know that downstairs in my husband's office every triathlon, marathon, and cycle race is scheduled to record as well, and since he will be busy watching football, those will be taking up valuable space as well!

If none of these sound particularly interesting to you, you can always Google fall premieres and see if anything else looks interesting to you. If there is more than one playing at the same time, be sure to set your DVRs. Happy Watching!
 

It's September. I don't even have to look at a calendar to know it. All I have to do is turn on the TV and hear the words that send chills through my bones. “Are you ready for some football?”

Oh no! Not that time again! Now I know that there are some women who are die-hard football fans, but believe me, there are plenty of women who are once again becoming football widows as their husbands eat, drink, and breathe football.

I don't understand grown men going on a field to purposely get hurt (because they always do). Maybe it stems from the caveman days. What's even stranger to me is the grown men watching them, jumping up and down in their family rooms, swearing at the refs and urging on the players. Really? You can see entranced men sitting in restaurants supposedly having a meal with their family while their eyes are glued to the big screen TV showing all the football games, facts, commercials, and anything you ever wanted to know about the game. UGH! Not for me!

Instead, I have been on my Midco On Demand app on my smartphone seeking out all the movies I haven't seen and making a list for those lonely nights when my husband is glued to our new large, had-to-have-before-football-season TV downstairs. If I run out of movies I haven't seen, I will check out all my premium channels. There is plenty there to see and some things I'd like to see again.

While I am doing that, I will also be spending more uninterrupted time on my high speed Internet looking for projects and recipes on Pinterest. I found some lovely drinks I'd like to make and will do that when he has friends over to watch the games and we football widows are upstairs watching "The Notebook" or other fabulous chick flicks yet again.

So no, I'm not ready for some football! I'm ready for some great chick flicks and an excuse to experiment with a few of my newfound cocktails to see if they are as good as they look. Chick flicks, girly drinks (with or without alcohol), popcorn and other yummy snacks--what could be better to diffuse the cheering, yelling, and the smell of greasy pizza and man beer wafting up from downstairs?

We women have our own football season rituals--what’s yours?

Well, summer is almost over, and with all I've had going on, I haven't had much time to see what's playing in the theaters let alone go see something. But I have managed to make it to two movies over the last month. 

Years ago when I heard my husband was being "promoted" to North Dakota, I thought "What? That's a promotion?" I knew the winters were much colder, and I pretty much thought life as we knew it was going to get very boring.

Imagine my surprise when we actually loved the Bismarck-Mandan area. There are so many nice people, and Bismarck is a really clean, manicured city. I immediately searched online and found there was far more to do here than I ever imagined. I have done all of the below activities and found them to be fun and exciting!

We have many summer attractions, such as the Dakota Zoo, with lots of adorable animals; the Missouri River, where the fishing is phenomenal; the Lewis and Clark Riverboat, which offers different types of cruises; and Sleepy Hollow, which offers very entertaining musicals and plays in the summer. If you are a music lover, there is the summer concert series in Mandan you can check out. The series offers a variety of live music in the park on week-day nights.

If you prefer a little history? Then Fort Abraham Lincoln is just the thing. There are tours through the Custer house, where he and his wife lived. Actors host the tour in period-appropriate clothes and speak only in the language used at that time. Many original furniture pieces are still there, along with the barracks where the soldiers lived. Also, below the site is the on-a-slant Indian village, which portrays the life of the Mandan Indians.

There are also the favorite summer events, which everyone eagerly awaits:

In June, Buggies-n-Blues offers a great car show with over 500 cars from many eras. For the music enthusiasts, there are live rock & roll and R&B shows at the event. Food vendors are also present, so grab a lemonade and stroll down memory lane checking out the many cool vintage and not-so-vintage cars.

During the month of July, there is the annual Fourth of July Parade and Rodeo Days in Mandan. There is also the Art in the Park event, where you can buy your typical (but great) fair-type foods over the 3rd and 4th. It also offers many different crafts and of course, live music, The festivities also have a huge parade, many rodeo events for those barrel riders and mutton busters. To top it off, the fireworks at the Bismarck Capital Building are the best…ever! The orchestra plays before the fireworks begin and throughout the fireworks show. It's simply fantastic!

August brings Capital A'Fair, one of the area’s largest summer art fairs. It features over 130 artisans from across the country and attracts thousands of local and regional visitors. Music, great food, performing arts groups, an antique car show and children’s activities make it a part of my summer to-do list every year.

