Chicago Bears Podcast - The Bear Garden

My friend Nick Jones and I have jumped into the world of podcasting.  We have a Chicago Bears podcast entitled "The Bear Garden Podcast", and you can find the blog page here.  So far we've recorded 10 episodes, and I think it's the best Chicago Bears podcast you can find on iTunes, so give it a listen!

Here's an excerpt from our 10th episode:

Here it is!  Let us just warn you...we didn't have much to talk about during the Bears' bye, so we flew in a special guest...our friend named Pete from Minnesota.  We cover some general Bears talk, but we also get to witness Nick after performing over 2 "Power Hours" by the time the show was over. Some of the random things we touch on: UTEP, Merril Hoge, Mike Adamle, Sweetness, Tom Skilling, Jeff Skilling, internet searching, AP, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Big Cat Williams.

Enjoy!

Should I Get a Kindle?

With Christmas right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to re-post a nice little writeup my wife had on her love for her Amazon Kindle.  She tells me it's the best gift she's ever received, so I think it's safe to say she's happy with it!



I was so shocked when I opened my birthday/Mother's Day gift and saw that Mike had gotten me a Kindle. I had wanted one for a while since I absolutely love to read. I seriously think Amazon should put me on their payroll as an advertiser since I seem to promote the Kindle so much!



It seems that about half of the people I discuss the Kindle with tell me that they prefer actual books; maybe because of the smell, the feel & the idea of being able to see them stacked upon their bookshelves. Others seem very interested in the Kindle or another e-reader such as the Nook or even the iPad & want to know how I like it & what I like about it.

So, this blog post is to tell you the things I like or don't like about the Kindle.

The only thing I've found that I dislike about the Kindle is the fact that it's really hard to go back & find a part that you may want to re-read. It can take a while to click previous page over & over again if you don't know what chapter you may have been near. But what makes me love the Kindle so much?

• It can store an endless amount of books in one small package. Perfect for times when you may be taking a trip or even going to the beach & you don't want to pack multiple books.
• I absolutely adore the cute little case that holds my Kindle.
• Perfect for a spur-of-the-moment buyer such as myself who loves instant gratification. I'm the type who is in need of a book, hears about an interesting one & immediately wants to run out & purchase it.
• You can enlarge or minimize the print to your liking. I've found this most useful at the gym when I'm on the elliptical or treadmill and would normally be unable to read the print of an average book from that kind of distance. And since you don't need to open the book, it stays in place on whatever piece of equipment I happen to be working out on.
• The pages don't need to be turned & you don't need to hold the book open which makes it so much easier to get comfortable in bed while reading.
• There's a dictionary right at your finger tips. All you have to do is move the cursor right next to any word you may not know the meaning of &, poof, there's your answer!
• Long battery life. In the the 2+ months I've owned my Kindle, I've only charged it twice. And I read a lot! I keep the wireless off unless I'm searching/buying a new book which definitely helps conserve the life of the battery.
• Very easy on the eyes since it's not back-lit. I have a book light for it so I'm able to read in bed at night while Mike is sleeping. And since it's not back lit & has a non-glare screen, you can easily read it in bright sunlight.
• Very user friendly. By no means am I a techy person & I'm easily able to navigate my way through the Kindle.

But what do I love most about the Kindle? The fact that Mike is now also the proud owner of one so we're able to spend our nights reading in bed, side by side, like an old married couple!