September is the huge United Tribes International Powwow, which has become one of the premier cultural events of North Dakota, receiving numerous awards over the years. Representing over 70 tribes, the event features over 1,500 dancers and drummers and draws over 20,000 spectators. The Powwow has become a must-see event!

There is always something to do here in Bismarck, North Dakota. I hope you take the opportunity to come visit us and take in a few of our attractions! Google them. I think you will like what you see!

 

This week I’m going to run you through a few of the shows I’m excited for this summer. In fact, preparing for this post helped me see what would be on this summer. I knew a few shows would probably be back soon, but wasn't positive when or what new ones would be coming. It used to be that summer was a sad time. Most shows were done for the season, and only reruns were available. In the past 5 years or so, there have been a lot of shows on during the summer that were new episodes, and that's how I actually started watching things I might never watch otherwise.

For now, “So You Think You Can Dance” is coming back and is something I always like to watch, because they have such a variety of great dancers. “Teen Wolf” will be back soon. It is another show that I got caught up in, because it was one of the few shows that wasn't a rerun. Now I just HAVE to see how it progresses.

There are a few new shows I would like to watch to see if they are of interest. I’d like to check out “Breaking Pointe” and “Bun Heads,” both dance type shows. One follows the Salt Lake City Ballet Company, and the other is about a dancer moving to a small town and teaching dance and the drama in all their lives. “Dance Moms” is also on its way back. The teacher is the woman everyone LOVES to hate, and I really enjoy watching those talented kids dance. Too bad all their moms are totally nuts!

Although I’m excited about what’s coming up, I enjoyed watching this year’s season finales. I was shocked at “NCIS.” I can't wait until next season. Who lived? Who didn't? I was sad at the “Criminal Minds” finale. Will Prentiss leave the show? I hope not! I can't wait for the Revenge series finale. I love the show, and the way she manages to get back at the people that betrayed her father and ruined her life.

The “Army Wives” finale was scary and left us in the lurch. Will Claudia Joy live or die? When are the guys heading for Afghanistan and who will go? Grimm won't be back until late summer, and we are left wondering if the woman in black is really who he thinks it is?

“Once Upon a Time” also left us guessing. What was the green mist? How will it affect all the citizens? Is the spell broken? I also watch “Person of Interest,” and the series finale was very exciting. I don't want to ruin it for anyone that might not have seen it, but it leaves us with a big question mark at the end.

As you can tell, I watch a LOT of shows (the above are just a few) while I do my digital art, and I have more than one DVR recording several shows each night. Most series finales leave you guessing and excited for the series to begin again, but with new shows beginning it gives us things to look forward to. I am still watching “Game of Thrones” and in no hurry for that to end. I wish it would just go on year round! There is so much intrigue that every week I feel is like a series ending and can't wait for the next show!

What summer shows are you looking forward to?

On Demand is such a great feature of my cable service!

Seriously, there are so many times, like during March Madness when all that's on is sports or reruns, that I depend on the service. In those moments, I go immediately to my On Demand.

First, I check out all the movies. I have come to the conclusion that MOST movies are just as good watched at home in comfy clothes, with my snacks of choice (way cheaper than the theater), a pause button for bathroom breaks, and a puppy or two on your lap. Agreed, there are some movies that HAVE to be seen on the big screen. “Star Wars” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy come to mind, but after seeing them in the theater, it is fun to watch them again on the TV with fewer distractions.

I also love the premium channel On Demand, and in fact, I spent a lot of last weekend watching it. Season two of “Game of Thrones” started a week ago. After watching the first episode, I really wanted to go and watch all of the season one episodes again to refresh my memory.

The weather was cold and dreary, and the kids spent Easter with their spouse’s and fiancé's families so we had a lot of time to relax and catch up. I loved that I could get the episode we wanted and watch it at the time we wanted. It was so convenient, and we even took breaks to go out to dinner and lunch. I managed to watch all 10 episodes on my Pay Per View and re-watched last week's season two premiere on my computer with HBO GO. I was all caught up to see the next new episode on Sunday night with the story fresh in my brain.

There are plenty of other series you can watch on premium On Demand. I use it a lot, and love that we have it available to us. There are also many more things available to explore On Demand. See my post from March 6th to see all I discovered!

I hope you try it out and enjoy the many choices available to you.

 

 Click here to zoom.

Yesterday, I picked up my new smartphone and tried to download the new MAX GO and HBO GO products. It started out being a bit frustrating for me. I kept getting an error message that I "didn't have the necessary token" when I tried to register. When I called support they had never seen that error message, but we circumvented the issue by registering online on my desktop. Then I used my smartphone, downloaded the app and signed in rather than trying to register. That worked great! I was all set to watch a movie later in the day while my husband was shopping for sports things, which takes him a very long time to get the exact right socks, shirts, etc.. I got to the mall, found myself a comfy bench and tried to watch a movie. That's when the trouble began.

The problem is although many of us here in Bismarck have 4G smartphones, Bismarck won’t actually have 4G until sometime this summer. Evidently 3G isn’t enough to run these movies. It starts and then I get a message that says “audio streaming only use a stronger network or GO to WiFi.” Well, the only place I have WiFi is at home, and why would I want to watch a movie on a small phone when we have large TV screens. Of course if I was in a different place, where they already have 4G, then it would be beneficial if say I was at a triathlon or a marathon waiting the hours before my husband gets to the finish line. 

But for here and now, this just doesn’t work for me. It will be exciting when we finally get our 4G though! I can watch a movie while waiting at the doctor's office, or waiting while my husband does his sports things, and even between my son's racing laps as they usually go in groups and there is plenty of waiting time. I did try it out with my WiFi at home to get a preview of how it will work when we have the right connection. It was awesome! I am looking forward to using these products in the near future!

For no additional cost, Midcontinent customers who subscribe to HBO and/or Cinemax will now have unlimited access to the corresponding new online services at any time, on any computer in the U.S. with a high-speed Internet connection, as well as iPad®, iPhone®, iPod touch®, select Android™ devices and platforms such as Samsung Smart TV™ and Roku®. 

Here is what he said about his rationale behind his selections:
“My selection process began by selecting who I thought would be the eventual winners based on performance during the past season, how well the team was playing, and the rich school history.

I am predicting that Kentucky will be crowned the national champions. Although North Carolina and Duke are usually top teams, I am predicting they will not make it to the championship game. As the Cinderella team of the tournament, I am choosing Ohio State.

I selected teams based on a combination of their seed in the tournament, listening to television analysts and my gut feeling. Every year most of the number one seeded teams usually get to the final four. However, there is always at least one surprise team that gets close to the top and certainly makes the tournament exciting.”

 

Click here to zoom.

However, my husband more than makes up for my, according to most people, abnormality. He loves sports – basketball, baseball, football, cycling, triathlons, marathons, swimming, etc. If it's on, he's watching it, and when he’s not watching sports, he’s participating in them.

This weekend he tried out ESPN3, and he really liked it. He got to pick the game he wanted to watch at the time he wanted to watch it. He selected North Carolina vs. Duke. I loved it! No, I didn't watch the game, but we were in the same room, which the dogs love because then they have us both to spoil them, and I was able to watch what I wanted on TV. We could also talk during intermissions and commercials.

He wore headphones and watched it on my big computer screen, and it worked out well for us. He liked that all the information was in one place, and the fact that you can select what you want to watch instead of having to watch what they have decided to put on TV. Through ESPN3, the user can select games in their region that interest them.

By viewing the tournament on ESPN3 via your computer, it eliminates the need for running back and forth between the television and computer to view simultaneous games and check NCAA bracket updates. (Huh? I'm sure you sports fans will know what that means). He also said he loves that with the high speed Xstream Internet there isn't any lag while watching the games.

He highly recommends it and will be keeping track of all the March Madness games on it. And me, I love that we can be together, and yet watch what we both like at the same time. It's the perfect solution for couples where both people don't share an intense love for all things sporty!

Try ESPN3 out, and let me know what you think.

Another great thing about those cold days is I have discovered some very cool things to do when the temperature drops and the snow/ice is flying. Recently, I decided to explore channel one, the Video On Demand channel, on Midco. I have, of course, ordered movies from there many times before. In fact, I usually wait for them to appear instead of going to the theater. I love being able to focus on the movie and not all the whispering and crunching going on around me. But, I hadn't explored all the other possibilities of On Demand.

I checked out the webisodes link and found some cool stuff: a Barnes and Noble book review, a cool thermostat that is Wi-Fi connected and learns the patterns of when you want your home heated and helps you save money, some new tech stuff that will be coming to Ford cars in 2012, and a bunch of other interesting things!

Then I went over to Tekzilla and found a treasury of really cool things to learn and do: how to convert old vinyl lps into mp3's, a way to copy and paste text that appears in an image, and how to convert all kinds of file formats. Wow!! I had never investigated these things on my TV and could spend days learning all kinds of cool stuff!

I also loved all the TV episodes available under the free On Demand content and all the movies available under premium services. Now, I don't have to wait until something is on TV that I like. I can surf through the choices and pick something to watch whenever I want.

While I am watching those shows, I can go to Midcontinent's homepage, click on games at the top and play some mahjong, since I like to do things while I watch TV. It's a fun game!!!  Want other games not available there? Use your search engine. Xstream will bring you tons of choices really fast, and I have noticed in particular that my games at pogo.com, where you can chat and play at the same time, are working so much better with these new speeds.

Recently, my husband and I went onto free local content, picked our city, looked under real estate and explored at all the cool houses for sale in our area. Not that we want to move, but you never know when you'll see the perfect to-die-for house that will reach out and grab you. It was fun and interesting!

I think Midcontinent has tons to offer, and I have just touched on a few. Go to channel 1 and check them out. I think you will be very happy with what you find! Be prepared to stay awhile...put your feet up, sit a spell, who knows what treasures will be there for you!

New Year's Resolutions! Last year I made a resolution not to make one…and I didn't! This year though, my husband and I both made one together.

We wanted to take off the weight that has crept up on us from too many dinners out and not enough healthy choices, so we made a resolution and joined Weight Watchers.

Granted, neither of us have a lot to lose, but we had discussed it with our doctor years back and were told Weight Watchers is the healthiest way to lose weight. We did it years ago with great success so we decided to do it again.

We started the first week in January and have both lost over 10 pounds. I use the Internet diligently to keep my resolution. On the Weight Watcher site, I use the recipe builder daily. It allows me to put in the ingredients I am using, how many servings it is and it tells me the points per serving (because Weight Watchers is all about the points).

I was amazed at how much faster I can do this online compared to years ago before MidcoNet Xstream was here. That helps me A LOT!! I can put my activities in the site, and it calculates the points for those also which is a big deal because I get to eat more points for using those activity points. It would be too difficult without the Internet for me to figure out all my recipe points and keep track of them throughout the day. I would say we are doing a great job and the Internet helps us maintain that!

There are tons of healthy recipes on the site for me to access, and we feel we are making healthier choices. My husband works out way harder than I do and uses the Internet a lot to research and keep track of everything he does. He also checks out tips for swimming faster, biking faster and running more efficiently. He orders equipment and clothes for his workouts from online sites and I think it keeps him motivated.

We have another 10 pounds to go to reach our original goal, but I will keep using all my Internet tools to maintain that goal. Thanks to Xstream it will be much faster and efficient than ever before!

It's 2012, and like many other people we are trying to figure out how to save money and get the most bang for our buck.

We already utilize things that save money. We usually shop at the mall, find what we want and then go home and do online searches for the same exact article. We usually find them for way less money on Amazon, even with the shipping involved.

We also use Skype for phoning family and friends that are very far away, once again saving us overseas charges.

I did a search to find other tools that could help us save. One I found is very near and dear to my husband's heart since he is an environmentalist and very involved with water quality and usage. The tool is a home-energy-water calculator. It gave us some very useful information on what we could do in our home to save water and a few things we could add/change to be more efficient. They were pretty low cost additions considering the amount of money we could save in the long run.  

The tool asks several questions (if you don't know the answers it will give you a norm). I think it's wise to know some of the things in advance, although you can actually check them while taking the test. The test asks for the age of products bought such as water heaters, faucets and toilets. It also asks the temperature your water heater is set at normally. You also input the square footage of the lawn you water and types of watering.

In the end, it calculates your water and energy usage depending on your answers, but the best part is it gives you a long list of things you can do and changes you can make to save you money.

I would recommend this to everyone!! It was an eye-opener! We are actually below the national average, but we have a way to go to get to the very efficient stage. I invite you to try it out, and I hope you enjoy your results. They will e-mail them to you if you provide an e-mail address. I will certainly follow some of their suggestions and save myself some of that precious green stuff!!

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, and I have a special day planned for my honey.

First, I will make him a nice breakfast before he goes to work. I don't usually do this in the mornings so it will be a nice surprise for him.

When he is at work, I have made several tags (like cards) to send to him throughout the day. In order to do this, I had to go online to different sites and download some scraps and some artist tubes to use with my Paint Shop Pro program, and thanks to MidcoNet Xstream it was fast and painless!! The artist tubes I paid for, but there are many places to get scraps for free if you have a proper program to use them with.

Dinner is being planned by him, and in the past has always been something nice. I know he ordered something online for me...he isn't saying what it is, but he said it's my favorite color (purple).

After dinner, we will come home and watch a pay-per-view movie. I think it will be a nice day. Here is a great site to get recipes for any occasion. I got my Valentine’s breakfast ideas AllRecipes.com.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!

It's time for the biggest football game of the year!! Millions of men around the nation are getting ready for one of the largest man-competition party traditions of the year. I have long tried to understand this event, but not being a big sports fanatic, it's a bit beyond my scope of comprehension.

I have been to one party for the big game in my life. I went for the food! I know I'm not the only one because the house was clearly divided into two factions: a group of men downstairs yelling directions at men on the TV who could clearly not hear them, and a group of women upstairs relaxing, enjoying conversation and of course food.

This Sunday’s big game seems to be the one time of year when people get together and eat all the things we are told not to eat the rest of the year. We devour nachos, chili, wings of every style and heat level, tons of different chips and dips, and of course beer in the basement with the men and frozen concocted alcoholic dream beverages in the more calm women's domain upstairs.

I'm not saying the women I know were totally disinterested. Some floated between rooms catching glimpses of the game and having conversations with those not watching football. Most wandered down for the halftime show or for a glimpse of the famous ads shown during the whole fiasco.

One thing is for sure, most of the people there had spent a good amount of time on the Internet. Men had read stats on the teams so they would know where to put their bets and could impress the other men with their vast football knowledge. Women had searched through recipes to make the traditional food just a bit more exciting than the year before. They had also looked at the tons of decorating ideas to make the environment just right for this forever talked about event. Hey, these parties are memorable. We all recall the year old Joe drank so much beer that he fell asleep in his plate of dip and missed the best play of the game.

At our house, we traditionally are more sedate. My husband camps near the big TV downstairs with his beer and snacks, and I camp upstairs in my office on my computer, usually chatting with other wives whose husbands are downstairs watching the game while we do some computer graphic things to compare and watch chick flicks on our TVs.

My husband says he will be rooting for the Patriots this year (um…are they from TX? Oh, Pennsylvania…huh!). The only thing I know about them is that they play football! He has already been looking up all the stats on his computer and emailing his friends around the country to see who they are rooting for and why.

I will probably look up a few new recipes to make things a little more interesting for him, and may wander downstairs occasionally to say ‘go Patriots’ as I walk by to take the dogs out. That will be the extent of my enthusiasm. I am just not a sports fan other than an occasional Olympic event and of course cheering my husband on at his marathons and triathlons.

But the occasion is a major thing to most men, and the Internet makes it so much easier for them to read everything they ever wanted (or didn't want) to know about the teams, players, statistics and history of the big game back to the very beginning. The Internet arms them with the knowledge they need to be the life of the party!

Who knows, maybe something interesting will come up, and we might deviate from our usual routine of staying in. If that happens my husband will be armed by Xstream with loads of information he can call out during the game. I’m also looking forward to watching all the ads the next day on my computer so I can catch up with the hype.

Thank you MidcoNet and Go Patriots!
 

This was a difficult challenge for me, because I had some obligations I had already signed up to fulfill online. I did try to stay away from most things, I didn’t go on Pogo (http://www.pogo.com/), and missed my friends terribly since we have been chatting on there for over 10 years. I especially missed them on Friday, because it was my birthday and usually we all celebrate everyone’s birthdays together on the site.

I did, however, have to check my e-mail during the challenge, because I have so many things coming in from graphic design groups that if I don’t check it, things start bouncing. While checking my e-mail, I saw that I had a few Facebook notifications. I felt I needed to answer or I would have been thought rude. I did however only answer when I had to, until Sunday and then I was just too tempted not to make some posts LOL.

I didn’t do my usual Internet surfing for stuff or check out links that were e-mailed to me. I saved those for later. I am guessing most of them are Christmas cards or Birthday cards from friends that have to be accessed online.
To say I hated this week would be an understatement. Even on bed rest, flat in bed, I’ve been roaming around the Internet on my laptop, so I found life extremely tedious this week. I did get a chance to read a lot, but I had to break down and use the Internet when I finished my book and needed to download the next book in the series to my nook.

It’s amazing how much we depend on the Internet for the simplest things. I only went in my quilting group to post the tags I had already obligated myself to make for a Christmas siggy swap. I didn’t go in the other groups that I had no prior obligations in, but I know I missed out on a ton of good stuff since this is the Christmas season and there are a lot of games going on to win things.

This challenge really made me think about the days without Internet. However did we manage? I guess with more phone calls and other hobbies now abandoned, but I can’t imagine ever going back to those days. The Internet is my lifeline!!